Biologically active reagents are prepared from particles of copolymers having polyoxyalkylene side chains, each of which side chains has a molecular weight of at least about 88. The reagents are prepared by covalently attaching biologically active substances, for example antibodies, to the particles, directly or indirectly through reactive groups on the particle surface. These reagents are used to advantage in analytical elements and methods for the detection of specific binding ligands (such as immunological species) and immunoassays, and in purification methods as affinity chromatography reagents. Adsorption of undesirable proteins on the particles of the reagents was considerably reduced because of the specific composition of the particles.

There is a continuing need in medical practice and research, and in analytical and diagnostic procedures for rapid and accurate determinations of chemical and biological substances which are present in various fluids, such as biological fluids. For example, the presence of drugs, narcotics, hormones, steroids, polypeptides, metabolites, toxins, viruses, microorganisms or nucleic acids in human or animal body fluids or tissues must be determined rapidly and accurately for effective research, diagnosis or treatment.
In approximately the last twenty years, a wide variety of analytical methods have been developed to detect the substances noted above. Generally, the state of the art has advanced to such a degree that analytical and diagnostic methods have become highly reliable and suitable for automation or for use with test kits which can be readily used in doctors' offices or at home. Most of such methods rely on what are known in the art as "specific binding" reactions in which an unknown substance to be detected (known as a "ligand") reacts specifically and preferentially with a corresponding "receptor" molecule. Most well known specific binding reactions occur between immunoreactants, such as antibodies and antigens (foreign substances which produce immunological responses), but other specific binding reactions (such as between avidin and biotin, and a sugar with a lectin) are well known.
Methods in the art using specific binding reactions generally require that one or more or both of the reactants be immobilized on a solid substrate of some type, so that unreacted (and generally water-soluble) materials can then be separated from the water-insoluble reaction product (often called a "complex"). In addition, such immobilized reactants can be used in affinity chromatography to remove a desired biologically active material from a mixture of such materials.
Biologically active substances have thus been immobilized to advantage on particulate substrates such as polymeric particles, animal and human erythrocytes, bacterial cells and other materials known in the art. For example, carrier particles prepared from epoxy-group containing monomers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,700 (issued Nov. 15, 1983 to Batz et al). Carboxylated latex particles have also been used to prepare diagnostic reagents, as noted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,636 (issued Jan. 1, 1980 to Fischer). Where polymeric particles have been used as carrier substrates, biologically active substances have been attached through reactive groups on the particle surface, such groups provided either from the polymer composition or from linking moieties attached to the particles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,765 (issued Aug. 30, 1983 to Craig et al) describes a number of reactive groups on polymeric particles.
Several advances in the art in this regard are described in U.S. Ser. No. 081,206 (filed Aug. 3, 1987 by Sutton et al) abandoned in favor of U.S. Ser. No. 07/742,198 (filed Dec. 5, 1991), now U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,023 , U.S. Ser. No. 136,165 (filed Dec. 18, 1987 by Burdick et al) and EP-A-0 308 235 (published Apr. 26, 1989 and corresponding to U.S. Ser. No. 373,304, filed Jun. 29, 1989 by Sutton et al as a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 098,429, filed Sep. 18, 1987, now abandoned). These applications describe various means for attaching biologically active substances to polymeric particles having various reactive surface groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,001 (issued Sep. 28, 1976 to Coupek et al) describes the use of hydrophilic macroporous copolymers as carriers for biologically active compounds in the preparation of affinity chromatography reagents. Such copolymers can be prepared from certain hydrophilic monomers such as polyglycol acrylates and methacrylates. Biologically active compounds are adsorbed to the carrier polymers. Absorption, however, does not provide for optimum sensitivity or efficiency in affinity chromatography.
The modification of protein adsorption on polymeric surfaces has been a common goal for many workers trying to apply polymer technology to in vivo and in vitro uses in biotechnology. Undesirable protein adsorption has been a continual problem. For example, nonspecific adsorption is a major concern in the use of polymers for affinity chromatography for purification of proteins.
The modification of polymer surfaces has taken many forms, including physical coatings, graft copolymerization, chemical treatments and plasma gas discharge treatment. The hydrophilic nature of the polymer surface has been the subject of considerable debate and research because an increase in hydrophilicity reduces adsorption of some proteins, but not others. As noted in the art cited above, the use of reactive side chains has also received considerable attention in the art. However, if the polymer particles are too hydrophilic and swell in aqueous solutions (as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,001, noted above), the assays can be adversely affected.
One technique commonly used to reduce nonspecific adsorption of proteins is what is called "capping". After a desired protein (for example, an antibody) is covalently attached to polymeric particles, another nonimmunoreactive protein is allowed to adsorb to the particle surface to "cap" the remaining reactive sites. While this is generally effective in some cases, it would be desirable to avoid this step because of the expense and extra time it requires for preparing useful reagents. Thus, there is a continuing need for a means to provide biological reagents comprising polymeric particles as carriers without the need for "capping" and where nonspecific interactions are considerably reduced or eliminated entirely.

Method for detection of a nucleic acid using particulate reagent having polyoxyalkylene side chains


A method of managing power supply to at least one device in a data processing system, the method comprising determining when the at least one device has been associated with no resources for a predetermined period of time; turning off the power supply to the at least one device; determining that the at least one device is required for use by the data processing system; and restoring the power supply to the at least one device.

The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification describes a standard for operating system (OS) control of devices and peripherals that are installed in a data processing system. For example, it specifies hot swapping and hot insertion of Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) devices within the data processing system. That is, a PCI device can be swapped or inserted while the data processing system is powered and functioning.
An example of hot insertion of a PCI device into an empty PCI slot in a data processing system is carried out as follows. Firstly, the system is informed that a device is to be inserted into a particular empty PCI slot in the data processing system. For example, a system administrator may provide commands to the data processing system that a hot insertion is about to occur. The operating system of the data processing system causes the data processing system to stop supplying power to the empty PCI slot into which the device is to be inserted. The PCI device is then physically inserted into the PCI slot. The operating system is then informed that the device has been inserted. The data processing system then resumes power to the PCI slot, performs device configuration and loads an appropriate device driver (if any) for controlling the device.
A hot swap of a PCI device is similar to a hot insertion, except that once the PCI slot is powered down, an existing PCI device is removed and replaced with another PCI device. A driver associated with the PCI device being removed may also be unloaded.
The latest ACPI specification, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, is available from, for example, http://www.acpi.info/spec.htm. The current latest specification revision is 3.0b. The latest PCI specification is also incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. PCI specifications can be obtained from, for example, http://www.pcisig.com/specifications/. For example, the conventional PCI specification version 3.0 is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
It is an object of embodiments of the invention to at least mitigate one or more of the problems of the prior art.

Method and system for managing power supply to at least one device

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to forming a nanosheet multi-channel device with an additional spacing layer and a hard mask layer. The additional spacing layer provides a space for an inner spacer above the topmost channel. The hard mask layer functions as an etch stop during metal gate etch back, providing improve gate height control.

The semiconductor industry has experienced continuous rapid growth due to constant improvements in the integration density of various electronic components. For the most part, this improvement in integration density has come from repeated reductions in minimum feature size, allowing more components to be integrated into a given chip area. As minimum feature size reduces, it has become challenging to control metal gate heights and to reduce device capacitance. Therefore, there is a need to solve the above problems.

Semiconductor devices and methods of fabrication thereof

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.


