In the manufacture of an MOS gated semiconductor device, indentations are provided on a surface of a semiconductor wafer extending inwardly of respective spaced apart regions at the wafer surface having doping concentrations greater than that present in the remainder of the wafer. A layer of silicon having a doping concentration less than that of the substrate is conformally provided on the substrate surface whereby the indentations in the substrate surface are replicated on the surface of the silicon layer. Dopants in the substrate regions are then out-diffused into the silicon layer to provide highly doped buried regions within the layer. Then, using the silicon layer surface indentations as photomask alignment marks, gate electrode structures are formed on and within the silicon layer in preselected orientation relative to the buried regions. The buried regions provide low resistance paths for current through the resulting devices.

This invention relates to semiconductor devices of the MOS-Gated type and, particularly, to a method of fabricating such devices with improved electrical conductivity.
By "MOS-gated" type is meant semiconductor devices including a gate control structure comprising a gate electrode overlying, but dielectrically isolated from, a first surface of a semiconductor substrate including, at the surface, source and drain regions separated by a channel region. Operation of the devices is under control of voltages applied to the gate electrode for controlling the conductivity of a path for current through the channel region between the source and drain regions. While a number of different types of MOS-gated devices now exist, e.g., insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and MOS controlled thyristors (MCTs), and while the present invention can be used in all such devices, the greatest utility of the invention is in "unipolar" devices, particularly, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). In such unipolar devices, only one type of majority charge carriers (holes or electrons) is present, and the resistivity of the device semiconductor material is relevant to device performance. As described hereinafter, the use of the invention enables the use of higher conductivity devices.
Additionally, the invention has greatest utility in devices where the drain region extends to the substrate first surface for being disposed between oppositely disposed channel "regions" (which may be part of a common annular channel region), and where the drain region voltage is applied to the drain region at a position beneath the channel region(s). The portion of the drain region adjacent to the substrate first surface and between the oppositely disposed channel regions is referred to as the drain "neck".
Avalanche breakdown in semiconductor devices is well-known and occurs when charge carriers arriving at a reverse biased p-n junction are accelerated by the field in the junction depletion region and receive enough energy so that, in collisions with the substrate lattice, the charge carriers ionize electrons and holes which repeat the process and lead to large current flow across the otherwise reverse biased junction. The reversed biased junction of concern to the present invention is the p-n junction between the channel region and the drain region which must withstand the voltage difference between the device source and drain regions when the device is in its current non-conducting, voltage blocking (off) condition.
In general, higher avalanche breakdown capability is provided by the use of higher resistivity (lower doped) semiconductor materials adjoining the p-n junction. A problem with this, however, is that the higher the resistivity of the semiconductor material, particularly in unipolar devices where the current density is generally not sufficiently high for "conductivity modulating" the resistivity of the material (in effect, negating it), the higher are the voltage drop across the device and the I.sup.2 R heating of the device. Preferably, such parameters should be as low as possible and the present invention is directed to this goal.

Fabrication of conductivity enhanced MOS-gated semiconductor devices


An isotope-doped carbon nanotube (40) includes at least two kinds of carbon nanotube segments, each kind of carbon nanotube segment having a unique carbon isotope. The at least two kinds of carbon nanotube segments are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the carbon nanotube alternately or non-alternately. The carbon isotope is selected from the group consisting of a carbon-12 isotope, a carbon-13 isotope and a carbon-14 isotope. Three preferred methods employ different single isotope sources to form isotope-doped carbon nanotubes. In a chemical vapor deposition method, different isotope source gases are alternately or non-alternately introduced. In an arc discharge method, a power source is alternately or non-alternately switched between different isotope anodes. In a laser ablation method, a laser is alternately or non-alternately focused on different isotope targets.

Carbon nanotubes were discovered by S. Ijima (Nature, vol. 354, pp. 56-58, 1991) and synthesized by T. W. Ebbesen and P. M. Ajayan (Nature, vol. 358, pp. 220-222, 1992). Theoretical studies showed that carbon nanotubes exhibit either metallic or semiconductive behavior depending on the radii and helicity of the tubules. Carbon nanotubes have interesting and potentially useful electrical and mechanical properties, and offer potential for use in electronic devices. Carbon nanotubes also feature high aspect ratios (>1000) and atomically sharp tips, which make them ideal candidates for electron field emitters, white light sources, lithium secondary batteries, hydrogen storage cells, transistors and cathode ray tubes (CRTs).
Carbon nanotubes are currently being produced by a variety of different techniques such as arc discharge (See S. Iijima et al, Nature, Helical Microtubules of Graphitic Carbon, vol. 354, pp. 56-58, 7 Nov. 1991), laser ablation (See T. W. Ebbesen and P. M. Ajayan, Large-scale Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes, Nature, vol. 358, pp. 220-222, 16 Jul. 1992) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) (See W. Z. Li et al., Large-scale Synthesis of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes, Science, vol. 274, pp. 1701-1703, Dec. 6, 1996). All of the above-mentioned disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.
Isotope labeling is a powerful tool in the study of nano-material growth mechanisms and in nano-sized isotope junction synthesis. Methods of isotope labeling use reactants containing different isotopes of a special element (usually light elements such as carbon, boron, nitrogen and oxygen), which are fed in designated concentrations (pure or mixed) and sequences into a nano-material synthesis process to provide in situ isotope labeling of nano-materials.
However, none of the three above-described techniques for producing carbon nanotubes, namely arc discharge, laser ablation and CVD, provides isotope-doped carbon nanotubes or a method for making isotope-doped carbon nanotubes. Therefore, what is needed is carbon nanotubes and methods for making the same.

Method for forming isotope-doped light element nanotube


A convex portion is provided on a door outer panel. Thus, when the door outer panel is thermally expanded, the convex portion is compressed along the direction of a plane of the door outer panel, so a gap the convex portion is crushed. That is, a dimensional difference that has occurred between the door outer panel and a door inner panel along the direction of the plane of the door outer panel is absorbed through compressive deformation of the convex portion.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-212590 (JP 2005-212590 A) discloses an automobile outer plate member made of fiber -reinforced resin (FRP), which employs an FRP member. In this related art, an outer plate made of FRP and an inner plate made of FRP are joined to each other while facing each other.


An anchor line pretensioning method of an anchor line configuration that includes anchor lines (2, 3, 4) which are not diametrically opposed with respect to the structure that is moored to the seabed via the anchor lines. Two anchor lines (2, 3) on a first side of the installation vessel are mutually connected via a connecting member (13), such as for instance a triangular plate (13). The triangular plate (13) is connected to the vessel (10) in a fixed connection point or may be connected to a tensioning device on the vessel. During pretensioning, the pull force exerted on the tri-plate (13) is oriented in the same direction as the pull force exerted on the tensioning line (4) that is located on the opposite side of the vessel.

The invention relates to an anchor line pretensioning method comprising the steps of:                connecting an anchor line with a first end and a tensioning line with a first end to the seabed, at opposite sides of an installation vessel,        connecting the anchor line and the tensioning line with their second ends to the vessel, at least one line being connected to a tensioning device on the vessel, and        pulling at least one line in its length direction towards the vessel.
Mooring systems for offshore structures, such as Floating Production Storage and Offloading Systems (FPSO's), spar buoys, barges and the like, usually comprise arrays of catenary anchor lines. These anchor lines extend along a curved trajectory from the floating structure, to the seabed. The anchor lines may be connected to the seabed by fluke anchors, suction anchors, driven piles or suction piles. In case drag anchors are used, it is necessary to apply a pretension load on the anchor lines after installation to bury the anchors in the seabed and to have the drag anchors develop their design holding power. In case other types of anchoring are used with deep attachment points, which may be located 5–10 meters below the surface of the seabed, the pretension load on the anchor lines will allow the lines to cut through the soil near the anchor pint such that future slackening of the anchor lines is prevented. Furthermore, in each case the pretension load on the anchor line ensures that the line is laid in a straight line along its required route for anchoring the offshore structure.
One way of tensioning anchor lines is to apply a load by the propulsion of one or more tugs. Another method is by pulling the anchor line against the anchor lines of the installation vessel by which the anchor lines are put in place. These methods may impose severe requirements on the installation spread and are relatively costly.
In case the anchor lines are arranged in an array comprising two anchor lines connected to diametrically opposed anchor points located on each side of the floating structure, the anchor lines can be pulled against each other on the installation vessel using either a pulling device across the deck, a crane or a subsea tensioner which requires a relatively cheap installation spread.


