A system for performing image-based diagnosis of a machine includes a database containing a plurality of historical images taken from a plurality of machines, a diagnostic unit configured to diagnose a new artifact image from the machine and to communicate historical and non-historical images or data associated with the system to a remote facility. The plurality of historical images include a plurality of ideal images generated from the plurality of machines using all possible machine settings and a plurality of artifact images generated from the plurality of machines, each of the artifact images having known faults associated therewith and a corresponding corrective action for repairing the faults. The diagnostic unit includes a diagnostic image processor and a diagnostic fault isolator. The diagnostic image processor includes means for finding an ideal image from the plurality of historical images that most closely matches the new artifact image, means for assigning an artifact category to the new artifact image based on the matched ideal image, and means for extracting an artifact feature from the new artifact image according to the assigned category. The diagnostic fault isolator includes means for generating a plurality of metrics for the extracted artifact feature and means for applying the plurality of metrics to identify an artifact image from the plurality of historical images that most closely matches the new artifact image and a corrective action for repairing the unknown fault.

The present invention relates generally to the field of medical diagnostic systems, such as imaging systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and technique for quickly diagnosing a malfunction of a medical diagnostic system.
In either an industrial or commercial setting, a malfunctioning imaging machine can impair a business severely. Thus, it is essential that a malfunctioning imaging machine be repaired quickly and accurately. Usually, during a malfunction of an imaging machine such as an ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, a field engineer is called in to diagnose and repair the machine. Typically, the field engineer looks at an incident record generated from the machine. The incident record contains information such as the type of machine, the modality of the machine, and any customer-related information. In addition, the incident record contains an error log of events that occurred during routine operation as well as during any malfunction situation and any artifact images generated from the machine. Using their accumulated experience at solving machine malfunctions, the field engineer looks through the error log and the artifact images and tries to find any symptoms that may point to the fault. Then the field engineer tries to correct the problem that may be causing the machine malfunction. If the error log contains only a small amount of information, and the generated artifact images are well known, then this process will work fairly well. However, if the error log contains a large amount of imprecise information and the cause of the artifact images is unknown, as is usually the case for large complex devices, then it will be very difficult for the field engineer to quickly diagnose a fault. Therefore, there is a need for a system and method that can quickly diagnose a machine malfunction from a complex error log and artifact images having an unknown cause associated therewith.
Solutions to the problems described above have not heretofore included significant remote capabilities. Thus, there is a need for a medical diagnostic system which provides for the advantages of remote services and addresses the problems discussed above. In particular, there is a need for a system and method that can quickly diagnose a machine malfunction via a network. Further, there is a need for system structures, such as, a database and a diagnostic unit to be located in a remote service facility. Even further, there is a need to reduce the amount of equipment located at the image-based machine while maintaining the ability to quickly diagnose and service machine malfunctions.
One embodiment of the invention relates to a system for performing image-based diagnosis of a machine and includes a database containing a plurality of historical images taken from a plurality of machines, a diagnostic unit configured to diagnose a new artifact image from the machine and to communicate historical and non-historical images or data associated with the system to a remote facility. The plurality of historical images include a plurality of ideal images generated from the plurality of machines using all possible machine settings and a plurality of artifact images generated from the plurality of machines, each of the artifact images having known faults associated therewith and a corresponding corrective action for repairing the faults. The diagnostic unit includes a diagnostic image processor and a diagnostic fault isolator. The diagnostic image processor includes means for finding an ideal image from the plurality of historical images that most closely matches the new artifact image, means for assigning an artifact category to the new artifact image based on the matched ideal image, and means for extracting an artifact feature from the new artifact image according to the assigned category. The diagnostic fault isolator includes means for generating a plurality of metrics for the extracted artifact feature and means for applying the plurality of metrics to identify an artifact image from the plurality of historical images that most closely matches the new artifact image and a corrective action for repairing the unknown fault. The network provides remote services from the remote facility.
Another embodiment of the invention relates a method for performing image-based diagnosis of a machine. The method includes obtaining a plurality of historical images taken from a plurality of machines via a network; receiving a new artifact image from a machine having an unknown fault via the network; finding an ideal image from the plurality of historical images that most closely matches the new artifact image; assigning an artifact category to the new artifact image based on the ideal image that most closely matches the new artifact image; generating a plurality of metrics for the artifact category assigned to the new artifact image; and using the plurality of metrics to identify an artifact image from the plurality of historical images that most closely matches the new artifact image and a corrective action for repairing the unknown fault. The plurality of historical images include a plurality of ideal images generated from the plurality of machines using all possible machine settings and a plurality of artifact images generated from the plurality of machines, each of the artifact images having known faults associated therewith and a corresponding corrective action for repairing the faults.
Other principle features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following drawings, the detailed description, and the appended claims.

System and method for performing image-based diagnosis over a network


An associative memory that finds the location of at least one string of characters in the associative memory that matches a string of characters presented sequentially as an input to the associative memory. The string of characters in the associative memory, the input string of characters, or both may include a specially marked characters, or set of characters, that acts as a "variable indicator." The specially marked character, or set of characters, will "match" a portion of the other string. A flag is set in the associative memory at either the starting locations or the ending locations of the matching strings. Flags are provided only at locations of stored matching strings of characters found within a selected addressable area or areas. Each flag can be moved from a first byte to a second byte in the associative memory that has a predetermined location relative to the first byte. A selection circuit selects one of the matching stored strings of characters by enabling a test signal which selects one of the flags to propagate through the associative memory circuit in a daisy-chain manner. The daisy-chain path is segmented in order to decrease the propagation time of the test signal. A summation circuit, useful in neural network applications, adds a number presented as at least one input byte to the associative memory to a number stored as at least one byte in the associative memory at the location of a stored string of characters that matches the input string.

This invention relates to associative memories that find the location of a string of characters in a memory that matches a string of characters presented as an input.
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems often require the retrieval of an item of information from an unknown location in memory. Associative memory circuits are known that find the location of a string of characters in memory that matches a string of characters presented as an input. These circuits typically compare stored computer bytes (each byte representing a character) with input bytes, one input byte at a time. The comparison process typically involves passing a "match" signal from memory byte to memory byte as consecutive bytes in memory match consecutive bytes of a string of characters presented as an input. See, for example, Almy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,818, "Apparatus for In Effect Extending the Width of an Associative Memory by Serial Matching of Portions of the Search Pattern," Mar. 11, 1986.
Such known circuits are of limited help in most artificial intelligence systems because the item of information sought to be retrieved is typically a syntax that includes variables, rather than a specific identifier. For example, an artificial intelligence system for translating computer programming commands from one format to another may require the retrieval of a stored "dictionary" entry in which a sentence with variables is translated into one or more other sentences with the same variables. A typical such dictionary entry might be "`Do !v1 after .revreaction.v2`means `Do !v2. Do !v1.`" (!v1 and !v2 indicate variables.) The dictionary entry tells the artificial intelligence system to translate, for example, "Do run after compile," to "Do compile. Do run."

Associative memory capable of matching a variable indicator in one string of characters with a portion of another string


