Provided is a manufacturing method of a nitride semiconductor device having a nitride semiconductor substrate (e.g. GaN substrate) in which dislocation concentrated regions align in stripe formation, the dislocation concentrated regions extending from a front surface to a back surface of the substrate, the manufacturing method being for stacking each of a plurality of nitride semiconductor layers on the front surface of the substrate in a constant film thickness. Grooves are formed on the nitride semiconductor substrate in the immediate areas of dislocation concentrated regions. Each of the nitride semiconductor layers is formed as a crystal growth layer on the main surface of the nitride semiconductor substrate to which the grooves have been formed.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a nitride semiconductor device and to a nitride semiconductor device.
(2) Related Art
Recently, many efforts are put into development relating to nitride semiconductor devices which are usable as a light source of next-generation optical disks of large capacity. One example is shown in International publication No. WO 03/038957A1.
A nitride semiconductor device is manufactured by subjecting each of nitride semiconductor layers to crystal growth on a nitride semiconductor substrate, using a MOCVD (metal organic chemical vapor deposition) method.
FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram schematically showing one example of such a nitride semiconductor substrate.
A nitride semiconductor substrate 1701 is made of: dislocation concentrated regions 1704, 1705, 1706, and 1707 which have concentrated therein defect crystals and align as stripes that pass through the nitride semiconductor substrate 1701 from a front surface 1702 to a back surface 1703; and low dislocation regions 1708, 1709, and 1710 which are normally crystallized regions. The width of each of the low dislocation regions 1708, 1709, and 1710 (i.e. the distance between each adjacent dislocation concentrated regions) is about 400 μm, for example.
On the front surface 1702 of the nitride semiconductor substrate 1701, semiconductor crystal growth is conducted using the MOCVD method for example, thereby obtaining a nitride-semiconductor layer structure.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a layer structure of a conventional nitride semiconductor generated as in the above way, which is cut in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the dislocation concentrated regions extend. On the front surface 1702 of the nitride semiconductor substrate 1701, crystal growth layers 1801, 1802, and 1803 are formed. The film thickness of the crystal growth layers 1801, 1802, and 1803 is not constant. In other words, the crystal growth layers 1801, 1802, and 1803 are thick in end portions 1804 and 1805, which are in the vicinity of the dislocation concentrated regions 1704 and 1705 respectively, compared to a center portion 1806.
So as to produce a nitride semiconductor laser device from a nitride semiconductor having such crystal growth layers 1801, 1802, and 1803, provision of waveguides in stripe formation becomes necessary so as to obtain a light trapping structure. There are various methods for forming such waveguides. Among such methods, ridge-type waveguides are formed using an etching technology by which depth and width are precisely controlled to an accuracy of about 1/100 μm.
However, if crystal growth layers have inconsistent film thickness, etching in the waveguide forming process will be uneven, and so a resulting nitride semiconductor laser device will have problems such as characteristic deterioration and yield reduction.

Manufacturing method of nitride semiconductor device and nitride semiconductor device


A capped connector for a tubing set and/or medical equipment is provided. The connector comprises a hollow tube having a cap securing leash pivotally attached to its exterior. A cap is pivotally attached to the leash's opposing end. The leash is designed to hold the cap in an orientation that facilitates automated capping while allowing the cap and leash to be rotated away from the connector opening when the cap is not is use.

Luer lock fluid connectors are well known and often preferred for connecting tubing and medical equipment during many medical procedures. Capped fluid connectors are particularly preferred for many medical procedures, such as dialysis procedures, because they allow the sterility of the system to be maintained by the cap when the capped connector end is not attached to another piece of tubing or equipment. For instance, with the WHO.RTM. waste handling option for the CENTRY.RTM.3 dialysis apparatus manufactured by COBE.RTM. Laboratories, Inc., Lakewood, Colo., described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 5,041,215 to Chamberlain, et al., capped fluid connectors are used with tubing sets for the dialysis unit. During set-up of the dialysis unit, the connector remains capped to maintain the sterility of the extracorporeal system. While the dialysis unit is expelling waste or being primed, the cap may be removed and the connector may be attached to the waste handling option or to a bag of sterile saline solution. Where the connector is capped with a breather cap, the cap may not have to be removed during priming or waste expelling. Of course, capped fluid connectors have many uses in medical treatment in addition to the described example.
It is often preferred for the manufacturer to pre-sterilize capped fluid connectors and ship the sterilized capped fluid connectors to the medical care provider for immediate use. Caps, therefore, should be applied to the connectors prior to sterilization. Manually capping fluid connectors prior to sterilization is labor intensive and, therefore, costly. It is less costly to apply the caps automatically, preferably in the same machine that manufactures the connector with a tethered cap.
Capped connectors are often manufactured by injection molding with separate caps attached to the connector by a flexible tether. In some prior art capped fluid connectors, the tether that attaches the cap to the connector is a flexible cord or leash. This design allows the cap to move in any direction and, therefore, does not facilitate automated capping. It is therefore, desirable to provide a capped luer fluid connector that is capable of being capped automatically, preferably in an injection molding machine.
Prior art capped fluid connectors may also have separate caps which may be automatically capped. Separate caps, however, are more expensive to manufacture because they require a separate mold. Furthermore, separate caps are easily lost when they are removed from the fluid connector.
Prior art capped fluid connectors are also available as a single piece having the cap hinged to an upper edge of the fluid connector. This design allows automated capping, however, it may not allow a threaded sleeve, some caps or the like to mate with the fluid connector because the hinge blocks the threaded sleeve or cap from engaging the corresponding threads on the exterior of the fluid connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,372 (1995) to Utterberg discloses a capped fluid connector where a rigid side arm maintains a hinged cap at a fixed distance from the connector's open end. The design of the Utterberg hinged cap requires that the rigid side arm hold the cap a fixed distance from the side of the connector, to allow sufficient space for the cap to cover the connector's open end. The rigid side arm is not movable and, therefore, maintains a constant space between the rigid side arm and connector wall. Therefore, the side arm cannot be moved out of the way when the connector is open and the cap is not being used. This design may not be compatible for use with various pieces of medical equipment, such as the WHO.RTM. waste handling option mentioned above, where the rigid side arm configuration would hinder or block attachment of the connector to the medical equipment. Further, because the cap is maintained rigidly in close proximity to the connector, there is the risk of manually contaminating the connector when the cap is manipulated.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a capped fluid connector that may be molded as a single integral piece as well as capped automatically by the same injection molding machine. It is also desirable to provide a selectively rigid cap tether that holds the cap in a fixed position during automated capping but may be released to allow the cap and the tether to be moved out of the way when the connector is open and the cap is not being used. It is also desirable to provide a capped fluid connector that reduces the risk of accidental manual contamination. Against this background, the present invention was developed.


The present invention relates to a processing technology for manufacturing seepage irrigation pipe with alternating effluent sections and non-effluent sections, and in particular, to the field of underground seepage irrigation in agriculture and forestry. The processing technology combines the production unit for water-effluent pipes with the production unit for non-effluent pipes, and produces the seepage irrigation pipeline by adjusting the raw material ratios, controlling the spindle speed, spindle acceleration time, and spindle deceleration time of the two pipeline production units, to generate a seepage irrigation pipe with alternating effluent sections and non-effluent sections. The lengths of the effluent sections and non-effluent sections can be adjusted, the pipe wall thickness can also be adjusted by adjusting the inner and outer diameter of the internal mold of the pipe forming unit, a seepage irrigation pipe with alternating effluent sections and non-effluent sections is environment-friendly, efficient, water-saving, and useful for underground irrigation.

Above-ground drip irrigation is a widely used water-saving irrigation technology. Compared with traditional irrigation methods, it can save significant amount of water resource. However, there exist problems for above-ground irrigation including water is easily evaporated and pipelines are vulnerable to ultraviolet rays and artificial damage. Replacement is frequently needed. Underground irrigation can directly transport water to the roots of plants, greatly reducing the evaporation of water. In addition, there is no ultraviolet light and artificial damage. The service life is prolonged and usually reaches many years for one installation. The comparative advantage is obvious.
At present, underground irrigation technology has problems such as easy blockage of pipes, uneven water discharge, and poor pressure resistance of pipe wall, and most of them are full-permeability pipes, that is, water can percolate along the entire length of the pipe. The same pipe does not have the function to discharge water in certain section, to block water in other section, or discharge water in alternate sections. Thus, present underground irrigation technology requires large numbers of fittings and blind pipes, which significant increases the labor and material cost, and seriously restricts the application of underground irrigation technology.

Processing technology for making seepage irrigation pipe with alternate effluent section and non-effluent section


A grounded conductive plate in a land grid array package assembly includes a plurality of openings. The openings allow contacts from the socket to pass through to contact a package. The diameter of each opening is customizable to produce desired impedance between the contacts and the conductive plate. Impedance discontinuity seen by signals passing through the socket may be reduced.