An inertial mass detection device. An illustrative embodiment of the device includes a generally elongated ball track, at least one pair of spaced-apart switch contacts provided on the ball track, a battery connected to a first one of the at least one pair of spaced-apart switch contacts, at least one inertia indicating device connected to the battery and to a second one of the at least one pair of spaced-apart switch contacts and an electrically-conductive contact ball rollably provided on the ball track.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to motorized vehicles, and more particularly, to an inertial mass detection device, which renders in a visible and/or audible manner the inertial mass of a moving vehicle for the purpose of reducing fuel consumption.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Efforts to conserve fuel derived from petrol usually used in motorized vehicles have become increasingly intense in recent years due to the rising cost of gasoline. Internal combustion engines are the most widely-used type of engine for automobiles and are also relatively inefficient. Therefore, recent fuel conservation efforts have included designing engines which are capable of consuming a variety of fuels including ethanol or gasoline/ethanol mixtures (also known as "gasohol").
Due in large part to limitations of the internal combustion engine, use of alternative fuels for automobile propulsion has not been widely adopted. Because of the highly accurate tolerances which are required in piston engines, use of more than one type of fuel without a general resetting of the engine is frequently not feasible.
The excessive weight of internal combustion engines has led to an emphasis on designing alternative types of propulsion devices and piston engines having fewer than eight cylinders. Some alternative types of propulsion devices include electric motors and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Hybrid electric vehicles typically include electric traction motors, high-voltage electric energy storage systems and modified transmissions. While it is necessary to use fuel energy to move and maintain an internal combustion vehicle in motion, once the vehicle is in motion it accumulates free inertial mass which can be harnessed by the driver's efficient driving responding to the device's indication.
In current use, there are millions of vehicles which are powered by internal combustion engines or a hybrid combination of electric and internal combustion engines. These vehicles are commonly acted upon by inertial forces during driving. Enabling operators of these vehicles to visualize the inertial forces which are not due to gravity and are acting upon the vehicle at any particular time, as determined by the second law of motion, can enable the vehicle operators to conserve fuel and avoid aggressive driving such as unnecessarily rapid acceleration followed by braking. By visualizing and learning to recognize and reduce aggressive driving, studies have found that gas mileage may be reduced by approximately 33 percent at highway speeds.
A cruise control system automatically controls the speed of a vehicle. In typical operation of a cruise control, the driver of the vehicle brings the vehicle up to a desired speed using the vehicle's accelerator and typically depresses a button to set the cruise control to the selected speed. The cruise control system then controls the throttle of the vehicle to maintain the selected speed of the vehicle.
A cruise control system of a vehicle may cause higher fuel consumption than is necessary because it tends to over throttle on upward slopes, wasting the energy storage capabilities which are available from the inertia of the vehicle.
Therefore, what is needed is an inertial mass detection device which renders in a visible or audible manner the inertial mass of a moving vehicle at all time for the purpose of reducing fuel consumption. In some applications, the inertial mass detection device is connected to a cruise control system of a vehicle and automatically turns-off the original setup speed of the cruise control when necessary to conserve fuel, allowing the driver to control the vehicle's speed again.


A toner container of the present invention includes a cylindrical portion containing toner used in an electrophotographic type complex machine. When the cylindrical portion is driven to rotate, the toner gets out via an outlet thereof. The cylindrical portion of the toner container has an inner wall provided with a coat layer containing fluorine-containing silica fine particles, which are obtained by modifying a property of the surfaces of silica fine particles by using a fluorine-based silane coupling agent. This coat layer effectively prevents the toner from being adhered to the inner wall of the toner container.

In an electrophotographic type image forming apparatus, a developing device uses toner to visualize an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photoconductor. The toner thus used for the visualization of the electrostatic latent image is contained in a toner bottle, and the toner is sequentially supplied from the toner bottle to the developing device.
In many cases, the toner bottle has a cylindrical shape having a hollow, and has one closed end portion and the other end portion around which an outlet is provided. Further, the toner bottle has an inner circumferential surface on which a plurality of projecting sections having a spiral shape are provided. Such a toner bottle is disposed in an image forming apparatus such that the axis of the cylindrical shape portion is horizontal.
When the toner bottle is driven to rotate with respect to the axis, the projecting sections provided in the inner circumferential surface guides and transports the toner toward the outlet, with the result that toner having an amount corresponding to the rotation gets out from the outlet.
In the image forming apparatus including such a toner bottle, the toner in the toner bottle is likely to be aggregated and adhered to the inner wall of the bottle, so that it is impossible to use the toner fully. This is problematic.
In order to avoid this problem, Patent Document 1 proposes that a lining layer made of a fluorine resin is provided on the inner surface of a toner container.
The toner container is manufactured by winding a fluorine resin film on the outer circumferential surface of a container main body and further winding paper thereon. Hence, such a toner container has a problem with its strength.
Meanwhile, Patent Document 2 proposes that fluorine-based resin particles are adhered to the inner wall of a toner bottle and a stirring member.
Specifically, in Patent Document 2, the inner wall of the toner bottle is coated with vinylidene fluoride polymer particles, tetrafluoroethylene polymer particles, trifluoroethylene polymer particles, fluoroethylene polymer particles, or the like, each of which has a primary particle average diameter of approximately 0.3 μm.
It is understood that this makes it difficult for toner to be adhered to the inner wall of the toner bottle, thereby preventing the adhesion and aggregation of toner.
As an alternative way, there is a method of adding an external additive such as colloidal silica or a flow improver to the toner.
For such an external additive, Patent Document 3 proposes an external additive made of fumed silica that is surface-treated by using fluorine-containing silane coupling agent and hexamethyldisilazane. Such external additives improve flowability of toner, thereby preventing the adhesion and aggregation of toner.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication "Jitsukaisho 58-38161 (published on Mar. 12, 1983)"
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication "Tokukaihei 8-110691 (published on Apr. 30, 1996)"
Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication "Tokukai 2004-144854 (published on May 20, 2004)"
However, in an image forming apparatus carrying out fast image formation, the aforesaid technique of Patent Document 2 cannot sufficiently prevent the aggregation and adhesion of toner.
In recent years, as image forming apparatuses become capable of fast image formation, characteristics of toner have been modified. Specifically, toner is modified to melt at a low melting point such that a fixing device quickly fixes the toner onto a recording sheet. This decreases heat resistance of toner, and the toner becomes therefore easily reactive with the inner wall of the toner bottle. For this reason, toner in the vicinity of the inner wall of the toner bottle is easily adhered to the inner wall.
The technique of Patent Document 2 has no problem in the case of toner used in an image forming apparatus carrying out slow image formation, but cannot sufficiently prevent the adhesion and aggregation in the case of an image forming apparatus carrying out fast image formation.

Toner container and image forming apparatus including same


A method may include generating an electrical drive waveform associated with a target actuator by stretching or compressing a reference drive waveform associated with a reference actuator in a time domain of the reference drive waveform in accordance with a time adjustment factor, wherein the time adjustment factor is determined based on a difference between a resonant frequency of the target actuator and a resonant frequency of the reference actuator. The same or another method may include generating an electrical drive waveform associated with a target actuator by increasing or decreasing an amplitude of a reference drive waveform associated with a reference actuator in accordance with an amplitude adjustment factor, wherein the amplitude adjustment factor is determined based on a difference between a resonant frequency of the target actuator and a resonant frequency of the reference actuator.