A film thickness inspecting mechanism includes a light source disposed below a substrate, a CCD unit for detecting a light beam (transmitted light beam) emitted from the light source and transmitted through the substrate and converting the detected light beam into an electric signal (detected signal) commensurate with the detected intensity of the light beam, a substrate feeder having a plurality of light shield plates for blocking a light beam emitted from the light source at given intervals, and a substrate holder for holding the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical information recording medium of the heat mode type having a recording layer disposed on a substrate and capable of recording information by exposure to a laser beam and a method of manufacturing such an optical information recording medium, and more particularly to an optical information recording medium whose recording layer can be inspected by an inspecting means and a method of manufacturing such an optical information recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical information recording mediums (optical disks) capable of recording information once with a laser beam include a write-once CD (so-called CD-R) and a DVD-R. These optical information recording mediums are advantageous in that they allow a smaller quantity of CDs to be supplied quickly to the market at a reasonable price than conventional CDs (compact disks), and there are growing demands for such optical information recording mediums in view of the recent widespread use of personal computers.
Typically, a CD-R-type information recording medium comprises a disk-shaped transparent substrate having a thickness of about 1.2 mm, a recording layer of an organic dye deposited on the substrate, a light reflecting layer of metal such as gold or silver disposed on the recording layer, and a protective layer of resin disposed on the light reflecting layer.
A DVD-R-type information recording medium comprises two disk-shaped transparent substrates each having a thickness of about 0.6 which are bonded to each other with their information recording surfaces facing each other. The DVD-R-type information recording medium can record a greater amount of information.
Information can be written or recorded on these optical information recording mediums by applying a laser beam in a near-infrared range, e.g., a laser beam having a wavelength of about 780 nm for a CD-R or a laser beam having a wavelength of about 635 nm for a DVD-R, to the optical information recording mediums. When the laser beam is applied to an area of the dye recording layer, the irradiated area absorbs the applied laser beam and causes a local temperature rise, which produces a physical or chemical change, e.g., generates a pit, to change optical characteristics of the area of the dye recording layer for thereby recording the information.
Recorded information can be read or reproduced by applying a laser beam having the same wavelength as the wavelength of the recording laser beam. The recorded information is reproduced based on the detected difference between the reflectance of the area where the optical characteristics of the dye recording layer have been changed, i.e., a recorded area represented by the pit, and the area where the optical characteristics of the dye recording layer have not been changed, i.e., an unrecorded area.
If optical disks have a dye recording layer which suffers thickness irregularities, then those optical disks tend to cause a reading error and/or a recording error.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an optical information recording medium of high quality which is produced through highly accurate inspection of the thickness of a recording layer formed on a substrate in the process of fabricating the optical information recording medium, and a method of manufacturing such an optical information recording medium.
According to the present invention, there is provided an optical information recording medium of the heat-mode type, comprising a substrate, and a recording layer disposed on the substrate for recording information upon exposure to a laser beam, the optical information recording medium being fabricated by inspecting a film thickness of the recording layer based on a detected signal from transmitted light detecting means for detecting a light beam having passed through the substrate, and inspecting a full amount of a light beam emitted from light applying means for applying the light beam to the substrate with the recording layer disposed thereon and an amount of light while the light beam emitted from the light applying means is being blocked by light shielding means for blocking the light beam emitted from the light applying means.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method of manufacturing an optical information recording medium of the heat-mode type having a substrate, and a recording layer disposed on the substrate for recording information upon exposure to a laser beam, using film thickness inspecting means for inspecting a film thickness of the recording layer, the film thickness inspecting means having light applying means for applying the light beam to the substrate with the recording layer disposed thereon, transmitted light detecting means for detecting a light beam having passed through the substrate, and light shielding means for blocking the light beam emitted from the light applying means, the method comprising the steps of inspecting a film thickness of the recording layer based on a detected signal from the transmitted light detecting means, and inspecting a full amount of the light beam emitted from the light applying means and an amount of light while the light beam emitted from the light applying means is being blocked by the light shielding means.
With the above arrangement, it is possible to accurately inspect the film thickness of the recording layer on the substrate without being affected by ambient light such as light from fluorescent lamps, and reject any optical information recording mediums or optical disks with insufficient film thicknesses from a fabrication stage. Therefore, fabricated optical disks are prevented from suffering reading and recording errors.
The extinction coefficient of the light beam emitted from the light applying means at the complex index of refraction should preferably range from 0.2 to 1.2, more preferably range from 0.5 to 1.2, and most preferably range from 0.9 to 1.2.
Furthermore, there is also provided in accordance with the present invention a method of manufacturing an optical information recording medium of the heat-mode type having a substrate, and a recording layer disposed on the substrate for recording information upon exposure to a laser beam, using film thickness inspecting means for inspecting a film thickness of the recording layer, the film thickness inspecting means having light applying means for applying the light beam to the substrate with the recording layer disposed thereon, and transmitted light detecting means for detecting a light beam having passed through the substrate, the method comprising the steps of inspecting a film thickness of the recording layer based on a detected signal from the transmitted light detecting means, and setting an extinction coefficient of the light beam emitted from the light applying means to a value ranging from 0.2 to 1.2 at a complex index of refraction.
Thus, the relationship between optical densities of transmitted light determined from the transmittance of the light beam having passed through the recording layer and film thicknesses of the recording layer can be approximately represented by a linear function irrespectively of the type of a dye employed in the recording layer, thus allowing the film thickness to be measured easily and highly accurately.
The light beam emitted from the light applying means may comprise a flickering light beam. Preferably, the light applying means and the transmitted light detecting means are fabricated as a monolithic structure on a substrate. Since the light applying means and the transmitted light detecting means are subject to the same temperature, the film thickness of dye recording layer can be inspected with high accuracy without causing errors due to the ambient temperature. The substrate is preferably made of a semiconductor.
The film thickness inspecting means should preferably include an optical fiber for guiding the light beam emitted from the light applying means to the substrate and an optical fiber for guiding the light beam having passed through the substrate to the transmitted light detecting means.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.

Optical information recording medium and method of manufacturing same


A display device includes a substrate, a plurality of first electrodes, a light-emitting lamination, a plurality of second electrodes, and one or more protruding layers. The plurality of first electrodes extend in parallel to each other on the substrate. The light-emitting lamination covers the plurality of first electrodes. The plurality of second electrodes extend across the light-emitting lamination and extend in parallel to each other at an angle with respect to an extending direction of the first electrodes. The one or more protruding layers are formed on the substrate and protrude from a side end of the light-emitting lamination in an extending direction of the second electrodes. Respective portions of the plurality of second electrodes which extend outside of the light-emitting lamination are formed on the one or more protruding layers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Flat panel display devices have less power consumption than that of conventionally used cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and enable reduction in thickness of display devices. Flat panel display devices have been increasingly demanded in response to recent diversification of information processing equipments. Examples of such flat panel display devices include liquid crystal display devices and electroluminescent (EL) display devices. In particular, inorganic EL display devices are characterized by their all solid-state structure, faster response speed, and self light emission. Inorganic EL display devices have been actively studied and developed due to these characteristics.
An inorganic EL display device generally has a substrate, first electrodes, a light-emitting lamination, and second electrodes. The light-emitting lamination has a light-emitting layer and insulating layers with the light-emitting layer interposed therebetween. The first electrodes have a stripe shape and are formed on the substrate. The light-emitting lamination is formed on the first electrodes. The second electrodes have a stripe shape and extend perpendicular to the first electrodes. The second electrodes extend across the light-emitting lamination. Each second electrode has a second-electrode extending portion formed outside the light-emitting lamination.
In the inorganic EL display device having the above structure, thinning or disconnection may occur at the second-electrode extending portions during the manufacturing process.
Such thinning or disconnection of the second-electrode extending portions can be suppressed by increasing the width of the second-electrode extending portions. However, the distance between adjacent second electrodes must be increased in order to increase the width of the second-electrode extending portions. It is therefore difficult to implement a high-definition inorganic EL display device.


Methods of bit manipulation within a computer processor are disclosed. Improved flexibility in bit manipulation proves helpful in computing elementary functions critical to the performance of many programs and for other applications. In one embodiment, a unit of input data is shifted/rotated and multiple non-contiguous bit fields from the unit of input data are inserted in an output register. In another embodiment, one of two units of input data is optionally shifted or rotated, the two units of input data are partitioned into a plurality of bit fields, bitwise operations are performed on each bit field, and pairs of bit fields are combined with either an AND or an OR bitwise operation. Embodiments are also disclosed to simultaneously perform these processes on multiple units and pairs of units of input data in a Single Input, Multiple Data processing environment capable of performing logical operations on floating point data.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to instruction set architectures for computer processors. More particularly, the invention relates to generalized bit manipulation instructions.
2. Background of the Invention
Many computer applications rely on the computation of certain elementary mathematical functions. Examples of such functions include square root functions, logarithm functions, exponential functions, and so forth. Certain applications, such as numerical applications, high performance computing applications, scientific computing applications, and financial applications are particularly reliant on the computation of elementary functions to the point that the efficiency with which such functions are evaluated significantly impacts the overall performance of such applications.
A great deal of effort is dedicated to optimizing computation of elementary functions. Two important techniques for the optimization of such computations include the use of piecewise polynomial approximations and bit manipulation. Bit manipulation can be used to facilitate such approximations, as described below.
In the piecewise polynomial approximation technique, a number of polynomials are defined. Each defined polynomial approximates the target function, which may be an elementary function, accurately over a specific interval. Coefficients for these polynomials are stored in a table, along with other values used in the approximation.
To access the relevant polynomial coefficients from the table, a key is generated. To select the appropriate polynomial coefficients corresponding to the appropriate interval, the key is produced by extracting and/or manipulating bits from the argument, or an intermediate value computed from the argument. The argument or other value from which the key is computed is typically a floating point value, whose bits are typically a combination of a subset of the sign, exponent and fraction bits. Therefore, the ability to efficiently manipulate argument bits is essential to the efficient calculation of performance critical elementary functions.
By use of a piecewise polynomial approximation technique based on bit manipulation, high performance computing applications that repetitively rely on elementary function can be efficiently implemented. In addition to the use of bit manipulation in forming table-lookup keys, bit manipulation also can be used in other ways, such as copying a sign bit, or moving exponent bits to the fraction bits of a floating-point number to calculate an approximate base-2 logarithm. Additionally, bit manipulation is also important for applications such as encryption, databases (packing fields), compression, video/audio encoding/decoding, and spline interpolation. The ability to manipulate bits is also important to other processes in rendering, computer graphics, and calculating hash functions.
Often high-throughput applications, including applications that rely heavily on elementary functions, also rely on parallel computing such as Single Instruction, Multiple Data (SIMD) for optimum performance. However, instruction set architectures do not presently support instructions for the kind of bit manipulations necessary to manipulate bits for the purposes of elementary function calculation as efficiently as they could. Furthermore, currently existing instructions, such as the Rotate Left Word Immediate then Mask Insert (rlwimi) of the POWER instruction set architecture, which is not supported for SIMD or floating point data, are not sufficiently general. As a result, multiple operations must often be performed to manipulate bits as required for elementary function calculation. Therefore, additional instructions need to be defined that are capable of bit manipulation with greater generality and which are supported for SIMD and which support floating point data.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Generalized bit manipulation instructions for a computer processor