This invention relates generally to sockets for electronic device packages.
Electronic devices are operating at faster and faster speeds. With this increase in performance, a designer should take into consideration the possibility of increased noise, cross-talk, ringing, etc. that may occur on the signal lines of the electronic device.
Electronic devices may reside in any of a number of package technologies, for examples, flat pack, dual in-line package (DIP), pin grid array (PGA), and land grid array (LGA). Electronic devices such as microprocessors generally reside on packages with multiple pins such as an LGA.
Current LGA socket technology has inherent I/O performance limitations. Manufacturing capability limitations of LGA socket technology limit minimum socket height, socket self inductance, socket loop inductance, and socket capacitance. These aspects of the socket design impose impedance discontinuities that limit the performance (i.e., speed) of I/O signaling in electronic device products that use present LGA socket technology.
Currently, these problems have been addressed by reducing socket height, controlling pitch, optimizing mold material, and optimizing the land configuration. However, these solutions have limitations. For example, regarding socket height, the height of the socket can only go so small to control inductance. Similarly, land pitch can only control inductance to a certain degree. Moreover, to reduce impedance discontinuities with land configuration, one may have to completely surround a signal land with ground lands. This requires too many lands to practically use a socket for a microprocessor application.
At high frequencies, impedance (Zo) is equal to the square root of inductance divided by capacitance (Zo=(SQRT L)/C). Current solutions attempt to control the impedance by controlling the inductance (L). In current solutions however, the inductance is generally too high, or the inductance to capacitance ratio is not controlled to the degree desired. Therefore, when an electronic device in a LGA package, for example, is plugged into a socket, signals on the lands of the LGA package see impedance discontinuities causing signal integrity problems.
Thus, there is a need for better LGA packages.


A circuit, method and computer program product wherein a nonlinear signal outputted from a nonlinear circuit is nonlinearly processed in two steps using a main circuit and an assistant circuit. The main circuit performs a first relatively rough nonlinear process (main correction), and the assistant circuit performs fine a second adjustment (sub-correction) process on the nonlinearly-processed signal resulting from the first process.

A γ characteristic is a characteristic relating an input signal value to a display luminance in a display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), or the like.
In general, the luminance L of a CRT varies in proportion to an input signal value E of the CRT raised to the power of γ (L=KEγ: K is a constant). Therefore, in order to perform correct half-toning, a signal on which inverse correction for raising a number to the power of 1/γ has been previously performed needs to be applied to the CRT. This is γ correction.
In general, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Laid Open (Kokai) No. PH06-245221, in a method of γ correction, a translation table for all input points is stored in a read only memory (ROM). Using this translation table, translation has been performed.
However, since an enormous amount of data of the translation table is stored in a memory such as a ROM, a necessary memory capacity has been increased, and a circuit has been enlarged.
To cite another method of γ correction, for example, a nonlinear process can be performed using an approximated γ characteristic (hereinafter referred to as approximate linear γ characteristic) having eight break points as shown in FIG. 1. This method provides the advantage that a memory, such as a ROM, for storing a translation table requiring an enormous capacity becomes unnecessary.
The approximate linear γ characteristic as shown in FIG. 1 is divided into eight break point intervals, first to eighth intervals, and is a linear broken line having respective predetermined gradients (a1 to a8) in the intervals. For example, when an input signal is denoted by x, multiplication processes are performed as follows: a multiplication process for the first interval is a1×x1, a multiplication process for the second interval is a2×x2, and the like.
When a nonlinear signal is inputted, signals resulting from the multiplication processes for the respective intervals are summed, whereby a nonlinearly-processed signal resulting from approximate γ correction is formed.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a nonlinear process circuit 100 using the approximate linear γ characteristic shown in FIG. 1.
The nonlinear process circuit 100 includes a interval decision circuit 102 for determining an inputted nonlinear signal, eight process circuits 103 to 110 for performing respective processes for the intervals, an output signal selection circuit 111 for adding respective signals processed by these eight process circuits 103 to 110, and an approximate linear register circuit 112 for storing the respective gradients and the like for the intervals.
The interval decision circuit 102 is a circuit for detecting to which interval a nonlinear input signal outputted from the nonlinear circuit 101 belongs.
Each of the process circuits 103 to 110 is a circuit for multiplying a nonlinear signal by the gradient of the approximate linear line set in the approximate linear register circuit 112.
The output signal interval circuit 111 is a circuit for performing an addition process on all signals resulting from the multiplication processes performed by the respective process circuits 103 to 110.
The approximate linear register circuit 112 is a circuit for storing set values for signal processing in the respective process circuits 103 to 110.
For example, in the case where a nonlinear signal X3′ is inputted for the approximate linear γ characteristic shown in FIG. 1, the interval decision circuit 102 detects that the inputted nonlinear signal X3′ falls in the third interval.
The first process circuit 103 multiplies the gradient a1=(Y1−Y0)/(X1−X0) and input signal data (X1−X0) of the first process circuit 103. Accordingly, the first process circuit 103 outputs a signal (Y1−Y0).
The second process circuit 104 multiplies the gradient a2=(Y2−Y1)/(X2−X1) and input signal data (X2−X1) of the second process circuit 104. Accordingly, the second process circuit 104 outputs a signal (Y2−Y1).
The third process circuit 105 multiplies the gradient a3=(Y3−Y2)/(X3−X2) and input signal data (X3′−X2) of the third process circuit 105. Accordingly, the third process circuit 105 outputs a signal (X3′−X2)/(X3−X2)×(Y3−Y2).
In the fourth to eighth process circuits 106 to 110 other than the above, input signal data is zero. Accordingly, the output signals of the fourth to eighth process circuits 106 to 110 are zero.
Signals processed by these first to eighth process circuits 103 to 110 are added by the output signal interval circuit 111, thus outputting a nonlinearly-processed output signal. The nonlinearly-processed output signal in this case is (Y3′−Y0).
Thus, the nonlinear process circuit 100 does not require a memory such as a ROM. However, process circuits as many as the number of intervals are required. Moreover, the setting of the multiplication process of each process circuit must be individually performed, and the amount of information of set values within the approximate linear register circuit 112 is increased. Therefore, the nonlinear process circuit has been enlarged.

Nonlinear process circuit used for image processing


Described is a system and method for frequency offset testing. The system comprises an electronic device, a first testing device providing a reference clock signal at a first frequency to the electronic device, and a second testing device receiving data from the electronic device at the first frequency and transmitting data to the electronic device at a second frequency. The second frequency is equal to a product of the first frequency and a frequency offset value.

Newly manufactured electronic devices are tested to =measure actual performance against expected performance. The expected performance may be performance metrics defined by a manufacturer or in an industry standard. For example, an electronic device which purports to be compliant with the Peripheral Component Interconnect-Express (PCI-Express) specification must meet the performance metrics defined therein. For example, a compliance requirement defined in the PCI-Express specification states that a PCI-Express compliant device should be able to support data communication on a high-speed link in the case of a frequency difference or offset between incoming high-speed data from a remote PCI-Express device and outgoing high-speed data from the device.
Traditionally, testing the above-mentioned compliance requirement was performed using bench-type equipment consisting of high-speed signal generators and signal analyzers which are clocked by independent clock sources. Using the bench-type equipment is economically viable only when testing devices with a single high-speed port. However, for high volume production, an automatic test equipment (ATE) system containing many digital channel resources is used. Thus, there is a need for a more efficient frequency offset test.

System and method for frequency offset testing


Various aspects are directed to random, number generation. A request from a game terminal for a random number may be received. Whether a new seed is required may be determined, for example, based on the time or quantity of random numbers generated since the last re-seeding. Conditioned on determining that the new seed is required, a pseudo-random number generator may re-seeded, wherein the re-seeding comprises setting a current seed value equal to the new seed. The pseudo-random number generator may generate a random number based at least in part on the current seed value; and transmit information based on the random number to the game terminal.

Randomly generated numbers are used to determine the outcomes of many gaming applications. For example, a randomly generated number may be used to derive a criterion or set of criteria. Entry information from each player is compared to the criterion or criteria to determine which player or players are winners. Examples of such gaming applications include, but are not limited to, slot machines, lottery systems, electronic raffle games and electronic bingo games.
Gaming applications using randomly generated numbers present several security challenges. First, the pseudo-random number generator algorithm used by many gaming applications is ultimately predictable. A pseudo-random number generator algorithm takes a seed value as input and provides a "random" number as output. If the nature and the current state (e.g. the current seed) of the algorithm is known, it is possible to predict the resulting "random" number. This means that a malicious actor with sufficient knowledge of the algorithm may predict the output of a pseudo-random number generator and improperly become a winner. Another security challenge involves making sure that a gaming application actually uses the proper randomly generated number to determine a winner or winners. For example, it is possible for a malicious actor to cause a gaming machine to discard a randomly generated number and instead use a predetermined number to determine a winner. In this manner, the malicious actor, or their associate, may improperly become a winner based on their knowledge of the predetermined number. This deception is difficult to detect, because it is difficult to distinguish a non-random number within a set of otherwise random numbers.
Existing devices address these problems with various approaches. For example, pseudo-random number generators are often run continuously, with each randomly generated number serving as a seed for the next iteration of the algorithm. When a request for a random number is received, the current output of the algorithm may be provided and used to determine the winner or winners. Because the pseudo-random number generator is running constantly, it is difficult to know the current state of the algorithm, and therefore difficult to predict its future state, particularly if the pseudo-random number generator is run at a relatively high rate of speed. Also, many gaming applications use algorithms that are burned onto chips. The chips are then certified by a third-party as containing the proper algorithm and installed into stand-alone gaming machines. Accordingly, the certified chips are unalterable without physically breaking into the gaming machines. These gaming machines may also be configured to be checked at any time to verify that the software running is the same as the software that has been certified. Another safety mechanism that may be used is an auditable random number generator. An auditable random number generator may provide random numbers that are unpredictable, yet auditable. Accordingly, it is possible, after the fact, to make sure that winners were determined based on the properly derived random number and not a maliciously inserted predetermined number. Example auditable random number generators include the FLEXdraw™ generator available from the GTECH Corporation® of Providence, R.I., and the Trusted Play™, Trusted Play+™, and Trusted Draw™ products available from Szrek2Solutions, LLC of East Greenwich, R.I.