Linear resonant actuators (LRAs) and other vibrational actuators (e.g., rotational actuators, vibrating motors, etc.) are increasingly being used in mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones, personal digital assistants, video game controllers, etc.) to generate vibrational feedback for user interaction with such devices. Typically, a force/pressure sensor detects user interaction with the device (e.g., a finger press on a virtual button of the device) and in response thereto, the linear resonant actuator vibrates to provide feedback to the user. For example, a linear resonant actuator may vibrate in response to force to mimic to the user the feel of a mechanical button click.
An LRA may include a mass-spring system with an electromotive actuator able to apply force to the mass, with the mass centered in a rest position by a spring or pair of springs. The mass may have embedded within it one or more permanent magnets. One or more coils of wire may apply electromagnetic force to the magnets, moving the mass. Current applied to the one or more coils of wire may cause the mass to move with respect to its housing, and vibrate therein. In typical use, an alternating voltage is applied to the coil terminals, causing an alternating current in the coil, and thus an alternating force on the mass, and the mass moves in response to the applied force. The housing may also include stops or other damping structures to limit excursion and prevent damage if the driving force is too large. As the mass vibrates within the housing, reaction forces generated by the springs and the electromotive drive may be felt as haptic sensations by a person holding the LRA or a mobile device including the LRA.
Taken together, the mass and springs of an LRA form a mechanical resonant system. For a given drive voltage, the greatest mass vibration may be achieved when the drive oscillation frequency equals the mass-spring natural or resonant frequency. In other words, resonant operation may deliver the highest vibrational acceleration per energy input.
Accordingly, a resonant buzz may be generated by synchronizing the driving signal to the LRA mass motion. This manner of synchronized drive may be accomplished by applying a drive voltage at a starting frequency, detecting movement of the mass by sensing the back-electromotive force (back-EMF), and adjusting the drive frequency to match the mass-spring natural resonant frequency. This method of driving an LRA is referred to as closed loop resonant drive. The LRA resonant frequency established in closed loop resonant drive may be stored, and a system may be configured to electrically drive a voltage waveform at a stored resonant frequency to the LRA. This alternate method of driving an LRA may be referred to as open loop resonant drive.
The resonant frequency f0 of an LRA is given by the relationship:
      f    0    =                            *                                    k        m            wherein f0 is resonant frequency, k is a spring constant, expressed as force per unit distance, and m is a mass of the moving mass.
An LRA manufacturing operation will normally attempt to produce devices with minimal variation among devices, but some variation is inevitable. Spring constant variation between units is a typical cause of variation in resonant frequency f0 of LRAs.
A typical LRA may be measured, and its resonance frequency used as a calibration value, which may be subsequently applied to all similar units. While such a solution may be simple, it does not accommodate for unit-to-unit resonant frequency variation. Alternatively, the resonance frequency of each individual LRA may be measured, establishing a calibrated resonance frequency for each. This measurement may take place during a dedicated calibration step, or a resonance calibration measurement may be performed periodically during the life of the LRA. Either way the calibration is performed, a representative resonant frequency for a particular LRA is established, and knowledge of this frequency permits a resonant buzz type electrical drive to be best tailored to each LRA.
Many high-performance haptic systems may drive an LRA in a non-resonant mode, energizing the mass quickly from rest to maximum energy, followed by quickly braking the mass to a stop. The entire maneuver may be only a total of a few cycles, never reaching a sinusoidal steady state. This type of short waveform drive may be referred to as a "bump" or "click." Often, the subjective feel of a haptic effect may be maximized if a control system for the LRA attempts to remove all the stored LRA mechanical energy at the end of the haptic effect, eliminating or minimizing after-ringing. Suppression of after-ringing may be achieved by applying a waveform calibrated to the LRA characteristics, intended to terminate with the LRA mass in the centered position, at zero velocity and zero displacement. A waveform matched to the LRA in this manner may be described as optimal. An optimal waveform is typically obtained from a combination of theory and experimentation.
Transient LRA drive waveforms are typically tuned with primary goals of exciting an LRA mass within its allowable excursion limits, and ensuring a clean vibration termination. There may be no single optimal waveform, and multiple optimal waveforms may be generated having properties or combinations of properties leading to desirable haptic impressions, such as strength and crispness of the haptic effect.
An LRA drive waveform may be classified into energizing, sustaining, and braking phases. During an energizing phase, energy is transmitted from the drive amplifier into the LRA, and vibration increases. During a sustaining phase, the LRA mass vibration remains at a constant level, such that energy lost to friction and electrical resistance is replaced by the amplifier, and the vibration amplitude does not change. During a braking phase, energy is extracted from the moving mass by the drive amplifier, and the vibration amplitude decreases. A short duration transient waveform may include energizing and braking phases, but may operate in sustained vibration for only a short period, or may not enter a sustaining state at all, in which case the drive transitions directly from the energizing phase to the braking phase.
During a transient LRA excitation, the vibrational state of its mass may be changed continuously from zero energy to maximum energy and back to zero. The transient drive waveform may not be generated at one fixed frequency, but instead the frequency may vary throughout the waveform. Furthermore, at any instant in time, the drive may consist of a combination of frequencies, so the transient waveform cannot be characterized as having a particular frequency.
The wave shape of an optimal transient drive waveform may be generated and co-adjusted with the LRA to yield a strong haptic effect, followed by braking and complete energy extraction at the end of the waveform to prevent after-ringing. If an optimal transient drive waveform is calibrated to a first LRA, and is then applied to a second LRA having a different resonant frequency, then the voltage waveform may be non-optimal, and will typically leave the LRA with residual after-ringing vibration upon termination of the drive waveform. Such a situation may be undesirable.
Ideally for each LRA in a production line, an optimal transient drive waveform would be co-developed to match it. However, to perform such waveform tuning, it is necessary to have precise measurement of vibration, a measurement typically done with an accelerometer. Including an accelerometer measurement procedure and waveform tuning process may not be practical in a high-volume manufacturing line.

Drive waveform adjustments to compensate for transducer resonant frequency


A plasma is generated by feeding an antenna with radio-frequency electric power generated by a radio-frequency power source, and one end of the antenna is grounded to the earth through a capacitor of variable capacitance. A Faraday shield is electrically isolated from the earth, and the capacitance of the variable capacitor is determined to be such a value that the voltage at the two ends of the antenna may be equal in absolute values and inverted to reduce the partial removal of the wall after the plasma ignition. At the time of igniting the plasma, the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted to a larger or smaller value than that minimizing the damage of the wall.