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for extracting and reclaiming metals from scrap CdTe photovoltaic cells and manufacturing waste by leaching the metals in dilute nitric acid, leaching the waste with a leaching solution comprising nitric acid and water, skimming any plastic material from the top of the leaching solution, separating the glass substrate from the liquid leachate, adding a calcium containing base to the leachate to precipitate Cd and Te, separating the precipitated Cd and Te from the leachate, and recovering the calcium-containing base.

Thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules promise to be one of the leading edge power generation technologies of the twenty-first century. More and more attention is being drawn to the potential benefits of using thin film photovoltaic technology and, consequently, production of photovoltaic modules has risen in response to increased demand. However, a number of the metals needed to manufacture thin film photovoltaic modules are generally considered to be hazardous and can cause environmental health and safety hazards. An ever growing amount of manufacturing waste and disposal of photovoltaic modules accompanies the increased demand for photovoltaic technology and photovoltaic module production. The landfilling of superannuated photovoltaic modules and manufacturing waste associated with photovoltaic cells can release hazardous materials into the environment.
Some of the major elements or compounds used in photovoltaic cells are cadmium, selenium, tellurium and indium. Cadmium is the principal material used in the process of making photovoltaic cells, particularly CdTe modules, and is a secondary component in CIS (Copper Indium Diselenide) photovoltaic modules. The principal effects of continued exposure to low levels of cadmium are significantly apparent on the kidneys, lungs and bones. Cadmium may be fatal if inhaled and is also harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Prolonged exposure to cadmium can cause stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, lung irritation, chest pain and edema. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that the inhaled inorganic cadmium compounds are probable human carcinogens.
Tellurium may be fatal if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Inhalation of tellurium may result in fatality as a consequence of spasm, inflammation and/or edema of the larynx and bronchi, chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema. Exposure to tellurium can cause nausea, headache and vomiting.
The most primary regulatory test to evaluate the toxicity of photovoltaic manufacturing waste and superannuated modules is EPA TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, 40 C.F.R. Ch. 1, Pt. 261, App. II). TCLP requires recycling processes to meet exacting standards.
CIS (Cadmium Indium Diselenide) photovoltaic modules generally contain between 5 and 14 g of Cd or Se per square meter of module. We have observed CdTe modules to contain between 7 and 12 g of Cd or Te per square meter of module. Additional sources of Cd and Te come from manufacturing debris from the fabrication of the photovoltaic modules. The manufacturing waste typically includes CdS, CdTe and various non-stoichiometric mixtures containing Cd, Te and Zn. The hazardous metals involved in photovoltaic module manufacturing and waste have high potential for impacting the environment.


A method is provided for designing an integrated circuit having an interconnect structure with a reduced lateral dimension relative to a pre-existing interconnect structure layout. The method begins by reducing in scale by a desired amount the lateral dimension of a given level of metallization in the pre-existing interconnect structure layout by reducing the width of each conductive line in the given level of metallization to a prescribed width. The conductive lines are separated by dielectric material. The given level of metallization in the interconnect structure layout is divided into at least first and second levels of metallization by arranging in the second level of metallization alternating lines from the given level. The prescribed width in the lateral direction of each line is increased in the first and second levels of metallization by a factor of at least two. The layout of lines in the second level of metallization is arranged so that they partially overlap in the vertical direction one of the lines in the first level of metallization.

Integrated circuits (IC) are manufactured by forming discrete semiconductor devices on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, such as a silicon wafer. A multi-level network of interconnect structures is then formed to interconnect the devices. Copper is the material of choice for interconnect structures of advanced IC devices having high circuit density. In addition to superior electrical conductivity, copper is more resistant than aluminum to electromigration, a phenomenon that may destroy a thin film conductive line during IC operation.
An IC device comprises a plurality of interconnect structures that are separated from each other and the substrate by the ILD layers. Such structures are generally fabricated using a dual damascene technique that comprises forming an insulator layer (e.g., ILD layer) into which trenches and openings are etched to pattern the conductive lines and contact holes, or vias. The copper is then used to fill (metallize) the trenches and openings in the IMD layer forming the conductive lines and vias, respectively. During the copper metallization process, an excess amount of copper may be deposited onto the substrate. The excess metal may be removed using a planarization process, e.g., chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) process. After the planarization process, the interconnect structure is embedded in the ILD layer coplanar with an exposed surface of the layer, such that the next wiring layer may be formed on top of the embedded ILD layer.
In the semiconductor industry, much effort is spent in developing smaller IC devices with ever-increasing operating speeds. To increase the circuit density, a dual damascene technique may be used during fabrication of the IC devices. To increase the operating speed of such a device, the ILD layers are formed using materials having dielectric constants less than about 4.0. Such materials are generally referred to as low-k materials. The low-k materials generally comprise carbon-doped dielectrics, such as organic doped silicon glass (OSG), fluorine doped silicon glass (FSG), organic polymers, and the like.
While performance of the active elements in an IC device generally increases as the size of the IC device decreases, this is not the case for the interconnect structures because the resistance and capacitance of the conductive lines increase as the device size decreases. This relationship between interconnect size and performance is sometimes referred to as the Reverse-Scaling Rule (RSR). Because of RSR, the increase in resistance and capacitance of the conductive lines is becoming a dominant factor in determining circuit performance. As a result, continued reductions in IC device size do not simply lead to improved circuit performance, but may lead to worse performance.
The reverse-scaling rule can be particularly problematic when a new generation of an existing IC device is being developed. The most straightforward way to reduce an existing IC device in size is to simply reduce all the lateral dimensions of the various elements with respect to the previous generation. Because of the reverse-scaling rule, however, this cannot be done for the interconnect structure without sacrificing performance.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a procedure for using the same interconnect architecture used in the previous generation and adapting it for a new, smaller generation of IC devices to thereby avoid the need for designing an entirely new interconnect architecture.

Metal interconnect structure for integrated circuits and a design rule therefor


Methods and systems of transforming ontologies of semantic web languages are disclosed. A user may adjust configuration settings for a transformation of primitives of a Semantic Web ontology language into primitives of a software modeling language. The adjusted configuration settings may be stored on a storage device. The transformation of primitives of the Semantic Web ontology language into primitives of the software modeling language may be performed using the adjusted configuration settings stored on the storage device. The adjusted configuration settings stored on the storage device may be selected for use in a subsequent transformation of primitives of the Semantic Web ontology language into primitives of the software modeling language. In some embodiments, the semantic web language is Resource Description Framework Schema (RDFS). In some embodiments, the software modeling language is Ecore.

The Semantic Web is an effort led by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) aiming to allow the exchange and reuse of data by formalizing the meaning of information. As a classic means of knowledge representation, ontologies play a vital role in this effort. The Resource Description Framework (RDF) and RDF Schema (RDFS) are the W3C recommendations for ontology definition. They are increasingly being used to define ontologies which serve as reference models in a specific domain (e.g., the ISO 15926 Oil & Gas ontology).
Currently, the majority of conventional software engineers typically neither have knowledge in Semantic Web languages such as RDFS, nor do they have the time for familiarizing themselves with the new technology. Yet, at the same time, Semantic Web languages are increasingly being used for specifying reference models on which software has to be built. Therefore, conventional software developers are prompted to build software on the basis of such ontologies.