Various test structures and methods for monitoring or controlling a semiconductor fabrication process are provided. One test structure formed on a wafer as a monitor for a lithography process includes a bright field target that includes first grating structures. The test structure also includes a dark field target that includes second grating structures. The first and second grating structures have one or more characteristics that are substantially the same as one or more characteristics of device structures formed on the wafer. In addition, the test structure includes a phase shift target having characteristics that are substantially the same as the characteristics of the bright field or dark field target except that grating structures of the phase shift target are shifted in optical phase from the first or second grating structures. One or more characteristics of the targets can be measured and used to determine parameter(s) of the lithography process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to test structures and methods for monitoring or controlling a semiconductor fabrication process. Certain embodiments relate to a test structure formed on a wafer or a reticle as a monitor for lithography and/or etch processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
Fabricating semiconductor devices such as logic and memory devices typically includes processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer using a number of semiconductor fabrication processes to form various features and multiple levels of the semiconductor devices. For example, lithography is a semiconductor fabrication process that involves transferring a pattern from a reticle to a resist arranged on a semiconductor wafer. Additional examples of semiconductor fabrication processes include, but are not limited to, chemical-mechanical polishing, etch, deposition, and ion implantation. Multiple semiconductor devices may be fabricated in an arrangement on a semiconductor wafer and then separated into individual semiconductor devices.
As the dimensions of advanced semiconductor devices continue to shrink, process control windows are shrinking commensurately. A necessary condition for smaller design rules is the control of edge placement error (EPE). EPE can be measured as two components: critical dimension error (CDE) and pattern placement error (PPE). Both are affected by other process errors, such as lithographic dose and focus excursions, that are not measured directly by CD and overlay metrology tools. These excursions constitute a form of "hidden" error that can complicate attempts to control the lithography process. As an example, focus windows are expected to shrink from about 400 nm at the 130 nm technology node to less than 100 nm at the 65 nm node, and focus error will cause more than 50% of the CD variation.
Focus and exposure impact CD control interactively. A focus excursion at the gate level, for example, can increase both the "effective dose" and the sensitivity of the CD to small changes in dose. Focus error can defeat dose-based advanced process control (APC) algorithms by corrupting both the reference level and the slope of the dose-to-CD calibration. In addition, focus errors are a known source of sidewall angle and resist height variations that can propagate into etch, and cause "feature-limited" yield loss.
Gate CD and profile control in lithography is a particularly important APC application. For example, gate CDs and profiles control the speed binning and average selling price of advanced microprocessors, and they can have a profound effect on factory revenues. In the microprocessor case, model-based gate control loops have been shown to add as much as $2,000,000 per 1000 wafer starts. As a consequence, another component of yield (bin yield) is gaining importance. Bin yield is based on parametric performance, so control of bin yield relies more on wafer metrology than on defect inspection. Thus, in the era of accelerated shrinks and early introduction of technology nodes, yield control is driving the use of in-line metrology tools.
Accordingly, monitor and control of semiconductor processes is and will continue to be of significant importance in semiconductor development and manufacturing. Furthermore, the ability of test structures or process monitoring methods to not only detect a process excursion but to be responsive to the degree of excursion will determine how well semiconductor fabrication processes can be monitored. In addition, the degree to which the test structures and results of the process monitoring can be used to correct process excursions may, in large part, determine how successfully semiconductor fabrication processes can be performed. Consequently, significant efforts have been and will continue to be made to improve the test structures that can be used to monitor semiconductor fabrication processes.
Previously used methods include line-end shortening (LES) methods such as those developed by IBM. LES of resist features is an indicator of process window for both dose and focus. Examples of such methods and target structures used in these methods are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,772 to Ausschnitt and U.S. Pat. No. 6,577,406 to Bruce et al., which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Prior work described by Ausschnitt and Bruce et al. has demonstrated the use of control targets that leverage the effect of LES.
An example of one such control target is commonly referred to as a "schnitzl." Such a target generally includes a pair of line arrays on a clear background adjacent to a pair of trough or space arrays on a resist background. The lines and spaces have the same design size and layout. The distance between the two line arrays (L) and the two space arrays (S) becomes the control metric. Typically, the line width and pitch of the individual target lines are comparable to the minimum feature on the chip. Commonly, this method has a non-monotonic response to defocus, making it useful as an excursion monitor, but unreliable as feedback for APC systems. In addition, these methods are time consuming since they require measuring additional targets that are specialized for this task alone.
A different example of previously used methods includes phase-shift-focus (PSF) methods such as those developed by IBM. In general, using phase shifting masks, errors in the phase of the mask (non-180° shifters) would cause asymmetries of the printed image as the image was defocused. These asymmetries create a translational offset in the printed image as a function of the focus offset. The phase-shift-focus reticle employs this effect for stepper diagnostics and calibration. In the simplest implementation, a bar-in-bar overlay target is written on a reticle. Both the inner and outer bars are printed at the same time, with part of the target phase shifted by 90° and the other part unshifted. If the stepper is perfectly focused, the overlay error will be exactly zero in both x and y. If there is a focus error, the phase-shifted half of the overlay target will move relative to the unshifted part, and the resulting overlay error is a direct measure of the focus error. Examples of such PSF methods and targets are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,786 to Brunner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,667,139 to Fujisawa et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,710,853 to LaFontaine et al., which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
These methods have achieved some measure of success in recent years. For example, the PSF method exhibits a linear response to defocus, thereby eliminating the "deadband" or flat zone observed in standard CD versus focus plots and enabling the use of proportional control. In addition, the PSF method allows targeting of defocus values with a resolution of about 10 nm. Furthermore, the PSF monitor patterns can be measured using a high throughput, optical overlay tool, thereby minimizing the time to data, analysis, and corrective action.
There are, however, several disadvantages to these methods. For example, these methods are based upon obsolete box-in-box target technology that is not robust during mask fabrication or wafer processing. Furthermore, because of their large size, these box-in-box targets fail to replicate effects of lithographic parameters such as lithographic lens aberrations on relatively small design rules. Therefore, traditional metrology marks are not sensitive to the same aberrations as the transistors.
There have been recent disclosures, however, which attempt to deal with this issue by making box-in-box targets, which are more device representing (or device-like) and process-robust. For ease of discussion, a "device representing" target may be defined as a target that is sensitive to the same aberrations as a particular size and pitch of the transistor. Large open spaces are also subject to the adverse effects of other processes (besides lithography) such as chemical-mechanical polishing and deposition. Further, "process-robust" targets may be defined as targets that are not adversely affected by these spurious processes. As a result, the targets are typically not optimized for the process, and therefore the fine structures of the targets may suffer from process induced biases when measured by a metrology tool. In addition, targets, which are large and cumbersome compared to actual device features being printed therewith, can be used to produce correctables, which are based on measurements thereof, that may not be ideal, or even suitable, for the process.
Accordingly, it may be advantageous to develop test structures and methods for monitoring or controlling a semiconductor fabrication process such as a lithography process that yield substantially monotonic and linear responses to variations in parameters of the process such as focus errors and that replicate the effects of process parameters on relatively small design rules.

Test structures and methods for monitoring or controlling a semiconductor fabrication process


Techniques for processing directionally-encoded audio to account for spatial characteristics of a listener playback environment are disclosed. The directionally-encoded audio data includes spatial information indicative of one or more directions of sound sources in an audio scene. The audio data is modified based on input data identifying the spatial characteristics of the playback environment. The spatial characteristics may correspond to actual loudspeaker locations in the playback environment. The directionally-encoded audio may also be processed to permit focusing/defocusing on sound sources or particular directions in an audio scene. The disclosed techniques may allow a recorded audio scene to be more accurately reproduced at playback time, regardless of the output loudspeaker setup. Another advantage is that a user may dynamically configure audio data so that it better conforms to the user's particular loudspeaker layouts and/or the user's desired focus on particular subjects or areas in an audio scene.

Conventional multi-channel recording typically assumes a fixed loudspeaker position in a playback environment; and thus, some conventional multi-channel sound systems process and store audio signals based on standard loudspeaker configurations. Standard multi-channel loudspeaker configurations include conventional L-R stereo, 5.1 surround sound, and 7.1 surround sound, as well as others. However, in a user's acoustic space, e.g., living room, car, or the like, it is not unusual to have loudspeaker positions mismatched from those specified by the standards. Furthermore, if users want to dynamically configure a loudspeaker setup or focus on sound sources or directions, the actual setup and/or user or device selections should be considered for proper audio rendering. For example, if one loudspeaker is non-ideal for some reason such as low battery issue or non-standard location, then an audio playback system should get such information and reflect such differences in real-time for proper audio rendering.
There are some known approaches to create virtual loudspeaker locations to compensate for loudspeaker position mismatch using encoded sound sources, but these approaches may introduce unavoidable sound source location mismatch since some of them attempt to remap the processed output to create virtual loudspeakers.

Method, system and article of manufacture for processing spatial audio


A transfer device for press systems has cross traverses with at least one suction unit swivellably held thereon. The suction unit has an electric drive for coordinating the swivel movement with the transfer curve (horizontal and vertical movement) to be travelled. As may be required, two or more suction units can be independently swivellable on a cross traverse. A retrofitting and retooling of existing cross traverses can be carried out by the replacement of non-swivellable suction units used so far by swivellable suction units. Other changes on the mechanical structure of the transfer device are not required.

