A polymer for use in an optical device comprising a first, optionally substituted, repeat unit of formula

1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to materials for optical devices, in particular organic electroluminescent devices, and the control of their physical and electronic properties.
2. Related Technology
One class of opto-electrical devices is those using an organic material for light emission or detection. The basic structure of these devices is a light emissive organic layer, for instance a film of a poly (p-phenylenevinylene) ("PPV") or polyfluorene, sandwiched between a cathode for injecting negative charge carriers (electrons) and an anode for injecting positive charge carriers (holes) into the organic layer. The electrons and holes combine in the organic layer generating photons. In WO 90/13148 the organic light-emissive material is a polymer. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,507 the organic light-emissive material is of the class known as small molecule materials, such as (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminium ("Alq3"). In a practical device one of the electrodes is transparent, to allow the photons to escape the device.
A typical organic light-emissive device ("OLED") is fabricated on a glass or plastic substrate coated with a transparent first electrode such as indium-tin-oxide ("ITO"). A layer of a thin film of at least one electroluminescent organic material covers the first electrode. Finally, a cathode covers the layer of electroluminescent organic material. The cathode is typically a metal or alloy and may comprise a single layer, such as aluminium, or a plurality of layers such as calcium and aluminium. Other layers can be added to the device, for example to improve charge injection from the electrodes to the electroluminescent material. For example, a hole injection layer such as poly(ethylene dioxythiophene)/polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT-PSS) or polyaniline may be provided between the anode and the electroluminescent material. When a voltage is applied between the electrodes from a power supply one of the electrodes acts as a cathode and the other as an anode.
For organic semiconductors important characteristics are the binding energies, measured with respect to the vacuum level of the electronic energy levels, particularly the "highest occupied molecular orbital" (HOMO) and the "lowest unoccupied molecular orbital" (LUMO) level. These can be estimated from measurements of photoemission and particularly measurements of the electrochemical potentials for oxidation and reduction. It is well understood in this field that such energies are affected by a number of factors, such as the local environment near an interface, and the point on the curve (peak) from which the value is determined. Accordingly, the use of such values is indicative rather than quantitative.
In operation, holes are injected into the device through the anode and electrons are injected into the device through the cathode. The holes and electrons combine in the organic electroluminescent layer to form an exciton which then undergoes radiative decay to give light. One way of improving efficiency of devices is to provide hole and electron transporting materials—for example, WO 99/48160 discloses blending of hole transporting polymers, electron transporting polymers and electroluminescent polymers. A 1:1 copolymer of dioctylfluorene and triphenylamine is used as the hole transporting polymer in this document.
A focus in the field of polymer OLEDs is the development of full colour displays for which red, green and blue emissive materials are required. One drawback with existing polymer OLED displays relevant to this development is the relatively short lifetime of blue emissive materials known to date (by "lifetime" is meant the time for the brightness of the OLED to halve at constant current when operated under DC drive).
In one approach, the lifetime of the emissive material may be extended by optimisation of the OLED architecture; for example lifetime of the blue material may in part be dependant on the cathode being used. However, the advantage of selecting a cathode that improves blue lifetime may be offset by disadvantageous effects of the cathode on performance of red and green materials. For example, Synthetic Metals 111-112 (2000), 125-128 discloses a full colour display wherein the cathode is LiF/Ca/Al. The present inventors have found that this cathode is particularly efficacious with respect to the blue emissive material but which shows poor performance with respect to green and, especially, red emitters.
Another approach is development of novel blue electroluminescent materials. For example, WO 00/55927, which is a development of WO 99/48160, discloses a blue electroluminescent polymer of formula (a):
wherein w+x+y=1, w≧0.5, 0≦x+y≦0.5 and n≧2
In essence, the separate polymers disclosed in WO 99/48160 are combined into a single molecule. The F8 repeat unit is provided for the purpose of electron injection; the TFB unit is provided for the purpose of hole transport; and the PFB repeat unit is provided as the emissive unit.
WO 99/54385 and EP 1229063 disclose copolymers of fluorenes and amines.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a means for increasing the lifetime of polymers for use in an optical device above that of prior art polymers. It is a further object of the disclosure to provide a long-lived polymer for use in an optical device, particularly a long-lived blue electroluminescent material. It is a yet further object of the disclosure to provide a means for increasing the thermal stability of prior art polymers.

Abstract: and a second, optionally substituted, repeat unit of formula

Abstract: wherein each Ar and Ar′ is the same or different and comprises an optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl group and optionally a third, optionally substituted, repeat unit in a molar ratio of no greater than 5%, the third repeat unit having a formula —Ar—N(Ar)—Ar— and having a single nitrogen atom in its backbone.


The present disclosure relates to a mechatronic actuator consisting of a housing incorporating a shell and a three-phase electric motor formed by a stator excited by electrical coils and by a magnetized rotor, driving an output shaft by means of a gear train, the axis of the rotor, the axis of the output shaft and the axes of the intermediate toothed wheels being parallel, the stator having a radial triangular star shape, the three wound poles forming the three branches of the star, the axes of symmetry of two consecutive wound poles forming a mechanical angle of 120°, the housing also incorporating an electronic circuit, including a capacitor for filtering the electrical signal, the shell having a longitudinal axis, characterised in that the stator is positioned in the hosing in such a way that the axis of symmetry of one of the three wound poles forms an angle of between 70 and 110° with the longitudinal axis.

The patent application DE102014107900 describing an actuator with an electric motor, in particular a brushless DC motor with a stator and a rotor with a drive pinion that transmits movement to a gear train with at least one intermediate wheel, is known as the state of the art. The German patent application DE102011054955 describes another example of such a prior art actuator.
The prior art solutions are not optimized as regards space requirements. The filling of the internal volume of the housing is not maximized, which results in excessive dimensions and space requirements. In addition, vibration and shock resistance is not totally satisfactory for automotive applications, and vibration can cause the printed circuit to unexpectedly leave its supports, or the accidental disassembly of certain mechanical or electromagnetic components.


In described embodiments, a thin film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD) structure incorporates a white light emitting diode (LED) structure for backlighting. White LEDs are formed behind each TFT cell, allowing for display “black” as a function of a nematic layer, on the TFT substrate, while increasing intensity of the LED LCD backlight structure. A lens structure might be formed between the LEDs and the TFT substrate to reduce a number of LED sources for a given backlight intensity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to thin film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD) structures, and, in particular, to a TFT LCD incorporating an LED structure for backlighting.
2. Description of the Related Art
A thin film transistor liquid crystal display is a variant of a liquid crystal display (LCD) which uses thin film transistor (TFT) technology. A TFT LCD is one type of active matrix LCD, and TFT LCDs are used in many different types of consumer electronic devices, such as television sets, computer monitors, mobile phonies, handheld video game systems, personal digital assistants, navigation systems, and projectors. In TFT LCDs, pixels are addressed in rows and columns, and each pixel is provided with its own transistor switch that allows each pixel to be individually controlled. The low leakage current of the transistor prevents the voltage applied to the pixel from leaking away between refreshes to the display image. Each pixel is a small capacitor with a layer of insulating liquid crystal sandwiched between transparent conductive Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) layers.
The circuit layout of a TFT LCD is very similar to that of a DRAM memory. However, rather than fabricating the transistors from silicon formed into a crystalline wafer, they are made from a thin film of silicon deposited on a glass panel. Transistors take up only a small fraction of the area of each pixel; the rest of the silicon film is etched away to allow light to pass through. The silicon layer for TFT LCDs is typically deposited using the Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE CVD) process from a silane gas precursor to produce an amorphous silicon film. Polycrystalline silicon is sometimes used in displays requiring higher TFT performance. Examples include high-resolution displays, high-frequency displays or displays where performing some data processing on the display itself is desirable. Amorphous silicon-based TFTs have the lowest performance, polycrystalline silicon TFTs have higher performance (notably mobility), and single-crystal silicon transistors have the best performance.
FIG. 1 shows a top view of a conventional prior art LCD array 101 employed for a TFT LCD display. Each square, such as square 102, represents a TFT LCD cell with its associated charging capacitor, switching transistor, and biasing elements. In addition, a large number of TFT LCD displays employ backlighting. Backlighting provides a light source to provide brightness from the rear of the display panel, which light source generally includes an array of individual light sources dispersed through arrays of the panel. In some applications, backlighting might be accomplished through use of an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs), but in most applications backlighting is accomplished through an array of cold cathode fluorescent lights (CCFLs). CCFLs require high voltages to fluoresce, which voltages are achieved using switching boost regulators. Consequently, FIG. 1 also shows CCFL arrays 103 and 104, illustrating placement of CCFLs, such as CCFL 105, along the edges of a TFT LCD array to provide backlighting. FIG. 2 shows an edge view of the TFT LCD array of FIG. 1. As shown) in FIG. 2, Si substrate 201 includes array 202 of TFT LCD cells 203(1) through 203(N) grown on substrate 201 by known techniques. Above Si substrate 201 is liquid crystal (LC) layer 204 including a twisted nematic (TN) layer, polarizer (electrode) and color filter. LC layer 204 is covered by glass panel 205. Dashed lines in FIG. 2 are meant to show regions of the device corresponding to TFT LCD cells 203(1) through 203(N) when formed during the manufacturing process by patterning electrodes above and below LC layer 204.
The inexpensive TN display is the most common display type used in consumer electronics. The TN effect is based on the precisely controlled realignment of liquid crystal molecules between different ordered molecular configurations under the action of an applied electric field. A twisted configuration of nematic liquid crystal molecules (e.g., within LC layer 204) is formed between two glass plates (Si substrate 201 and glass panel 205), which are separated by several spacers and coated with transparent electrodes. The electrodes themselves are coated with alignment layers that precisely twist the liquid crystal 90° when no external field is present. When light is incident on one side of the panel, which behaves as transparent to the wavelengths of light concerned, the light having proper polarization passes through the first polarizer and into the crystal. Light in the crystal is rotated by the helical structure. The light is then properly polarized to pass through the second polarizer, set at 90° to the first. The rotated light then passes through the other side of the LCD cell, which also behaves as transparent to the wavelengths of the light concerned.
When a field is applied between the two electrodes, the crystal re-aligns itself with the external field, breaking the twist in the crystal, Without the twist, the polarized light passing through the crystal fails to re-orient. In this case the light is blocked by the real polarizer, and the cell becomes opaque. The amount of opacity is controlled by varying the voltage applied between the two electrodes; at voltages near a threshold only some of the crystals will re-align, and the display will be partially transparent, but as the voltage is increased more and more of the crystals will re-align until it becomes completely switched. To display information with a twisted nematic liquid crystal, the transparent electrodes are structured by photo-lithography to form a matrix or other pattern of electrodes. Only one of the electrodes has to be patterned in this way, the other can remain continuous.