Adjustable transformations from semantic web languages


Screws 4 are inserted from a bottom surface of a ceiling plate 32 and screwed to a base plate 31, and the ceiling plate 32 and the base plate 31 are press-connected to each other by an elastic restoring force of an elastic member 51 interposed between a head of the screw 4 and the ceiling plate 32. A gap is formed between the head and the ceiling plate 32. Further, a periphery of the head is covered with a cover via a ring-shaped elastic member 52. In another embodiment, a periphery of a base plate 31 is protruded from a periphery of a ceiling plate 32, and the protruded portion of the base plate 31 and a ring-shaped clamp positioned at an outer side of the ceiling plate 32 are joined by screws. Here, an elastic member is interposed between the clamp and the ceiling plate 32.

As for an apparatus used for manufacturing semiconductor devices, there has been known a so-called single-wafer processing apparatus for performing a process on a substrate one by one. Specifically, the process may include a plasma process such as a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process or an etching process, or heat treatment such as a thermal CVD process. Generally, since the apparatus is configured to perform such processes under a vacuum atmosphere, a mounting table is provided in a processing chamber as a vacuum chamber and a gas shower structure is configured to dispose so as to face the mounting table and supply a processing gas onto a substrate, as in a shower device.
FIG. 10 is a schematic view for describing a general structure of a vacuum processing apparatus. In FIG. 10, a reference numeral 101 denotes a processing chamber; a reference numeral 102 denotes a mounting table for mounting thereon a substrate 103; a reference numeral 104 denotes a gas shower head serving as a ceiling plate of the processing chamber 101; and a reference numeral 105 denotes a gas exhaust line for performing evacuation. The gas shower head 104 may include a cover 106 for airtightly covering an opening formed on a top surface of the processing chamber 101 via a non-illustrated sealing member; and a shower plate 107. A processing gas is introduced into a diffusion space 109 through a gas inlet port 108 and the introduced processing gas is supplied through gas inlet holes 100 of the shower plate 107, as in a shower device.
The shower plate 107 is formed by stacking two plates made of different materials. A base plate 110 as an upper plate is made of a metal such as aluminum (Al) or stainless steel (SUS). A ceiling plate 111 as a lower plate is made of silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), quartz or the like. By using two plates, the shower plate 107 can be prevented from being deformed by stress caused by depressurization when a process is performed under a processing atmosphere in a vacuum level, and a portion of the shower plate 107 which is exposed to the processing atmosphere can be protected from metal contamination. Especially, in a plasma process, the plasma resistance of the shower plate 107 can be further improved by using the two plates.
As for a structure for joining the base plate 110 and the ceiling plate 111, there has been known a structure illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B, for example. In the structure of FIG. 11A, the outer periphery of the base plate 110 is protruded from the outer periphery of the ceiling plate 111. The base plate 110 and a ring-shaped clamp 112 are press-connected to each other via the ceiling plate 111 disposed therebetween by a screw 113. The clamp 112 is made of a metal, and the clamp 112 may include a portion facing the protruded portion of the base plate 110; and a portion covering a periphery of a rear surface of the ceiling plate 111. Meanwhile, in the structure of FIG. 11B, the base plate 110 and the ceiling plate 111 are joined to each other at the peripheries thereof by a screw 114 inserted from the ceiling plate 111.
However, in the structure using the clamp 112, since the base plate 110 and the clamp 112 are press-connected each other via the ceiling plate 111 by the screw 113, a gap is structurally required between the clamp 112 and the base plate 110. A pressing force is controlled as a screw torque by using this gap. Thus, the screw torque needs to be controlled strictly such that the screw 114 is prevented from being excessively tightened or loosened, and assembly errors may lead to non-uniformity of performance (non-uniformity of the pressing force). Further, the clamp 112 is made of a metal because the metal can be easily processed. However, since the ceiling plate 111 and the clamp 112 are made of different materials, a thermal expansion difference therebetween causes friction at a contact area S. Accordingly, particles may be generated at the friction area and introduced into the processing atmosphere.
A temperature of the shower plate 107, which is an important process parameter, is controlled by a unit above the shower plate 107, e.g., outside of the gas shower head 104. Since, however, the gap is formed between the clamp 112 and the base plate 110, a thermal conductivity therebetween is decreased. Further, when the shower plate 107 is used as an electrode in a plasma process, an electrical conduction becomes poor. If the thermal conductivity or an electrical conduction become poor, the uniformity of the heat or an electric field between the shower plate 107 and a vicinity thereof is decreased, resulting in deteriorating the uniformity in a surface of the substrate in the plasma process.
Meanwhile, in the structure of FIG. 11B, the base plate 110 and the ceiling plate 111 are press-connected each other by the screw 114, so that the screw torque needs to be controlled strictly. Besides, the ceiling plate 111 and the screw 114 are respectively made of ceramic and metal as described above, and, thus, a screw hole needs to be formed at the base plate 110. Accordingly, the thermal expansion difference between the screw 114 and the ceiling plate 111 causes friction at a contact area S, which results in the above-described problems. Moreover, in order to protect a head of the screw 114, a ring-shaped cover may be formed around the ceiling plate 111 in a circumferential direction. In such a case, however, if the cover is scaled-up, selection of materials having a high plasma resistance is limited. In addition, since the gap exists between the cover and the ceiling plate 111, the screw 114 is damaged by plasma introduced through the gap. As a consequence, the loosening or breakage of the screw 114 may occur.
Patent Document 1 discloses a structure for joining a conductive plate having a plurality of holes and a support structure via an electrical-connection member having elasticity by a screw. However, the thermal conduction or the electrical conduction between the conductive plate and the support structure is locally carried out via the electrical-connection member, so that the conduction is not effective. Moreover, the thermal expansion difference between the screw and a spacer and between the spacer and the conductive plate causes friction, which may lead to introduction of particles into the processing atmosphere.
Patent Document 2 discloses a structure for joining a gas shower plate and a lower part of a high frequency electrode via a spiral-shaped metal tube. However, if a screw is inserted from the gas shower plate, the same problems of the structure shown in FIG. 11B may occur.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-135499 (FIG. 1)    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2004-356509 (FIGS. 1 and 3)

Gas shower structure and substrate processing apparatus


A flash charging circuit has first and second transistors (TR1, TR2) which are connected to opposite terminals of a primary coil of a transformer, a battery is connected to a center tap provided in a middle portion of the primary coil, and first and second drive pulse signals (S1, S2) are applied to the first and second transistors to drive them alternately with each other, to induce an alternating secondary current in a secondary coil of the transformer. Each of the first and second drive pulse signals have a shorter pulse duration (Pd) than a pulse separation (Ps). The phases of the first and second drive pulse signals are determined such that both the first and second drive pulse signals take a low level for a time (Ta) before and after each drive pulse of the first and second drive pulse signals, so that both the first and second transistors are OFF immediately before either of them is turned ON.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flash charging circuit and a method of driving the flash charging circuit. More particularly, the present invention relates to a flash charging circuit wherein a main capacitor is charged effectively without any waste of power.
2. Description of the Related Art
To obtain a high voltage necessary for a discharge tube to flash, a main capacitor is charged up to the high voltage in a flash charging circuit, prior to each flashing. For quick charging of the main capacitor, a low voltage of a power source, such as a battery, is transformed to a higher voltage.
In a conventional flash charging circuit, a drive pulse signal is inputted at a regular interval in a single semiconductor switching element such as a transistor or a field effect transistor (FET), to turn the switching element ON and OFF, so as to intermittently apply a primary voltage through a primary coil of a transformer. In this type of flash charging circuit, a primary current flows through the primary coil while the semiconductor switching element is ON, and the primary current induces a secondary voltage in a secondary coil of the transformer. A secondary current caused by the secondary voltage is half-wave rectified, to be supplied to a main capacitor.
Because the secondary voltage is induced only while the semiconductor switching element is ON, the main capacitor is charged in an intermittent fashion. Accordingly, the total charging time necessary for charging the main capacitor up to the predetermined voltage is certainly long. To solve this problem, a flash charging circuit is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 7-29689.
In the flash charging circuit of this Japanese publication, a pair of semiconductor switching elements are connected to opposite terminals of a primary coil of a transformer, and a battery is connected to a center tap provided in a middle portion of the primary coil, such that a primary current flows from the center tap to the first terminal while one of the switching elements is driven, and that a primary current of an inverted phase flows from the center tap to the second terminal while the other switching element is driven.
First and second switching signals or drive pulse signals having inverted phase are applied to the switching elements to drive them alternately with each other. Thereby, the currents flow through the primary coil alternately in the opposite directions, so that an alternating secondary current is induced in a secondary coil of the transformer. This operation is called push-pull operation. The secondary current is full-wave rectified by a rectifier circuit, such as a diode bridge circuit, and is used to charge a main capacitor. Because one of the switching elements is ON while the other switching element is OFF, the secondary voltage is continuously induced, so that the main capacitor continues being charged. Thus, the improved flash charging circuit shortens the total charging time necessary for charging the main capacitor up to the predetermined voltage.
On the other hand, it is known in the art that a semiconductor switching element needs a certain response time from the application of a drive signal to the start of current conduction, as well as from the termination of the drive signal to the end of current flow. It is also known that a falling response time of a semiconductor from the end of driving to the actual end of current flow is generally longer than a rising response time of the same semiconductor from the start of driving to the actual current conduction, although both response times vary according to the type of the semiconductor.
Accordingly, in the latter flash charging circuit, since the switching signals have inverted phases, a drive pulse starts to be applied to the second switching element simultaneously with the trailing edge of the latest drive pulse that has been applied to the first switching element, or vise versa, so that the second switching element is turned ON before the first switching element is completely turned OFF, or vise versa.
Hereinafter, a time period from the start to the end of current conduction of each semiconductor will be referred to as ON-period, and a time period when the semiconductor does not conduct any current will be referred to as OFF-period. Then, it can be described that the ON-periods of the first and second switching elements overlap with each other in the conventional flash charging circuit using the inverted phase switching signals. While both of the switching elements are ON, the primary currents of the opposite directions concurrently flow through the primary coil of the transformer. As a result, magnetic fields of opposite directions are induced concurrently in the primary coil, so that they cancel each other. Consequently, the primary voltage is not induced in the secondary coil, so that the main capacitor is not charged. However, the power of the battery is still consumed at that time because the primary currents are flowing through the primary coil. That is a waste of electric power.