A height adjustable monitor arm assembly includes a monitor arm having a latch mechanism where a post arm includes indented rings therein for engaging the latch mechanism. The monitor arm includes an aperture for positioning the at least one monitor arm over the post arm so that the latching mechanism engages with one of the plurality of indented rings to vertically adjust the at least one monitor arm along the length of the post arm. Further, a dual adapter arm also includes its own latching mechanism and mounts over the vertical post arm for use where monitor displays can be mounted on both ends thereof. In one embodiment, a four monitor configuration can be held in position allowing for enhanced user utility in their workspace.

Arms fastened to computer monitors and displays are well known in the art. These devices typically hold a monitor above a desk top and provide some angular adjustment so the user can better see the display. In order to prevent fatigue, user's typically want to view a monitor at eye level. One problem with current monitor arms is it that they are not easily vertically adjusted. The user can view the monitor only by tilting their head by looking up or down. This causes muscle strain over long periods of time.
Although some monitor mounts allow a vertical adjustment with a 4-bar linkage and gas spring, the gas spring is difficult adjust correctly. Moreover the gas spring is often unable to reliably support the monitor after some amount of time. Other systems are vertically fixed with a clamp or set screw, and require a tool loosen and tighten the device. This makes it difficult to adjust height due to the weight hanging off the arm and typically requires a great deal of force and/or friction to prevent slippage.
Accordingly, new solutions are required to adjust monitor viewing angle and height allowing the user a great comfort and ease of use.

Height adjustable monitor arm mounting assembly


The invention relates to new compounds of formula (III):

U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,841 discloses donepezil hydrochloride (I), chemically known as (±)-2,3-dihydro-5,6-dimethoxy-2-[[1-(phenylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]methyl]-1H-inden-1-one hydrochloride, as cyclic amine compounds.

Donepezil hydrochloride (I) is a reversible inhibitor of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase useful in the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer's type disease.
N-benzyl 4-formyl piperidine (II) is a key intermediate in the synthesis of donepezil.

The intermediate (II) can be obtained by using (methoxymethyl) triphenyl phosphonium chloride as a reagent as disclosed in EP0296560. However, this reaction is not only very expensive, but requires the reaction to take place under cryogenic conditions. Another method, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,841, employs pyridine-4-aldehyde in the synthesis of intermediate (II), which is followed by reduction of aromatic ring at last stage also involves very harsh reaction conditions.
There are many other processes known in the art to prepare donepezil hydrochloride, which are exemplified in patent applications such as WO2005076749, EP1531151 and WO2005003092.
The present invention is novel and relates to synthesis of donepezil hydrochloride using a novel synthetic intermediate. Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a simple and industrially viable process for the synthesis of donepezil hydrochloride using a novel intermediate. This invention enables the synthesis of donepezil to be carried out in a cost effect manner and avoiding unfavorable reaction conditions.

Process and intermediate for preparation of donepezil

Abstract: wherein R is a C1-C4 linear or branched alkyl group.

Abstract: The invention also relates to new compounds of formula (IV)

Abstract: wherein M is a metal.

Abstract: The invention also relates to methods of making compounds of formulas (III) and (IV) and to methods of making donepezil and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, such as donepezil hydrochloride, using the compounds.


An attachment member (31) includes a tubular metallic shank (2) with an axial through-bore (3) and a slot (8) formed in the jacket of the shank (2) and extending along the entire length of the shank (2), and load application means (14) at the trailing, in the setting direction, end portion (13) of the shank (2). At an opposite, leading end (6) of the shank (2), cutters (7) are provided. The outer diameter of the shank (2) diminishes from the trailing end (4) toward the cutter carrying leading end (6). The shank (2) is anchored in a constructional component by reduction of its outer diameter over a substantial portion of its longitudinal extent.

The present invention relates to an attachment member with a tubular shank the trailing, in the setting direction, end of which is provided with load application means. The invention also relates to a method of anchoring such an attachment member.
For effecting attachments to different solid constructional components, different methods are used. The -most common are sequential method and a method of direct mounting technology. The sequential method is suitable for all types of constructional components. Dependent on the type of a component and a desired degree of attachment, different attachment members are used. With a sequential method, a receiving bore is formed in a constructional component with a drilling device. The drilling device consists of a metal rotary or wood drill driven by a hand-held tool having a power rotary drive and, if necessary, impact application means. After a receiving bore is formed, an attachment member, usually a dowel, is inserted into the bore and is anchored in the bore, in most cases, by being expanded by screwing-in a screw or driving-in a mandrel. As mechanical attachment members, plastic or metal mandrels having a head can be used, which are driven in a prepared bore with a hammer. The retaining mechanism is primarily based on frictional engagement and, for perforated brick structures, sometimes on a form-locking connection.
With a direct mounting technology, special attachment members are directly driven into the component with powder explosion driven setting tools. With this attachment method, the step of separately forming the receiving bore is eliminated. The direct mounting technology is a rapid method and results in attachment with a high retention force. Generally, the known direct mounting technology is suitable for more or less ductile constructional components, e.g., such as steel, lime base, concrete, if necessary, wood.
Less strong or brittle constructional component, e.g., such as brick masonry, are very much affected by the powder explosion driven setting tools, which are used with the conventional direct mounting technology, and are often so damaged that no acceptable attachment takes place. Therefore, for anchoring in these constructional components, essentially only the sequential attachment method is used. It does not affect the constructional component and results in an acceptable attachment with desired retention values. Generally, a significantly larger expenditure of time for each attachment should be taken into consideration. In addition, separate devices for forming the receiving bores and for anchoring of attachment members or members are necessary. E.g., a drill tool with drilling means is necessary for drilling a bore, and a screwing tool for screwing a connection screw into a dowel, with the dowel being anchored by being expanded.
For attachment of insulation panels or for laying down cables or pipes in a constructional component, the attachment member is provided with specially formed load application means. German publication No. 4,432,780 of the assignee herein discloses load application means which is used, for example, for laying down cables or insulation pipes during electrical works. It has a base and an arched shackle projecting therefrom. In the base, a bore is formed through which an attachment member is driven into the constructional component. European Publication 0 492 230 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,118 disclose an attachment arrangement for insulation panels, wall paneling and the like. The attachment arrangement includes an attachment member for anchoring in constructional component and load application means with a large-area head. From the head, a shank member projects which has an axial passageway with an abutment for the attachment member extending through the passageway. The passageway opens at the head and is closed, e.g., with reversible resilient lamellas. The mechanical attachment of insulation panel, e.g., when heat insulation connection systems are used, is used either along or in addition to gluing of the panels.
When the constructional component is formed by more or less brittle brick masonry, only the sequential attachment method is conventionally used for an attachment. Expansion dowels or plastic or metal mandrels are usually used as mechanical attachment members, which are provided with a large-area head, and are inserted and anchored in the preliminary prepared bore. When an insulation panel is being attached, it is rather difficult to find the receiving bore behind the insulation panel. This results in a loss of time, troubles, damaged dowels, which should be anchored, and so forth. Often, forming of a new receiving bore is required. Further drawback consists in that during a sequential mounting of the insulation panel, the quality of attachment during mounting cannot be controlled. Usually, the trailing end of the plastic or metal mandrel or its head is struck with a hammer until it becomes flush with the outer surface of the insulation panel. It becomes, as a result of hammer blows, plastically deformed. The head indeed becomes flush with the insulation panel and is slightly submerged in the material of the insulation panel. However, the operator is not sure whether the connection means secured the insulation panel to the constructional component with a required minimal retention force. The setting results can usually be determined only with pull-out devices.

Securing component and method of anchoring it


Method of diagnosing and/or prognosticating HIV infection in a subject comprising the steps of: (a) performing in vitro a measurement of the level of a marker in the form of (i) urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), (ii) soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), (iii) urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), (iv) one or more degradation products of (i), (ii) or (iii), and/or (v) an mRNA for (i), (ii) or (iii), in a biological fluid sample from a subject, and (b) using the measurement value obtained to evaluate the state of the subject.

The cellular receptor for urokinase (uPAR, CD87) plays multiple functions in cell migration, cell adhesion, pericellular proteolysis and tissue remodeling. uPAR is expressed by most leukocytes including monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils and platelets. uPAR is an activation antigen in monocytes and T cells and T-cells from HIV-1 infected individuals express elevated levels of uPAR1, 1994. HIV-1 infection of leukocytes in vitro causes up-regulation of uPAR cell surface expression in a process which appear to be coordinated temporally with the onset of viral replication2.
uPAR may be shed from the cell surface generating a soluble form of the receptor (suPAR) lacking the GPI-anchor. The shedding mechanism is poorly understood but may occur by GPI-specific phospholipase D catalyzed hydrolytic cleavage of the GPI-anchor). Soluble forms of uPAR (suPAR) has been identified in cell culture supernatants and in diverse biological fluids such as tumor ascites, cystic fluid, serum, plasma and recently also in urine 3.
Serum, plasma and urine levels of suPAR are elevated in patients suffering from different types of cancer4, the paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria syndrome (PNH) syndrome5, and in rheumatoid arthritis patients6. The plasma level of suPAR is furthermore a prognostic marker for overall survival in patients suffering from HIV-1 infection7.
The cellular origin of circulating suPAR is not known. Many, if not all, cells which express uPAR also shed soluble forms of the receptor when cultured in vitro. The source of excess serum suPAR in cancer patients has been suggested to derive from the cancer cells and/or tumor-infiltrating macrophages as these cells often express high levels of uPAR and experiments using xenografted mice carrying human tumors have indeed demonstrated that the tumor tissue does release suPAR to the circulation and urine8.