An endotracheal tube is disclosed that allows a patient to speak while intubated. The endotracheal tube includes a balloon for seating against the trachea and a collapsible portion proximal to the balloon that aligns with the vocal cords. The collapsible portion may be held open by an inner tube which translates within the endotracheal tube. Suction and balloon inflation conduits span the collapsible portion so that suction and balloon inflation may be performed while the patient is speaking. A small distal tube that bypasses the balloon provides some airflow while the patient speaks.

Patients who require mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure undergo placement of an endotracheal tube, a flexible, polymeric curved tube with an outer diameter of approximately 10 mm to 13 mm for adult subjects. The proximal end of the endotracheal tube extends out of the mouth of the patient for attachment to the ventilator machine, while the distal end of the endotracheal tube resides in the distal trachea. A soft balloon on the distal portion of the tube is inflated to seal the distal trachea to allow pressurized ventilatory assistance to occur while avoiding aspiration of fluid and foreign material into the lung during the mechanical ventilation process. As the large diameter endotracheal tube passes through the trachea of the patient, it markedly displaces the vocal cords, preventing normal speech. There are 2 million intensive care unit intubations performed each year in the United States, and with the current respiratory viral pandemic, mechanical ventilation may be required for multiple weeks at a time. Communication between the patients and their health care providers becomes difficult and frustrating for an extended time, and it is desirable to utilize an endotracheal tube that enables the patient to speak for short periods of time.

Speaking endotracheal tube and method of use


The present invention relates to analgesic enkephalin derivatives represented by the following formula: EQU Tyr-A.sub.1 -A.sub.2 -A.sub.3 -A.sub.4 SEQ ID NO:5 (1). and the acid salts thereof, wherein Tyr is L-tyrosine, A.sub.1 or A.sub.2 is a glycine, and that which is not a glycine is an optically active trifluoro amino acid of the formula: ##STR1## wherein n is an integer from 1-3 and m is 1 or 2; A.sub.3 is L-Phenylalanine, or N-methyl-(L)-phenylalanine, and A.sub.4 is L-Methionine, L-Met-OH, L-Met-ol or L-Met-NH.sub.2.

The present invention relates to analgesic peptides, and, in particular peptidase-resistant pentapeptides.
Enkephalins are naturally occurring pentapeptides. There are two known enkephalins. Methionine-enkephalins have the amino acid sequence (1): ##STR2## Leucine-enkephalins have the amino acid sequence (2): ##STR3## Both enkephalins have strong analgesic activity. (J. Hughes et al., Nature, 258 577 (1975). However, when naturally occurring enkephalins are administered intravenously, they tend to be digested by endogenous peptidases, hence, intravenously administered enkephalins are of limited medical use. It has been reported that cleavage of the peptide bond between the tyrosine residue at the 1 position and the glycine residue at the 2 position results in the complete loss of analgesic activity. (M. Ueki, Yuki Gosei Kagaku Kyokaishi, Japan, 44 (3), 219 (1986).
Extensive structural modifications of the basic enkephalin compound have been made. While some of these modified compounds have demonstrated enhanced activity, none of the modified compounds involve the use of a trifluoro amino acid in a pentapeptide sequence. Nor, do they suggest trifluoro amino acid containing enkephalin analogs. For example, see P. Hansen and B. Morgan, "Opioid Petpides: Biology, Chemistry and Genetics," The Peptides, Vol. 6, Chapter 8 (1984).
The cleavage of peptidases will be inhibited if the enzymes do not recognize the above-referenced specific amino acid residues in the substrate peptide. Methionine-enkephalins and their hexapeptide, heptapeptide and octapeptide C-terminus extensions, have been prepared and used with pedtidase inhibitors. While some of these compounds have been effective, none of the compounds involve or suggest the use of a trifluoro amino acid in a pentapeptide sequence to inhibit the action of endogenous peptidases. For example, see A. T. McKnight et al., Eur. J. Pharmacol., 86, 393 (1983).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,596 to Garsky discloses analgesic pentapeptides of the formula: ##STR4## wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, 2-methyl-2-pentenyl, 2-methyl-1-pentenyl, cyclopropylmethyl, or cyclobutylmethyl; R.sup.2, R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 are, independently, hydrogen or methyl; and wherein X is --OH, --NH.sub.2, --NHC.sub.n H.sub.2n+1 (where n is 1, 2, 3, or 4), --OR.sup.3, or CH.sub.2 OR.sup.3, where R.sup.3 is a hydrogen or lower alkyl of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. Garsky does not suggest or disclose trifluoro-enkephalin analogs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,883 to Smolarsky discloses N-aralkyl and N-aralkenyl substituted enkephalinamide analogs having analgesic and opioid properties. The analgesic comprises a short chain polypeptide having at least three members. The short chain polypeptide terminates in an N-substituted carboxy amide. Wherein the substituent is an aryl group of from 0 to 1 site of ethylenic unsaturation (i.e., aralkyl and aralkenyl). The polypeptide chain includes at the carboxy end, going from amine to carboxy, at least a tripeptide group L-tyr-D-ala-gly. Smolarsky does not disclose or suggest trifluoro enkephalin analogs.
Japanese Patent No. J5 6036-441 discloses the production of enkephalin derivatives by reacting a protected enkephalin derivative with trifluoromethane sulphonic acid. In the method of production of the enkephalin derivatives, compounds of formula (I) are reacted with trifluoromethane sulphonic acid (TFMA; a deprotecting agent) and thioether derivatives of formula II. ##STR5## In the above compounds, R.sub.1 is a lower alkyl, R.sub.2 is an aralkyloxycarbonyl or alkoxycarbonyl and R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are lower alkyls. Japanese Patent J5 6036-441 does not disclose or suggest analgesic trifluoro enhephalin analogs.
European Patent 005658 discloses enkephalin peptide analogs (and their acid addition salts) of the formula: ##STR6## wherein A is Phe or pF-Phe; B is Met, Leu, monofluoro-leu, Pro, monofluoro-Pro or a single bond; Y is a halogen, a 1-4C alkyl mono- or polysubstituted by a halogen or by a phenyl, an amino group --NHX, a sulphonamido group --NHSO.sub.2 X, a carbonyl group --COX or an acylamino group --NHCO(CH.sub.2).sub.m X; X is a halogen, a 1-4C alkyl mono or polysubstituted halogen, a phenyl, or a halo substituted benzhydryl, an alpha or beta naphthyl, or a residue of mono- or polycyclic group chosen from thiophene, quinoline, isoquinoline, acridine and pyridine, wherein m is 0-4 and n is 0-6. The European Patent does not disclose or suggest trifluoro enkephalin analogs.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide analgesic trifluoro enkephalin analogs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide enkephalin analogues which can effectively be administered intravenously and are peptidase resistant.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide enkephalin analogues with enhanced analgesic activity.
Other and further objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the present specification, and it is not intended in any way to restrict the scope of the invention by setting forth the objects above.

Analgesic peptides with a trifluoronorvaline modification

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


A multifunctional rear camera system includes a rear camera and a processor. Responsive to processing of captured image data, the processor generates respective outputs for (i) a rear backup assist function, (ii) a mirror dimming control for at least an electro-optic interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle and (iii) ambient light detection. The processor processes a mirror zone of captured image data for mirror dimming control and processes upper corner regions of captured image data for ambient light detection. The processor processes at least lower regions of captured image data for the rear backup assist function. The generated output for the mirror dimming control is provided to the electro-optic interior rearview mirror assembly to control dimming of the electro-optic reflective element. The generated output for the rear backup assist function provides (i) object detection and/or (ii) video display of video images derived from captured image data.