A mechanism for servowriting on a storage medium of a storage device. The storage device has a transducer and a servo loop for positioning the transducer with respect to the storage medium. At least one transition is written on a track of the storage medium, while servoing on other transitions previously recorded on the storage medium. A reference waveform is derived as a function of a closed loop response of the servo loop and a position error waveform. The position error waveform corresponds to one or more position errors of the transducer relative to the previously recorded transitions. The reference waveform is usable in writing subsequent tracks on the storage medium. Using the reference waveform for writing subsequent tracks provides a substantial rejection of mechanical disturbances by the servo loop.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to hard disk drive memory storage devices for computers. More particularly it relates to disk drive apparatus and to a method for writing servotrack information therein. More specifically it relates to alleviating the need for a complex mechanical and/or optical positioning system to establish servopatterns on the recording surfaces of the recording media.
General Background Art Relating to Self-Servowriting
As described in International Patent Application, WO 94/11864, increased levels of storage capacity in floppy and hard disk drives are a direct result of the higher track densities possible with voice-coil and other types of servo positioners as well as the ability to read and write narrower tracks by using, for example, magnetoresistive (MR) head technology. Previously, low track density disk drives were able to achieve satisfactory head positioning with leadscrew and stepper motor mechanisms. However, when track densities are so great that the mechanical error of a leadscrew-stepper motor combination is significant compared to track-to-track spacing, an embedded servo is needed so that the position of the head can be determined from the signals it reads.
Conventional hard disk manufacturing techniques including writing servotracks on the media of a head disk assembly (HDA) with a specialized servowriter instrument. Laser positioning feedback is used in such instruments to read the actual physical position of a recording head used to write the servotracks. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more difficult for such servowriters to invade the internal environment of a HDA for servowriting because the HDAs themselves are exceedingly small and depend on their covers and castings to be in place for proper operation. Some HDAs are the size and thickness of a plastic credit card. At such levels of microminiaturization, traditional servowriting methods are inadequate.
Conventional servo-patterns typically comprise short bursts of a constant frequency signal, very precisely located offset from a data track's center line, on either side. The bursts are written in a sector header area, and can be used to find the center line of a track. Staying on center is required during both reading and writing. Since there can be between seventeen to sixty, or even more, sectors per track, that same number of servo data areas must be dispersed around a data track. These servo-data areas allow a head to follow a track center line around a disk, even when the track is out of round, as can occur with spindle wobble, disk slip and/or thermal expansion. As technology advances provide smaller disk drives, and increased track densities, the placement of servo data must also be proportionately more accurate.
Servo-data are conventionally written by dedicated, external servowriting equipment, and typically involve the use of large granite blocks to support the disk drive and quiet outside vibration effects. An auxiliary clock head is inserted onto the surface of the recording disk and is used to write a reference timing pattern. An external head/arm positioner with a very accurate lead screw and a laser displacement measurement device for positional feedback is used to precisely determine transducer location and is the basis for track placement and track-to-track spacing. The servo writer requires a clean room environment, as the disk and heads will be exposed to the environment to allow the access of the external head and actuator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,589 to Oliver et al. teaches servowriting wherein optimum track spacing is determined by positioning one of the moving read/write heads at a first limit stop in the range of travel of the positioning means. A first reference track is then written with the moving head. A predetermined reduction number or percentage of amplitude reduction X %, is then chosen that is empirically related to the desired average track density. The first reference track is then read with the moving head. The moving head is then displaced away from the first limit stop until the amplitude of the first reference track is reduced to X % of its original amplitude. A second reference track is then written with the moving head and the moving head is then displaced again in the same direction until the amplitude of the second reference track is reduced to X % of its original value. The process is continued, writing successive reference tracks and displacing the moving head by an amount sufficient to reduce the amplitude to X % of its original value, until the disc is filled with reference tracks. The number of reference tracks so written is counted and the process is stopped when a second limit stop in the range of travel of the positioning means is encountered. Knowing the number of tracks written and the length of travel of the moving head, the average track density is checked to insure that it is within a predetermined range of the desired average track density. If the average track density is high, the disc is erased, the X % value is lowered and the process is repeated. If the average track density is low, the disc is erased, the X % value is increased and the process is repeated. If the average track density is within the predetermined range of the desired average track density, the desired reduction rate X %, for a given average track density, has been determined and the servo writer may then proceed to the servo writing steps.
Unfortunately, Oliver et al. do not disclose how to generate a clock track using the internal recording data heads, as this is achieved by an external clock head. Oliver also do not teach how to determine the track spacing during propagation. This results in the requirement of writing an entire disk surface and counting the number of written tracks to determine the track spacing. Further, Oliver et al. do not examine the variation in the plurality of heads with the disk drive to set the track pitch accordingly. Finally, Oliver et al. do not teach how to limit the growth of errors during the radial propagation growth.
As also described in International Patent Application WO94/11864, a method for writing a servo-pattern with a disk drive's own pair of transducers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,576, issued Mar. 27, 1990 to Janz. Three types of servo-patterns are used to generate three-phase signals that provide a difference signal having a slope that is directly proportional to velocity. Servo-patterns that are substantially wider radially than the nominal track-to-track separation are possible. This helps improve readback amplitudes, and thus servo performance. Janz observes that the signal level from a transducer is a measure of its alignment with a particular pattern recorded on the disk. If the flux gap sweeps only forty percent of a pattern, then the read voltage will be forty percent of the voltage maximum obtainable when the transducer is aligned dead-center with the pattern. Janz uses then phenomenon to straddle two of three offset and staggered patterns along a centerline path intended for data tracks.
In a preferred process, Janz reserves one side of a disk for servo and the other side for data. The disk drive includes two transducers on opposite surfaces that share a common actuator. To format an erased disk for data initialization, a first phase servo is written on the servo side at an outer edge. The transducers are then moved-in radially one half of a track, as indicated by the first phase servotrack amplitude, and a first data-track is recorded on the data side. The transducers are again moved-in radially one half of a track, this time as indicated by the first data-track amplitude, and a second phase servotrack is recorded on the servo side. The transducers are again moved-in radially one half of a track, as indicated by the second phase servotrack amplitude, and a second data-track is recorded on the data side. The transducers are moved-in radially another one half of a track, as indicated by the second data-track amplitude, and a third phase servotrack is recorded on the servo side. The transducers are moved-in radially one half of a track, as indicated by the third phase servotrack amplitude, and a third data-track is recorded on the data side. This back-and-forth progress is repeated until the entire two surfaces are written. If too few or too many tracks were thus written, the disk is reformatted once more, but with a slight adjustment to stew inward slightly more or slightly less than one-half a track width, as appropriate. Once the disk drive has been formatted with an entire compliment of properly spaced servotracks, the data-tracks have served their purpose and are erased in preparation for receiving user data.
Unfortunately, the method described by Janz consumes one entire disk surface for servotracks and requires two heads working in tandem. Track-to-track bit synchronism is also not controlled, and seek times to find data between tracks would thus be seriously and adversely impacted. Transducer flying height variations and spindle runout that occur within a single revolution of the disk, and media inconsistencies can and do corrupt radial position determinations that rely on a simple reading of off-track read signal amplitudes. Prior are methods are inadequate for very high performance disk drives.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 5 (October 1990) entitled "Regenerative Clock Technique For Servo Track Writers" suggests servo writing of a head/disk assembly after the covers are in place by means of the product head and without the use of an external position encoder disk. A single clock track is written at the outer diameter and divided into alternate A and B phrases. The head is then stepped inwards half a track at a time using each phase alternately as a source of clock information from which servo information in the servo sectors preceding each data field and further clock signals in the alternate phase can be written. The half track steps ensure that the previously written clock information can be read. The technique dispenses with a dedicated servo writer clock head and associated mechanisms.
International Patent Application WO94/11864 teaches a hard disk drive comprising a rotating disk with a recording surface, a transducer in communication with the surface and servo-actuator means for radially sweeping the transducer over the surface, a variable gain read amplifier connected to the transducer, an analog to digital converter (ADC) attached to the variable gain amplifier, an erase frequency oscillator coupled to the transducer for DC erasing of the disk surface, a memory for storing digital outputs appearing at the ADC, and a controller for signaling the servo-actuator to move to such radial positions that result in transducer read amplitudes that are a percentage of previous read amplitudes represent in the digital memory. Bit-synchronism between tracks is maintained by writing an initial clock track with closure and then writing a next clock track including a regular sequence of clock bursts a half-track space offset such that the initial clock track can be read in between writing clock bursts and the read signal is used to frequency-lock an oscillator which is used as a reference for the writing of clock bursts of the next track. A checkerboard pattern of clock bursts is thus created. All subsequent tracks are built incrementally by stepping off a half of a track from the last track written, which comprises clock bursts, and writing a next new sequence of clock bursts that interlace with the previous track's clock bursts.
Background Art Specific to Radial Self-Propagation
The process of disk file servowriting using only the internal recording transducer and product actuator, referred to as self-servowriting, involves a combination of three largely distinct sub-processes, writing and reading magnetic transitions to provide precise timing, positioning the recording transducer at a sequence of radial locations using the variation in readback signal amplitude as a sensitive position transducer, and writing the actual product servopattern at the times and radial locations defined by the other two processes. The present invention addresses significant shortcomings of the radial positioning process, referred to here as self-propagation, as previously described in the prior art, specifically U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,589 by Oliver, et al., International Patent Application WO 94/11864 by Cribbs et al., as well as the above mentioned related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/028,044 by Chainer et al. The concept of self-propagation as applied to disk file servowriting, while promising very substantial benefits with regard to servowriting cost (as pointed out in the 1983 U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,589 by Oliver, et al. for example), has not yet been commercially realized.