Method of prognosticating respiratory bacterial infection using urokinse receptor measurement


A method for downlink power control for use in a spread spectrum time division communication system having time slots for communication, implemented in a user equipment, includes receiving data in a command per coded composite transport channel (CCTrCH) transmitted over a plurality of time slots. An interference power for each time slot of the plurality of time slots is measured and a single power command for the entire CCTrCH is transmitted in response to a signal to interference ratio of the received CCTrCH and the measured interference power measurement for each time slot. A subsequent data is received in the CCTrCH communication having a transmission power level for each downlink communication time slot set individually in response to the interference power measurement for that time slot and the single power command for the entire CCTrCH.

This invention generally relates to spread spectrum time division duplex (TDD) communication systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for controlling downlink transmission power within TDD communication systems.
Spread spectrum TDD systems carry multiple communications over the same spectrum. The multiple signals are distinguished by their respective chip code sequences (codes). Referring to FIG. 1, TDD systems use repeating frames 34 divided into a number of time slots 371-37n,, such as fifteen time slots. In such systems, a communication is sent in a selected time slot out of the plurality of time slots 371-37n using selected codes. Accordingly, one frame 34 is capable of carrying multiple communications distinguished by both time slot and code. The combination of a single code in a single time slot is referred to as a physical channel. Based on the bandwidth required to support a communication, one or multiple physical channels are assigned to that communication.
Most TDD systems adaptively control transmission power levels. In a TDD system, many communications may share the same time slot and spectrum. While user equipment (UE) 22 is receiving a downlink transmission from a base station, all the other communications using the same time slot and spectrum cause interference to the specific communication. Increasing the transmission power level of one communication degrades the signal quality of all other communications within that time slot and spectrum. However, reducing the transmission power level too far results in undesirable signal to noise ratios (SNRs) and bit error rates (BERs) at the receivers. To maintain both the signal quality of communications and low transmission power levels, transmission power control is used.
The standard approach to TDD downlink power control is a combination of inner and outer loop control. In this standard solution, the UE transmits physical layer transmit power control (TPC) commands to adjust the base station transmission power. A base station sends a transmission to a particular UE. Upon receipt, the UE measures the signal interference ratio (SIR) in all time slots and compares this measured value to a SIRTARGET. This SIRTARGET is generated from the Block Error Rate (BLER) signaled from the base station.
As a result of the comparison of the measured SIR value with the SIRTARGET, the UE transmits a TPC command to the base station. The standard approach provides for a TPC command per coded composite transport channel (CCTrCH). The CCTrCH is a physical channel which comprises the combined units of data for transmission over the radio interface to and from the UE or base station. This TPC command indicates to the base station to adjust the transmission power level of the downlink communication. The base station, which is set at an initial transmission power level, receives the TPC command and adjusts the transmit power level in all time slots associated with the CCTrCH in unison.
This approach to TDD downlink power control works well as long as the interference in each time slot is the same. Unfortunately, in most cases, the interference in each time slot is different. A small difference may be acceptable due to the averaging effect of the interleaving, but larger differences cause degradation due to thresholding effects in the receiver. This requires the receiver to have a wider dynamic range and unnecessarily high transmit power in some time slots. An adjustment made to the base station SIRTARGET for all time slots based on the error value may create an unbalanced increase or decrease of the power level. In other words, those time slots where the power level was lower than the initial value of the base station will be adjusted even lower when the calculated error value was higher than the SIRTARGET. These low level power time slots may then be eliminated from detection, thereby the transmission will be degraded. The same is true for those time slots in which the power level was higher than the SIRTARGET of the base station. When the detected error rate is lower than the SIRTARGET, the higher power level time slots will be increased, thereby creating interference with other channels on the system.
Accordingly, there is a need to have an approach to TDD downlink power control which adjusts the power level of each slot individually.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Downlink power control for multiple downlink time slots in TDD communication systems


Thiazole-indole compounds useful as cyclin dependent kinase 11 inhibitors, for preventing/reducing the severity of epithelial cytotoxicity side-effects (e.g., alopecia, plantar-palmar syndrome, mucositis) induced by chemoptherapy and/or radiation therapy in a patient receiving such therapy.