Rearview mirrors have been used in the interior of vehicles for decades upon decades. Conventionally, an interior rearview mirror assembly comprises a mirror reflective element housed or encased by or in a casing or housing and includes a mounting portion that attaches typically at the inner surface of the windshield of an equipped vehicle. Exemplary conventional interior rearview mirror assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,139,172; 6,690,268; 7,195,381; 6,318,870; 6,598,980; 5,327,288; 4,948,242; 4,826,289; 4,436,371 and 4,435,042, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Although there has been a progression and improvement in construction of such interior rearview mirror assemblies over time (for example such as the frameless mirror constructions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,508,831 and 8,730,553, and International Publication Nos. WO 2012/051500 and WO 2013/071070, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties), conventional interior rearview mirror assemblies utilize a relatively bulky housing or casing (usually formed of a plastic material via plastic injection molding). Furthermore, the likes of interior electrochromic (EC) rearview mirror assemblies (for example such as the interior EC rearview mirror constructions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,626,749; 7,274,501; 7,255,451; 7,195,381; 7,184,190; 6,690,268; 5,151,824; 5,446,576; 5,724,187 and 5,668,663, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties) house in a mirror housing (together with the interior electrochromic mirror reflective element itself) the likes of circuitry for automatic dimming of the EC medium used and also the likes of an ambient light detecting photosensor and a glare detecting photosensor used in conjunction with such automatic dimming circuitry.
The interior electrochromic mirror reflective element/mirror housing combination is then mounted in the equipped vehicle and is adjustable about a pivot joint. Conventional interior rearview mirrors thus utilize a bulky and often heavy mirror housing/casing with disadvantages that include impaired vibration performance due to weight, bulky and thus unattractive size, and manufacturing cost and complexity challenges.

Multifunctional rearward viewing camera system


A crosstalk cancellation device cancels crosstalk noise of at most M disturbing communication lines in a victim communication line forming part of a vectoring group. The crosstalk cancellation device gradually decreases the cancellation depth of a cancelled disturbing communication line in the victim communication line upon a crosstalk noise variation in the vectoring group requiring cancellation of crosstalk noise of a not yet cancelled disturbing communication line in the victim communication line.

ITU-T Recommendation G.993.5 entitled "Self-FEXT Cancellation (Vectoring) for Use with VDSL2 Transceivers" describes vectoring which is a crosstalk cancellation mechanism for DSL lines. Crosstalk induced by disturbing DSL lines into a victim DSL line is cancelled by adding an anti-signal to the victim DSL line that compensates for the crosstalk noise from the disturbing DSL lines. Vectoring can be done for plural disturbing DSL lines enabling to suppress simultaneously the crosstalk from all these disturbing DSL lines within the victim DSL line. In the downstream direction, i.e. the direction from the central office (CO) to the customer premises equipment (CPE), crosstalk cancelling is done by a pre-coder that pre-compensates for crosstalk by adding the anti-signal of the crosstalk to the wanted DSL signal that will be transmitted over the victim DSL line. In the upstream direction, i.e. the direction from CPE to CO, crosstalk cancellation is executed by a post-coder that post-compensates for crosstalk by adding the anti-signal of the crosstalk to the DSL signal received from the victim DSL line.
Crosstalk cancellation relies on grouping all communication lines that interact with each other, e.g. the lines within the same binder or cable bundle, in a so called vectoring group. In such vectoring group, each communication line is considered as a disturbing communication line inducing crosstalk in all other lines (and named "disturber" throughout the remainder of this patent application), and each communication line is considered as a victim communication line receiving crosstalk from all other lines (and named "victim" throughout the remainder of this patent application). The induced crosstalk from one disturber into one victim is separated in two parts: a transfer function or so called "crosstalk channel", i.e. a function between the two lines describing the crosstalk coupling, and the transmit Power Spectral Density (PSD) of the signal transmitted on the disturber. There is a particular crosstalk channel for any combination of a disturber and a victim. The induced crosstalk is calculated as the multiplication of the particular crosstalk channel and the transmit PSD of the disturber. The crosstalk channel between a disturber and a victim is measured for instance during initialisation and represented by a crosstalk channel coefficient in a crosstalk channel matrix wherein rows represent victims and columns represent disturbers, or vice versa. To measure for instance the crosstalk channel coefficient between two VDSL lines, a pilot signal is superimposed onto the SYNC symbols during initialisation of the disturbing VDSL line, and correlation techniques are applied to recognize the crosstalk noise induced by this pilot signal into the victim VDSL line. The crosstalk channel coefficient is then calculated from the known pilot signal and the sensed noise. If the victims represent rows and the disturbers represent columns in the crosstalk channel matrix, each row in the crosstalk channel matrix constitutes a vector representing the entire crosstalk induced by all disturbers in the vectoring group into a single victim. Theoretically, such vector enables to cancel the crosstalk of all disturbers into the victim simultaneously through addition of a single anti-signal that represents the inverse of the aggregate crosstalk.
Unfortunately, technologic restrictions prevent creating a vectoring system that can cancel the crosstalk of all lines in a large vectoring group. In order to cancel the crosstalk within a vectoring group of for instance 400 VDSL lines, in the order of 1013 Multiply and Accumulate (MAC) operations per second must be executed. This is at present technologically not feasible in a cost and power efficient way. As a consequence, partial crosstalk cancellation is implemented today, enabling to cancel crosstalk of a limited number of disturbers out of a vectoring group within a victim, e.g. at most M=16 disturbers. These 16 disturbers may be arbitrarily selected within the vectoring group but for obvious reasons preferably represent the most dominant disturbers for the victim under consideration. Typically, an algorithm will be implemented to determine the M most dominant disturbers for each victim such that the crosstalk induced by these M disturbers can be cancelled while crosstalk coming from other disturbers in the vectoring group remains un-cancelled thereby minimizing the total residual noise on the victim and therefore optimizing the bit rate achievable on the victim. This algorithm may create a single list of dominant disturbers based on the full spectrum or it may create multiple lists for arbitrary parts of the spectrum.
In case of a crosstalk noise variation at a point in time where crosstalk of the maximum number M of disturbers is already cancelled, this crosstalk noise variation may impact the stability of the victims. The crosstalk noise variation may result from an additional line starting up or an increasing disturbance from a line in the vectoring group as a result of a crosstalk channel change or an increased signal PSD transmitted by the disturber. A crosstalk channel change may for instance be caused by environmental changes such as temperature variations, wire tension changes, rain or moisture leakage, etc., as a result of which the disturber and victim lines become more strongly coupled. As a result of a crosstalk noise variation, a non-cancelled line of the vectoring group may become a more dominant disturber that needs to be cancelled. The straightforward approach in case of partial crosstalk cancellation will estimate if the new crosstalk noise resulting from the newly start-up line or the varying crosstalk channel or increased PSD transmit signal of a particular disturber is above the crosstalk noise level of the least dominant disturber out of the M cancelled disturbers for a particular victim. In case the new crosstalk noise is below the crosstalk noise level of the least dominant cancelled disturber for a particular victim, the new line will be started without cancelling its crosstalk noise into the particular victim or the particular disturber with changed crosstalk noise will remain un-cancelled for the particular victim. Unfortunately, startup of the new line or leaving the disturber with varying crosstalk channel or varying transmit PSD un-cancelled, will create a sudden crosstalk noise boost, i.e. a noise residue in any victim that can affect the stability of these victims. In case the new crosstalk noise is above the crosstalk noise level of the least dominant cancelled disturber, this least dominant disturber will no longer be cancelled. It will be removed from the list of M cancelled disturbers, and will be replaced by the new or increased disturber. Anyhow, also this situation will cause a sudden boost in crosstalk noise resulting from the least dominant disturber that is no longer cancelled. This sudden crosstalk noise boost may also cause instabilities on victim lines.
In summary, whereas full crosstalk cancellation based on vectoring is technologically not feasible for large vectoring groups, partial crosstalk cancellation suffers from instability problems in case of crosstalk noise variation.
It is an objective of the present invention to disclose a device and method for crosstalk cancellation in a vectoring group that overcomes the above mentioned drawback, enabling victim lines to cope with crosstalk noise variation without risking instabilities.

Crosstalk cancellation device and method with improved vectoring stabilisation


A tower-like transfer device includes a cylindrical tower post having an upper post portion and a lower post portion constituted by connecting post constituent members of one kind or two kinds or more, a lift installed liftably to the tower post, an upper post lift for lifting the upper post portion, an integration device for integrating the post constituent member between the upper post portion disconnected from the lower post portion and the lower post portion and holding the upper post portion disconnected from the lower post portion in removing the post constituent member at an upper end of the lower post portion and a transfer lift installed liftably to the tower post.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tower-like transfer device in which a transfer device for transferring freshly mixed concrete or the like is installed and of which integration and erection, and disintegration and removal are facilitated.
2. Discussion of the Background
There has been known a construction process in which in building a high structure standing on a comparatively narrow area, for example, a chimney, a silo made of concrete or the like, a mold frame for feeding concrete is constructed on a concrete structure which has been successively formed and cured step by step. According to the construction process of such a structure, various devices for forming the mold frame and for feeding concrete are installed on the concrete structure which has been successively formulated and cured step by step while successively relocating their positions.
Typically, a tower crane is installed at a position along the constructed structure whereby various operations of transferring various base materials, formulation of the mold frame and the like are executed.
However, in constructing a high structure by such a process, it is necessary that the operation is executed successively by providing a sufficient curing time period respectively after feeding concrete and it is necessary to successively execute the relocation of the mold frame for feeding concrete and of various operational devices with respect to the concrete structure which is successively formulated and cured.
Furthermore, in building a high concrete structures such as a chimney, a silo or the like by using a tower crane, it is difficult to set the mold frame for feeding concrete and remove the mold frame after curing concrete and it is difficult to smoothly feed concrete to the mold frame. In extending the tower, it has been necessary to attach successively tower constituent members onto the top end portion of the tower. Therefore, a bucket lifting means such as a winch or the like cannot be installed onto the top portion of the tower.