This application claims the priority of 196 28 333.7, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a transfer device, and more particularly, to a transfer device for transfer of workpieces between press stations along a given transfer direction, comprising supporting and guiding devices which extend essentially along the transfer direction and which carry therebetween cross transverses equipped with gripping devices arranged to be engaged with and disengaged from the workpieces, and driving devices configured to act upon the gripping devices for swivelling the gripping devices about an axis of rotation transverse to the transfer direction.
In press systems having several press stations which are arranged behind one another along a parts passage route, transfer devices are provided which remove the corresponding sheet metal parts from the press stations and supply them in a timed manner to the respective press station which follows. Intermediate depositing devices are usually provided between the individual press stations so that the workpieces to be transported can temporarily be deposited thereon to permit a reduction of the transfer step width. For carrying out the transfer, a transfer device is used which grips the workpieces when the tool is open and, in a transfer movement during which a lifting movement is superimposed on a horizontal transfer movement, guides them out of the tool or inserts them therein. Thereby, a vertical lowering or depositing movement is superimposed on the transfer movement.
Particularly with workpieces which have complicated designs and/or workpieces which are to be placed in the tools obliquely, i.e., deviating from a horizontal plane, it may be necessary, during, for example, the guiding out of or guiding into the tool, to swivel the workpiece about a transverse axis. In the case of corresponding tool and workpiece shapes, this transfer may become necessary in order to avoid a collision between the sheet metal part and the tool during the transfer movement. The first machining station of press systems, optionally also a machining station which follows, is configured as a drawing station. The further machining may require an oblique position of the sheet metal part in the bottom tool. On one hand, for example, because of the high lift numbers, the lifting-out lift cannot be selected to be arbitrarily large. On the other hand, it is necessary to guide low-placed drawn surfaces which are bent by deep-drawing freely past above the form of the bottom tool.
A conventional transfer device is shown in EP-A-0 499 901 and includes two guide rails which extend in the transfer direction. The guide rails are arranged on the right and the left side next to the tools of the press stations, travelling carriages being disposed on these guide rails. The guide rails are connected with a lifting and lowering unit in order to carry out a targeted horizontal movement. The travelling carriages are connected with a transfer drive unit in order to be moved along the travelling rails in a targeted manner. Each cross traverse is arranged between two carriages and is rotatably on the end side disposed on the carriages. As gripping devices for gripping and holding sheet metal parts, the cross traverse carries a suction spider which has a number of suction feet which can be acted upon by a vacuum. In order to be able to swivel the suction spiders about a transverse axis, the corresponding cross traverse is connected on the end side by a coupling with a swivel lever which can be swivelled with a driving cylinder provided on the carriage.
In order to limit the usability of the transfer device not to applications in which rotational movements of the workpieces are required in only one or in a few stations, all carriages must be equipped with corresponding rotating units. This makes the construction more complicated and increases the weight of the transfer device and particularly of the carriages. Correspondingly high accelerating and braking forces are thus applied which is disadvantageous with respect to energy consumption. Furthermore, the known construction requires considerable space which reduces the permissible lifting height of the cross traverse transfer system. The known transfer device is unlike the ideal transfer design which could handle a plurality of workpieces so that it can also be set up for future tasks which cannot be predicted in detail.
JP 62-142431 describes a transfer device with a support carrying the suction spider and, as a whole, is rotatably disposed on a rotating unit. The rotating unit is held on a support which can be moved vertically up and down as well as horizontally.
If a corresponding transfer device is to have several such transverse supports, a rotating unit is required at each transverse support position irrespective of whether, for the concrete individual case and at the respective position, a swivel movement of the suction spider is actually required. This affects the constructive expenditures and the weight of the transfer device.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a transfer device which permits a high variability.
This object has been achieved in accordance with the present invention by a transfer device at least one of the cross traverses carries a bearing device on which the associated gripping device is operatively disposed to be swivelled about the axis of rotation, and this at least one cross traverse is configured to carry the driving device for swivelling the gripping device.
The cross traverses, which have a rigid construction per se, carry suction spiders which are each rotatably disposed thereon. The cross traverse also carries the driving device, such as a geared motor, hydraulic or pneumatic drives and the like which, as required, swivel the gripping devices. Thus, cross traverses with swivellable gripping devices can be provided at positions of the transfer device which constructionally correspond to those positions which are developed for cross traverses with non-swivellable gripping devices.
Regardless of whether the corresponding cross traverse carries swivellable gripping devices or not, the end-side suspension of the cross traverses has a uniform construction. No rotating units are required which act upon the ends of the cross traverses and which would have to be fixedly provided on the supporting and guiding devices, for example, on travelling carriages disposed on travelling rails. This permits the fast exchange of cross traverses with rotatable gripping devices for cross traverses with non-swivellable gripping device and viceversa. The constructive and economic expenditures are therefore reduced to the respective required extent for each application. Simultaneously, the transfer devices offers a high measure of variability and permits a fast adaptation to different, also future transfer tasks which presents no problems.
Because driving devices acting upon the gripping devices are to be provided only at such positions or cross traverses at which they are actually necessary, the mass of the transfer device which is to be accelerated and braked is not increased by unnecessary driving devices which are to be moved along. A fast transfer and a lowering of the driving/braking power are thereby permitted.
The swivellable bearing of the gripping devices on the cross traverse and the assignment of a driving device carried by the cross traverse to each gripping device provides the basis for the fact that gripping devices provided on one and the same cross traverse are divided into gripping units which are to be controlled or swivelled differently. For example, on one cross traverse, a first and second suction spider may be provided of which only one is swivelled or which are swivelled differently. Thus, sheet metal parts can be handled which are to be swivelled differently and which are to be transported through the press stations side-by-side. This may become necessary if two separate sheet metal parts which have different shapes are formed from one sheet bar.
As a result, the versatility of the transfer device according to the present invention even makes it possible that a sheet metal part which, as a cutout for forming a large opening in another sheet metal part, was separated from the latter can be synchronously conveyed together therewith and can be shaped into a separate part. It can be held, transported and changed into different tilting angles by a separate suction spider which is disposed on the same cross traverse as the suction spider for the surrounding larger part.
A coupling arrangement between the cross traverse and the gripping devices or a gripping unit formed of gripping devices, a bearing device and driving devices can, as required, permit the release of the gripping unit from the cross traverses so that the cross traverses can be retrofitted for a respective application. In particular, swivellable gripping devices/units can be exchanged for non-swivellable gripping devices/units.
The axis of rotation of the gripping devices is preferably situated within the cross traverse, and the center of gravity of the workpiece is situated below the cross traverse. Consequently, no significant torque is created by the force of the weight of the workpiece which would act upon the driving devices.
In a construction type which can be easily retrofitted manually, the bearing device includes at least one divided bearing unit which has two curved guiding surfaces on which the gripping devices are disposed by way of rollers. A gear wheel segment is used for the coupling with a geared motor serving as the driving device and can also be considered to be a bent toothed rack. This construction permits a particularly low height of the swivellable gripping unit which is no larger or hardly larger than that of the non-swivellable unit. This does not limit the permissible vertical lift of the transfer device.

Transfer device for sheet metal parts in a press system


The present invention provides for a method and an apparatus for running metrology standard wafer routes for calibrating metrology data. A processing order for a run of semiconductor devices is determined. A metrology route based upon the processing order is determined. A metrology standard device is routed through the metrology route. Measurement data relating to the metrology standard device being routed though the metrology route is acquired. Metrology data processing upon the acquired measurement data is performed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to manufacturing semiconductor products, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for performing wafer standard routing for cross-fab metrology calibration.
2. Description Of The Related Art
The technology explosion in the manufacturing industry has resulted in many new and innovative manufacturing processes. Today""s manufacturing processes, particularly semiconductor manufacturing processes, call for a large number of important steps. These process steps are usually vital, and therefore, require a number of inputs that are generally fine-tuned to maintain proper manufacturing control.
The manufacture of semiconductor devices requires a number of discrete process steps to create a packaged semiconductor device from raw semiconductor material. The various processes, from the initial growth of the semiconductor material, the slicing of the semiconductor crystal into individual wafers, the fabrication stages (etching, doping, ion implanting, or the like), to the packaging and final testing of the completed device, are so different from one another and specialized that the processes may be performed in different manufacturing locations that contain different control schemes.
Among the important aspects in semiconductor device manufacturing are RTA control, chemical-mechanical Planarization (CMP) control, and overlay control. Overlay is one of several important steps in the photolithography area of semiconductor manufacturing. Overlay control involves measuring the misalignment between two successive patterned layers on the surface of a semiconductor device. Generally, minimization of misalignment errors is important to ensure that the multiple layers of the semiconductor devices are connected and functional. As technology facilitates smaller critical dimensions for semiconductor devices, the need for reduced of misalignment errors increases dramatically.
Generally, photolithography engineers currently analyze the overlay errors a few times a month. The results from the analysis of the overlay errors are used to make updates to exposure tool settings manually. Some of the problems associated with the current methods include the fact that the exposure tool settings are only updated a few times a month. Furthermore, currently the exposure tool updates are performed manually.
Generally, a set of processing steps is performed on a lot of wafers on a semiconductor manufacturing tool called an exposure tool or a stepper. The manufacturing tool communicates with a manufacturing framework or a network of processing modules. The manufacturing tool is generally connected to an equipment interface. The equipment interface is connected to a machine interface to which the stepper is connected, thereby facilitating communications between the stepper and the manufacturing framework. The machine interface can generally be part of an advanced process control (APC) system. The APC system initiates a control script, which can be a software program that automatically retrieves the data needed to execute a manufacturing process. Often, semiconductor devices are staged through multiple manufacturing tools for multiple processes, generating data relating to the quality of the processed semiconductor devices. Many times, inaccuracies in manufacturing processes cannot be measured because they may involve a semiconductor process characteristic that may be difficult to measure. This could cause quality problems that may otherwise be corrected if data relating to the inaccuracies had been acquired.
Furthermore, wafers that are processed in different location may carry metrology data associated with each process that was performed on a particular semiconductor wafer. Many times, one set of data associated with a particular metrology tool will not properly correspond with data from another metrology tool from a different manufacturing area. This could cause inherent bias or drift in the measurements made on a semiconductor wafer as it is being processed through various manufacturing areas.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for running metrology standard wafer routes for calibrating metrology data. A processing order for a run of semiconductor devices is determined. A metrology route based upon the processing order is determined. A metrology standard device is routed through the metrology route. Measurement data relating to the metrology standard device being routed though the metrology route is acquired. Metrology data processing upon the acquired measurement data is performed.
In another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for running metrology standard wafer routes for calibrating metrology data. The apparatus of the present invention comprises: means for determining a processing order for a run of semiconductor devices; means for determining a metrology route based upon the processing order; means for routing a metrology standard device through the metrology route; means for acquiring measurement data relating to the metrology standard device being routed though the metrology route; and means for performing metrology data processing upon the acquired measurement data.