Briefly, the shortcomings in previously described techniques are associated with lesser accuracy in the placement of the servopatterns as compared with conventional servowriting. The requirements for ever closer track spacing in disk files makes highly accurate servopattern writing a necessity. The cost advantages of self-propagation are not sufficient to supplant conventional servowriting without addressing and solving the problem of servopattern inaccuracy. Two factors contribute to reduced servopattern accuracy when using self-propagation; error compounding and higher levels of random mechanical motion. In conventional servowriters the radial positioner is an external device that affords stable location of the recording transducer by virtue of its relatively high mass and stiff attachment to a large granite block that has minimal vibration. Random mechanical motion of the recording transducer is therefore kept very small, and the track shapes defined by the servopatterns are almost perfectly circular. Errors that do occur are totally uncorrelated from track to track, so compounding is never a consideration. Average track to track spacing is accurately maintained through the use of a laser displacement measurement device. In self-propagation, the radial position signal that is used to servo-control the actuator is derived from measurements of the readback amplitude of patterns that were written during a previous step. An error in one step of the process can affect the position of the recording transducer on the next step so it is essential that the compounding effects of a very large number of steps be considered.
A simple solution is to use only weak servo control so that radial placement errors are averaged out rather than dynamically tracked. This is the approach described in Chainer et al. This is also implicit in the patent of Oliver et al., where the propagation pattern is physically overwritten at each step. This means that the readback amplitude cannot be determined at the time of writing, hence the servo controller must be essentially free running with no ability to dynamically adjust to the pattern. However, random mechanical motion may be kept small only by using a very tight servo control. Thus, elimination of error compounding comes at the expense of higher random mechanical motion, thus making this solution unattractive. Also, the use of a low bandwidth servo requires long times for stepping and settling to the proper location, leading to increased servowrite times and higher cost.
In Cribbs et al. there are suggestions that the servo control does dynamically track the written pattern edges, but there is no discussion of how this affects error compounding. In fact, they describe a refinement to reduce "hunting" and "dithering" of the actuator that most likely arises from just such a compounding effect. In further discussion below it will become apparent that this refinement merely hides the presence of excessive error compounding during the servowrite process, rather than actually eliminating it.
Servopattern errors of different types have varying degrees of importance with regard to ultimate disk file performance. The absolute radial position of each track on the disk needs to be controlled only moderately well since regular updates of track count are available, even during high speed seeking between tracks that are far apart. Similarly the average track spacing in absolute units is not especially tightly constrained. There is a maximum absolute spacing such that the desired number of data tracks be contained between the inner and outer mechanical stops of the actuator, but as long as the recording transducers of the disk file are narrow enough the spacing could be less than this maximum with no ill effects. Thus, it is not the absolute spacing that is critical, but rather the relative spacing as compared to the recording transducer. The techniques described in Chainer et al. for determining the widest head within a disk file and using measurements from that head to set the track spacing for all heads are generally effective for ensuring that the average track spacing meets the necessary criteria. However an unforeseen problem with regard to the determination of the ideal amplitude reduction factor to use for a servo control reference during self propagation has arisen with the introduction of recording transducers in which the read and write elements do not coincide. A need exists for a method to compensate for misalignment of these two elements such as arises from variations in normal manufacturing, as well as changes in their relative alignment with respect to disk tracks when a rotary form of actuator is used to position the recording transducer.
While it is desirable that the track shapes be reasonably close to circular in shape, the disk file servoactuator will repeatedly follow moderate amounts of deviation so that data tracks will be read back on the same trajectory as they were written. Thus, as long as adjacent tracks are distorted similarly, absolute circularity need only be maintained within fairly coarse bounds, determined by a desire to limit the repeatable motion of the actuator to roughly one head width or so, as opposed to readback mis-registration concerns which require a limit of a small fraction of the head width.
The most important consideration for servopattern accuracy is local track to track spacing, referred to as track squeeze, since a prime requirement in disk files is that adjacent tracks be everywhere separated by some minimum spacing. This ensures that adjacent track information will not be detected on readback (this causes data read errors) and, even more importantly, that adjacent track data will never be overlapped excessively during writing since this could result in permanent loss of user data. Track squeeze is determined by the radial separation between adjacent track locations as defined by the product servopattern written on each track and at each angular location around the disk. In other words, the detailed shape of each track relative to its neighbors must be considered, not just the track to track distance averaged around the whole disk. This is because the servo-control of the actuator during actual file operation is capable of following distortions from perfect circularity and will produce mishappen data tracks. The data tracks do not exactly match the servopattern track shapes because the servo loop follows accurately only up to a limited frequency, but it is a reasonably good approximation to simply take them as being identical. The general arguments that follow are unaffected by this level of detail, but one would wish to include this effect when determining a precise product specification for track squeeze.
In setting the minimum allowable spacing, one must take into account the existence of random fluctuations about the desired track location (as defined by the servopattern) that result from mechanical disturbances during actual file operation. One of the largest sources of disturbance is the turbulent wind blowing against the actuator from the spinning disks. The total amount of fluctuation, referred to as TMR (for track mis-registration), defines a relevant scale for judging the required accuracy of servopattern placement. If servopattern errors are roughly equal to or greater than the TMR then a substantial fraction of the track spacing margin will be required as compensation, leading to a reduction in total disk file data capacity. Once the servopattern placement errors are less than about half the TMR, however, further reduction does not provide much improvement in total data capacity. The random mechanical motion that results when a very low bandwidth servo is used, is observed to be roughly 5 times greater than the TMR experienced during file operation. Clearly, the use of such a servo loop during self-propagation would result in unacceptably large errors.
Self-propagation patterns consist of bursts of transitions located at intervals around the disk surface. The edges of the bursts comprise a set of points that define a track shape that the servo controller will attempt to follow on the next step of the process. Thus, errors in the transducer position during the writing of the bursts appear as distortions away from a desired circular track shape when the actuator is subsequently moved outward to servo off the edges of the bursts. Sensing this non-circular trajectory during the next burst writing step, the servo controller moves the actuator in an attempt to follow it. This causes the new bursts to be written at locations that reflect (via the closed-loop response of the servo loop) the errors that were present on the preceding step together with additional errors arising during the present step. Each additional step in the process therefore carries forth a "memory" of all preceding track shape errors. This "memory" depends on the detailed closed-loop response of the servo loop. Effects that result in track shape errors include random mechanical motion as well as modulation in the width of the written track that may come from variations in the properties of the recording medium or in the flying height of the transducer. These modulation effects are typically small compared to the total data track width but are often very repeatable from track to track and can grow to very substantial levels if compounded repeatedly. Uncontrolled growth of such errors can lead to excessive amounts of absolute track non-circularity. In some cases error compounding can lead to exponential growth of errors. All error margins will then be exceeded, and the self-propagation process itself will likely fail.
In Cribbs et al. written track width modulation arising from flying height variations is described as a source of track shape error that impacts the self-propagation process. A procedure is outlined in which three extra revolutions of the disk are used to smooth the servo error control signals so as to reduce "hunting" and "dithering" of the servo actuator before each step of writing propagation bursts. It is unlikely that track width modulation large enough to detect excessive "hunting" could occur within any one step of burst writing, especially since width modulation is a secondary effect as compared to on-track readback modulation, and a preliminary step in their process is to reject all disk files having excessive on-track modulation. It is more likely that, in accordance with our experiences and detailed analysis, intrinsic width modulation typically appears at the level of only a few percent of the track width, but grows through error compounding to much larger levels. It is also clear that a signal that is discernible in the position error signal of a high gain servo loop is indicative of an underlying track shape error that is far greater than the error signal itself. This follows from the fact that the position error signal is merely the residual part of the underlying track shape error that the servo loop was unable to follow. The procedure of adjusting the target amplitudes while track following so as to smooth the position error signal is one in which the underlying track shape error is merely hidden, not eliminated. Below, we show that the detailed response of the servo loop is critical to understanding the problem of error compounding. Adjustments of the target amplitudes as described by Cribbs et al. may work to limit error growth with some types of servo loops, but since no specification of servo response is given, the issue is left to chance. Even if the smoothing were to work, the solution is unattractive in that three extra revolutions of the disk are required at each step in the process. This doubles the servowrite time, and raises the cost.
As mentioned above, self-propagation suffers from higher levels of random mechanical motion than conventional servowriters having massive external positioning devices. Random mechanical motion can be lowered through the use of a high gain servo loop, but this leads to error compounding. A method for reducing servowriting errors arising from random mechanical motion to levels below that of the operating file TMR is highly desirable. As described above, servopattern errors larger than this increase the required space between data tracks, hence they result in lower disk file capacity. None of the prior art teaches about the problem of random mechanical motion resulting in reduced disk file capacity, or the relationship between random mechanical motion and error compounding, or even about error compounding by itself.