The invention relates to a continuous steam generator wherein an evaporator throughflow heating surface is disposed in a gas duct which can be cross flown in an approximately vertical manner in a heating gas device, said evaporator throughflow heating surface comprising a plurality of parallel connected steam generating pipes enabling a flow medium to flow through, also enabling particularly high operating stability and security during the supply of the flow medium having a comparatively high mass flow density. The inventive evaporator throughflow heating surface comprises a heating surface segment which can be cross-flown by the flow medium in an opposite direction to the gas duct, the flow medium side exit is positioned in such a manner that it can be seen in the heating direction of the gas such that the saturated steam generator which is adjusted during operation according to pressure in the evaporator throughflow heating surface deviates by less than a maximum predetermined amount from the heating gas temperature prevailing during operation at the position of the exit of the heating surface segment.

In a gas and steam turbine installation, the heat contained in the expanded working medium or heating gas is used for generating steam for the steam turbine. The transfer of heat is carried out in a waste-heat steam generator connected downstream of the gas turbine, in which waste-heat steam generator a number of heating surfaces are usually disposed for preheating water, for generating steam and for superheating steam. The heating surfaces are connected to the water-steam circuit of the steam turbine. The water-steam circuit usually comprises multiple, e.g. three, pressure stages, whereby each pressure stage can have an evaporator heating surface.
Multiple alternative layout concepts may be considered for the steam generator connected as a waste-heat steam generator downstream of the gas turbine on the heating-gas side, namely a layout as a continuous-flow steam generator or a layout as a circulation steam generator. In a continuous-flow steam generator, the heating of steam-generating pipes provided as evaporator pipes leads to an evaporation of the flow medium in the steam-generating pipes in a single pass. In contrast to this, in a natural-circulation or forced-circulation steam generator, the circulated water is only partially evaporated in one pass through the evaporator pipes. The water which is not evaporated is, following separation of the generated steam, fed into the same evaporator pipes again for further evaporating.
In contrast to a natural-circulation or forced-circulation steam generator, a continuous-flow steam generator is not subject to any pressure limitation, so live-steam pressures far above the critical pressure of water (PCri≈221 bar)—where there are only small differences in density between a liquid-like and a steam-like medium—are possible. A high live-steam pressure promotes a high thermal efficiency and consequently low CO2 emissions in a fossil-fuel fired power station. Also, a continuous-flow steam generator has, in comparison with a circulation steam generator, a simple design and can consequently be produced at particularly low cost. The use of a steam generator, designed in accordance with the continuous-flow principle, as a waste-heat steam generator in a gas and steam turbine installation is therefore particularly suitable for achieving a high degree of overall efficiency of the gas and steam turbine installation with a simple design.
Such a waste-heat steam generator can be technically implemented particularly easily where the heating gas supplied to the steam generator from the gas turbine flows through the gas duct in a vertical direction, in particular from bottom to top. In principle, two possible designs can be considered for the flow-medium and heating-gas connections of the steam-generating pipes which form the evaporator throughflow heating surface: either the flow medium flows through the steam-generating pipes laid inside the gas duct in a cross-flow or counterflow, i.e. the flow medium flows through each heating surface pipe in successive passes through the gas channel across the gas flow, hence the name cross-flow circuit. The horizontal pipe elements leading from one side of the gas channel to the other side are connected to one another via redirecting elements in such a manner that the flow passes through them in succession in a vertical direction counter to the direction of flow of the gas, hence the name counterflow circuit. Overall, it is thus a mixed form of cross-flow and counterflow circuit. The cross-flow character is immaterial to the arguments below. This circuit will therefore be referred to below only as a counterflow circuit. It is generally known that an evaporator heating surface in a counterflow circuit is problematical in terms of the stability of the flow. In particular, an even distribution of the flow over all the parallel pipes of the evaporator heating surface requires a technical outlay.
An alternative to the counterflow circuit is provided by the so-called parallel-flow circuit, in which the flow through the steam-generating pipes is a cross/parallel flow. In this circuit, the horizontally routed pipe elements are connected to one another, as in the previously described cross-flow circuit, via redirecting elements, except that now the flow passes through them in succession in a vertical direction, in the direction of flow of the gas, hence the name parallel-flow circuit. Overall, this is thus a mixed form of cross- and parallel-flow circuit. The cross-flow character is immaterial to the arguments below. This circuit will therefore be referred to below only as a parallel-flow circuit. A parallel-flow circuit necessitates the use of comparatively large heating surfaces, the production and assembly of which involve a substantial outlay.
From EP 0 425 717 A, a steam generator is known which has the specified advantages of a continuous-flow steam generator. Its evaporator throughflow heating surface is designed as a combination of counterflow and cross-flow circuit, in that a number of pipe sections are connected in a counterflow direction, while a number of further pipe sections are connected in a parallel-flow direction. This type of circuitry enables a greater degree of flow stability to be achieved than in the case of a pure counterflow circuit. Also, the high outlay required on equipment and apparatus where a pure counterflow circuit is used can be reduced.
A fundamental problem in steam generators of this type of design can be temperature distortions, that is temperature differences at the outlets of adjacent steam-generating pipes connected in parallel on the flow-medium side, which can lead to pipe bursts or other damage. In order to avoid such temperature distortions, continuous-flow steam generators can be designed for particularly low mass-flow densities of the flow medium. However, this limits flexibility in the choice of design parameters for the steam generator.

Continuous steam generator and method for operating said continuous steam generator


An integrated circuit (IC) includes a substrate having a top semiconductor surface and a bottom surface, and integrated circuitry including an analog subcircuit and at least one digital subcircuit formed on the top semiconductor surface. A plurality of through substrate vias (TSVs) extend through the substrate. At least one integrated Faraday shield includes a top and a bottom electrically conducting member that are coupled by the TSVs which surround the analog subcircuit and/or the digital subcircuit. At least one voltage regulator supplies a regulated power supply voltage that is coupled to the integrated Faraday shield that surrounds the analog subcircuit.

EMI is generally defined to include all potential sources of interference (i.e. unwanted disturbances, or noise) that can compromise the performance of electrical circuits due to electromagnetic coupling including RF interference. EMI is known to propagate in the solid state through conduction over signal and power lines and through the substrate, and also over the air as electromagnetic radiation in free space. For example, RF receivers are known to need good noise immunity for reception of low-level signals.
RF shielding is known for reducing EMI. Traditional RF shielding is implemented with external metal "cans" that encapsulate and shield the RF IC section on a circuit board (e.g., PCB). However, this implementation is costly and time consuming, as the metal cans used for RF shielding must be customized according to individual circuit boards. Additionally, metal cans being external shields increase the space requirements for RF sections and, more significantly, can degrade the performance of the underlying RF circuitry, such as by itself acting as a broadcast antenna of RF noise. This performance degradation generally leads to a time-consuming retuning process that may be necessary to limit the effects of the metal can. Moreover, although metal cans can significantly reduce radiated EMI including radiated RFI, metal cans do not provide protection from EMI coupled through a common monolithic IC substrate (e.g., bulk silicon) referred to herein as "substrate coupling," as described below.
Another RF shielding arrangement is generally referred to as package-level plating. The plating is applied at the package level (as opposed to wafer level) and the plating is positioned both above and below the RF IC, such as on different layers of a multi-layer PCB. As with metal cans, a limitation of package-level plating is the inability to provide protection from substrate coupling.
Substrate coupling is another form of EMI which involves substrate noise which can couple through a common monolithic substrate (e.g., bulk silicon). Substrate coupling can be a significant problem particularly for monolithic mixed signal RF comprising ICs. In the digital portion of such ICs there are generally a large number of logic gates which generally undergo transitions at a high frequency during normal operation. When such a transition occurs, a spike of current can be absorbed from the power bus. Usually a significant portion of this current is passed through the ground bus through direct feedthrough and a portion is also generally injected into the common monolithic substrate.
Generally, in mixed signal systems, such substrate noise can corrupt the sensitive low level analog circuitry (e.g., RF subcircuits) and thus impair the performance of the mixed signal IC. Substrate noise can generally be reduced by the circuit layout (e.g., larger spacings between digital logic and RF circuitry) and certain isolation techniques. Although substrate coupling can be partially isolated by using wells (e.g., junction isolation with guard rings), in the case of bulk substrates (e.g., silicon), the bulk substrate will generally still remain coupled to the sensitive circuitry.