The present invention relates generally to thiazolindolinone compounds having utility as cyclin dependent kinase II inhibitors useful, inter alia, for preventing/reducing the severity of epithelial cytotoxic effects (e.g., alopecia, plantar-paimar syndrome, and mucositis) incident to chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The present invention also relates to the synthesis of such compounds, and to formulations containing such compounds as pharmacological compositions for preventing/reducing the severity of epithelial cytotoxic effects in a patient subjected to corresponding chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy treatment.
Protein kinases play a critical role in the control of cell growth and differentiation and are key mediators of cellular signals leading to the production of growth factors and cytokines. See, for example, Schlessinger and Ullrich, Neuron 1992, 9, 383. A partial, non-limiting, list of such kinases includes abl, ARaf, ATK, ATM, bcr-abl, Bik, BRaf, Brk, Btk, CDK1, CDK2, CDK3, CDK4, CDK5, CDK6, CDK7, CDK8, CDK9, cfms, c-fms, c-kit, c-met, cRaf1, CSF1R, CSK, c-src, EGFR, ErbB2, ErbB3, ErbB4, ERK, ERK1, ERK2, Fak, fes, FGFRI, FGFR2, FGFR3, FGFR4, FGFR5, Fgr, FLK4, Fps, Frk, Fyn, GSK, gsk3a, gsk3b, Hck, IGF-1R, IKK, IKK1, IKK2, IKK3, INS-R, Integrin-linkedkinase, Jak, JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, JNK, JNK, Lck, Lyn, MEK, MEK1, MEK2, p38, PDGFR, PIK, PKB1, PKB2, PKB3, PKC, PKCa, PKCb, PKCd, PKCe, PKCg, PKCI, PKCm, PKCz, PLK1, Polo-like kinase, PYK2, tie1, tie2, TrkA, TrkB, TrkC, UL13, UL97, VEGF-R1, VEGF-R2, Yes and Zap70. Protein kinases have been implicated as targets in central nervous system disorders such as Alzheimers (Mandelkow, E. M. et al. FEBS Lett. 1992, 314, 315. Sengupta, A. et al. Mol. Cell. Biochem. 1997, 167,99), pain sensation (Yashpal, K. J. Neurosci. 1995, 15, 3263-72), inflammatory disorders such as arthritis (Badger, J. Pharm. Exp. Ther. 1996, 279, 1453), psoriasis (Dvir, et al, J. Cell Biol. 1991, 113, 857), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bone diseases such as osteoporosis (Tanaka et al, Nature, 1996, 383, 528), cancer (Hunter and Pines, Cell 1994, 79, 573), atherosclerosis (Hajjar and Pomerantz, FASEB J. 1992, 6, 2933), thrombosis (Salari, FEBS 1990, 263, 104), metabolic disorders such as diabetes (Borthwick, A.C. et al. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 1995, 210, 738), blood vessel proliferative disorders such as angiogenesis (Strawn et al Cancer Res. 1996, 56, 3540; Jackson et al J. Pharm. Exp. Ther. 1998, 284, 687), restenosis (Buchdunger et al, Proc, Nat Acad. Sci USA 1991, 92, 2258), autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection (Bolen and Brugge, Ann. Rev. Immunol. 1997, 15, 371) and infectious diseases such as viral (Littler, E.Nature 1992, 358, 160), and fungal infections (Lum, R. T. PCT Int. Appl., WO 9805335 A1 980212).
Chemotherapeutic techniques and radiation therapy techniques are well established in the treatment of neoplastic conditions of various types. As concomitant side-effects to the administration of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, the patient may experience severe host epithelial cell toxicity. The consequences of damage to the proliferating epithelium induced by chemotherapy frequently include hair loss (alopecia), plantar-palmar syndrome and mucositis; such side effects, especially mucositis, are also known to occur as a result of radiation therapy. These side-effect conditions may be of varying severity, depending on the type, dosages and dosing schedule of the respective chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy involved.
The present invention relates to the compound:
in one or more of the variant forms hereinafter more fully described.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a novel approach to preventing/reducing the severity of epithelial cytotoxicity side-effects of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, in a subject receiving such therapy, by administering to the subject an effective amount of one or more of such variant forms of the above thiazoliridolinone compound, as hereinafter more fully described.
Epithelial cytotoxicity side-effects that can be preventedir educed in severity in this manner include alopecia, plantar-palmar syndrome and/or mucositis is induced by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
Variant species of such thiazolindolinone compound
include the various forms, which are described in the ensuing discussion and characterised with reference to their melting points, x-ray diffraction crystallographic spectra, solubilities in solvent media, and methods of synthesis.
The invention also relates in another aspect to methods for preparing various forms of such thiazolindolinone compound.
A further aspect of the invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising (a) at least one of the aforementioned forms of such thiazolindolinone compound, in an amount that is effective in preventing/reducing the severity of epithelial cell toxicity side effects induced by the administration of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, and (b) one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, excipients or diluents.
Other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be more fully apparent from the ensuing disclosure and appended claims.
The present invention provides a thiazolindolinone compound having various forms that are useful as cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors.
The thiazolindotinone compound has the formula:
and may be prepared in variant forms, Forms A, B and C, as described more fully hereinafter.
A generalized synthesis scheme (Scheme 1) is set out below for the thiazolindolinone compound of the invention, and is described more fully in the subsequent Examples herein.
The resulting product of such synthesis, 4-{[7-oxo-6,7-dihydro-8H-[1,3]thiazolo[5,4-e]indol-8-ylidene)methyl]amino}N-(4-pyridinylmethyl)-benzene sulfonamide, can be recovered from the synthesis reaction system and thereafter submitted to recrystallization using a specific solvent species, to yield a corresponding desired form of the compound for ultimate use, as hereinafter described.
The resulting form of the compound may then be formulated as the active ingredient in a pharmaceutically acceptable composition, for topical or otherwise non-systemic administration to a subject (e.g., a mammalian subject such as a human subject), to prevent/reduce the severity of epithelial cytotoxicity side effects (e.g., alopecia, plantar-palmar syndrome, and/or mucocitis) induced by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy being administered to the subject.
To prevent/reduce the severity of alopecia induced by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy in a subject receiving such therapy, the thiazolindolinone compound of the invention in a suitable variant form is preferably administered topically to the corporeal locus that is susceptible to alopecia, such as the head (e.g., the scalp, eyebrow regions, beard and mustache areas, etc.).
For such topical application, the CDK2 inhibitor compound may be formulated in a topical administration formulation by combination of the compound with a selected pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle (carrier, diluent or excipient), with the amount of the compound being sufficient to achieve the prevention or reduction in severity of the alopecia side effect, when administered in accordance with an appropriately designed treatment protocol. The formulation can be in any useful dosage unit form for corresponding administration.
Formulations of the thiazolindolinone compound may be constituted and administered in any other suitable manner, such as in a liquid formulation for aerosolized spray administration to the head region of a subject susceptible to chemotherapy-induced alopecia, or by a dermal patch or dressing containing the CDK2 inhibitor formulation in a releasable form, for positioning on the head in contact with the area of susceptibility.
The formulation may alternatively be formulated as a lotion, salve, gel, foam, paste, oil, creme, or other suitable form, for administration to the appropriate corporeal locus, e.g., to the scalp or other area of the head for preventing/reducing the severity of alopecia, with initial administration being followed by massage, brushing, or toweling to distribute the formulation on the scalp evenly for uniformity of therapeutic effect.
As one example of compositions that may be used for topical adminstration of the CDK2 inhibitor agents of the invention to the corporeal locus of a subject receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, a formulation of the type described in Tata, S., et al., Relative Influence of Ethanol and Propylene Glycol Cosolvents on Deposition of Minoxidil into the Skin, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vol. 83, No. 10, October 1994, pp. 1508-1510, may be employed, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such a formulation may comprise a 2% solution of the active ingredient in 60% ethanol, 20% propylene glycol and 20% water, for topical administration of the solution to the scalp.
Still other formulations that may be usefully employed for topical administration of the CDK2 inhibitor agents of the invention, include the formulations identified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,849,733; 5,807,698; 5,625,031; and 5,486,509, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Additional illustrative examples of formulations that may be usefully employed for the topical administration of the CDK2 inhibitor agent of the invention include: the lipid based formulations described in Hoffman, R. M., et al., Liposomes Can Specifically Target Entrapped Melanin To Hair Follicles in Histocultured Skin, In Vivo Cell. Dev. Biol., Vol. 29A: 192-194, March 1993, and in Niemiec, S. M., et al., Influence of Nonionic Liposomal Composition on Topical Delivery of Peptide Drugs into Pilosebaceous Units: An in Vivo Study Using the Hamster Ear Model, Pharmaceutical Research, Vol . 12, No. 8, 1995, pp. 1184-1188; and the polymeric microsphere formulations described in Rolland, A., et al., Site-Specific Drug Delivery to Pilosebaceous Structures Using Polymeric Microspheres, Pharmaceutical Research, Vol. 10, No. 12, 1993, pp. 1738-1744.
The formulation may be constituted to provide an appropriate dose for a desired dosing schedule. The dosage and dosage schedule may be readily determined for a given subject, within the skill of the art, based on the character of the chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy being employed.
Analogous considerations apply to the formulation and administration of the CDK2 inhibitor for prevention/reduction in severity of plantar-palmar syndrome, involving topical administration to the areas of the hands and feet susceptible to the syndrome as a side-effect of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
For preventing/reducing the severity of mucositis, the cyclin dependent kinase II inhibitor may be formulated in a suitable topical formulation for application to the oral cavity mucosa. Illustrative delivery systems for the cyclin dependent kinase II inhibitor of the invention, as used to combat mucositis, include the formulations and delivery techniques described in Cullinan U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,828 issued Mar. 5, 1996 for xe2x80x9cMethods of Inhibiting Ulcerative Mucositis.xe2x80x9d Useful formulations may include the active ingredient and excipients, diluents, or carriers, formed into tablets, capsules, sprays, mouthwashes, lozenges, troches, pastilles, lollipops, suspensions, powders and the like, for application to the mucosa of the oral cavity. cceptable daily dosages of the CDK2 inhibitor for preventing/reducing the severity of epithtelial cytotoxicity side effects induced by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, may be from about 0.1 to about 1000 mg/day, and preferably from about 50 to about 200 mg/day.
The cyclin dependent kinase II inhibitor in the preferred practice of the invention is administered contemporaneously with the chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy treatment (i.e., simultaneously with, or sufficiently near in time to, the chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, so as to achieve a preventative or ameliorative effect on the therapy-induced epithelial cytotoxicity side effect that would otherwise be presented in the absence of the CDK2 inhibitor). The chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy may be of any appropriate type for the neoplastic condition, or other disease state or condition, of the patient being treated. As an illustrative example, the chemotherapy may comprise administration of chemotherapeutic agents, including cycle-specific agents (such as cytosine arabinoside (ARA-C)) and non-cycle-specific agents (such as Cytoxan), individually or in combination with one another.
The cyclin dependent kinase II inhibitor in one embodiment of the invention is administered 1-4 times in a chemotherapeutic cycle, as a cytoprotective composition for preventing/reducing the severity of epithelial cytotoxicity side effects such as alopecia, plantar-palmar syndrome and/or mucositis, in a subject receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
In the specific application of preventing/reducing the severity of chemotherapy-induced alopecia, the cyclin dependent kinase II inhibitor effects a desired temporary arrest of the hair follicle cell cycle by inhibition of cyclin dependent kinase II activity. For such purpose, the inhibitor agent, formulated in a suitable topically administerable formulation, may be applied 1-2 times or more per chemotherapeutic cycle prior to and during the time of administration of chemotherapy, in one preferred specific embodiment.
In one preferred aspect of the invention, cyclin dependent kinase II inhibitor agents that are topically administerable to prevent/reduce the severity of chemotherapy-induced alopecia, are assessed for efficacy and selected for use based on the following characteristics:
(1) an IC50 value of less than 2.5 nanoMolar and preferably less than 20 nanoMolar against CDK2;
(2) an IC50 value of less than 1.5 microMolar and preferably less than 5 microMolar in a G1 checkpoint assay;
(3) exhibition of reproducible protection in a babyrat alopecia model using at least 2 different cytotoxic regimens one of which includes an alkylating agent (e.g., a regimen involving doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (anthracyclin/alkylating agent), etoposide (topoisomerase II inhibitor), taxol, etc.);
(4) a topical dose of 10 mg/kg of body weight of the subject yielding a plasma concentration of less than 15 nanoMolar, and preferably a systemic exposure to less than 0.01 of the IC50 concentration for protection of the HT29 tumour cell line;
(5) an acceptable dermal irritation profile; and
(6) suitability for the particular topical formulation to be employed (in terms of compatibility, bioavailability, etc.).
The compound of the invention, in a suitable variant form, may correspondingly be formulated for topical administration to prevent/reduce the severity of plantar/palmar syndrome, in a suitable dosing and treatment regimen for the patient receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
For the prevention/reduction of severity of mucositis in a patient receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, the compound of the invention in an appropriate form is preferably formulated for topical administration to the oral cavity mucosa, in a mouthwash, lozenge or lollipop.
The thiazolindblinone compound of the present invention has the ability to crystallize in more than one form, a characteristic known as polymorphism, and all such polymorphic forms (xe2x80x9cpolymorphsxe2x80x9d) are encompassed within the scope of the invention. Polymorphism generally can occur as a response to changes in temperature or pressure or both, and can also result from variations in the crystallization process. Polymorphs can be distinguished by various physical characteristics, and typically the x-ray diffraction patterns, solubility behavior, and melting point of the compound are used to distinguish polymorphs.
As used herein, the phrase xe2x80x9cin the vicinity ofxe2x80x9d in reference to a specified value of melting point temperature means a temperature (measured in degrees Centigrade) in the range of the specified value xc2x12xc2x0 C.
In the ensuing description, reagents employed in the synthesis of the invention are commercially available or are prepared according to procedures in the literature. The physical data given for the compounds exemplified is consistent with the assigned structure of those compounds. 1H NMR spectra were obtained on Varian Unity Plus NMR spectrophotometers at 300 or 400 Mhz. Mass spectra were obtained on Micromass Platform II mass spectrometers from Micromass Ltd., Altrincham, UK, using either atmospheric chemical ionization (APCI) or Electrospray Ionization (ESI). Analytical thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used to verify the purity of some intermediates which could not be isolated or which were too unstable for full characterisation, and to follow the progress of the reactions. Unless otherwise stated, this was done using silica gel (Merck Silica Gel 60 F254). Unless otherwise stated, column chromatography for the purification of compounds used Merck Silica Gel 60 (230-400 mesh), and the stated solvent system under pressure.
Melting points were determined for the respective forms of the thiazolindolinone compound of the invention by using differential scanning calorimetry with a TA model 2910. The sample mass was 1-3 mg in each instance. Each sample was contained in an aluminum crimped pan and was kept under a nitrogen purge at a flow rate of 40 milliliters/minute. The heating rate was 10xc2x0 C./minute.
Recrystallization procedures for the respective forms were carried out in each case with the compound being dissolved in the selected solvent and stored at ambient temperature (e.g., 25xc2x0 C.) until the solvent evaporated. The solid residue was then analyzed by x-ray diffraction.
In the respective anti-solvent determinations, the compound was dissolved in a selected solvent at 25xc2x0 C., and water or alcohol was added to precipitate a solid. The solid was analyzed by x-ray diffraction.
In the procedure for powder x-ray diffraction analysis, the powdered compound was sprinkled on a quartz zero background plate and scanned from 5-40xc2x0 2-Theta using a Scintag PADV or XDS2000.