The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus for surface treatment to etch a substrate or to form a thin film with a plasma by supplying a radio-frequency electric field to an antenna, generating an electric field, and thereby generating a plasma by the electric field, and a method of using this apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to a semiconductor processing apparatus for processing a semiconductor device, and a method of using this apparatus.
In a semiconductor processing apparatus for generating a plasma by induction by feeding an electric current to a coil-shaped antenna, there is a problem that a vacuum chamber wall made of an non-conductive material and enclosing a plasma generating unit so as to establish a vacuum atmosphere is partly removed by the plasma. In order to solve this problem, there has been conceived a method using a field called the xe2x80x9cFaraday shieldxe2x80x9d, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 502971/1993. If the Faraday shield is used, however, the plasma ignitability is so deteriorated that the plasma is not ignited unless a voltage as high as tens of KV is applied to the feeding portion of the coil-shaped antenna. This apparatus may fail with a high possibility by the discharge between the antenna and a conductive structure nearby. In order to prevent this discharge, an additional structure is needed to insulate the antenna from the existing structure, causing the apparatus to be complicated.
When a Faraday shield is used to reduce the partial removal of the wall, foreign matters are liable to adhere to the wall and to appear if its sticking rate to the wall from the plasma is accelerated. Therefore the partial removal of the wall must be adjusted according to the process.
The plasma density distribution is determined mainly by the generation rate distribution and by the state of transportation of ions and electrons. In the absence of an external magnetic field, the transportation of the plasma diffuses isotropically in every direction. At this time, electrons instantly escape and tend to reach the wall of the vacuum chamber because the mass is no more than {fraction (1/1,000)} of that of an ion, but they are repelled by the sheath (ion sheath) formed in the vicinity of the wall. As a result, a quasi-neutral condition of the electron and ion densities is always met in the plasma, so that both the ions and electrons are bipolarly diffused toward the wall. At this time, the potential of the plasma takes on its maximum where the plasma density, i.e., the ion density, is the maximum. This potential is termed the plasma potential Vp, approximately expressed by Vp≈Texc3x97ln(mi/me), where Te, mi and me are the electron temperature, the mass of an ion, and the mass of an electron, respectively. In the plasma, the potential distribution is determined by the potential Vp and the wall potential (ordinally at 0 V), so that the density distribution is correspondingly determined. Since, in this case, the plasma is confined by the electrostatic field established by itself, the density distribution is determined by the shape of the apparatus, the place where the induced electric field takes on the maximum, and the ratio of the generation ratio/the bipolar diffusion flux.
When the coil is wound by several turns on the vacuum chamber, for example, the magnetic flux generated by the coil takes on the maximum at the central portion so that the induced electric field takes on the maximum at the central portion. Moreover, the induced electric field cannot penetrate deeper than about the skin depth, e.g., 1 cm, so that both the ionization factor and the dissociation factor take on their maximums at the radially central portion (in the direction of arrow r, e.g., in FIG. 21(a)) and just below the dielectric member (in the direction of arrow z, e.g., in FIG. 21(a)). After this, the plasma diffuses towards the wafer side (downstream side). In the case of an ordinary chamber having a cylindrical shape, therefore, the plasma density is the maximum at the central portion in the direction of arrow r, and the degree of central concentration rises downstream so that the plasma density becomes nonuniform in the region where the wafer is placed.
A first object of the invention is to control the removal extent of the vacuum chamber wall around the plasma generating portion by the plasma. A second object of the invention is to improve the plasma ignitability.
A third object is to realize a uniform plasma of high density. This object is particularly desired in processing large semiconductor wafers (e.g., large-size semiconductor wafers of 300 mm).
In order to achieve the above-specified objects, according to the invention, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus comprising an antenna (coil) for generating an electric field in a plasma generating portion, a radio-frequency power source for supplying radio-frequeny electric power to said antenna, a vacuum chamber enclosing the plasma generating portion to establish a vacuum atmosphere therein, a Faraday shield provided around said plasma generating portion (e.g., around the vacuum chamber), a gas supply unit for supplying gas into said vacuum chamber, a sample stage on which an object to be processed is placed, within the vacuum chamber, and a radio-frequency power source for applying a radio-frequency electric field to said sample stage, a plasma being generated by accelerating electrons and ionizing them by collision with the electric field generated by said antenna, and thereby processing said object; characterized in that a load is provided in the earth portion of said antenna, the average potential of said antenna is adjusted so as to improve the ignitability at a plasma ignition time, and the load is adjusted after the plasma is produced so that the average potential of said antenna may be close to that of the earth, and the removed amount of the wall of said vacuum chamber after the plasma generation may be small. The above-specified objects are also achieved, according to the present invention, by a method of operation of this apparatus whereby the load provided in the earth portion of the antenna is adjusted (that is, the voltage on the ends of the antenna (coil) is controlled) such that ignitability of the plasma at the time of plasma ignition is facilitated, and is then again adjusted to be close to that of the ground to limit the amount of chamber wall removed (e.g., etched) by the plasma.
Here, the phenomenon that the average potential of the antenna comes close to that of the earth means that the potentials 30a and 30b of FIG. 4 are mutually opposite in phase but substantially equal to each other, that is, Va≈xe2x88x92Vb.
As another technique and structure to achieve the above-specified objects, the Faraday shield can be provided with at least one switch. When igniting the plasma at a plasma ignition time, the at least one switch is positioned such that the Faraday shield is held in a floating state, to facilitate ignition of the plasma. Thereafter, the at least one switch is thrown to ground the Faraday shield, so as to protect the wall of the plasma chamber from removal by the plasma.
As still another technique and structure to achieve the above-specified objects, the load can be provided in the earth portion of the antenna and a switch or switches can be provided for the Faraday shield. By adjusting the load and positioning the switch as described in the preceding paragraphs, ignition of the plasma is facilitated and removal of the wall in the plasma chamber is avoided.
Means for solving the above-specified problems will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows an experimental induction type plasma generating apparatus, used for verifying the present invention. With this apparatus, the methods for reducing the partial removal of the vacuum chamber wall around the plasma generating portion by the plasma and for improving the ignitability of the plasma are examined by changing the way of grounding the Faraday shield and the antenna to the earth.
In this apparatus, a mixed gas of a chlorine gas and a boron trichloride gas is supplied into a vacuum chamber 2 made of alumina, by the gas supply unit 4. The gas is ionized to produce a plasma 6 with the electric field which is generated by a coil-shaped antenna 1 of two turns wound around the vacuum chamber 2. After this plasma production, the gas is discharged to the outside of the vacuum chamber by a discharge unit 7. The electric field for producing the plasma is generated by feeding the antenna 1 with radio-frequency electric power of 13.56 MHz generated by a radio-frequency power source 10. In order to suppress the reflection of the electric power, an impedance matching unit 3 is used to match the impedance of the antenna 1 with the output impedance of the radio-frequency power source 10. The impedance matching unit is one using two capacitors of variable capacitance, generally called an xe2x80x9cinverted L typexe2x80x9d. The other end of the antenna is grounded through a capacitor 9 to the earth, and a switch 21 is provided for shorting the capacitor 9. In order to prevent the vacuum chamber 2 from being etched by the plasma 6, moreover, a Faraday shield 8 is interposed between the antenna 1 and the vacuum chamber 2. By turning on/off a plurality of switches 22, the Faraday shield can be brought into either the grounded state or the ungrounded state. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the state that the Faraday shield is installed. This Faraday shield 8 is provided with a slit 14 for transmitting the inductive electric field 15a generated by the coil-shaped antenna 1, into the vacuum chamber but intercepting a capacitive electric field 15b. The plasma is ignited mainly with the capacitive electric field 15b. When the Faraday shield is grounded to the earth, however, the capacitive electric field from the antenna is hardly transmitted into the vacuum chamber, thereby deteriorating the ignitability of the plasma. When the Faraday shield is not grounded to the earth, the antenna and the Faraday shield are capacitively coupled to bring the potential of the Faraday shield close to the average potential of the antenna. Thus, it is considered that the capacitive electric field is established between the Faraday shield 8 and an electrode 5, and hence the ignitability of the plasma is not deteriorated so much.
The capacitive electric field 15b is normal to the wall of the vacuum chamber 2, so that the charged particles in the plasma are accelerated to impinge upon and damage the wall. Light 16 emitted from the plasma was observed with a spectroscope 20, and the removal of the wall was measured by observing the light emission strength of aluminum in the plasma as the wall aluminum was removed.
First of all, here will be described a method for optimizing the capacitance of the capacitor 9 connected to the earth portion of the antenna in the experimental apparatus shown in FIG. 2 so that the removal of the wall may be reduced. In the following, the conduction state between the two ends of the switch will be referred to as xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d, and the cut-off state will be referred to as xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d. With the switch 21 being off, that is, with the capacitor 9 being not shorted, here will be described the optimum value of the magnitude of the capacitance of the capacitor 9. The experimental apparatus of FIG. 2 can be shown as an equivalent circuit in FIG. 4. Then, the antenna 1 acts as the primary coil of a transformer, and the plasma 6 acts as the secondary coil of the same. The antenna 1 and the plasma 6 are coupled capacitively, and their capacitance is shown by capacitors 31a and 31b. The capacitance C of the capacitor 9 is determined so that a relation of Va=xe2x88x92Vb always holds between the potential Va at the position of the point 30a on the circuit and the potential Vb at the position of the point 30b when the antenna has an inductance L. When this condition is satisfied, the potentials to be applied to the two ends of the capacitors 31a and 31b are minimized, minimizing the wall damage. FIG. 5 further simplifies the circuit of FIG. 4, namely the antenna and the plasma are combined together as an element 17 having one combined impedance. The impedance of the element was experimentally determined to be Z1=2.4+141j(xcexa9), where j is a complex number. This measurement of the impedance can be simply executed by measuring the electric current flowing through an object to be measured, and the voltages at the two ends of the object. The capacitor 9 has an impedance Z2=xe2x88x92(1xe2x88x92xcfx89C)j, where xcfx89 is the angular frequency corresponding to 13.56 MHz. For Va=xe2x88x92Vb, the relation between the impedances Z1, Z2 is (Z1+Z2):Z2=1:xe2x88x921 since the real part of Z1 is so small that it can be ignored. The calculated electric capacitance of the capacitor 9 is about 150 pF, therefore, the relation Va=xe2x88x92Vb holds. FIG. 6 illustrates the results of calculation of the amplitudes of the potentials at the point 30a (the dotted curve) and the point 30b (the solid curve). The graph shows the capacitance of the capacitor 9 as the abscissa, and the amplitudes of the generated potentials as the ordinates. As a result, the generated potentials were mutually equal in the vicinity of the capacitance of 150 pF of the capacitor 9, the phases of the oscillating voltages at that time were shifted by 180 degrees, and the relation of Va=xe2x88x92Vb was satisfied. This makes it possible to determine by the method thus far described such a capacitance of the capacitor to be connected to the earth side of the antenna that the damage of the wall is minimized.
Next, with the capacitance of the capacitor 9 fixed at 150 pF in FIG. 2, the removed amount of the wall and the plasma ignitability were examined, as tabulated in FIG. 15, when the switches 21 and 22 are turned on or off. The wall removal is found to be great when the switch 21 is on and the switch 22 is off. Under this condition, the plasma ignitability is excellent. Under the other conditions, however, the wall removal can be reduced, but the plasma ignitability is low. Therefore, it has been found that the condition for little wall removal and for excellent plasma ignitability is not present in this system. However, these two purposes can be achieved by operating either the switch 21 or the switch 22 so as to reduce the wall damage after the plasma was ignited under the condition that the switch 21 is on and the switch 22 is off at the ignition time. Here, it is better to use only the switch 21 for the simplification of the apparatus structure. This is partly because the potential of the Faraday shield has to be lowered to zero as much as possible so as to reduce the wall damage by using the switch 22, and consequently the switch 22 has to be provided in plurality, and partly because the Faraday shield has to be grounded with the shortest distance to the earth so that the plural switches 22 have to be provided just near the antenna and the Faraday shield. If the plural switches are arranged for those necessities at the portion adjacent to the antenna and the Faraday shield, the result is a complicated structure. This complicated structure can be avoided with respect to the switch 21 because only one switch 21 is connected to the capacitor 9 side which is provided at a considerable distance from the antenna.
The off state of the switch 21 is the state that the capacitor of 150 pF is connected between the antenna and the earth, and the on state of the switch 21 is identical to the state that the capacitance of the capacitor 9 is increased to infinity in a radio-frequency band of HF or VHF. This means that the wall removal increases more as the capacitance of the capacitor 9 is raised to a higher level from 150 pF. The wall removal also increases even if the capacitance of the capacitor 9 is lowered from 150 pF. Thus, the wall removal can be controlled by varying the capacitance of the capacitor 9.
In an apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the capacitance of the capacitor 9 connected to the earth side of the antenna 1 is variable, so that the wall removal by the plasma can be reduced by varying the capacitance of the capacitor 9. Moreover, the plasma ignitability can be drastically improved by making the capacitance of the capacitor 9 far larger or smaller than 150 pF at the time of igniting the plasma.
By adjusting the capacitance of the capacitor connected to the earth side of the antenna, as described above, the removed amount of the wall by the plasma can be reduced to achieve the first object of the invention. At the plasma ignition time, moreover, the capacitance of the capacitor connected to the earth side of the antenna can be changed to establish an excellent ignitable state, thereby achieving the second object of the invention.
Here will be examined a method for generating a uniform plasma. When the coil-shaped antenna is placed on the upper face of the vacuum chamber, the induced electric field is generated at the central portion, even if the diameter of the antenna is varied to vary the intensity of the induced electric field in the radial direction, so that the plasma density distribution is nonuniformly concentrated at the center. This tendency of concentration of the plasma density at the center is not varied even if a plurality of antennas are arranged to vary the distance between each antenna and the dielectric member. FIG. 21(b) illustrates one example of the calculation of the plasma density distribution when the antenna is placed on the vacuum chamber like FIG. 21(a). From this calculation, when the ratio of the apparatus height H to the radius R (the aspect ratio) is as large as H/R=20/25, as illustrated in FIG. 21(b), the plasma density at the place, just below the antenna (z=2 cm), where the antenna is present takes on its maximum and increases in its absolute value (z=10 cm) downstream (in the direction where the value z increases) but is small just above the substrate. It is then found that the plasma density is nonuniform. When viewed in the z direction, the density takes on its maximum at the apparatus center z=10 cm. When the aspect ratio is reduced, as illustrated in FIG. 21(c), the density distribution is substantially identical to that of FIG. 21(b), but the distribution just above the substrate is gentler than that of (b) and is concentrated at the center.
The plasma density distribution is determined by the boundary condition that the plasma density is zero on the vacuum chamber wall and by the generation rate distribution, i.e., the antenna position. Even if the antenna position is changed, as illustrated in FIG. 21(d), and if a plurality of antennas are placed to change the power distribution, the shape of the density distribution remains unchanged. When the coil is provided on the upper face, the induced electric field generated by the antenna takes on its maximum just below the antenna, so that a centrally concentrated distribution is always established on the downstream.
In the case of an arrangement in which the antenna is wound horizontally around the vacuum chamber, the induced electric field takes on its maximum on the side face of the chamber. A sheath is formed on the side face of the chamber, so that the plasma density takes on its maximum slightly inside the sheath, at the place the closest to the antenna. As shown in a horizontal section at this time, the potential is higher at the sheath end than at the wall and than at the plasma center so that the plasma is transported to the two sides from the sheath. Simultaneously with this, the plasma flows downstream from that position, and hence the density distribution is uniform in a portion in a horizontal section, at a distance in the z direction from the highest density portion. In the case of a cylindrical apparatus, for example, a concave distribution may be established in the vicinity of the wafer for a small H/R ratio, and a convex distribution may be established for a sufficiently large H/R ratio where H is the height of the apparatus and R is the radius thereof, so that the plasma density distribution can be controlled to some extent (refer to FIGS. 22(a) and 22(b)). The dominant factors at this time are the shape of the apparatus, i.e., the ratio H/R. When the antenna is provided on the side face, however, the plasma density is lowered by the reduction in the coupling efficiency due to the large coupling area of the antenna and the plasma and by the large loss of the plasma because the region where the density is a maximum is near to the side face wall. If the supplied power and the vacuum chamber size are the same, the plasma density of this case is lower than that of the aforementioned case in which the antenna is provided on the upper face. This raises a problem that the processing speed of the object to be processed is low.
As thus far described, the plasma density distribution of the inductively coupled plasma varies with the apparatus shape and the antenna arrangement, but the third object of the invention is achieved by such a construction where the upper face of the vacuum chamber has a smaller area than that of the lower face, and the upper face is flat. Thus, the apparatus of the present invention can be used to process large-sized semiconductor wafers discussed previously.
In the plasma processing apparatus, preferably, the angle between the edge at which the lower face and the upper face intersect and the normal of the upper face is not less than 5 degrees.
In the plasma processing apparatus, more preferably, the ratio of the apparatus height (the distance from the object to be processed to the upper face) to the radius is not more than 1.