IC having voltage regulated integrated Faraday shield


In a method of manufacturing a shaft for the fluid dynamic bearing device, the shaft is formed with a plurality of grooves arranged in and around the external circumference, the surface of the grooves and external circumference with uniform roughness, and machined marks on the surface aligned in the circumferential direction, by controlling the relative vibration of a rod-shaped blank to be machined as the shaft for a fluid dynamic bearing and a grinding wheel (a machining tool) to grind the external circumference of the blank.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shaft for a fluid dynamic bearing device, which has an external circumference shaped to generate a fluid dynamic in a clearance to a bearing when rotated relatively to the bearing, a fluid dynamic bearing device having the shaft, and a method of manufacturing the shaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a certain type of fluid dynamic bearing, grooves are formed in the direction across the sliding direction in at least one of a bearing surface of a shaft and a bearing, to improve the stability of the axis of rotation. The grooves are available in two types, the herringbone type (e.g., Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-227119), and the type arranged parallel to the axis of rotation (e.g., International Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 98/38433).
Another type of dynamic air pressure bearing device has a fixed shaft, and a hollow rotation shaft fit with clearance to the external circumference of the fixed shaft. The external circumference of the fixed shaft is shaped to be an equal-radius multi-arc, or equal-radius ellipse. A gap between the external circumference of the fixed shaft and the internal circumference of the hollow rotation shaft is shaped like odd numbers of (three) sine waves. This type is used for an optical deflector. (For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-230056.) The surface of the shaft is anodized.
A fluid dynamic bearing device and a shaft for a fluid dynamic bearing according to the invention is a rotating body, which rotates one way or two ways (forward and reverse) at a low speed or a high speed, or rotates continuously or intermittently, or a member which supports the rotating body. The rotating body or the member supporting the rotating body has a function of moving a lubricating medium in the circumferential or longitudinal direction by rotation, and stabilizes rotation by decreasing sliding resistance.
It is necessary to increase the number of grooves and form the grooves more precisely for increasing the rotation accuracy of a fluid dynamic bearing device to the extent that generation of a half whirl in a high rotation frequency range of the fluid dynamic bearing device is controlled, and the shaft and bearing are stably rotated even at a low rotation frequency without colliding with each other. The herringbone grooves are formed by etching, shotblasting or shot-peening a masked rod-shaped material to reduce the machining cost. In these machining processes, it is difficult to increase the machining accuracy above than a certain level. As the rotation characteristics differ depending on the direction of the herringbone pattern, it is required to take account of the rotating direction when assembling the bearing device.
When grooves are formed in the direction along the axis of rotation by etching, shotblasting, shot peening, grinding or laser machining, a discontinued part is formed in the boundary between the grooves and the external circumference. Thus, when the rotation frequency increases, a separation layer easily occurs in the downstream side of the rotation from the discontinued part. Formation of a separation layer may cause a failure to generate a desired fluid dynamic between the shaft and the bearing.
Further, in any machining method, a process to increase the circularity of shaft and bearing is necessary in addition to a process of forming grooves. A shaft exposed to the processes of forming grooves and increasing the circularity must exhibit the machining and positioning accuracy with high reproducibility in each process. Thus, it is difficult to decrease the cost of machining the shaft.

Shaft for fluid dynamic bearing, fluid dynamic bearing device, and method of manufacturing the shaft


An adjustable position limb support for surgical tables consisting of a limb support arm, a limb cradle attached to the support arm and an orientation control device such as a movable handle located at the distal end of the support arm. The proximate end of the support arm engages a pivot assembly which has one section providing for rotational movement in the lithotomy direction; and a second section providing for rotational movement in the perpendicular abduction direction. Each section has a locking mechanism which is independently secured and released to position the arm as desired. One locking mechanism is operated by the rotation of the support arm and the other by an extendable and retractable linkage activated by the control device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention resides in the field of limb supports for surgical procedures and more particularly relates to supports adjustable over a selected range of positions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Adjustable supports for immobilizing limbs during surgical procedures, whether the surgery is performed on the limb or another part of the body near the limb, are known in the prior art. In particular there are positioning devices incorporating ratchet mechanisms which lock into place at preselected positions. Van Steenburg, U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,641, describes a leg holder system utilizing a rotatable handle to simultaneously secure and release a support in both the lithotomy and abduction directions.
Further U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,534, Navarro et al., discloses a support infinitely adjustable over a selected range using a compressed gas locking cylinder which may be secured or locked in a desired position and then unlocked to reposition the support. Finally, an electrically operated limb support is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,959 by the applicant.
In contrast to the prior art, the invention described below provides a hand positionable support utilizing two independent but integrated pivot mechanisms which are secured and released by a single handle incorporating two separate controls.

Adjustable position limb support for surgical tables


The invention concerns an underpressure surface gripping device with an extruded profile having a hollow chamber, a vacuum plate which is mounted parallel to the extruded profile, at least one flow through opening which connects the extruded profile to the vacuum plate, and with an ejector as a vacuum generator, wherein the ejector is inserted into the hollow chamber of the extruded profile and the suction opening of the ejector communicates with the flow through opening.

The invention concerns an underpressure surface gripping device comprising an extruded profile, a vacuum plate which is mounted parallel to the extruded profile, at least one flow through opening that connects the extruded profile to the vacuum plate, and an ejector as a vacuum generator.
Conventional underpressure surface griping devices of this type are e.g. produced by the companies Joulin and Tepro. A vacuum surface gripping system due to the Assignee is designated "FX". In this vacuum surface gripping system, a vacuum generator and its mufflers are disposed on a holding plate. This holding plate also includes a structural valve component and a vacuum display. A vacuum plate is also mounted to the lower side of the holding plate for gripping the tool using vacuum. The overall device is mounted to a robot arm via a mounting bracket which extends over the components mounted to the holding plate, such that the workpiece which is gripped by the vacuum surface gripping system can be lifted and moved to another location. A vacuum surface gripper system of this type has, however, a large height, since the components such as vacuum generator, mufflers and the like are mounted to the holding plate. Due to the large height, the surface gripper system generates a large lever arm on the robot flange, which must always be taken into consideration in handling the workpiece. DE 10 2004 037 609 B3 discloses a vacuum beam which comprises an extruded profile containing a pre-storage chamber and a suction chamber. All functional parts are housed in the extruded profile. This vacuum beam is advantageous in that the functional parts are no longer provided on the outer side of the profile. However, the dimensions of the vacuum beam are still excessively large.


A display module for attachment to the framing members adjacent a lighting fixture. The module is comprised of a light transmissive trough which is suspended beneath the lighting fixture and receives its light from the fixture without substantially impairing the illumination available to the area beneath the light fixture. The modules may be used individually or combined with other modules to create different geometric patterns of display.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a modular ceiling display. More particularly, it relates to a display module for suspended ceilings which is attached beneath the perimeter of an overhead lighting fixture. The indicia on the display is illuminated by light from the fixture without interruption of the illumination from the center of the fixture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Overhead displays which are attached under flush-mounted florescent lighting fixtures of the type commonly used in conjunction with suspended ceilings are known in the art. Such displays are known for use in retail stores for both product advertising and location within the store. A number of prior U.S. patents are directed to this field.
A lighted advertising display panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,218. The display panel is co-extensive in area with a standard suspended ceiling tile and is substituted for a ceiling tile at a desired location.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,764 discloses a suspended ceiling sign which is mounted under an overhead lighting fixture as a substitute for the original diffuser. The sign is co-extensive with the existing overhead lighting fixture and includes reflective elements which direct the light toward the display panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,570 discloses a display unit, having at least five (5) translucent panels on which messages can be printed, which is assembled to provide a total light enclosure. The display unit may be shipped in a collapsed condition, assembled and installed at a given site. The assembled unit fits into the support grid of a suspended ceiling under a standard florescent light fixture. Once again, the display unit is co-extensive with the light fixture.
While the displays disclosed in the above prior art are all adapted for attachment under standard florescent lighting fixtures, they tend to limit the light available from the fixture and to be bulky to install.
Since the present module is not as bulky as other display units known in the art, the disclosed module is more easily positioned and provides increased flexibility. In multi-display arrangements, the display modules can be installed individually.
Because the modules cover only a narrow portion of the perimeter of a light fixture, the fixture provides illumination for the display and the area below.
It is an object of this invention to provide a display module which may be installed without any modifications and/or changes to the ceiling grid members or the lighting fixture in the ceiling.
It is an object of this invention to provide a display module which may be installed with other modules to provide an expanded display.
It is an object of this invention to provide a display module which receives its lighting from the lighting fixture with virtually or no loss of light to the area beneath the fixture.