Method and apparatus for running metrology standard wafer routes for cross-fab metrology calibration


Attributes of a toner patch transferred from an imaging member (e.g., a photoreceptor or other charge-sensitive substrate) to a transfer member, such as an intermediate or electrostatic belt or drum, are measured. Measurement of attributes of the toner patch located on the transfer member can be used to monitor characteristics of the toner image formation process so that the toner development process can be appropriately controlled. These measurements can be used to improve the toner development process stability, and thus maintain superior print quality. The toner patch attributes measured include, for example, the voltage and the mass of the toner patch. Toner patch voltage is measured by an electrostatic voltmeter located adjacent to the transfer member. Toner patch mass is measured by one or more densitometers for measuring the developed toner patch mass, the transferred toner patch mass, and/or residual toner patch mass.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring and controlling toner image formation processes, and in particular, toner image formation processes in xerographic or ionographic type printing machines which utilize transfer members for transferring a toner image from an imaging member to a receiving material, such as paper.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical xerographic printing machine (such as a photocopier, laser printer, facsimile machine or the like) employs an imaging member (e.g., a photoreceptor) that is uniformly electrostatically charged, and then exposed to a light image corresponding to an image to be printed so that the imaging member is selectively discharged in accordance with the image. Thus, exposure of the imaging member records an electrostatic (latent) image on it corresponding to the informational areas contained within the image to be printed. This latent image is developed by bringing a developer material (liquid or powder) into contact with the latent image to form a toner image. The toner image recorded on the imaging member is then transferred to a receiving material such as paper either directly or via an intermediate transport member. The receiving material can be transported past the imaging member to receive the toner image by a transported past the imaging member to receive the toner image by a transport member such as, for example, an electrostatic belt or drum which presses the receiving material against the toner image on the imaging member to receive the toner image therefrom. Alternatively, the toner image can be transferred from the imaging member to an intermediate belt or drum which then further transfers the toner image to the receiving material. The developed toner image on the receiving material usually is then subjected to heat and/or pressure to permanently fuse the image to the receiving material.
In an ionographic printing machine, a latent image corresponding to an image to be printed is formed on an imaging member by an ion generating device which selectively propels ions toward the imaging member in accordance with an input signal to form the latent image on the imaging member. Development of the latent image into a toner image, and transfer of the toner image to a receiving material can proceed in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the xerographic printing machine.
With the increase in use and flexibility of printing machines, especially color printing machines which print with two or more different colored toners, it has become increasingly important to monitor the toner development process so that increased print quality, stability and control requirements can be met and maintained. For example, it is very important for each component color of a multi-color image to be stably formed at the correct toner density because any deviation from the correct toner density may be visible in the final composite image. Additionally, deviations from desired toner densities may also cause visible defects in mono-color images, particularly when such images are half-tone images.
It is known to monitor the developed mass per area (DMA) for a development process by using densitometers such as, for example, infrared densitometers (IRDs) to measure the mass of a toner patch formed on the imaging member. Although DMA permits one to monitor the manner in which toner is deposited onto the imaging member, it does not provide a complete picture of the image formation process because DMA does not take into account the efficiency with which toner is transferred from the imaging member to the receiving material (e.g., paper) which ultimately receives the final image. Conventional printing machines do not attempt to measure the toner transfer process (i.e., the process by which the toner image is transferred from the imaging member to the receiving material (paper sheet)) because transferring a control toner patch to a sheet of paper would necessitate the disposal of the sheet which cannot be done on a routine basis.
Another example of a process control which is monitored includes the developability. Developability is the rate at which development (toner mass/area) takes place. Developability is typically monitored (and thereby controlled) using densitometers (e.g., IRDs) and by measuring toner concentration (TC) in the developer housing. As described above, IRDs measure total developed mass (i.e., on the imaging member), which is a function of developability and electrostatics. Thus, the developability cannot be determined using IRDs alone because the electrostatics of the imaging member also affect the mass of toner deposited on the imaging member by a developer device. TC is measured by directly measuring the percentage of toner in the developer housing (which, as is well known, contains toner and carrier particles). However, the relationship between TC and developability is affected by other variables such as ambient temperature, humidity and the age of the toner. For example, a 3% TC results in different developabilities depending on the variables listed above. Thus, maintaining TC at a predetermined value does not ensure a desired developability.
Accordingly, the monitoring and control of the toner development process can be difficult and complicated. It is desirable to provide new and useful means for monitoring the toner development process so that the toner development process can be appropriately controlled.

Method and apparatus for monitoring and controlling a toner image formation process


The level of moisture in a buried splice case (14) is provided by a transmitter (26) that is energized from a power circuit (24) via a moisture detector (22) when the moisture detector detects a prescribed level of moisture in the splice case. Once erergized, the transmitter (26) transmits a coded word indicative of the prescribed moisture level for receipt by a receiver (30) located above ground. In this way, a technician, using the receiver (30) can directly determine the moisture level in the buried splice case without the necessity to excavate the case or to contact a member of the On-site Work Force at a communications facility.

Many providers of telecommunications services, such as AT&T, maintain large networks of buried fiber-optic cables. Most buried fiber-optic cables have spices every three to five miles. At each splice location, the individual fibers and the metallic sheath of a cable segment are bonded to fibers and sheath, respectively, of another cable segment. A water-resistant metallic enclosure (i.e., a splice case) encloses the splice to protect it from moisture. Each splice case typically lies a distance 5-10 feet underground to protect the splice from possible damage. In practice, great efforts are made to insure each splice case is substantially water-tight. However, moisture can and does enter the splice case, adversely affecting the splice, and ultimately, the quality of the information transmitted by the cable.
Presently, various techniques exist for determining the degree of moisture present in a splice case. For example, an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) can measure the degree of light scattering in a fiber of an optical-fiber cable by transmitting light into one end of the fiber and then measuring the degree to which such light is reflected back to the OTDR. Significant moisture in a splice case will adversely affect the splice, and hence, the light transmission characteristics of the fiber, causing a measurable change in the light backscattering measured by the OTDR. Depending on the type of OTDR making the measurement, it is possible to establish the relative location of a moisture-affected splice in the cable. Alternatively, the splice case may include a mechanical device, such as a bimetallic arrangement in contact with a fiber, for altering the characteristics of the light transmitted through that fiber in response to the level of moisture in the splice case. The variation in the characteristics of the light transmitted through the fiber may also establish the relative location of the moisture-containing splice case.
The above-described techniques for determining the relative level of moisture in a splice case require equipment at a cable termination point, such as a central office or the like, for detecting the variation in the characteristics of the light transmitted through a fiber in the cable. Even assuming the ability of such equipment to accurately establish the relative location of a moisture-affected splice case, such location information is often of limited value to a field technician. Even with such information, the technician must still must manually locate the cable to precisely establish the location of the moisture-affected splice case. Moreover, with the above-described technique, the field technician must communicate with a member of the On-Site Work Force (OWSF) following a measurement by the OTDR, or such other office-based equipment, to learn of a possible impairment of the transmission characteristics of the cable to detect a moisture-affected splice. In the absence of any such communication, a field technician undertaking a routine inspection of a buried fiber-optical cable has no way of determining the relative level of moisture in a splice case.
Thus, there is a need for a technique for determining the level of moisture in a splice case that is not subject to the foregoing disadvantage.

Method and apparatus for determining the moisture level in a buried splice


The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for processing advertisement opportunities when a user views content on a mobile device. An agent on a mobile device may contextualize a portion of a page being viewed to identify and send contextual data to a contextualization service. The contextualization service may use the contextual data to select a campaign from a plurality of campaigns to deliver an in line banner advertisement for content being viewed. Based on the selected campaign, the contextualization service may send the agent an advertisement or campaign information for display, such as an inline banner at a natural break in the content being viewed. Instead of having an advertisement predetermined or fixed prior to the display of the content, the present systems and methods may dynamically contextualize the page at the point of viewing based on the content of the page being viewed.