An array antenna for radar sensors has a supply line, a plurality of antenna elements each connected to the supply line via a feed line, and circuit elements for distributing power to the antenna elements, in which the supply line is made reflective at one end and the circuit elements for power distribution are situated exclusively in the feed lines.

In particular, the present invention relates to an array antenna for radar sensors used in motor vehicles in connection with driver assistance systems, for example in order to locate vehicles driving in front in an automatic distance regulating system (ACC: Adaptive Cruise Control). These radar sensors typically operate with a frequency of 24 GHz or 77 GHz.
In these applications, planar antennas that use microstrip technology have the advantage that they can be produced at relatively low cost and enable a flat design, and that no transitions are required between different line systems or line types. Like the other circuit components, the antenna elements can be formed simply by corresponding microstrip conductors on a circuit board.
In an array antenna, or antenna array, the power that is to be radiated is fed into the various antenna elements in such a way that a desired directional characteristic results through superposition and interference of the radiation emitted by the various antenna elements. For this purpose, the power levels and phases of the microwaves introduced into the individual antenna elements must be tuned in a suitable manner. As a rule, a directional characteristic is desired having a narrow main lobe and largely suppressed secondary lobes. Since, however, only limited space is available for the radar sensor and thus also for the antennas, a complete suppression of the secondary lobes can for the most part not be achieved.
In a conventional array antenna of the type named above, the feed lines to the individual antenna elements branch off from the supply line, and at the branching points so-called transformers are provided in the supply line that, through a suitable transformation of line impedances, bring about the desired distribution of power to the antenna elements. In the case of antennas in microstrip technology, the transformers are typically formed by line segments having differing widths and having a length that corresponds to one-fourth of the wavelength of the microwaves on the line.
However, the transformers in the supply line are disturbance points that cause undesired emissions and reflections. This not only limits the possibility for suppressing secondary lobes, but also makes more difficult the suppression of cross-polarizations, which is often desirable for example in order to prevent disturbance by other systems. Normally, the radiation emitted and received by the radar sensor has a particular polarization, for example a linear polarization in a particular direction. Cross-polarization is understood as a radiation component having a polarization orthogonal thereto.
Due to limitations in the forming of the branches, it is for the most part also not possible to distribute all the power supplied via a supply line completely to the antenna elements, and to radiate it completely via the antenna elements. For the most part, excess power remains on the supply line, and must either be radiated or destroyed at the end of this supply line. The radiation of the undesired power, however, again causes more pronounced secondary lobes. Destruction of the excess power using special absorbers has the disadvantage that the absorbers create additional costs and require additional space. Moreover, this solution has the disadvantage that higher overall power losses occur.


The present invention provides a method for removing an oil contaminant from a surface of an aqueous solution, comprising manually controlling a surface skimmer from a remote location to remove a layer or a batch of an oil contaminant from an oil-aqueous solution mixture by the skimmer, where the aqueous solution is contaminated by the oil as a result of an industrial process. The present invention also provides a system for carrying out the method, which comprises a surface skimmer, a collection means which is preferably a separator, a conduit connecting the skimmer to the collection means in an airtight fashion, and means for creating negative pressure in the skimmer, where the skimmer is capable of manual control from a remote location; in further embodiments, the system further comprises an air filtering means.

Oil-water mixtures are generated as a result of various activities, and a major source of such mixtures is industrial activity. For a number of reasons, it is desirable to separate the oil from such mixtures. Environmentally, it is desirable to limit the amount of pollution resulting from the discharge of such mixtures resulting from the sites of such industrial activity; it is preferable to recycle and reuse the oil and water components of the mixtures. Economically, it is often desirable to continue to utilize a solution in which an oil becomes a contaminant, as such solutions typically contain a number of additives which are expensive. It is also desirable to remove an oil contaminant so that a particular industrial process may proceed under conditions which are as clean and uncontaminated as possible, thus improving both the manufacturing process and workplace health and safety.
For example, many machine parts or heat treated parts are washed in parts washing tanks, resulting in the washing solution becoming contaminated with manufacturing oils and heat treating quench oils. Although in the past, this contaminated wash water was discharged into the sewage system, it became necessary to haul the oil-contaminated wash water away to disposal sites or to treatment sites for further separation. Oily contamination in the parts washing solutions contributes to an inefficient cleaning process which typically requires secondary cleaning and manufacturing steps to correct, which then result in added time and expense. The contaminating oil in parts washers is often carried into subsequent heat treating tempering furnaces where the oil burns off as smoke in the plant which is then discharged into the local environment. Moreover, the presence of the oily contaminant also endangers the health and safety of the plant workers. Not only is the in-plant smoke a danger, but frequent changes of washing baths due to oil contamination require increased worker exposure to cleaning fluids and related handling hazards.
Several types of treatment methods and systems have been developed in efforts to efficiently separate oil from oil-water mixtures. Typically, these involve a means to remove a fraction of the mixture which is enriched in oil, and a means to further separate the oil from this fraction. The removal means are typically skimmers, which skim a fraction enriched in the oil from an oil-water mixture. Many different types of skimmers are known; these include belt skimmers, disk skimmers, drum/barrel skimmers, mop skimmers, tube skimmers, and floating suction skimmers. The separation means vary, and include from one to several of the following: filtration separation, gravity separation, including vertical and horizontal separators, and coalescing separators, which include tightly packed beds of plates, helical coalescers, and gas bubbles.
These treatment systems are utilized in a variety of situations, which range from open water to boat marinas to tanks in industrial plants. Although they vary in their details, they share several features in common: they are designed to be used for large volumes of oil-water mixtures with large surface areas, and to be used continuously. Thus, these systems are generally large, heavy, and relatively immobile as they are fixed in place, and then operated continuously.
However, there are many situation in which such large, immobile systems are less than ideal. Such situations include multiple small volumes of mixtures, each in small tanks, and tanks with obstacles protruding from the surface. Such obstacles include mechanical apparatus supporting the tank's purpose, including sprann and immersion hardware. In these situations, it would be desirable to collect and treat accumulated oil in the surface layer in batches, rather than continuously. It would also be desirable to have an oil-water mixture treatment system which is mobile, for use with multiple mixtures, as would exist in multiple tanks. It would also be desirable to have a collection means which is manually controlled, for maneuverability across a surface and around surface protruding obstacles in the oil-water mixture.

Manually controlled skimming of industrial oil contaminants


An inflatable in-ear device includes a core member with a platform provided with a sealing assembly in the form of a locating recess for the registration of a retention ring formed around a defining opening of a sheath arranged in close circumjacent manner around the platform attached to the core member, an abutment surface being formed on a capping for the platform and the core member whereby in use positive location of the retention ring within the recess is achieved by the closure of the recess by the abutment surface. A space is defined between the sheath and the core member for the injection of a settable material used for the inflation of the sheath once the device is emplaced within the ear canal of the ear.

The present inventors have proposed hearing protection devices which offer custom-fitting to the ear of the individual and are exemplified and claimed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,339,648 and 6,754,357 to McIntosh et al. Principally, these devices comprise a core member around which is arranged a sheath in a deflated state, a permanent setting compound being injected into the cavity defined between the core member and the sheath to bring the device into morphological conformity to the contours of the ear canal. In this way, the in-ear device is produced in customized fashion thus enhancing the performance thereof and indeed the comfort of the individual. These devices require a bonding of the open end of the sheath to the core member in order to seal off and ensure that the sheath remains in place and sealed during injection of the settable compound that stretches the sheath.
One of the problems associated with the formation of the in situ device in terms of the injection of the setting compound is to ensure a proper locking and sealing of the core member and the sheath to prevent inadvertent leakage.
There is thus a need to provide an improved sealing assembly for an inflatable in-ear device.