A method for manufacturing a carbon molecular sieve with increased microporosity; a method for manufacturing a carbon molecular sieve with increased microporosity and improved structural regularity; a carbon molecular sieve with increased microporosity; a carbon molecular sieve with increased microporosity and improved structural regularity; a catalyst for a fuel cell using the carbon molecular sieve; and a fuel cell using the catalyst are provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a molecular sieve and more particularly, to a carbon molecular sieve. The present invention also relates to a fuel cell and more particularly, to a catalyst and a catalyst support for a fuel cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
Originally, the term "molecular sieve" was the trade name of a synthetic zeolite commercially manufactured by Linde Ltd. (USA). A molecular sieve has excellent adsorption capacity due to its many fine pores with uniform diameter. As derived from its literal meaning, a molecular sieve is used to selectively sieve molecules.
Presently, the term "molecular sieve" is an generic name in the field of science technology and refers to a porous material in which uniform-sized pores are arranged in a three dimensional manner.
A molecular sieve selectively adsorbs a certain size of molecules due to its uniform pore size. Therefore, a molecular sieve can be widely used as a catalyst, a catalyst support, or an adsorbent.
A carbon molecular sieve is mainly made of a carbon material. A carbon molecular sieve has many advantages, such as excellent thermal stability, hydrothermal stability, chemical resistance, and lipophilicity, when compared to a metal oxide based molecular sieve such as zeolite. A carbon molecular sieve can also be used for various purposes, such as a catalyst support, an adsorbent, a sensor, and an electrode material.
As one example of a method for synthesis of a carbon molecular sieve, there is disclosed a pyrolysis process of a natural vegetable material, such as coconut, or a synthetic polymer. According to this method, however, pore size and porosity can only be limitedly increased by pyrolysis temperature adjustment and post-treatment with oxygen.
Another example of a method for synthesis of a carbon molecular sieve is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Laid-Open Publication Nos. 2001-1127 and 2002-84372. According to these methods, a mesoporous silica molecular sieve is used as a template. A carbohydrate is subjected to adsorption into the template, polymerization and pyrolysis. The template is then removed to thereby produce a carbon molecular sieve with a structural regularity of uniform-sized pores. However, a disadvantage exists in that a silica molecular sieve used as a template must be newly designed to adjust the surface area of the carbon molecular sieve and the volume ratio of its micropores and mesopores. In addition, it is difficult to control the volume ratio between micropores and mesopores.
Fuel cells are clean energy sources capable of reducing dependence on fossil energy, with a high output density and high energy conversion efficiency. In addition, fuel cells can be operated at room temperature and can be miniaturized and packed. Therefore, fuel cells can be widely used in the fields of zero emission vehicles, domestic power systems, mobile communication equipment, medical instruments, military equipment, aerospace equipment, and portable electronic devices. A polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) are electric power generating systems that allow electrochemical reaction of hydrogen or methanol, water, and oxygen to produce direct current electricity. These fuel cells comprise an anode and a cathode which receive a liquid/gaseous reactant and a proton conducting membrane interposed between the two electrodes. At the anode, an anode catalyst dissociates hydrogen or methanol to generate protons. The generated protons are transported through the proton conducting membrane to the cathode. At the cathode, the protons react with oxygen by the cathode catalyst. Therefore, in such structured fuel cells, the role of a catalyst is very important. Currently, in a PEMFC, platinum (Pt) particles supported on a carbon support are used as both anode and cathode catalysts. In DMFCs, platinum-ruthenium (Pt—Ru) black is used as an anode catalyst and Pt particles by themselves or Pt particles supported on a carbon support are used as a cathode catalyst. Because metal black by themselves provide excellent catalytic activity, a supported metal catalyst system is rarely used in a DMFC. However, because a large portion of costs incurred in a DMFC is caused by a catalyst, in considering cost effectiveness, the amount of a used catalyst needs to be decreased. Therefore, many efforts have been made to research a carbon support capable of providing improved catalyst activity and dispersion over a currently used carbon support with no structural regularity, in order to reduce the catalyst amount used in an anode and a cathode.

Carbon molecular sieve and method for manufacturing the same


A line head (10) for a rotary line trimmer uses a bail (16) to clasp a single length of cutting line (18). The head has a first and second side (12, 14). The first side (12) of the head (10) has a plurality of radial ridges extending radially from a central shaft engagement hub (20). The second side has several raised portions (44, 46, 48, 50) which define a first and second channel (17, 19). The bail (16) rotates between an open position to a closed position in the first channel. The second channel (19) is dimensioned to engage the cutting line. The bail (16) has a clasp means (16c) which removably engages a lip portion (42) when the bail is in the closed position. The bail (16) also has a central portion (16b) which overlays the second channel (19) when the bail is in the closed position.

Rotary line trimmers are well known. Such trimmers incorporate a line or core as a cutting edge attached to a line head. A portion of the line extends beyond a central hub of the trimmer. When the central hub is rapidly spun by a motor, the line becomes an effective cutting device for grasses, weeds and other foliage. The line can be made of any number of durable materials such as flexible filament nylon line.
During use, the line is worn away and shortens in length and then must be replenished. There are two basic approaches to replenishing cutting line. In one approach, a supply of flexible line is wound on a spool placed within a hub. The spool and hub for the line head that is rapidly spun by the motor. Line is played out from the hub when the cutting portion of the line becomes too short. Playing the line out is accomplished either manually or automatically. Using a rotating spool has the advantage of keeping a relatively large supply of line on hand for immediate use. Consequently, it is the preferred approach for rotary line trimmers suitable for trimming tougher vegetation or a large area of vegetation. However, spools tend to be relatively complicated mechanisms that are expensive to manufacture and/or difficult to use. Also, each part adds weight and increases the likelihood of failure.
An alternative design, discussed in detail below, places a single length of line within a single head element. The line fits within a channel in the head and is mechanically held in place by a plastic tab. The head is attached to a shaft connected to the trimmer's motor. When the line is worn, the plastic tab can be opened and the line replaced. This design is lighter and less expensive to construct. However, the plastic tab used to retain the line can easily deform or break. Also, dirt and grass can keep the tab from closing. If the tab fails, the entire line can be lost.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved line head for holding a line for a rotary line trimmer. The line head should be simple and inexpensive to construct. The line head should securely hold a single length of line. The method of securing the line should be easily manipulated to remove the line. Moreover, the performance of the device should not be affected by dirt or grass.


A metal configurable I/O structure for an integrated circuit is disclosed. The metal configurable I/O structure may be configured for one of any of a plurality of I/O specifications. Preferably a common voltage reference and a common current reference is generated for provision to a plurality of I/O structures.

The invention relates generally to integrated circuits, and more particularly to integrated circuit input/output designs.
Multi-chip and even board level processing has and continues to be increasingly implemented as integrated circuitry on a single chip, with the single chip sometimes referred to as a system-on-chip (SOC). SOCs may send to and receive signals from a variety of devices, such as a variety of memory devices, lower level devices, or devices performing very specialized functions. Each type of device, as well as sub-types of each type of device, may require or use interface signals and pathways which must conform to somewhat specific requirements, and these requirements may differ from one another.
The requirements, which often relate to current strength, voltage levels, input and output impedances, and other matters, are generally promulgated by various standards bodies, although some "standards" may be simply de-facto standards or device manufacturer specific. In any event. SOC integrated circuits may be required to provide input/output (I/O) according to requirements of multiple I/O standards, either simultaneously or across different versions of a chip.
The provision of I/O in accordance with multiple standards poses difficulties in chip design. I/O related circuitry is often placed in I/O slots, generally in an I/O ring about a periphery of a device. The use of different I/O slots configured to meet a variety of I/O standards may increase design time. The replacement of I/O slots of one type with I/O slots of another type, for example for a different version of a chip, may necessitate rework outside of the I/O slot, as well as reverification of significant portions of the design. Moreover, the use of a variety of I/O slots may require tradeoffs in area and power usage, and may degrade overall chip performance.
Further complicating matters, I/O sections are often designed at different times, obtained from IP vendors, or integrated into multiple chips. In general, therefore each I/O slot is self-contained. Accordingly, each I/O pad may require its own power structure, electrostatic discharge (ESD) structure, reference current and voltage and calibration. Unfortunately, complex interfaces, design inefficiency and performance degradation may result. For example, each I/O slot may require unique power structures, unique busses, and, possibly, unique power pads. In addition, often additional silicon area is required for developing different voltage references, increasing area and power usage, or the number of voltage references may be reduced, degrading chip performance.
Moreover, calibration circuitry to provide appropriate I/O operation over process, voltage, and temperature variations (PVT) may be required to be duplicated for each different type of I/O slot, increasing design complexity and area and power requirements. Alternatively, calibration circuitry may be reduced or eliminated, and, for example, output circuit drivers may be enhanced so as to always provide a specified minimum current. Such a solution, unfortunately, results in excess current being provided during normal operation, resulting in increased power usage.

Die apparatus having configurable input/output and control method thereof


In one aspect, a stabilized emulsion polymer comprises an aliphatic conjugated diene monomer; a monomer selected from the group consisting of a non-aromatic unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic ester monomer, an unsaturated aromatic monomer, a nitrogen-containing monomer, and mixtures thereof; a protective colloid; and a surfactant which has ethylenic unsaturation. As a result, the surfactant is polymerized with the monomer and is incorporated into the backbone of the emulsion polymer. In another aspect, the stabilized emulsion polymer includes an oxyalkylene functional monomer selected from the group consisting of: ##STR1## monoesters of mono- and dicarboxylic acids, diesters of dicarboxylic acids, and mixtures thereof; wherein R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl; R' is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl; R" is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl; and n is an integer ranging from 1 to 30. The oxyalkylene functional monomer reacts with the monomer and thus becomes incorporated into the backbone of the emulsion polymer.

Emulsion polymers are typically stabilized by surfactants, or by a combination of surfactants and protective colloids such as polyvinylalcohol, hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), dextrin, and the like. Protective colloids have typically been used in the polymerization of highly reactive, hydrophilic monomers such as vinyl acetate, and common polymers that use this approach include for example polyvinylacetate, vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE), and vinyl acrylics. One possible reason why the use of protective colloids is rare in the emulsion polymerization of hydrophobic monomers, such as styrene and butadiene, could be due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to make stable emulsions in these systems, especially if one targets a solids content of greater than 50 weight percent. It is interesting to consider the use of protective colloids such as polyvinylalcohol or HEC because of the unique rheology and tack properties these systems possess compared to conventional surfactant stabilized latices. Accordingly, the protective colloids are potentially very useful in many adhesive and coating-related applications.
While numerous patents and published articles exist illustrating the use of polyvinylalcohol or other colloids in vinyl acetate based polymers, a possible way of addressing the problem of coagulation in butadiene and styrene-based emulsions has only been recently reported. In particular, Kuraray Co. Ltd. in Yuki et al., Polymer International 30(4):512 (1993) proposes a mercapto terminated polyvinylalcohol which is grafted onto a styrene polymer to form a stable emulsion. This is a two-step process in which the first step is to make the mercapto functional polyvinylalcohol (Sato et al., Makromolekulare Chemie 194:175 (1993)). The functionalized polyvinylalcohol is then used in a conventional emulsion polymerization process to make a colloidally stabilized polystyrene emulsion. The use of this approach for making butadiene emulsions has been reported in Japanese Patent Nos. 5059106; 6128443; 6179705; and 7070989.
Another approach to making butadiene emulsions stabilized by polyvinylalcohol has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,459. In this instance, butadiene polymer latices stabilized by polyvinylalcohol are prepared by the emulsion polymerization of butadiene with other monomers in the presence of a solvent such as methanol. The methanol or other solvent is subsequently removed from the latex by a stripping process to yield a solvent-free latex.
Potential drawbacks exist with both of the above approaches. With respect to the first approach, the use of a mercapto-functional alcohol is restrictive because the process has trouble working with conventional polyvinylalcohols. With respect to the second approach, the use of a solvent to facilitate stabilization poses potential problems relating to solvent handling, recovery, and recycling.