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, to identify geobodies for exploration and production activities. In one aspect, a method includes receiving seismic volume data regarding a geobody, generating an interpretation object by applying a multi-Z interpretation at representative intervals of edge-detected attributes through the seismic volume data, converting Z-value surfaces to points at each of the representative intervals, the Z-value surfaces generated by gridding polygons having been infilled and converted from the interpretation object, applying a mathematical addition or subtraction to generate a body of points representing the geobody by replicating the points at successive intervals, forming a blended 3D property model of the geobody by combining the seismic volume data resampled into a three-dimensional (3D) cellular grid, and enabling exploration activities by employing the seismic attribute analysis of the geobody identified based on the blended 3D property model.

A channel belts is a zone along a river valley where an active meandering channel will tend to be found. The channel freely meanders within this zone through time. Long periods of river flow result in a complex spatial distribution of partly preserved point bars, channel mud fills, and the predominantly muddy sediments of the floodplain. Over time, a channel belt can be buried under sediment. Such a structure is advantageous to the formation (e.g., filled with oil or gas) of hydrocarbon (fluvial) reservoirs. In such fluvial reservoirs, the point bars provide storage capacity for the oil or gas. The formation of these fluvial reservoirs within the channel belt form what is known as a fluvial channel system.

Seismic channel geobody extraction for basin fairway simulation


An implement comprising a first handle, on which are disposed control elements for the implement. A versatile use of an implement to which is secured a first handle can be provided if the first handle is secured to a tubular section of the implement via a clamp, whereby a handle is detachably mounted on the clamp and the clamp is mounted on the tubular section.

The present invention relates to an implement on which is secured a first handle, whereby the control elements, in particular the throttle trigger for operating a drive motor of the implement, are disposed on the first handle.
US 2005/0132531 A1 discloses an implement, namely a blower, having a handle for guiding the blower tube. The handle is disposed above the blower tube, and can be grasped ergonomically and conveniently only with one hand of the operator, so that the blower is suitable only for one-handed operation. Guiding the blower tube with only one hand can lead to operator fatigue.
It is therefore an object of the present application to provide an implement of the aforementioned general type that permits a fatigue-free operation and a versatile use.