Radial self-propagation pattern generation for disk file servowriting

International Business Machines Corporation


The determination method of the present invention includes steps of measuring equol in a biological sample derived from a subject who has ingested soybean isoflavone by an immunological method using S-equol as at least one antigen selected from the group consisting of the standard antigen and the labeled antigen, and determining an equol-producing ability of the subject based on the measured value of equol obtained in the above step.

Isoflavones contained in soybeans are widely known to have the effect (the anti-estrogenic effect) of preventing breast cancer, prostate cancer, and the like; as well as the effect (the estrogen-like effect) of ameliorating menopause symptoms, postmenopausal diseases such as osteoporosis, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and the like.
In addition to the direct clinical effects of soybean isoflavones, recent reports suggest that equol, which is an active metabolite of the soybean isoflavones, is the key to effectiveness in clinical applications, instead of the soybean isoflavones. Specifically, various reports state that equol is effective against breast cancer, prostate cancer, menopause symptoms, and postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Further, it has been reported that because equol is produced by intestinal bacteria, the amount of production is different depending on intestinal flora, and thus varies among different individuals. Accordingly, it is undeniable that there are some individuals who cannot experience a desired anti-estrogenic effect and estrogen-like effect, even if they ingest soybean processed products.
Some time later, lactic acid bacteria that efficiently produce equol were isolated and identified (Patent Literature 1). An efficient intake of equol into the body is expected to be achieved by orally ingesting a lactic acid bacteria preparation, and allowing the lactic acid bacteria to reach or colonize in the intestine. At this time, it is possible to confirm whether the lactic acid bacteria have reached or colonized in the intestine by measuring equol in, for example, urine, blood, feces, etc.
The following methodes are known as methods to measure equol: a method using a liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer or a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer in the case of blood samples, and a method using instrumental analysis such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), etc. in the case of urine samples. However, a simpler measurement method is demanded.
Further, as for the methods for measuring equol by immunoassay, Labmaster TR-FIA Research Reagents for the Measurement of Equol, which uses time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay, is commercially available (NPL 1).
Meanwhile, the presence of two types of diastereoisomers of equol, i.e., S-equol and R-equol, is known. Between them, S-equol is the only metabolite produced from daidzein (a precursor of equol) by intestinal bacteria. Further, S-equol binds with an estrogen-receptor much more strongly (NPL 2).
Specifically, S-equol is the equol that indicates its presence in vivo, and that is contained in blood samples and urine samples; it is thus useful to specifically measure S-equol.

Method for measurement of equol in biological sample by immunoassay, kit for the measurement, and method for determination of equol production ability of subject


A method for detecting particles, for example in an exhaust gas stream of a vehicle in which the exhaust gas stream is guided along a duct, includes using a particle sensor that has at least two electrodes arranged in the duct. The method includes applying a first voltage and a second voltage to the electrodes to produce a first electric field and a second electric field between the electrodes. The method also includes ascertaining a first capacitance value corresponding to the first electric field and a second capacitance value corresponding to the second electric field of a capacitor formed by the electrodes. Information relating to the particles contained in the exhaust gas stream is ascertained from the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value.

The present disclosure relates to a method for detecting particles in an exhaust gas stream of a vehicle, which exhaust gas stream is guided along a duct, and to a corresponding particle sensor.
Sooty particle filters have been used for some time in order to reduce the particle emission of a diesel engine. Sensors that detect the particles in the exhaust gas can be used in order to monitor that these filters are functioning correctly or in order to be able to selectively perform the necessary regeneration phases.
WO 2004/097392 A1 discloses a sensor for detecting particles, in particular sooty particles, in a gas stream. Two measuring electrodes that are covered by a protective layer for protection purposes measure a soot concentration on the sensor surface by means of determining an electrical resistance between the measuring electrodes.

Method and particle sensor for detecting particles in an exhaust gas stream


A method for fabricating a rotor blade includes casting the turbine rotor blade to include a shank, and a platform having an upper surface and a lower surface, and coupling a first component to the rotor blade such that a first substantially hollow plenum is defined between the first component, the shank, and the platform lower surface.

This application relates generally to gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for cooling gas turbine engine rotor blades.
At least some known rotor assemblies include at least one row of circumferentially-spaced rotor blades. Each rotor blade includes an airfoil that includes a pressure side, and a suction side connected together at leading and trailing edges. Each airfoil extends radially outward from a rotor blade platform to a tip, and also includes a dovetail that extends radially inward from a shank extending between the platform and the dovetail. The dovetail is used to couple the rotor blade within the rotor assembly to a rotor disk or spool. At least some known rotor blades are hollow such that an internal cooling cavity is defined at least partially by the airfoil, through the platform, the shank, and the dovetail.
During operation, because the airfoil portion of each blade is exposed to higher temperatures than the dovetail portion, temperature gradients may develop at the interface between the airfoil and the platform, and/or between the shank and the platform. Over time, thermal strain generated by such temperature gradients may induce compressive thermal stresses to the blade platform. Moreover, over time, the increased operating temperature of the platform may cause platform oxidation, platform cracking, and/or platform creep deflection, which may shorten the useful life of the rotor blade.
To facilitate reducing the effects of the high temperatures in the platform region, shank cavity air and/or a mixture of blade cooling air and shank cavity air is introduced into a region below the platform region to facilitate cooling the platform. However, in at least some known turbines, the shank cavity air is significantly warmer than the blade cooling air. Moreover, because the platform cooling holes are not accessible to each region of the platform, the cooling air may not be provided uniformly to all regions of the platform to facilitate reducing an operating temperature of the platform region.