Sealing assembly for inflatable in-ear device


A biogas plant and a servicing device for a biogas plant having a servicing unit and a servicing section, the biogas plant includes a fermenter tank with a fermentation section and a gas section at an interior space of the fermenter tank. The fermenter tank is closed gas-tight by a gas closing wall disposed at the fermenter tank. The servicing unit is provided with a movable sealing device having at least one retention wall of a flexible material and when installed as intended can be moved between an inoperative position and a sealing position. The sealing device is suitable to separate the servicing section substantially gas-tight from the gas section in the sealing position.

The present invention relates to a biogas plant and a servicing device for a biogas plant.
Various biogas plants and servicing devices for biogas plants have become known in the prior art. Biogas plant are as a rule provided with one or more fermenter tanks for fermenting the fermenting substrates and as a rule with an agitator provided for stirring and at least partially homogenising the fermenting substrates in the fermenter tank.
Most of these agitators have agitator blades with which to mix and agitate the fermenting substrates. In dependence on the substrates to be fermented and further ambient conditions and on the materials employed the agitators require inspection and if necessary maintenance at specified intervals. Some or all of the agitator blades may be exchanged for example.
For maintenance on an agitator the agitator which is disposed on a mounting or holding rod or the like is traversed from the lower fermentation section in which the fermenting substrates are located, to the upper gas section. For gaining access to the agitator, for example a biogas plant equipped with a flexible top sheeting may be opened and the top sheeting removed entirely to thus gain easy access to the agitator. This method, however, involves the drawback of considerable work for removing the top sheeting. Also, the biogas collecting in the gas section above the fermentation section escapes as the top sheeting is removed.
For biogas plants having a concrete top, DE 199 51 959 A1 has made known a rectangular maintenance shaft inserted in the concrete top allowing maintenance of the agitator without significantly compromising the gas production. In the case of fermenters having a high solids content the maintenance shaft is bipartite with the top part terminating approximately 10 cm above the normal liquid level. In the case of maintenance a lower shaft portion is inserted into the top shaft portion for immersing in the fermenter mass. For sealing the top shaft portion is provided with a circumferential sealing channel with which when assembled a sealing collar of the lower shaft portion engages. These two-part maintenance shafts involve the drawback that each case of maintenance requires newly inserting the lower shaft portion and sealing against the top shaft portion and removing again after maintenance. Also, the fermenter filling volume must be kept within narrow limits for achieving reliable sealing. Therefore this document proposes for fermenters having a low solids content a one-piece maintenance shaft reaching at least 10 cm beneath the normal liquid filling level. For balancing the gas a shut-off pipe connection to the gas headspace of the fermenter is provided. In the case of maintenance the work involved is reduced compared to a two-piece maintenance shaft. The drawback of this is, however, that these maintenance shafts are suitable for low solids contents only. Also, deposits may accumulate on the immersed shaft. Another drawback is a permanent increase in the agitating resistance and thus in energy consumption.
EP 1 717 305 B1 has made known a biogas plant servicing shaft for a fermenter of a biogas plant with a top sheeting with the servicing shaft being provided as a gas-tight, dome-shaped cover across a servicing opening in the fermenter tank cover. The agitating unit held vertically in the fermenter tank can be moved upwardly from the lower fermentation section into the servicing shaft interior. After opening a servicing flap at the servicing shaft the agitator device can be serviced in the interior of the dome-type servicing shaft and one or all of the agitator blades may be exchanged as needed.
A biogas plant servicing shaft according to EP 1 717 305 B1 operates reliably, allowing servicing the agitator device while involving little work wherein maintenance does not require removal of the entire top sheeting. However, as the servicing flap is opened, the biogas which has collected in the upper gas section of the fermenter tank and which is under overpressure, escapes while air and thus a considerable amount of oxygen enters the fermenter tank requiring removal prior to restarting operation.

Biogas plant and service device for a biogas plant


A multiprobe apparatus for probing a device having a plurality of contacts includes a holder for holding the device in a fixed position; a plurality of electrically conducting elongated probes, each probe being adapted for electrical communication with a respective one of the contacts by tangential linear contact along the length of the probe; and a probe support for supporting the probes and for maintaining the probes in electrical communication with the contacts.

Semiconductor lasers or laser diodes have many advantages as compared to other types of lasers, such as solid-state, gas, or liquid lasers. Included among these advantages are the potential to be manufactured in high volume and at relatively low cost. Further, semiconductor lasers have electrical current requirements compatible with conventional semiconductor circuitry; and high voltage supplies or flash tubes are not required for operation of semiconductor lasers.
Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) is the semiconductor commonly used in the manufacture of semiconductor lasers, and the so-called Fabry-Perot cavity or interferometer is the commonly used resonant cavity in such lasers. A resonant cavity is a chamber having a size which reinforces energy injected therein at the natural frequency as determined by the chamber's dimensions. The resonant cavity is required in a semiconductor laser to provide positive feedback and quantum amplification. The Fabry-Perot cavity has a pair of perfectly aligned parallel mirror planes which are obtained by cleaving or polishing.
Semiconductor lasers, such as the Fabry-Perot type, are typically fabricated from a wafer, such as a heteroepitaxial wafer, which is cleaved into a plurality of parallel strips. These strips are referred to as laser bars. Each laser bar is subsequently diced into individual generally rectangular laser diodes. A typical laser diode may have a width of approximately 300 .mu.m and a length of approximately 250-750 .mu.m. Further, the specific quantity of laser diodes per each laser bar can vary considerably. For example, there can be anywhere between 32 and 64 laser diodes per laser bar. After dicing of the laser bar, each individual laser diode is appropriately packaged for implementation in an electronic device requiring such a diode.
Testing of each laser diode for proper operation before implementation in an electronic device is an important aspect of manufacturing. Specifically, the electrical and optical properties of each laser diode must be tested.
Conventionally, testing of laser diodes is conducted either after packaging of each individual diode or before packaging but after dicing of the laser bar into individual laser diodes. Testing after packaging is undesirable since a considerable amount of packaging time, packaging effort and packaging material is needlessly expended if it is ultimately determined that the laser diode is functioning improperly.
Testing before packaging but after dicing is also undesirable because use of existing test methods and equipment can be time consuming and frequently results in damage to the diodes. In this regard, each diode must be individually probed during testing. Typically, a tester employing a single probe is used to test individual laser diodes. Such testers are capable of probing and testing only one diode at a time, and thus such a testing scheme is inefficient and impractical, particularly when testing large quantities of diodes.
Further, laser diodes commonly utilize relatively soft metal contacts, such as gold contacts, for connecting to other components. These soft metal contacts are the contact points of the diodes that must be probed during testing. Probes employed in standard testers generally have sharp points and comprise relatively hard metal, such as barium copper, stainless steel, or the like. Frequently, these probes "dig" into the soft metal contacts of the diodes, thus causing extensive and irreparable damage to the contacts.
Another scheme proposed testing each laser diode before dicing the laser bar into individual diodes. Unfortunately, standard single probe testers require time consuming, inefficient and complicated indexing of the test probe to each diode of the laser bar in order to conduct the required tests. Although multiprobe type testers solve the indexing problems associated with single probe testers, it has proven difficult to manufacture a tester having a series of accurately and precisely spaced apart probes which correspond to the closely spaced apart contacts between adjacent diodes of a laser bar. In this regard, the distance between the contact of each diode on a laser bar may be on the order of approximately 300 .mu.m or less. Moreover, the aforementioned problem of damaging the diode contacts still exists in these single probe and multiprobe testers used for testing before dicing of the laser bar.

International Business Machines Corporation


A faster modem apparatus communicates with customer premise equipment according to a variety of communication protocols. The faster modem apparatus communicates with customer premise equipment comprising an analog soft-modem comprising a codec. A method utilizes an unused portion of the codec operating range to code and decode data signals having frequencies above 4 kHz. The faster modem apparatus also codes and decodes data signals above 4 kHz. The analog soft-modem and the faster modem apparatus transmit and receive coded analog signals at a signal level of greater than −9 dBm. In one embodiment, the faster modem apparatus is also operative to communicate with additional modems such as dial-up modems and DSL modems. In one embodiment, the faster modem apparatus supports simultaneous voice and data communications.