Collaidally stabilized butadiene emulsions


A cross link system provides stability to spinal rods by maintaining a set distance between the rods. The cross link has a bar with connectors on each end formed with grooves that engage each of the spinal rods. Each of the connectors has a cam that can be manipulated to obstruct the groove and provide a friction fit between the spinal rod and the cross link. The cams have locking nuts that prevent disengagement of the cam and rod. The bar has two shafts interconnected by a bifurcated pin with upstanding ends, a piston is located between the upstanding ends and diverts shear forces along the longitudinal axis of the bar.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of orthopedic surgery and, particularly, to a cross link attachable to a pair of spinal rods to stabilize relative movement between the rods during body movements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of spinal rods is conventional for correction of spinal trauma or conditions, such as curvature of the spine. Generally parallel rods are attached to the spine by pedicle screws for support or correction of abnormalities. During normal activities, the spine is subjected to bending and twisting motions which affect the relative position of the spinal rods. In some cases, the rods are cross braced for additional stability. The cross link is attached to each of the spinal rods and provides fixed spacing between the rods. The resultant forces acting on the cross link are primarily in shear along the longitudinal axis of the cross link.
Estes, U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,053, teaches the use of a rigid cross link with an eye on each end. The eyes are oblong to provide some adjustability in length of the cross link. Bolts connected to the spinal rods are passed through the eyes. Nuts are then applied to hold the assembly in place. The shear forces tend to cause the bolts to move within the oblong eyes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,600 to Allard et al teaches a two piece cross link with telescoping members. Each end of the two piece rod has a hook for engaging the spinal rods. Each hook has a downwardly facing opening in which the spinal rod is captured. The opposing sides of the hook resist the shear forces however, there is nothing to prevent the hooks from, "walking," along the spinal rods in response to unequal movement of each spinal rod. The other end of one rod is telescoped into the second rod. A set screw is threaded through the telescoped portions engaging both members and fixing the length of the cross link. The set screw is threaded through the exterior rod and the interior rod has a hook or flange to prevent separation. The ends of the telescoped rods act directly on the shaft of the set screw in shear which may result in deformation or failure.
Lin et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,882, teach a cross link with two shafts that overlap each other. Each shaft has a double hook on one end for engaging a spinal rod. The double hook enlarges the contact area between the cross link and the spinal rods to resist, "walking," along the spinal rods. The other ends of the shafts each have a reduced thickness and are overlapped. A clip or sleeve is placed over the overlapped portions. The clip has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the overlapped portions which creates a force fit. A set screw may be used to secure the clip on the overlapped shafts. The shear forces can move the overlapped portions within the clip since there is no transverse fastening in the assembly.
Because of the forces acting along the cross link and the movement of the spinal rods, the connection between the cross link and the spinal rod must be secure to avoid movement of the cross link along the spinal rod. Further, the connection between multi-shaft cross links must resist shear to avoid separation, in the worst case, and to provide stability to the spinal rods.


The disclosed embodiments relate to a method and to a device for controlling an internal combustion engine supercharged by an exhaust-gas turbocharger. The method includes: determining the time duration required for a specific internal combustion engine in operation, at a current operating point and with a predefined combination of settings of switching actuators, to perform an increase of the charge pressure from a current charge pressure to a target charge pressure associated with a target operating point; comparing the determined time duration with a multiplicity of stored time durations, which are each assigned to a predefined different combination of the settings of the switching actuators; and controlling the internal combustion engine with that combination of the settings of the switching actuators which permits the quickest increase of the charge pressure to the target charge pressure.

Motor vehicles and the internal combustion engines installed therein are being equipped with ever-increasing numbers of actuators in order to minimize their fuel consumption and pollutant emissions and maximize vehicle performance. These actuators include continuously acting actuators, e.g. the throttle valve which controls the air mass flow into the intake manifold, the phase adjusters of the camshafts and the wastegate actuators of a turbocharger, as well as switching actuators, which have a finite number of possible settings, e.g. the actuators of an automatic gear shift, the actuators of a travel changeover mechanism for the cylinder valves, and actuators which may switch off torque consumers, e.g. the actuators of a mechanically driven air-conditioning compressor.
If there is a demand for a vehicle acceleration initiated by the driver by actuation of the gas pedal, the engine control device first of all selects a new combination of the settings of the switching actuators, depending on the current state of the vehicle, as a rough selection of the new operating point and then performs fine adjustment to the operating point with the aid of the continuously acting actuators. Primarily with the aim of minimizing fuel consumption and/or pollutant emissions, an attempt is made here to operate the vehicle for as long as possible in combinations of the settings of the switching actuators which save fuel and/or are advantageous for emissions.
In previous practice, the choice of the combination of the settings of the switching actuators is always a compromise between fuel consumption during the operating mode that is possible in steady-state conditions and the time required to reach the desired new operating point. A changeover of the settings of the switching actuators is generally controlled by the engine control device using stored characteristic maps, which have been populated with data entirely in a spirit of compromise, using a reference engine, in respect of fuel consumption, pollutant emissions and time to reach the desired new operating point.
However, in boundary zones of an operating range that may be achieved in steady-state conditions with a combination of the settings of the switching actuators determined in this way, the response behavior of the vehicle may deteriorate sharply. In comparison with a combination of the settings of the switching actuators which is less suitable for fuel saving and/or less advantageous for emissions, the driver may notice that it takes longer for the vehicle to achieve the acceleration demanded.

Method and device for controlling an internal combustion engine supercharged by an exhaust-gas turbocharger


A user equipment (14) in a wireless communication network detects, for a serving link, signal quality under which the user equipment (14) is permitted to refrain from performing neighbor link measurements. Responsive to detecting that the signal quality of the serving link has dropped by at least a threshold amount since detecting the signal quality under which the user equipment (14) is permitted to refrain, the user equipment (14) performs neighbor link measurements. A base station (12) transmits signaling to configure the user equipment (14) accordingly.

A wireless communication network may include one or more base stations. A user equipment (UE) seeking access to the wireless communication network may perform link measurements to locate a suitable base station. Performing link measurements consumes power. However, failing to perform link measurements may result in the UE attempting to access the network via a base station serving a link of poorer signal quality than is available from a neighboring base station, which may result in the UE having to transmit at higher power than necessary. Accordingly, performing link measurements too often, or too infrequently, may waste power.

NB-IoT device performing neighboring link measurement despite refraining condition


Disclosed is a method for selectively forming silicon layers on diffusion layers of a MOS transistor so as to form an elevated structure in order to lower a resistance of the source/drain region. The method is aimed to lower the temperature required for the process of forming the elevated structure. In order to accomplish the foregoing object, the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the invention is characterized in that titanium silicide layers are laminated in two steps. First, thin titanium films are grown on the diffusion layers and thereafter an annealing is applied to form titanium silicide layers; and then the titanium films remaining unreacted on the insulating films are removed. Thereafter, another silicon layer is selectively grown on the titanium silicide layers, followed by a new titanium layer. A second annealing step is performed to obtain a second titanium silicide layer laminated on the first titanium suicide layer. The titanium layers and the titanium silicide layers act as gettering films for oxygen from native oxide films formed on the surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and particularly to a method of manufacturing an insulated gate field effect transistor having a refractory metal silicide layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Accompanied with the trend for higher integration of semiconductor devices, the device size has become increasingly fine. However, in the fine patterning of the insulated gate field effect transistor (hereinafter, referred to as MOS transistor), it is generally known that the short channel effect will create a problem. As a method for suppressing the short channel effect, it has been researched to make shallow the depth of the source/drain diffusion layer of the MOS transistor.
However, to simply make shallow the diffusion layer leaves problems such as increase of the sheet resistance and increase of the contact resistance with wiring materials. To overcome these problems, proposals to form elevated structures have been made, i.e., a structure that a silicon layer is selectively grown so as to selectively pile up on the diffusion layer and gate electrode, and a method that forms a metal silicide film on the foregoing piled up structure, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2-288236.
As shown in FIG. 3(a), a device isolation oxide film 2 is formed on a surface of an N-type silicon substrate 1 to partition a device forming region. On the surface of the device forming region, a gate electrode 3 is formed, a gate electrode 4 of a silicon is formed, an insulating spacer 6 is formed, BF.sub.2 ions are implanted, and an annealing is applied, thus forming P-type diffusion layers 5-1, 5-2. Next, in order to expose a surface of the gate electrode 4 and surfaces of the P-type diffusion layers 5-1, 5-2, the surfaces are treated by a dilute HF. Thereafter, to remove a native oxide film, the silicon substrate is heated in a hydrogen atmosphere inside the growth chamber, or under a high vacuum and more than 800.degree. C., usually about 900.degree. C. And then, silicon layers 7-1, 7-2, 7-3 are grown by the selective CVD, using a silane system gas. Next, as shown in FIG. 3(b), a titanium film 8 is deposited on the whole surface, and an annealing under about 650.degree. C. is applied in an N.sub.2 atmosphere to form titanium silicide layers 9-1, 9-2, 9-3 as shown in FIG. 3(c). Next, a titanium film 8a remaining unreacted is removed.
According to the foregoing conventional method, it is possible to lower a resistance of the source/drain region having a shallow diffusion layer. However, to remove the native oxide film requires a high temperature heat treatment, which causes rediffusion of impurities. Therefore, although it is possible to make a diffusion layer as shallow as a diffusion layer of a MOS transistor having the gate length of about 0.5 .mu.m, it is impossible to apply the conventional method to a MOS transistor having a fine structure of deep submicron level.
In order to lower the threshold temperature for the preliminary treatment that enables to remove the native oxide film and to selectively grow the silicon layer, attempts in laboratories have been made, such as a method to use fluorine or hydrogen radical, and a method to irradiate ultraviolet rays in a hydrogen atmosphere; however, these methods are not established yet as a technique for mass production. The foregoing Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2-288236 discloses a method to prevent the formation of the native oxide film in the atmosphere by using a CHF.sub.3 being a gas for etching in forming the insulating spacer to deposit a polymer containing a carbon on the surface of the silicon layer. However, the silicon layer is selectively grown at 900.degree. C. in that case, and it is not clear whether or not the method can prevent the formation of the native oxide film to the extent that a high temperature heat treatment becomes needless. Further, the carbon will increase a leakage current across the PN junction between the diffusion layer and the substrate, which is disadvantageous.
All in all, naturally a technique is preferable which lowers a resistance of the source/drain region without specially needing a high temperature heat treatment for removing the native oxide film.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a refractory metal silicide layer