Body art, such as tattoos, are integrated or extended onto clothing. Clothing patterns may be integrated or extended onto body art, such as temporary tattoos. In one embodiment, a computer analyzes an image of a body with a tattoo and generates an image suitable for application to clothing. When applied to clothing, the image displays the portion of the tattoo that is covered by the clothing, or may extend the appearance of the tattoo from the skin to the adjacent clothing.

Clothing has long been used as a template for self-expression. It is common for people to choose clothing that highlights their personality. Clothing is also chosen for its pleasant appearance. In each of these instances, clothing is not evaluated in a vacuum, but rather is evaluated in the context of the environment it will be seen in. Clothing worn to an office, for example, is chosen with sensitivity to the impression it will made in that environment. Similarly, clothing worn to a nightclub is chosen based in part on its likelihood to create the desired appearance in that setting.
The context used to evaluate clothing is not only where it will be worn, but its ability to enhance or complement the wearer's other clothing and appearance. To this end, it is common for people to select clothing that tends to hang well on their body, appear "slimming", distract from undesirable body attributes, and enhance other attributes. The selection of color or patterns on clothing with the goal of "bringing out the color of your eyes" or complementing skin tone is common. Another factor often used in choosing clothing is consideration of whether it "covers up" scars or other skin attributes.
Body art has existed in some forms from prehistoric times, and now includes many variants, including permanent tattoos, temporary tattoos, piercings, scars (intentionally inflicted or otherwise), makeup (temporary or permanent), surgical alterations and other body alterations. The presence of body art is often something that is covered up using clothing. It is also known to showcase body art by selecting clothing that intentionally exposes the body art (such as a shirt that is cut high to expose a stomach tattoo).

Clothing and body covering pattern creation machine and method


A process and system for interactively displaying large (more than 1 million voxels) volumetric 3D images utilizing a sequence of helical slices of a 3D data set to generate a series of 2D images on a reflective surface of a light modulator. The series of 2D images generated on the light modulator are projected into a volumetric 3D-space display using an illumination light source and projection optics. Voxels in 3D space are illuminated for each 2D projected image, each voxel being located at its corresponding spatial location. A pulse from a wireless pulsed laser pointer forms a 3D bright voxel within the display volume. The pulse signal is synchronized with the rotating helix, and the orientation of the pointer and the phase of the pulse are controlled by the user to specify a 3D point in 3D space. A wireless receiver provides six degree-of-freedom (DOF) position of the spatial location of the pointer, as well as the phase signal. Optical encoders provide synchronization signals of the rotating helical display.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention presents a method and apparatus for an interactive high-resolution volumetric three-dimensional (3D) display using fast spatial light modulators (SLM), a moving image screen, and a wireless pulsed laser pointer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Brief Survey of Prior Art on Volumetric 3D Display Techniques
In this section, we provide a brief survey of a number of 3D volumetric display techniques that have been intensively developed recently by several research groups.
Solid State Up-Conversion
A fundamental requirement of a volumetric 3D display system is to have an entire volume filled with materials that can be selectively excited at any desired locations. To achieve this goal, one can have two independently controlled radiation beams that activate a voxel only when they intersect. While electron beams can not be used for such a purpose, laser beams can, provided that a suitable excitable material can be found. A process known as two-photon up-conversion can achieve this objective (U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,476 by Swainson, 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,621 by Downing, 1997). Briefly, this process uses the energy of two IR photons to pump a material into an excited level from which it can make a visible fluorescent transition to a low level. For this process to be useful as a display medium it must exhibit two photon absorption from two different wavelengths so that a voxel is turned on only at the intersection of two independently scanned laser sources. The materials of choice at the present time are the rare earth metals doped into a glass host known as ZBLAN. ZBLAN is a flurozirconate glass whose chemical name stands for ZrF4—BaF2—LaF3—AlF3—NaF. The two photon up-conversion concept for 3D volumetric display is quite promising, since it requires no moving parts. However, the major difficulties to produce a practically useful 3D display using this approach are its scale-up capability and color capability.
Gas Medium Up-Conversion
Another 3D Display based on the up-conversion concept employs the intersection of two laser beams in an atomic vapor, and subsequent omnidirectional florescence from the intersection point (U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,068, November 1989). Two lasers are directed via mirrors and x-y scanners towards an enclosure containing an appropriate gaseous species (rubidium vapor, for example), where they intersect at 90 degrees. Either laser by itself causes no visible fluorescence. However, where both laser are incident on the same gas atoms, two step excitation results in florescence at the intersecting point. By scanning the intersection point faster enough, a 3D image can be drawn in the vapor. The eye can not see changes faster that about 15 Hz, so that if the image to be displayed is repeatedly drawn faster than this rate, the image will appear to be steady, even though light may be originating from any one point in the volume for only a small fraction of the time.
The advantage of this 3D display concept is its scalability: It can be built in almost any desirable size without significantly increasing the complexity of the system. The technical difficulties in implementing this concept including the requirement of a vacuum chamber, the requirement for maintaining a certain temperature, the limitation on the number of voxels due to the speed of the scanners, and concern for the safety of the eyes of viewers due to the use of laser beams.
Rotating Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Array
One of the earliest volumetric 3D displays was designed by Schipper (U.S. Pat. No. 3,097,261, 1963). It consists of a rotating electroluminenscent panel with an embedded high-speed light emitter array. By controlling the timing of the x-y addressing of the light emitter array and the rotation of the panel, 3D images can be formed within the volume swept by the rotating panel. In 1979, Berlin developed an innovative approach to solving the high-bandwidth data transmission problem of this design using an optical link and replaced the light emitters with a high speed LED (Light Emitter Diode) matrix (U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,973 by Berlin, 1979). This system uses a 3D array of LEDs that are rotated to sweep out a 3D volume. The resolution of this volume is a function of the number and density of LEDs mounted on the rotating planar array, the speed of rotation and the rate at which the LEDs can be pulsed.
Cathode Ray Sphere
The Cathode Ray Sphere (CRS) concept was originally developed by Ketchpel in the 1960s (U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,415 by Ketchpel, 1960) and recently implemented by researchers in New Zealand (U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,606 December 1997 Blundell). The voxels are created by addressing a rapidly rotating phosphor-coated target screen in vacuum by electron beams synchronized to the screen's rotation. The view of this rotating multiple planar surface depends on the clarity of the glass enclosure and the translucency of the rotating screen. Another image quality issue is the interaction between the phosphor decay rate and the speed of the rotation of the screen.
Varifocal Mirror and High Speed Monitor
A very clever method of 3D display employs the strategy of forming optical virtual 3D images in space in front of a viewer using a varifocal minor system (U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,832 by Sher, 1978). The varifocal mirror system consists of a vibrating circular mirror along with a high-speed monitor. The monitor is connected to a woofer such that the woofer can be synchronized to the monitor. A flexible, circular mirror is attached to the front of the woofer, and the monitor is pointed toward the mirror. With the vibrations from the woofer, the mirror changes focal length and the different points being displayed on the monitor seem to appear at different physical locations in space, giving the appearance of different depths to different objects in the scene being displayed. Variable mirror based 3D display systems are primarily limited by the size of the mirror and updating rate of images, since this mirror has to vibrate.
Laser Scanning Rotating Helix 3D Display
Extensive attempts have been made by researchers at Texas Instruments (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,042,909, 5,162,787, etc.) to develop a 3D display device based on laser scanning and a rotating (helical) surface. Lasers scanning 3D displays operate by deflecting a beam of coherent light generated by a laser to a rotating helical surface. Timing modulation of the laser beam controls the height of the light spot that is produced by the laser on the rotating surface. The deflectors include devices such as polygonal mirrors, galvanometers, acousto-optics modulated deflectors, and micro-deformable mirrors. There are several problems with this 3D display mechanism that have prevented it from becoming commercially feasible.
The most serious problem is the limitation on the maximum number of voxels that can be displayed. Due to the nature of sequential (non-parallel) laser scanning, only one spot of light can be displayed at any given moment. All the activated image voxels have to be addressed, one by one, by the scanning of a single laser beam in time-multiplex fashion. The time needed for scanning the laser beam, including holding the laser on a particular voxel position long enough to produce sufficient brightness, poses an upper limit to how many voxels the device can display. To increase the number of voxels, multiple channel lasers and scanners could be used. However, many attempts to increase the spatial resolution have been hampered with high cost and bulky hardware design.
As shown in the previously mentioned patents and techniques, there has been a research and development effort for obtaining a true volumetric 3D display. However, none of them is able to provide high-resolution volumetric 3D images with over one million voxels. Further, none of them is able to provide a dynamic interaction with a true volumetric 3D display.