Dial-up modems, also known as analog modems, analog dial-up modems, or analog data modems, are common equipment found in or connected to many computers today. One of the most common types of dial-up modems are analog soft-modems, also referred to as soft-modems. Soft-modems are simple devices comprising a minimal amount of circuitry such as codecs for converting analog signals to digital signals and converting digital signals to analog signals, circuitry for interfacing the soft-modem with a microprocessor in a host computer, and circuitry for interfacing the soft-modem with a telephone line of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The processing of communication data and running of communication protocols is accomplished by software running on the processor of the host computer, thus the term "soft" modem.
Soft-modems run ITU-T V series standard protocols, such as the V.90 standard, on the host computer's processor, but may run an array of protocols by changing the software, or modem driver, executing on the processor. This makes soft-modems upgradeable as new and better communication protocols are developed. It also makes soft-modems inexpensive since the normally expensive circuitry needed to run communication protocols is absent from the soft modem.
Dial-up modems connect to regular voice telephone lines and dial the telephone network the same way a person dials-up another person. The modem takes the telephone line off-hook by a applying a current load to the line of about 20 mA. The current load signals a central office switch that a user needs service. The switch then applies a dial-tone to the telephone line. When the modem hears the dial-tone, the modem dials an Internet Service Provider (ISP) using standard DTMF (dual tone multi-frequency) tones. The switch then connects the customer premise equipment (CPE), in this case the dial-up modem, with a Central Office (CO) modem. The CO modem and the CPE modem then negotiate a connection, or communication link, using audible tones according to a standard such as the ITU-T V.8 standard.
Signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio and bandwidth both impact a modem's ability to effectively transfer information over a communication link. Shannon's law, expressed in the form C=BW*Log2(1+SNR), defines the theoretical maximum rate at which error-free digits can be transmitted over a bandwidth-limited channel in the presence of noise. C is the channel capacity in bits per second (bps), BW is the bandwidth of the bearer channel in Hz, and SNR is the signal to noise ratio of the bearer channel.
The PSTN terminates calls, such as the negotiated communication link described above, with an 8 bit 8 kHz codec. This limits the bandwidth of the bearer channel, BW, to approximately 4 kHz. In practice, the spectrum from around 200 Hz to 3.4 kHz is used further limiting the bandwidth of the bearer channel to around 3.2 kHz. Additionally, output transmission levels on the PSTN are limited to −9 dBm. Therefore, the SNR varies from loop to loop (the telephone lines connecting the customer premise equipment with the terminating equipment) according to loop length, bundle make up, and other PSTN and system characteristics. While noise can vary, the noise floor for a loop is generally accepted to be approximately −41 dB and the SNR is generally accepted to be 32 dB. Thus according to Shannon's law, the theoretical maximum capacity C is approximately 34 kbps. Turbo Coded Modulation (TCM), as implemented in the ITU-T V.34 standard, describes the methods used to approach the theoretical maximum limit.
By taking advantage of the CO side circuitry operating at 8 kHz, the 3.4 kHz limit imposed by the PSTN is doubled and the bandwidth of the bearer channel BW is increased by a factor of two to achieve a theoretical maximum capacity C of approximately 64 kbps. The ITU-T V.90 standard describes the methods used to achieve communications close to the theoretical maximum limit. V.90 is currently the fastest standard for analog dial-up modem communications.
Digital subscriber line (DSL or xDSL) modems, which communicate using a variety of DSL standards such as ADSL, VDSL, SHDSL, SDSL and HDSL, do not dial through the PSTN as described above. Rather, the CO and the CPE modems are directly wired to each other. This direct connection allows for usable bandwidth of up to around 12 MHz depending on the length of the loop. The bandwidth is often shared with the PSTN, for example during ADSL and VDSL communications, thereby allowing voice calls and data calls to coexist on the same line.
While DSL communications are superior in terms of speed over their analog counterparts discussed above, many computer users do not have DSL modems and are therefore limited to the comparatively slow speeds of their analog dial-up modems. Therefore, a need presently exists for a faster modem method and apparatus.


In an electron beam device such as a raster electron microscope, two annular detectors are arranged at a distinct distance along the optical axis between a beam producer and an objective. The distance between the two detectors amounts to at least 25% of the distance between the specimen-side detector and the specimen. The source-side detector serves for detection of back-scattered or secondary electrons which are transmitted through the bore provided through the specimen-side detector for the passage of the primary particle beam. The source-side detector is a conversion diaphragm with an Everhart Thornley detector arranged laterally thereof. The conversion diaphragm produces secondary electrons on impingement of charged particles. By application of two detectors offset in the direction of the optical axis, the yield of the secondary electrons used for image production is increased. The secondary electrons are separated according to their angle of emergence from the specimen.

Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to particle beam devices with ions or electrons, and more particularly to such devices that are used for imaging, analyzing, and processing of specimen surfaces.
For image production a focused particle beam is guided in a raster over the specimen surface and the signals which result from interaction with the primary particles are sensed and associated with their respective place of origin. Besides a high spatial resolution which is attained by a small diameter of the particle beam in the plane of the specimen, as high as possible an efficiency of the detection of the different signals is required.
2. Discussion of Relevant Art
The resolution of particle beam devices is in principle at its best when the specimen is situated very close to the objective lens or even inside this lens. This has as a consequence that the detection system for the detection of secondary particles and/or back-scattered particles must be arranged inside the objective lens or in a region which is free from fields and is between the objective lens and the particle source. The best resolution, particularly at low particle energies, is attained with arrangements in which the particles in the beam production system are first accelerated to a high energy and are braked to the desired energy at the end of the particle optical arrangement in an objective lens or in the region between the objective lens and the specimen.
Corresponding particle beam devices are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,266 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,054. A very high resolution is attained even at low particle energies by means of the combination of an electrostatic lens and a magnetic field in the objective lens. Furthermore, the particles emitted by the specimen by back-scattering or in other ways are accelerated in the opposite direction by the electrostatic field and are imaged on an annular scintillation detector above the objective lens. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,036, a similar arrangement is described, likewise with an annular detector, but the objective lens is of course a purely electrostatic lens.
In these known systems, it has been found to be disadvantageous that the annular detector with scintillator and glass light conductor has to have a relatively large aperture of about 2-3 mm so that the primary particle beam is not obstructed by the annular detector. Computations and experiments have shown that up to about 80% of the particles arising at the specimen pass through the central opening of the detector and are therefore not detected. The detected signal is therefore very weak. Furthermore, the detected particles are not sensed integrally, and consequently cannot be separated according to energy and starting angle.
It is known from an article in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, Vol. 363, pp. 31-42 (1995) to deflect, in regions far from the axis, particles emitted from the specimen or back-scattered at the specimen, without appreciably affecting the primary particle beam, by a suitable arrangement of two Wien filters. This means indeed leads to an improvement of the detector efficiency; here also, however, a discrimination of the detected signals according to starting angle and the like is not possible.
A raster electron microscope is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,132, in which the annular detector has several annular divisions. Electrons back-scattered at the specimen, which are more strongly detectable in the region near the axis than are secondary electrons, are to be separated from the secondary electrons which mainly are far from the axis by this division. In connection with an embodiment example, the possibility is also mentioned that for reasons of mounting, the inner annular detector and the outer annular detector can be arranged to be slightly offset in the direction of the optical axis. Such an annular division of the detector indeed basically permits a separation of the detected electrons according to their starting angle on emergence from the specimen. The problem that a large fraction of the secondary electrons and of the back-scattered electrons is transmitted through the central bore region and consequently not detected at all cannot be solved by this annular division of the detector, however.
The present invention has as its object to improve the detection in a particle beam device of the secondary particles emitted by the specimen and the particles which are back-scattered at the specimen. Furthermore, a selection or coordination of the detected particles according to their starting angle is to be possible.
This object is attained according to the invention by a particle beam device comprising a beam producer, an objective that focuses a particle beam onto a specimen, and two detectors arranged between the beam producer and the focal plane of the objective for particles back-scattered and emitted from the object. The two detectors are arranged offset from each other in the direction of the optical axis, and the distance between the two detectors is at least 25% of the distance between an object-side detector of the two detectors and the focal plane of the objective. Advantageous embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the features described in the specification and set forth in the claims.
In the particle beam device according to the invention, two detectors for the particles back-scattered from the object or for the particles emitted from the object are arranged, mutually offset in the direction of the optical axis of the particle beam device. The spacing between the two detectors in the direction of the optical axis amounts to at least 25% of the distance between the object-side detector and the focal plane of the objective, which focuses the particle beam on the specimen. The specimen-side detector then serves for the detection of those particles which emerge from the specimen at a relatively large solid angle, while the source-side detector serves for the detection of those particles which emerge from the specimen at a relatively small solid angle, and which are transmitted through the opening provided through the specimen-side detector for the passage of the primary particle beam through it. By means of the axially offset arrangement of the two detectors, even the particles transmitted through the central opening of the object-side detector can be detected with the source-side detector, when both detectors have central openings of the same diameter. Preferably, however, the central opening for the passage of the primary particle beam at the source-side detector should amount to at most a third of the diameter of the central bore of the object-side detector. Correspondingly small bore diameters, of less than 0.2 mm for example, are then possible through the source-side detector, when this detector is embodied as a conversion diaphragm, at which secondary electrons again arise on to the impingement of high energy particles themselves. The secondary electrons emerging from the conversion diaphragm are then detected by a laterally arranged conventional detector, which produces an electrostatic extraction field for the secondary electrons emerging from the conversion diaphragm. The material of the conversion diaphragm should be a relatively light element with an atomic number xe2x89xa620, e.g., aluminum or carbon, since such light elements have a relatively high secondary electron yield.
As in the prior art mentioned at the beginning, both detectors have an annular detection surface and are symmetrical with respect to the optical axis. In contrast to the prior art mentioned at the beginning, however, the external diameter of the detection surface of the source-side detector is greater than the diameter of the central bore of the specimen-side detector.
Insofar as the source-side detector has only a very small bore bounding the aperture of the primary beam for the primary beam to pass through, this detector is to be received on an adjusting device which permits an adjustment of the detector in the two directions perpendicular to the optical axis.
For the evaluation of the signals detected with the two detectors, a signal processing electronics can be provided which produces output signals from the detector signals corresponding to linear combinations of both detector signals. By the formation of corresponding linear combinations, the effects of the surface topography of the specimen can be amplified, and charge contrast images can be produced. This is advantageous in particular when thin layers with conductivity different from the matrix are investigated in the particle beam device. The coefficients of the linear combination are then to be freely selectable by the user of the particle beam device.