Hypertext is used to provide information in a web page. Hypertext is the organization of computer based text into connected associations enabling a user to quickly access information that the user chooses. An instance of such an association is called a hyperlink or hypertext link. A hyperlink, when selected, leads the viewer to another web page (or file or resource, collectively called the destination page).
In order to access the supplemental information provided through hyperlinks, viewers are required to leave their current web pages. This requirement interrupts the viewers' web browsing experience. As a result, most viewers are reluctant to visit the destination page provided by hyperlinks.
In some cases, the viewer leaves the web page to visit a destination page that does not have information desired by the viewer. The user then may have to search for other destination pages to try to obtain the desired information. This may lead the viewer to perform multiple searches and visit several pages to find the desired information. The viewer may become frustrated with the amount of activity to find or not find the desired information and with leaving the current destination page to do so.

Systems and methods for contextualizing services for inline mobile banner advertising


The invention is a human and animal performance data acquisition, analysis, and diagnostic system for fitness and therapy devices having an interface box removably disposed on incoming power wiring to a fitness and therapy device, at least one current transducer removably disposed on said interface box for sensing current signals to said fitness and therapy device, and a means for analyzing, displaying, and reporting said current signals to determine human and animal performance on said device using measurable parameters.

Gait analysis usually involves the measurement and interpretation of sequential events that occur in the gait cycle. The gait cycle includes all of the events occurring from one heel strike to the repeated heel strike of the same foot. Essential gait measurement parameters include space, time, and compressive forces. These measurements must be accurate, reproducible and related in time to be of value. Additional value results from real time data analysis to allow training for gait style modification, or adjustments of gait devices like shoes or braces.
Various types and methods of gait analysis exist today ranging from measured distances and a stopwatch to computerized 3-D video gait analysis systems. The cost, utility and efficacy of each system may limit their application in various settings. The Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA) system described herein provides a highly objective, comprehensive gait performance analysis.

Electrical signature analysis to quantify human and animal performance on fitness and therapy equipment such as a treadmill


An exchanging system in which data is transferred between a plurality of exchange offices connected to a switch network such that data is transferred between files associated with the respective exchange offices. The exchanging system includes a user process for outputting an input/output request to a file of a particular exchange office of a user, an input/output control unit operative in response to the input/output request from the user process for outputting an access request to an exchanging system of another particular communicating exchange office to which the file belongs, and a signal connection unit operative based on the access request for outputting signal connection control information to the particular exchange office to establish a connection to the exchange office to which the particular file belongs.

The present invention relates to an exchanging system and a method of establishing a call thereof suitable for a data transfer to be achieved between exchange offices using input/output devices respectively disposed in the exchange offices.
Recently, with expansion of services of exchange or switch systems, a high-speed transfer of a great amount of data has been required to be conducted between input/output devices installed in the respective exchange offices. However, in the conventional method of transferring data between the offices, input/output devices are connected to modems by means of input/output ports linked with such devices as maintenance terminals of the offices so as to accomplish data transfer operations between the input/output devices via a telephone line. This data transfer method of the prior art has been a hindrance when attempts are made to implement transparent services in the expanding networks, for example, to improve the transfer speed, transfer quality, and the line utilization efficiency. In this regard, a method of transferring data between exchange offices of this kind has been described, for example, in the JP-A-61-177059.
The input/output port ordinarily employed in the prior art is generally provided with a modem interface (e.g. RS232C, V24/28, or the like) and hence the transmission speed thereof is limited to a low speed of about 9.6 kbps. Furthermore, a communication line between the exchange offices is usually adopted for the data transfer between the input/output devices or equipment. Consequently, as compared with an ordinary telephone call, the transfer of a large amount of data such as a file transfer takes a considerably longer period of time during which the line is occupied. Moreover, for a solid failure of the line during a data transfer between exchange offices, there has not been prepared a backup line or an alternative channel. This consequently leads to a problem of processing to be achieved by the end users to cope with the failure or to retry the data transfer.

Exchanging system and method of establishing data call thereof


A multi-layer optical circuit has a plurality of optical circuit layers. Each optical circuit layer is positioned on a corresponding one of a plurality of substrates. An optical fiber extends between at least two of the optical circuit layers and forms a portion of the at least two of the plurality of optical circuit layers.

The present invention generally relates to optical circuits. More particularly, the invention relates to multi-layer routed fiber optical circuits and methods for fabricating multi-layer routed fiber optical circuits.
The use of optical fibers for high-volume high-speed communication and data transfer is well established. As the volume and speed of transmitted information grows, the desire for systems using multiple optical fibers has increased. The rapid increase in communication speeds has created a demand for optical circuits to enhance or replace electrical circuits in many different applications. Optical circuits have bandwidth capabilities orders of magnitude beyond electrical circuits, and are inherently immune to electrical interference.
Fabrication of fiber-based optical circuits is known in the art. For example, it is known that optical circuits may be fabricated by positioning optical fibers in a particular pattern and adhesively bonding or embedding the fibers using pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA) or partially cured monomers coated on laminating films. The adhesive and optical fiber assembly can then be further protected by, for example, applying a cover layer, curing the adhesive, or flood coating and curing. Other optical circuits can be fabricated by patterning optical fibers on an adhesive coated film and laminating the assembly to the surface of an electrical circuit board. Still other optical circuits are constructed by embedding optical fibers or waveguides within a circuit board. In each case, the finished assembly consists of optical fibers or waveguides held firmly in place in an intermediate layer of a multi-layer assembly.
When fabricating optical circuits, especially those which consist of optical fibers laminated between two flexible substrates (commonly referred to as "flex foils"), it is customary to generate the desired circuit pattern in a single layer. In the event that a large number of circuit lines are required, and when the circuit layout permits, a higher density design may be achieved by stacking two or more flex foils into a single lamination, thereby forming a multi-layer optical circuit. However, when the circuit layout becomes very complex, it becomes more difficult to fabricate a circuit in multiple layers by simply stacking discreet circuits for a number of reasons. Specifically, it is likely that the circuit design will require fibers from one layer of the circuit to be routed with fibers on another layer of the circuit. It is also possible that fibers from multiple layers will need to terminate into a single connector. It may also be required that fiber lengths be optimized to minimize skew between channels; such length optimization in a high density interconnect design with adjacent connectors positioned very close together may make it very difficult or impossible to equalize lengths on a single layer.
There are other problems associated with positioning optical fibers or waveguides in an intermediate layer of a multi-layer assembly. For example, terminating optical fibers or waveguides positioned in an intermediate layer of a multi-layer assembly can be problematic, as the optical fibers or waveguides are not readily accessible for connector mounting and polishing. Interlayer optical coupling is also difficult, because each optical circuit layer is independently formed prior to lamination. The optical circuit designer must therefore resort to exotic measures to couple light into and out of waveguides or optical fibers buried in an inner board layer. Light coupling generally involves directing light into the board at an angle orthogonal to the surface of the board, and then somehow turning the light 90 degrees and coupling into the waveguide. Light coupling measures require the use of angled waveguides, inclusive of mirrors, lenses, etc. Such assemblies are difficult to assemble, increase costs, and usually increase signal loss in the device.
Still other problems associated with positioning optical fibers or waveguides in an intermediate layer of a multi-layer assembly include, for example, microbending stresses and associated optical losses that occur as the circuit layers are laminated together and optical fibers cross over each other due to requirements of the circuit pattern. Also, fibers rigidly held in such optical circuit assemblies may exhibit increased bending loss caused by temperature-induced stress.

Multi-layer optical circuit and method for making


An adjustable hinged corner trowel is formed from hinged plates with a removeably attached handle. Cooperating control arms connect the handle to the hinged plates. The control arms are fixed to the hinged plates and can be fixed relative to each other at the handle by cooperating teeth and grooves. The handle has a threaded member capable of receiving a wing nut to fix the control arms against each other. Thereby, the angle of the hinged plates may be adjusted. The hinged corner trowel establishes both sides of any angled corner at the same time for utilization on drywall or similar materials.

Various hand tools exist for applying, smoothing and leathering out joint compound during the construction of building spaces using so called dry wall or gypsum board panels. Where the joint to be finished is between two panels lying in the same plane, a planar trowel is commonly used. The planar trowel generally comprises a single thin steel rectangular sheet having a handle affixed thereto. Alternatively, a relatively wide putty knife may be used. Where two sheets of dry wall meet at a right angle, there is also available a trowel comprising a single thin sheet metal member that is bent along a midline to define two planar surfaces meeting at a fixed 90 degree angle. Again, a handle is affixed to the sheet metal member to facilitate positioning of the trowel in a corner joint and drawing it along the joint as joint compound is applied.
In many instances, dry wall panels are not oriented only at 180 degrees and at 90 degrees relative to one another, making it necessary for a tradesman to carry several trowels for accommodating a wide variety of angles. What is needed is an improved design for an adjustable hinged corner trowel.