Method and apparatus for an interactive volumetric three dimensional display


An apparatus capable of mixing and dispensing a decontaminant foam that is useful in strategic and tactical decontamination comprises in one embodiment a plurality of tanks 11, a pump assembly that is capable of mixing binary or multi-component decontaminant fluids in a desired ratio, and a manifold for mixing the fluids. In an alternative embodiment, the invention provides a mobile decontamination module, wherein a wheeled platform is provided for supporting the tanks 11, pump assembly, manifold, and a boom for dispensing foam-based of liquid-based decontaminant such that the module is compatible with the on-load and off-load equipment aboard a heavy transport vehicle.

The availability of chemical and biological agents to individuals and rogue nations coupled with the recent terrorist attacks in the United States have resulted in the development of foam-based or liquid-based decontaminants that can be dispersed over a wide area (i.e., strategic decontamination of an airfield or seaport) or on individual equipment (i.e., tactical decontamination of aircraft or tactical vehicles). One such foam-based decontaminant is formed from binary or trinary decontamination fluids. Specifically, Sandia National Laboratories has developed a foam-based decontaminants (referred to as "Decon Foam 100" and "Decon Foam 200") for use in connection with a variety of delivery apparatus discussed herein. Decontaminant foams are preferred over decontaminant liquids because of the storage efficiencies, environmental concerns, safety considerations, sustained dispersal rates, and ground coverage offered by foam-based decontaminants. Preferred foam-based decontaminants under current development and testing are created by mixing binary or multi-component decontaminant fluids. Delivery means for the preferred binary or multi-component decontaminant fluids, however, are limited.
Existing liquid decontaminants are typically based on bleach, chlorinated solvents, or other hazardous or corrosive materials. The characteristics of existing liquid decontaminants degrade the structural integrity of the delivery apparatus (e.g., corrosion of storage tanks 11), damage equipment treated with the decontaminant (e.g., aircraft surfaces), and harm the environment (e.g., kill vegetation). Unfortunately, the majority of available decontaminants are designed to render a limited number of chemical or biological agents inactive. Moreover, existing decontaminants are relatively expensive.
The advantages provided by the current foam-based decontaminants are numerous. For example, foam-based decontaminants are environmentally friendly and may be immediately dispersed in public areas with minimal concern for harmful effects to human, plant, or animal life. Further, upon dispersal, foam-based decontaminants are readily visible to the naked eye. Thus, individuals and decontamination teams are able to readily identify areas that have been treated with the decontaminant. Moreover, foam-based decontaminants increase contact time with the hazardous agent. Specifically, foam does not immediately move to the lowest point of an affected area and remains adjacent affected structures for a longer period of time as compared to liquid decontaminants. Further, the decontaminant foam may expand up to about 100 times-and more typically eight to twenty times-its liquid volume when disbursed through an aerated nozzle. Once dispersed, the foam eventually returns (i.e., collapses) to its original liquid state. Subsequently, decontamination teams are able to wash the residue liquids down storm drains or the like. Moreover, preferred foam decontaminants act to degrade a wide variety of chemical and biological decontaminants.
The foam is a combination of readily available chemical compounds that neutralize chemical agents in much the same way a detergent cleans a garment. Specifically, the surfactants and mild oxidizing agents chemically break down the phosphate or sulfide bonds holding the molecules of the chemical agent together, resulting in non-toxic agents. For example, decontamination teams used a form of the foam made available by Sandia Labs to decontaminate certain federal buildings in Washington, D.C., after the recent anthrax attacks.
A known option for delivering decontaminants is a portable self-contained compressed air foam (commonly referred to as "CAF") system resembling a backpack that is sold by Intelagard under the trademark MACAW™ (see FIG. 1). The MACAW™ backpack is capable of expanding 5 gallons of a particular decontamination solution into 250 gallons of finished foam and is capable of propelling the foam to a distance of up to 35 feet. Nevertheless, these small man-portable units lack the capacity for carrying sufficient amounts of decontaminant for dispersal over wide areas. Further, the commercially available man-portable units are incapable of dispensing the preferred binary or multi-component decontaminant fluids.
Another available option for delivering decontaminants is a self-contained handcart CAF system sold by Intelagard under the trademark MERLIN™. The MERLIN™ handcart includes a 15-gallon tank that is capable of expanding its payload up to 70 times and projecting finished foam up to 45 feet. Unfortunately, the handcart equipment is likewise incapable of dispensing the preferred binary or multi-component decontaminant fluids.
Yet another known option is a foam delivery vehicle (FDV) sold under the trademark EASYCAFS™. The FDV is a compressed air foam system mounted on the back of an all-terrain vehicle. This system is capable of dispensing 75 gallons of a particular decontamination solution.
The known devices, however, are ill suited for mixing and delivering the preferred binary or multi-component decontaminant foams. Specifically, these known CAF systems are limited to decontaminant foam created by introducing compressed air into the fluid stream in conjunction with an aerated nozzle to create the desired foaming action. Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus that is capable of mixing preferred binary or multi-component decontaminant fluids and dispensing foam decontaminants. Specifically there is a need for a pump assembly that safely and effectively mixes the liquid binary or multi-component agents to form foam or liquid decontaminants.
Unfortunately, the known devices referenced above have limited storage and dispensing capacity. Accordingly, a mobile decontamination module capable of storing several hundred gallons of decontamination fluid and capable of dispersing the decontaminant for a minimum sustained time at maximum output for at least 30 to 60 minutes is desirable.
Chemical and biological agents pose a threat to U.S. military forces stationed abroad in combat operations, as well as units deployed domestically in reaction to a chemical or biological attack. Accordingly, there is a need for mobile decontamination equipment that can be readily deployed to a crisis area either overseas in a combat environment or in a major U.S. city. Accordingly, there is a need for a mobile decontamination module that is air transportable to affected areas in an effort to quickly sustain and reconstitute military operations worldwide.
As a result of the development of binary or multi-component decontamination fluids, there also exists a need for a mobile decontamination module that is capable of mixing and dispersing binary or multi-component decontaminant fluids as a foam-based or liquid-based decontaminant.
A further need exists for a mobile decontamination unit that is capable of effectively delivering decontaminant to wide areas such as airfields, seaports, and terrain.
There is also a need for a mobile decontamination module that is capable of delivering the decontaminant to a vertical height sufficient to cover top surfaces of aircraft and other military equipment, and the sides and rooftops of man-made structures.
A need also exists for a mobile decontamination module having a quick drain and refill capability. Specifically, an onboard suction fill apparatus for resupplying the mobile module with binary or multi-component decontaminant fluids and water is desirable.
There is a further need for a mobile decontamination module that requires a minimal amount of training time to effectively operate the module.
There also exists a need for a mobile decontamination module that is capable of operating at a variety of temperatures ranging approximately from approximately −20 degrees Fahrenheit to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
The mobile decontamination module must also be capable of withstanding the rigors of airlift and off-road deployment, yet remain readily accessible to the end user. Accordingly there is a need for a mobile decontamination module that provides easy access to the dispersal hoses and nozzles, yet prevents premature structural failure.
A further need exists for a mobile decontamination module that is compatible with the on-load and off-load equipment aboard heavy transport vehicles in the U.S. military inventory (e.g., Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck or HEMTT).
Moreover, most decontamination equipment lacks the ability to clean or "wash down" a vehicle or structure that has been treated with decontaminant. Stated differently, upon dispersal of the decontaminant, a second piece of equipment is typically required to wash the foam from the affected area. Thus, there is a need for a mobile decontamination module that not only disperses decontaminants, yet is capable of dispensing water to clean the foam from the affected area.
A further need exists for storage of multiple fluids separately for 5 to 10 years. When mixed shelf life is 8 hours. Most existing equipment uses a pre-mix due to lack of a proper pumping system.
Yet a further need exists for an apparatus that incorporates a self-cleaning or self-flushing capability. Specifically, a need exists for an apparatus that is capable of flushing the conduits that deliver the binary or multi-component decontaminant fluids with water.
When deployed with military forces, it is desirable to have a mobile decontamination module that is capable of operating at a variety of temperatures. Thus, there is a need for a mobile decontamination module that is capable of preventing the freezing of the decontaminants. Likewise, when deployed in a combat situation, there is a need for a mobile decontamination module that is easily maintained and capable of ready repair.