Method and apparatus for cooling gas turbine engine rotor blades


An automated teller machine is proposed having at least one camera to detect manipulation attempts that captures images of one or more elements arranged in the control panel, such as a keypad, cash-dispensing drawer, card entry slot and generates image data from a plurality of individual image recordings (F1, F2, F3). The at least one camera is connected to a data processing unit that preprocesses the image data generated (individual image data) into a resulting image (R). The preprocessed image data of the resulting image (R) can be computed, for example, by exposure blending from the individual images (F1, F2, F3) and represent a very good data base for data evaluation to detect manipulation.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an automated teller machine comprising at least one camera that produces image data. In particular, the invention relates to an automated teller machine that is configured as a cash dispenser.
2. Discussion
In the area of self-service automats, in particular cash dispensers, criminal activities in the form of manipulation are frequently undertaken with the goal of spying out sensitive data, in particular PINs (personal identity numbers) and/or card numbers of users of the automated teller machine. Manipulation attempts are known specifically in which so-called skimming devices, such as keypad overlays and similar, are installed illegally in the operating area or on the control panel. Such keypad overlays often have their own power supply, as well as a processor, a memory and an operating program so that an unsuspecting user is spied on when entering his PIN or inserting his bank card. The data mined in this way are then sent over a transmitter integrated into the keypad overlay to a remote receiver or stored in a memory in the overlay. Many of the skimming devices encountered today can be distinguished only with great difficulty by the human eye from original controls (keypad, card reader, etc.).
In order to frustrate such manipulation attempts, surveillance systems are often used that have one or more cameras installed close to the site of the automated teller machine and capture images of the entire control panel and often the area occupied by the user as well. One such solution is described in DE 201 02 477 U1. Images of both the control panel and the user area immediately in front of said panel can be captured using camera surveillance. One additional sensor is provided in order to distinguish whether a person is in the user area.
An object of the present invention is to propose a solution for camera surveillance that allows reliable detection of manipulation attempts even without the use of an additional sensor system. As part of this a high-quality data base is to be created and provided for the detection of manipulation attempts.
Accordingly, an automated teller machine is proposed in which at least one camera is provided generating image data for surveillance of the automated teller machine, wherein to detect manipulation attempts at the automated teller machine the at least one camera captures images of one or more of the elements provided in the control panel and generates image data from several individual images, and wherein the camera is connected to a data processing unit that preprocesses the image data generated into a resulting image that helps with manipulation detection. Preferably the at least one camera generates the image data from the individual images as a function of predefined criteria, specifically at predefined time intervals and/or under different lighting conditions, or ambient brightness. Predefined camera settings, particularly exposure times and/or image rates can be taken into account. The data processing unit combines these image data (individual image data) using image data preprocessing, specifically creating an average, creating a median and/or what is termed exposure blending into the resulting image, or total image, that is then available for manipulation detection. Resulting or total images (resulting image sequence) can be computed continuously at intervals to be available for a comparison to detect manipulation attempts.
At least one additional camera can be provided that is similarly mounted at or in the automated teller machine in close proximity to the control panel and captures images of at least one of the control elements, such as the keypad, card entry slot, money dispensing compartment. The image data, or individual recordings, generated by this additional camera can, in conjunction with image data from the other camera, be combined into a sequence of resulting images.
The resulting images obtained from the individual images exhibit a substantially higher image data quality than the respective individual images. A high-quality data base in the form of preprocessed image data is prepared for manipulation detection.
In so doing, it may be advantageous if the multiple individual image recordings are generated depending on at least one predefined function that sets different exposure times for the individual image recordings. This ensures that no individual image recordings are made with the same exposure time, which in turn is advantageous for exposure blending. In this context, provision can be made for the at least one predefined function to match at least one ramp function that sets increasing and/or decreasing exposure times for a series of individual image recordings. In accordance with this, the first individual image recording starts with the shortest exposure time of 0.5 ms, as an example, and with the subsequent recordings the exposure time is successively increased until, with the final image, a maximum exposure time of 2000 ms, for example, has been reached. Alternatively, the ramp can run downward, i.e. the exposure times trend downward, i.e. become successively shorter. The total duration of all individual image recordings can also be predetermined and be, for example, 10 seconds. It is also of advantage if one of the predefined functions specifies the different exposure times in such a way that they lie within a specific valuation range, for example within a first lower valuation range that extends from 0.5 ms to 1000 ms. This valuation range is preferably applied to what is known as the day mode, i.e. for the event that a brightness and/or contrast value from at least one of the individual image recordings exceeds a predefined threshold value. In night mode, i.e. when a brightness and/or contrast value of at least one of the individual image recordings falls below a predefined threshold value, the different exposure times are grouped within a second upper valuation range that may extend from 1000 ms to 2000 ms. The functions can also be combined into a function sequence.
Consequently it is also of advantage if the at least one camera generates image data for the individual image recordings dependent on events, particularly on events captured by this or by another camera. Such events may be, for example, sudden brightening or darkening of the image. Another example may be operating signals (actuation of the keypad or similar). In this respect it may be advantageous if individual image recordings are made not (only) while the event is taking place but also thereafter.
The data processing unit preferably combines the image data generated from the individual image recordings using one or more suitable image data processing methods, i.e. exposure blending. Image segmenting and/or edge detection can also be used. In this connection it is of advantage if the data processing unit segments the individual image recordings into several sub-regions assigned to the at least one captured element and processes the individual image data differently by segment. Provision can be made for the data processing unit to compile the resulting image from the sub-regions of different individual image recordings. Provision can also be made for the data processing unit to process the image data from the sub-regions using different image processing methods and/or using different variations of image data processing. The sub-regions preferably include at least a close-up or interior region and a surrounding or outer region of the captured elements, such as the slit area and the surrounding region of a card entry slot. Provision can also be made for one of the sub-regions to include a transitional region between the inner region and the outer region of the element.
The data processing unit is preferably designed in such a way that it performs both the image data preprocessing as well as the actual image data evaluation, i.e. that it computes from the individual image data the preprocessed image data for the resulting image and evaluates said data to detect manipulation attempts using image processing. To do this, the data processing unit has at its disposal a first stage receiving the preprocessed image data for the actual image processing or image data evaluation, where specifically shadow removal, edge detection, vectorizing and/or segmenting can be carried out. The data processing unit also has a second stage downstream from the first stage for feature extraction, specifically using blob analysis, edge position and/or color distribution. The data processing additionally has a third stage downstream from the second stage for classification.
The data processing unit is preferably integrated into the self-service terminal.
The elements provided in the control panel of the self-service terminal, images of which are captured by the at least one camera, include, for example, a cash dispensing drawer, a keypad, an installation panel, a card insert slot, and/or a monitor. Provision is also made for the data processing unit to trigger an alarm, disable the self-service terminal and/or trigger the additional camera when it detects a manipulation attempt at the captured elements by processing the preprocessed image data of the resulting image. This additional camera can be a portrait camera, i.e. a camera that captures an image of that area in which the user, or more specifically his head, is positioned while using the self-service terminal. In this way a portrait of the user can be taken if the need arises. It is also intended that the particular camera and/or the data processing unit is/are deactivated during operation and/or maintenance of the self-service terminal.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Automated teller machine comprising at least one camera that produces image data to detect manipulation attempts


Systems, methods, and software for operating communication systems and wireless communication devices are provided herein. In one example, a method of operating a wireless communication is provided. In processing circuitry of the wireless communication device, the method includes receiving a user request in an application for a voice call over a wireless communication network. In security circuitry of the wireless communication device, the method includes processing the request and a security key associated with the wireless communication network to authorize an identification number for the voice call over the wireless communication network, and indicating the identification number to the application. In a communication transceiver of the wireless communication device, the method includes, responsive to the application initiating the voice call using the identification number, exchanging communications of the voice call over the wireless communication network.

Wireless communication systems typically include wireless access systems with equipment such as wireless access nodes along with various control and routing nodes which provide wireless access to communication services for wireless communication devices over wireless links. A typical wireless communication system includes systems to provide wireless access across a geographic region, with wireless coverage areas associated with individual wireless access nodes. The wireless access systems exchange user communications between wireless communication devices, service providers, and other end user devices. The user communications typically include voice calls, data exchange, web pages, streaming media, or text messages, among other communication services.
In some wireless communication systems, more than one wireless communication network can be employed across a similar geographic region, with each wireless communication network including one or more sectors of wireless coverage. For example, a first wireless network employing a first wireless communication protocol can be deployed along with a second wireless network employing a second wireless communication protocol. Separate wireless access equipment can be deployed for each wireless network, such as when a fourth generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network is deployed over a similar geographic area as a third generation (3G) wireless network or other wireless networks.
Wireless communication devices can be configured to support multiple wireless access modes, such as communicating with one or more wireless networks using one or more communication transceivers and associated equipment. Many times these multiple wireless networks are provided by a home network provider that a wireless communication device has been authorized as a home user through a paid service agreement. However, when the wireless coverage of home network provider becomes poor or falls below threshold levels, a wireless communication device can seek out wireless service from a non-home service provider, namely a roaming provider. Typically a wireless communication device must enter into a roaming mode of operation using the same phone number, mobile directory number (MDN), or mobile identification number (MIN) assigned by the home service provider in order to roam onto the wireless communication network of a roaming service provider. This roaming mode can incur larger service fees for the user and the home network operator through various roaming agreements.
Some wireless communication devices also include partitioned security 'zones' in their associated processing systems. For example, a first zone can be employed to execute open or untrusted applications and obtain untrusted or unauthenticated data, and a second zone can be employed to execute trusted applications or obtain authenticated data. These security zones can be implemented on separate microprocessors, in separate cores of a multi-core microprocessor, or otherwise allocated over different processing portions of a wireless communication device.

Security key based authorization of voice call identification numbers in wireless communication devices