There is disclosed an Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 based ceramic which includes 5% to 50% by weight of a hard dispersed phase of at least one compound selected from metal carbide, metal nitride, metal carbonitride, metal oxy-carbide, metal oxy-nitride and metal carbo-oxy-nitride. The compound is represented by M(CNO), wherein M is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr and Hf. The ceramic optionally contains 1% to 25% by weight of ZrO.sub.2, and balance Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 matrix, which contains an additive dissolved in the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 grains so as to form solid solution therewith. The additive is contained in an amount of 0.01% to 12% by weight with respect to the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 matrix and is at least one oxide of an element selected from the group consisting of Y, Mg, Cr, Ni, Co, and rare earth elements. The Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 grains have an average grain size no larger than 1.0 .mu. m while the hard phase constituent has an average grain size no larger than 0.6 .mu. m.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) based ceramic which has great strength and toughness, and exhibits excellent performance when used in cutting tools under severe conditions.
2. Prior Art
Japanese Patent Application laid open with Publication No. 53-118410 describes a conventional Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 based ceramic which is manufactured by the following method. First, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 powder, powders of metal oxides and powders of hard dispersed phase constituents are prepared as starting powders. The metal oxides serving as the binder phase constituents are selected from those of yttrium (Y), magnesium (Mg), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni) and rare earth elements (abbreviated to R), while the hard dispersed phase constituents are carbides (MC), nitrides (MN), carbo-nitrides (MCN), oxy-carbides (MCO), oxy-nitrides (MNO), oxy-carbo-nitrides (MCNO) of the metals (M) of the Group IVa of the Periodic Table (hereinafter referred to as M(CNO)). No more than 10% by weight of one or more metal oxide powders, 10 to 90% by weight of one or more M(CNO) powders, and balance Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, are blended and compacted into a green compact under conventional conditions. Thereafter, the compact is subjected to hot pressing at a temperature of 1580.degree. C., a pressure of 30 atm, and a holding time of 10 to 30 minutes. The resulting ceramic has a composition substantially equal to the blending composition of the powders, and the metal oxide forms the binder phase thereof while Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and M(CNO) define the hard dispersed phase.
The aforesaid Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ceramic is, however, insufficient for use in cutting tools. More specifically, as the demands for labor saving, higher performance and higher speed operation increase in various industrial fields, the conditions under which the cutting tools are put to use are also becoming severe. Thus, cutting tools are now required to have greater strength and toughness. However, the aforesaid Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ceramic, as well as the other kinds of ceramics, are susceptible to fracture or chipping due to insufficient strength and toughness when used under severe conditions.


The present invention teaches a combined air/liquid separator and recovery tank for use on a hot water carpet extractor. The combined tank and separator are particularly suited for an upright style of carpet extractor and features easy removal for emptying the recovery tank at a site remote from the extractor.

The invention disclosed and taught herein relates to a combined air/fluid separator and fluid recovery tank particularly useful in a hot water extraction type carpet cleaner.
Carpet extractors generally spray, or otherwise deposit, a liquid cleaning solution upon the carpet surface being cleaned followed by removal of the dirt entrained liquid by a suction nozzle. An air/liquid separator device is thus required to separate the entrained liquid and suspended dirt from the working. Generally, tortuous air flow paths, sudden fluid expansion, or combinations of both are used to reclaim liquid and entrained dirt from the working air. Typical examples of such systems are U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,385 titled "Carpet Cleaning System," issued to James M. Wimsatt et al., on Feb. 9, 1982 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,267,511 titled "Vacuum Mopping Apparatus," issued to Carl E. Meyerhoefer on Aug. 23, 1966.

Liquid recovery tank for a carpet extractor


A lighting mount assembly and method are disclosed to mount a recessed light fixture in an opening in a wall. The lighting mount assembly includes a mounting frame, and at least two adjustable brackets which are movable relative to the mounting frame. The mounting frame and the brackets cooperate to clamp a portion of the wall from opposing sides. Each of the brackets also includes a resilient member, such as a leg spring, which can be engaged to and disengaged from a portion of a light fixture, such as a groove, to hold or release the recessed light fixture in the wall opening.

Recessed light fixtures are often used in commercial and residential buildings because they save space and are aesthetically pleasing, A recessed light fixture may include canister-type housing, also sometimes referred to as a can, to house a light source, reflector(s) and other lighting components, and an integral or separate trim. The recessed light fixture can be installed onto a ceiling, using various mounting assemblies such as bar hangars, screws or clips. However, the use of mounting assemblies, such as bar hangars, is limited by the space available behind the ceiling. Bar hangers typically are for new construction fixtures and are difficult to install into a finished ceiling unless there is a top access. Furthermore, the mounting assemblies may not be suitable for use with a range of different wall thicknesses.

Ceiling clamp for recessed light mounting


A substrate supporting device having a feeder structure that enables a large number of electrodes to be successfully supplied with power. A ceramic heater 100 includes a base 10 having an upper surface as a support surface on which a substrate is supported, electrodes 20 embedded in the base 10, a base-supporting member 30 that is mounted on a lower surface of the base 10 and that is formed of a heat insulating material, and feeder rods 40 that extend through respective through-holes 35 formed in a circumferential wall 34 of the base-supporting member 30 and extending in the vertical direction and that are electrically connected to the electrodes 20.

In a semiconductor-manufacturing apparatus, a substrate supporting device such as a ceramic heater that supports and heats a semiconductor wafer on a ceramic base is used in various processes.
As semiconductor layout has finer patterns, temperature in a process needs to be strictly managed, and a multi-zone heater that includes divided electrodes embedded in the ceramic base and that controls independently an electric current flowing through the electrodes is commonly used. In recent years, there are an eight-zone heater including eight divided electrodes and a ten-zone heater including ten divided electrodes.
Such a ceramic heater needs a pair of feeder rods for each electrode. As described in, for example, PTL 1, the feeder rods are connected to respective terminals (connection members) that are connected and secured to the electrode, and the feeder rods extend through the inside of a hollow shaft secured to the lower surface of the ceramic base.


A skin or hair care composition in the form of an aqueous gel comprising a humectant, a water-soluble polyglycerylmethacrylate lubricant, a hydrophilic gelling agent and a polyethyleneglycol glyceryl fatty ester surfactant. The compositions provide improved moisturization, skin feel and skin care benefits, reduced tack and residue characteristics together with excellent visual clarity, rub-in and absorption characteristics.

Skin is made up of several layers of cells which coat and protect the keratin and collagen fibrous proteins that form the skeleton of its structure. The outermost of these layers, referred to as the stratum corneum, is known to be composed of 25 nm protein bundles surrounded by 8 nm thick layers. Anionic surfactants and organic solvents typically penetrate the stratum corneum membrane and, by delipidization (i.e. removal of the lipids from the stratum corneum), destroy its integrity. This destruction of the skin surface topography leads to a rough feel and may eventually permit the surfactant or solvent to interact with the keratin, creating irritation.
It is now recognised that maintaining the proper water gradient across the stratum corneum is important to its functionality. Most of this water, which is sometimes considered to be the stratum corneum's plasticizer, comes from inside the body. If the humidity is too low, such as in a cold climate, insufficient water remains in the outer layers of the stratum corneum to properly plasticize the tissue, and the skin begins to scale and becomes itchy. Skin permeability is also decreased somewhat when there is inadequate water across the stratum corneum. On the other hand, too much water on the outside of the skin causes the stratum corneum to ultimately sorb three to five times its own weight of bound water. This swells and puckers the skin and results in approximately a two to three fold increase in the permeability of the skin to water and other polar molecules.
Hair consists of many of the same constituents as the stratum corneum. The outermost region of cells forms a rather thick chemically resistant protective coating enclosing the hair fibre which is called the cuticle. The surface of the cuticle is covered with a thin layer called the epicuticle which is thought to contain lipids and protein. The cuticle envelopes the cortex cells which comprise the major part of the fibre mass. Keratinization takes place in the cortex to build stability into the hair structure.
Thus, a need exists for compositions which will assist the stratum corneum and hair cuticle in maintaining their barrier and water-retention functions at optimum performance in spite of deleterious interactions which the skin and hair may encounter in washing, work, and recreation.
Conventional cosmetic cream and lotion compositions as described, for example, in Sagarin, Cosmetics Science and Technology, 2nd Edition, Vol.I, Wiley Interscience (1972) and Encyclopaedia of Chemical Technology, Third Edition, Volume 7 are known to provide varying degrees of emolliency, barrier and water-retention (moisturizing) benefits. However, they can also suffer serious negatives in terms of skin feel (i.e. they often feel very greasy on the skin) as well as having poor rub-in, absorption and residue characteristics. In the case of hair-care compositions they can also suffer from resoiling negatives.
The present invention therefore provides skin- and hair-care cosmetic compositions which provide improvements in moisturization, absorption, residue, tackiness, skin feel and skin care characteristics and which in particular provide improved short and longer term moisturizing effectiveness, while at the same time avoiding depositing oily residues on the skin.