A method of producing a silicon nitride film free of photolithographty and dry etching processes and a method of fabricating a semiconductor memory cell device are disclosed. A first polycrystalline silicon film serving as a bottom electrode is selectively formed only on a silicon region of the substrate with a field oxide film and a silicon nitride film is selectively formed only on the first polycrystalline silicon film by selective chemical vapor deposition in which a source gas including a combination of both ammonia and either silane or dichlorosilane is doped with hydrogen chloride. Then, a second polycrystalline film serving as a top electrode is selectively formed on the silicon nitride film.

The invention relates to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a method of producing a silicon nitride film serving as a insulating film of capacitors.
Stacked capacitors or trench capacitors which serve as memory cells of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) are well known. The conventional method of fabricating the typical stacked capacitor will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, a field oxide film 1 which serves to separate a memory cell from other elements of the semiconductor device has selectively been formed on a silicon substrate 2 by the local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS), as shown in FIG. 1, before a polycrystalline silicon film 3A is deposited on the entire region of the silicon substrate 2 including the field oxide film region by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) not shown in FIG. 1. Then, the polycrystalline silicon film 3A is subjected to patterning by means of photolithography and dry etching so as to form a bottom electrode only on the silicon region of the substrate as shown in FIG. 1(b). As shown in FIG. 1(c), a silicon nitride film 4B and a polycrystalline silicon film 5A are deposited in turn on the entire region of the substrate including the field oxide film region. And then, as shown in FIG. 1(d), the polycrystalline silicon film 5A and the silicon nitride film 4B are simultaneously subjected to patterning by use of photolithography and dry etching to form a top electrode and a dielectric film respectively. Further, required in the fabrication process of the stacked capacitor are processes of controlling a conductivity of the capacitor by ion-implantation and heat treatment. Also required in the processes of photolithography and dry etching are the processes of cleaning, applying a resist, baking, exposing, removing a resist and the like.
In recent years, the selective growth techniques of the polycrystalline silicon have been developed to allow formation of the bottom electrode of the stacked capacitor which is disclosed in the specification of the Japanese patent application No. 2-215544 entitled Method of Fabricating a Semiconductor Device. In this prior art, when a polycrystalline silicon film is grown on a silicon substrate, a source gas of a silane system, for example, silane or dichlorosilane or the like, is subjected to a combination of both (1) either thermal decomposition or reduction in a hydrogen atmosphere and (2) doping with a hydrogen chloride gas at a suitable concentration. The source gas doped with the hydrogen chloride gas allows the polycrystalline silicon film to grow on the silicon substrate and also to etch silicon deposited on the silicon oxide film. Further, a low growth temperature of 750 degrees may be selected to suppress growth of a monocrystal silicon. It is possible for the prior art to provide the selective growth of the polycrystalline silicon to the silicon substrate. Consequently, photolithography and dry etching may be omitted from the processes of formation of the polycrystalline silicon film.
However, it is difficult in the set forth prior art to provide the selective growth of the silicon nitride film 4B only to the region of the polycrystalline silicon film 3A, because the source gas includes only silane system gas, for example, silane or dichlorosilane or the like. Thus, it is difficult to provide not only the selective growth of the silicon nitride film 4B serving as the dielectric film on the polycrystalline silicon film 3A serving as a bottom electrode, but also the selective growth of the polycrystalline silicon film 5A serving as a top electrode on the silicon nitride film. It may therefore be assumed that both the silicon nitride film 4B and the polycrystalline silicon film 5A is certainly subjected to pattering by photolithography and dry etching. The patterning process comprises cleaning, coating a resist, baking, exposing, dry-etching and removing a resist and the like. The prior art has many problems of particle-pollution, metal pollution and damaging of the device with deterioration of the characteristics of the device. In general, the degree of deterioration of device quality may be in proportion to the largeness of the number of processes of fabrication of the device. Further, needless time and higher cost are required for fabrication of the device.
On the other hand, the conventional fabrication method of the trench capacitor also has many of the set forth problems.
A trench may conveniently be formed within a silicon substrate serving as a bottom electrode which has been formed thereon with a silicon oxide film by means of patterning and dry etching and the like. Therefore, it is difficult for the prior art to provide the selective growth of the silicon nitride film only on the inner surface of the trench within the silicon substrate. Further, it is also difficult for the prior art to provide the selective growth of a polycrystalline silicon film serving as a top electrode only on the silicon nitride film. Consequently, as unnecessary processes, the silicon nitride film and the polycrystalline silicon film are certainly subjected to patterning by photolithography and dry etching. The prior also has many problems, for example, particle-pollution, metal-pollution and damaging of the device with deterioration of characteristics of the device. Further, unnecessary time and higher costs are required for fabrication of the device.

Method of producing a silicon nitride film and method of fabricating a semiconductor device


Techniques to avoid crowbar current are provided. An integrated circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first node having a first supply voltage level. A first level shift circuit is connected between the first node and a first path. A second level shift circuit is connected between the first node and a second path. The first path includes an even number of inverter stages, while the second path includes an odd number of inverter stages. The first and second level shift circuits are configured to output a signal at the second supply voltage level. The integrated circuit also includes a PMOS transistor and an NMOS transistor connected in series between a second node having the second supply voltage level and a reference voltage. A gate of the PMOS transistor is connected to the first path, and a gate of the NMOS transistor connected to the second path. An I/O pad connected between the PMOS and NMOS transistors has high impedance during a power-on period when the second node is powered up before the first node. In other specific embodiments, the inverter stages of the first path and the second path can be replaced with pull-up or pull-down circuits, respectively.

The present invention is directed to integrated circuits and their processing for the manufacture of semiconductor devices. More particularly, the invention provides a method and device for avoiding crowbar current during power-on of integrated circuits. Merely by way of example, the invention has been applied to input/output (I/O) interfaces with multiple power supplies. But it would be recognized that the invention has a much broader range of applicability.
Integrated circuits have evolved from a handful of interconnected devices fabricated on a single chip of silicon to millions of devices. Conventional integrated circuits provide performance and complexity far beyond what was originally imagined. In order to achieve improvements in complexity and circuit density (i.e., the number of devices capable of being packed onto a given chip area), the size of the smallest device feature, also known as the device "geometry", has become smaller with each generation of integrated circuits.
Increasing circuit density has improved performance and complexity of integrated circuits, but it has also introduced additional design constraints. For example, smaller devices generally require low supply voltages, such as 1.2 volts. However, these smaller devices will sometimes interface or interoperate with larger devices of older technology. In such cases, signals can be level shifted to an appropriate voltage level. That is to say, a signal at a 1.2 volts standard can be level shifted to a 3.3 volts standard, or even 5 volts standard, in order for a circuit of typically older technology to properly work. This introduction of multiple supply voltages can lead to crowbar currents, or currents that flows through a short circuit path from a supply voltage to a ground or another supply voltage. Crowbar currents are generally unwanted as devices can be damaged and excess power drained.
In a conventional integrated circuit having multiple supply voltages, a bus coupled to a plurality of I/O pads is particularly prone to unwanted crowbar current. During power-on, one supply voltage may become available before one or more other supply voltages. For example, I/O supply voltage can be powered up prior to a core supply voltage. In such instances, logic states of the plurality of I/O pads coupled to the bus may be unknown. If there is bus contention (i.e., an I/O pad in a high state, logic 1, is coupled to an I/O pad in a low state, logic 0), a crowbar current can develop from one I/O pad to the other.
From the above, it is seen that techniques to avoid crowbar current are desired.

Power-on solution to avoid crowbar current for multiple power supplies' inputs/outputs

Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Shanghai) Corporation