A micromechanical transmission measuring cell serves to determine an optical absorption of a sample fluid or as a reactor for carrying out an optically detectable chemical reaction. The micromechanical transmission measuring cell comprises a receptacle (12) used for holding the sample fluid, a light passage opening (30) for introducing the light into the receptacle (12), and a reflector (26) directing the light relative to the receptacle (12) in such a way that most of said light (24) passes through said receptacle (12) without multiple reflections on a wall of said receptacle (12), and that the optical absorption of the sample fluid is detectable on the basis of the light passing through said receptacle without multiple reflections.

The present invention relates to optical transmission measuring cells and reactors with an integrated optical detection mechanism and, especially, to a micromechanical transmission measuring cell for determining an optical absorption of a sample fluid.
Reactors with an without integrated evaluation components are presently used in various fields of analytical and synthetic chemistry. One embodiment which is frequently used in the field of analytical chemistry is the microtitration plate, which is used for immunological testing methods, e.g. the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Microtitration plates normally consist of an optically transparent plastic body provided with a number of depressions used as reaction vessels. The inner wall of said reaction vessels is coated with a suitable biochemical receptor layer which, when the sample fluid has been filled in, permits selective bonding of the analyte molecule to be determined to at least one reactor wall. In further reaction steps, a change in colour is produced in the reaction vessel as an indicator reaction, said change in colour representing a measurable variable for the amount of bonded analyte molecules. The quantitative determination of the alteration of colour is normally carried out by an optical transmission measurement through the interior volume of the reactor and through the plastic body.
Further embodiments of microreactors consist of a volume through which a flow passes, e.g. a capillary or a flow passage filled with a carrier material, on the inner surface of which (the inner wall or surface of the carrier material) a receptor layer is immobilized. Such a system is described in E. Yacoub-George, H. Wolf, S. Koch, P. Woias, A Miniaturized ISFET-ELISA System with a Pretreated Fused Silica Capillary as Reaction Cartridge, Proc. of the Transducers ""95xe2x80x94Eurosensors IX, Stockholm, Sweden, 1995, pp. 898-901. The chemical reaction mechanism used in this case is similar to the above-described course of action and produces as the last step again an indicator reaction in the volume of fluid contained in the reactor. The inner volume of the reactor is then supplied to a subsequent evaluation component, e.g. a photometer or an electrochemical sensor, for carrying out the quantitative determination of the indicator reaction.
Like reactors with an without integrated evaluation components, also a great variety of optical transmission cells is presently used in the field of analytical and synthetic chemistry. Simple embodiments consist of measuring cuvettes which are filled with the liquid to be analyzed and introduced in the ray path of an array comprising a light source and an optical detector. Flow-through cuvettes, however, comprise a flow passage which is introduced in the ray path of the optical array in the direction of flow or transversely to the direction of flow, said optical array consisting of a light source and of an optical detector.
E. Verpoorte, A. Manz, H. Lxc3xcdli, H. M. Widmer, B. H. van der Schoot, N. F. de Rooij, A Novel Optical Detector for Use in Miniaturized Total Chemical Analysis Systems, Transducers ""91, Book of Abstracts, pp. 796-799, describes a micromechanical flow-through cuvette, which consists of a channel realized by means of anisotropic etching processes and covered on the upper surface thereof by a silicon chip provided with windows. Due to the use of silicon wafers with an  less than 100 greater than  crystal orientation, the lateral walls of the channel, which have been produced by anisotropic etching, have the orientation of the etch-resistant  less than 111 greater than  crystal plane. As is known to those skilled in the art, this plane extends at an angle of approx. 54xc2x0 to a horizontal reference plane. In the known micromechanical flow-through cuvette, light is coupled in by being radiated in approximately perpendicularly through an optical entrance window by means of a light waveguide, which is directed onto an inclined end face of the etched channel. Perpendicularly means in this context a direction perpendicular to the direction of flow of the sample fluid. Due to the reflection at one end face of the channel, light is guided into the cell interior and, due to multiple reflections on the lateral walls, it is guided to the second end face, where it is coupled out of the channel through an optical window, i.e. through the cover chip, and fed into a glass fibre arranged at right angles to the direction of flow of the sample fluid. It follows that the light is coupled out at the second end face, the outcoupling glass fibre leading to a detector which may have a conventional structural design.
One disadvantage of commercially available microtitration plates is that they have typical inner volumes of the reactor in the range of some ml and diffusion path lengths in the range of some mm. This has the effect that the development of the chemical processes in the interior of the reactor, i.e. the bonding of the analyte molecules to the receptor layer, the generation of the indicator value, etc., is mainly determined by the comparatively long diffusion paths and the resultant long diffusion times. The time required for an analysis can therefore be in the range of some hours.
Furthermore, microtitration-plate tests are processed by automated anlysis apparatus which must have a comparatively high mechanization degree (e.g. pipetting robots, plate transport mechanisms), whereby the costs and the error rate are increased.
The use of reactors without integrated evaluation components normally requires additional transport steps at the end of the indicator reaction, and these additional transport steps may result in a higher expenditure and, depending on the respective structural design, in signal losses, e.g. due to mixing processes during transport in a flow-through system.
Optical transmission cells operating according to the cuvette principle have a comparatively large fluid volume in the range of some ml and are not suitable for flow-through operation. It follows that automatic processing of sample series can only be carried out with a high mechanical outlay making use of a robot system or of automatic handling machines.
Optical flow-through cuvettes are often produced by conventional techniques, e.g. injection moulding of plastic material, whereby miniaturization is only possible to a certain degree.
The micromechanical flow-through cuvette in silicon technology, which has been mentioned hereinbefore, additionally has, as has been described hereinbefore, an intentionally chosen perpendicular coupling-in direction of the light so that a ray path with multiple reflections on the channel walls is obtained. The large number of multiple reflections is intended to substantially increase the effective optical path length of the cell in comparison with the channel diameter by factors of 10 to 50, whereby an improved detection sensitivity is to be achieved. Since the etched silicon channel walls permit, however, only lossy reflections, a high light power must be coupled into this known transmission measuring cell so that a measurable light power can be coupled out at the outlet.
U.S Pat. No. 4,908,112 discloses a silicon semiconductor wafer for analyzing micronic biological samples. The analytical device comprises a separation channel having an elongate shape, electrodes formed in said channel, and a storage reservoir as well as a reception reservoir. The single separation channel or a plurality of separation channels are formed in a silicon wafer and have bevelled walls which are typically produced when etching by means of a potassium hydroxide solution is carried out. A silicon dioxide layer is formed on the channel. The electrodes are used for activating a movement of the sample fluids through said channel by means of electroosmosis. For analyzing the sample, a laser beam is directed onto a bevelled side wall of the channel; from said bevelled side wall, the laser beam is reflected transversely across the channel transversely to the opposite wall, and from said opposite wall it is reflected out of the channel. By means of the incident laser light, fluorescence is produced in a suitable analytical sample, the fluorescent light emerging from the channel being detected by means of a photodetector. The fluorescent light is used for determining the components of the sample which have been separated by electromigration.
EP 0 488 947 Al discloses a miniaturized detector cell produced from silicon or quartz. Said detector cell comprises a channel in which a sample fluid is contained as well as an inlet and an outlet window for light for carrying out a transmission measurement. The light is radiated perpendicularly onto an inclined wall of the channel so as to carry out multiple reflections in the channel and in the elongate receptacle, respectively; subsequently, it is directed from the outlet opening to a suitable detector. These multiple reflections increase the length of the interaction path substantially.
DE 41 37 060 A1 discloses a microcuvette for infrared spectroscopy. Said microcuvette comprises a channel and inlet and outlet openings for a sample fluid, which are arranged at right angles to said channel. Light is radiated in directly through silicon discs defining the cuvette.
GB 2 071 355 A discloses a fluid cell which is used for a spectroscopic analysis and which comprises a front plate as an optical window, a rear plate having a reflecting surface, and a sealing means between these two plates. The rear plate is provided with an inlet and an outlet opening for fluids which are to be analyzed in said cell.
Reference 6 (CH 674 082 A5) discloses a cuvette comprising as a main element a prism with a chosen form which consists of a transparent material and the refractive index of which is higher than the refractive index of the solution to be examined. A cavity filled with a fluid to be analyzed is arranged above said prism, where as an empty cavity is located below said prism. In this cuvette, the light propagates substantially in said prism and is influenced by a fluid arranged in side-by-side relation with said prism.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a micromechanical transmission measuring cell which permits a low consumption of sample fluid and reagents and which achieve s a high detection accuracy.
This object is achieved by a micromechanical transmission measuring cell according to claim 1.
The present invention is based on the finding that, for a high detection accuracy, light, which has been coupled into a sample fluid receptacle, must be prevented from being subjected to multiple reflections on the inner wall of the receptacle so as to limit the reflection losses in the sample fluid receptacle to a minimum. Hence, a bundle of quasi-parallel rays, which will be referred to as xe2x80x9clight beamxe2x80x9d in the following, is used for transmission measurement in the micromechanical transmission cell according to the present invention, the diameter of said xe2x80x9clight beamxe2x80x9d being smaller than the internal cross-section of the fluid receptacle. This xe2x80x9clight beamxe2x80x9d is coupled in onto a first reflector in a defined manner in such a way that it passes through the sample fluid receptacle, which can be produced micromechanically in a silicon substrate, largely without any multiple reflections on the receptacle wall. This reflector can be coated e.g. with gold, whereby its reflective properties are optimized. It is not necessary to coat the rest of the inner wall with gold, since only a small amount of the light fed into the receptacle is subjected to multiple reflections on the receptacle wall.
The light used for the measurement may not normally be present in the form of a xe2x80x9clight beamxe2x80x9d, but it may be divergent. In such cases, a collimating lens system can optionally be inserted in the light ray path at a suitable location. This method is generally known from the field of optics. When the divergent light emerging from a light waveguide is used, it will be expedient to apply a gradient lens of suitable length directly onto the end face of the light waveguide.
The micromechanical transmission cell for determining the optical absorption of a sample fluid comprises a receptacle for holding the sample fluid, a light passage opening for introducing the light into the receptacle, and the reflector directing the light relative to the receptacle in such a way that most of said light passes through said receptacle without multiple reflections on a wall of said receptacle.
In comparison with macroscopic reactors, such as the microtitration plate described at the beginning, the micromechanical transmission cell according to the present invention offers the advantage of a small internal volume of the reactor, said advantage being possible due to the micromechanical silicon processing technique. This results in short diffusion paths and diffusion times and in a low consumption of reagents, analyte and sample fluid. The micromechanical transmission cell can be provided with a sample-fluid inlet opening through which a sample fluid is introduced in the receptacle, whereupon said micromechanical transmission cell is operated in the so-called xe2x80x9cstopped-flowxe2x80x9d mode, i.e. the sample fluid does not flow through said micromechanical transmission cell but it stands still so to speak in said cell. By providing a sample-fluid outlet opening, the micromechanical transmission cell according to the present invention can, however, also be used in a flow-through mode. Hence, it is adapted to be used in a very flexible manner. When an inlet and an outlet opening are provided, xe2x80x9cstopped-flowxe2x80x9d operation is possible as well. In this case, the reagent is pumped in, whereupon the pump is stopped and the reaction is allowed to take place.
In comparison with reactors without an integrated evaluation component (such as a fused silica capillary), the micromechanical transmission cell permits an in-situ determination of reaction results without additional transports being necessary. Furthermore, reaction developments in the interior volume of the reactor can be determined in situ e.g. by measurements of the reaction kinetics.
As has already been mentioned, the main advantages which the micromechanical transmission cell shows in comparison with the known micromechanical flow-through cuvette including an integrated evaluation component are the minimum amount of reflections in the sample-fluid receptacle resulting from the fact that the ray path is chosen such that it extends parallel or perpendicular to the direction of flow as well as parallel to the receptacle wall, whereby reflection losses of the light transmitted through the receptacle are minimized. Furthermore, the micromechanical transmission cell according to the present invention permits arbitrary combination possibilities of coupling the light in and out and of supplying and discharging the fluid on the upper and on the lower side of the receptacle.
By immobilizing on the inner wall of the receptacle a biochemical component which initiates or influences a chemical reaction in the reactor interior by interaction with an associated reaction partner to be detected, e.g. an enzyme substrate or an antigen, and which produces in this way an optically detectable reaction result that can be correlated with the analyte concentration, the micromechanical transmission cell according to the present invention can also be used as a biochemical reactor, without the transmission being influenced by the reflective properties of the biochemical component on the inner wall of the receptacle. Without immobilizing a biochemical component on the receptacle, the micromechanical transmission cell can be used as a universally usable transmission cell.

Micromechanical transmission measuring cell

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.


An image forming system that has an apparatus that receives recording media from an apparatus upstream from it, executes image formation processing, and conveys the recording media to an apparatus positioned downstream from it. The apparatus controls whether to continue conveyance of recording media, change their discharger, and accept recording media in accordance with condition of its own or the downstream apparatus regardless of the configuration of the entire system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming technique, and more particularly, to an image forming system that includes an information forming apparatus for forming images on recording media, a sheet feeder for supplying recording media to the image forming apparatus, and post-processing apparatuses for performing post-processing to recording media on which images are formed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with enhanced speed and image quality of image forming apparatuses that use in electrophotographic method and/or ink-jet printing apparatuses, a system called Print On Demand (POD) that can handle a large number of copies or jobs has emerged.
In POD, a printing operation and its post-processing are conducted in accordance with individual operators' needs in an office environment in which an image forming apparatus is connected to apparatuses capable of bookbinding or cutting as well as a sheet feeder for feeding various types of recording sheets to the image forming apparatus.
In a conventional image forming system for application to POD that is made up of a number of apparatuses such as image forming apparatuses, sheet feeders and post-processing apparatuses, order of connection or arrangement among the apparatuses are defined by dedicated lines connecting the apparatuses. By communicating over the dedicated lines, the apparatuses exchange data relating to printing jobs and process a series of printing jobs including sheet feeding, image formation and post-processing.
When a failure such as paper jam occurs while recording sheets are conveyed among the apparatuses, the only action one can take is to stop the entire image forming system, and in such a case, a large number of recording sheets can remain in the image forming system. To solve this problem, apparatuses have been invented that have a discharge tray to which recording sheets being conveyed are urgently discharged (hereinafter referred to as an "escape tray").
Also, connection of apparatuses, such as an image forming apparatus and post-processing apparatuses, with dedicated lines fixes the configuration of the image forming system or arrangement of the apparatuses. It thus is difficult to change order of arrangement of apparatuses making up an image forming system or to add a new apparatus in accordance with users' usage (e.g., printing format and post-processing utilized). Consequently, image forming systems that allow flexible change of arrangement have been also proposed.
An example of such prior art is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H11-232243.
In a conventional image forming system, however, urgent discharge of recording sheets cannot be carried out unless all apparatuses recognize where in the image forming system an escape tray is positioned.
Especially when one is allowed to flexibly change the order of arrangement among apparatuses, the position of an escape tray will be also changed along with repositioning of apparatuses constituting the image forming system. Conventional image forming systems have the problem of needing to locate an escape tray for all possible combinations corresponding to repositioning of apparatuses, which can complicate control of these image forming systems.

Image forming system and control method for the same


An image processing apparatus which decides a comparison position for performing similarity comparison between a comparison source image and a comparison destination image. A comparison source image and comparison destination image are divided into a plurality of blocks. Feature amounts of the images are calculated for each divided block. The similarity distance between the images are calculated after shifting on the basis of the feature amounts of corresponding blocks in the images. A position correction amount for correcting the comparison positions of the images is calculated on the basis of the size of the block and a position shifting pattern. Every time the position correction amount is calculated, the designated block division count is incremented, and the process is recursively executed. When recursive processing is determined to be ended, a comparison position at this time is finalized as the final comparison positions of the images.

As a conventional technique associated with pattern inspection for detecting a defect by comparing successively input images to be inspected with a reference image as an example of similarity comparison, there are known Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 5-232038 and 2001-22935.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-232038, a difference image signal between an image signal of N×M pixels which is acquired from an image signal of an image to be inspected, and an image signal of N×M pixels which is acquired from an image signal of a reference image stored in a memory is calculated while the image is shifted pixel by pixel up to a maximum pixel count M designated in advance in the horizontal and vertical directions. The absolute values of difference image signals are added by an addition circuit, and a minimum value is detected by a minimum value detection circuit, decreasing a difference at a pattern edge and detecting only a defect.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-22935, alignment is executed at a plurality of stages (a stage for a region having a large number of pixels and a stage for a region having a small number of pixels) on the basis of electron beam image signals successively detected from an object to be inspected in which various fine patterns coexist, thereby reducing alignment errors at high precision of subpixel order. The frequency of erroneous detection of a normal fine pattern can be reduced, and a small defect generated on a fine pattern can be accurately inspected without missing such a defect.
However, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-232038, when the shift range is wide, the calculation cost greatly rises. The difference between image signals can be recognized at only a precision of an N×M block.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-22935, position shifting matching is executed at a low resolution, and the position shifting range at the next resolution is limited in accordance with the degree and continuity of matching, realizing both high speed and high precision.
In initial matching targeted to a divided block of many pixels, matching is done while shifting the position of the divided block in steps of unitary pixels. When a block of a wide region has several ten to several hundred pixels, comparison processing in the square order must be performed at this stage in performing matching tolerant of a position shift almost close to the block size. Considering the polarity of the matching distance by position shifting, position shifting is done in a more restricted range in subsequent detail matching, and then detail matching is executed to detect a difference. In this case, the precision is high, but the calculation cost rises, and high-speed search cannot be expected.

image processing apparatus, method therefor, and program