A first compact (11) is molded by injection according to the MIM method in which a molding material composed of a mixture of metal powder and a binder is injected into a die for molding, after which a second compact (12) is molded by injection in close contact with the joining surface (110) of the first compact (11) thereby to fabricate a metal composite compact (1). The second compact (12) is molded by injection by making it flow and fill a die (8) in such a manner as to obtain a flow component (R) in the direction parallel to the joining surface (110) of the first compact (11) on the same joining surface (110). In a method according to another embodiment, cavity surfaces (60, 61) formed on a reference die (50) and a first replacement die (51), respectively, are placed in opposed relation to each other thereby to form a first cavity (71), in which the first compact (11) is molded by injection. Then, while leaving the first compact (11) in the cavity surface (60) of the reference die (50), only the first replacement die (51) is replaced by a second replacement die (52) having a cavity surface (62) of a different shape thereby to form a second cavity (72), into which the second compact (12) is molded by injection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a molding method for fabricating a metal composite compact according to a metal powder injection molding (MIM) process by integrating two compacts of the same type, or of different types, of material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, metal powder injection molding (MIM) has been used as a method for fabricating a metal compact. According to this method, metal powder is mixed with a binder, to give fluidity, and is subjected to injection molding. Almost all the binder is removed by heating or the like from the compact in a degreasing step, and the compact is heated to a higher temperature to sinter the metal powder in a sintering step thereby to produce the desired product.
Also, a sintered metal composite compact can be fabricated by integrating a plurality of sintered compacts of the same type or different types of material using the MIM method. In such a case, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a first compact 91 fabricated in advance is inserted in a die 8. A second compact 92 of a material identical to or different from the first compact 91 is integrated with the first compact 91 and molded thereby to produce a metal composite compact. The integrated compact is later degreased and sintered to produce the aforementioned sintered metal composite compact.
However, the metal composite compact described above poses the problem that the concentration of the binder contained in the molding material is liable to increase in the boundaries of a plurality of compacts and a sound joining boundary cannot be obtained after sintering. Specifically, at the boundary surface S in FIG. 6B, a high binder concentration portion 918 is formed in the surface of the joining surface of the first compact 91, as shown in FIG. 7. On the other hand, the surface of the joining surface of the second compact 92 is also formed with a high binder concentration portion 928. The boundary is obtained in which the two high binder concentration portions 918, 928 join each other.
Specifically, the molding material used for the MIM method is a mixture of metal powder and a binder, and is fluidized by heating it to a predetermined temperature to liquefy the binder. In the fluidized state of the molding material, the binder has a higher fluidity than the metal powder.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, at the time of injection molding, the high binder concentration portion 951 of the molding material 95 blows out from the central portion of the flow path to the forward end and flows back around the side surface. Thus, the surface of the molded compact is formed with a layer high in both fluidity and binder concentration, which layer also remains in the boundary surfaces of the two compacts. The high binder concentration portion which first solidifies is subjected to a shearing force F by the internal flow on the side surface in contact with the die 8 along the direction of the flow. Therefore, the thickness of the high binder concentration portion on the side surface is thinner than that on the forward end portion.
In the case where the molding material is degreased while the high binder concentration portion remains on the boundary surfaces of a plurality of the compacts, a depression may be formed due to the loss of the binder. In such a case, a normal joint may not be obtained in the subsequent sintering process.
Also, according to the MIM method, a compact of a comparatively complicated shape can be fabricated. In the case where different types of material are integrated or a compact formed of a material of the same type is geometrically too complicated, however, the injection molding may not be accomplished at one time. In such a case, the two compacts are injection molded individually and integrated in a given step of the fabrication process.
According to a method in which a sintered compact is produced by integrating a plurality of parts of the same material or different types of material using the conventional MIM, a plurality of sintered compacts formed separately from each other are joined through an appropriate process such as welding. A welding step added after sintering, however, leads to an unstable quality and a higher cost due to an increased number of steps.
Another conventional method is an insert molding method such as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) NO. 3-232906, in which a first compact prepared separately is placed in a die and a second compact is molded by injection.
In this method, the first compact is required to be fabricated separately in advance, and therefore the number of steps is increased.
Also, in the case where the first compact is placed in a die, the size of the recess into which the first compact is inserted is required to be larger than the size of the compact, resulting in a lower dimensional accuracy. This is by reason of the fact that in the case where the recess and the compact have the same size, the compact is cut off or broken when inserted into the recess, leading to a higher rejection ratio.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-90312 discloses still another method in which the die is formed with partitions and the injection molding is carried out in cavities sequentially for integration while moving the partitions.
In this case, a compact having a three-dimensional complicated shape which the MIM method is primarily intended for is very difficult to mold, and the realization of such a molding greatly complicates the die structure and the cost becomes higher.
In the case where the compact to be formed is small, it may be that the space for partitions cannot be secured or a sprue, a runner or the like cannot be arranged in the die.
Also, it is very difficult to obtain a plurality of compacts at a time without resolving the problem of a very complicated die structure and a higher cost.
Further, the provision of a multiplicity of sliding portions for moving the partitions shortens the life of the die.
Furthermore, as the result of adding the partitions, a multiplicity of sectional die surfaces are transferred to the compact and a superior surface cannot be obtained. Another problem is that a high dimensional accuracy cannot be secured due to the effect of the clearance unavoidably existing in the sliding parts of the partitions.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-346604, on the other hand, discloses a method in which an inserted core is removed after forming a first compact and a second compact is molded by injection into the cavity formed by the core. Also, the second compact is molded by injection after the portion of the first compact to be in contact with the second compact is maintained at 20 to 70xc2x0 C.
For the temperature of the outer surface of the first compact to be maintained at 20 to 70xc2x0 C., however, it is necessary to wait until the temperature drops after injection molding in an ordinary injection molding machine, resulting in a very low productivity.
Also, the molding process using a core consumes a considerable length of time for mounting and demounting the core. Since the core is cooled once removed, it is necessary to wait until the core temperature increases to a predetermined level before continuing the injection molding, also resulting in a low productivity.
The present invention has been developed in view of the aforementioned problems, and a first object thereof is to provide a method of fabricating a metal composite compact in which the forming of a high binder concentration portion can be suppressed at the boundary surfaces of a plurality of compacts made of materials of different types or a material of the same type.
A second object of the invention is to provide a method of fabricating a metal composite compact including an integration of a plurality of compacts of the materials of different types or a material of the same type with a superior dimensional accuracy at low cost.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a metal composite compact in which a first compact is molded by injection using the MIM method for injection-molding a molding material composed of a mixture of metal powder and a binder in a die, after which a second compact is molded by injection in close contact with the joining surface of the first compact thereby to integrate the first and second compacts, wherein the second compact is molded by injection in such a manner that the second molding material of the second compact is rendered to flow while being filled in the die to obtain a flow component in the direction parallel to the joining surface of the first compact.
The most noteworthy fact in the present invention is that the direction of flow of the second molding material is positively controlled when the second compact is molded by injection as described above to thereby create a direction of flow parallel to the joining surface of the first compact. This flow component parallel to the joining surface is not limited to the one flowing linearly from the beginning but also includes the one curved on a surface parallel to the joining surface.
In this aspect of the invention, after molding the first compact by injection, the second compact is molded by injecting the second molding material into a die in which the first compact is arranged. In the process, the second molding material creates a flow component parallel to the joining surface of the first compact on the same surface. As a result, the formation of a high binder concentration portion can be suppressed at the boundary portion (joining portion) between the first compact and the second compact.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a metal composite compact wherein, after molding a first compact by the MIM method, a second compact is molded in close contact with a portion of the first compact, after which the first and second compacts are integrated with each other, comprising the steps of:
forming a first cavity by arranging the cavity surfaces of a reference die and a first replacement die in opposed relation to each other and molding the first compact by injection in the first cavity; and
replacing only the first replacement die with a second replacement die having a cavity surface of a different shape while leaving the first compact on the cavity surface of the reference die, thereby forming a second cavity by the first compact and the cavity surface of the second replacement die, and molding the second compact by injection in the second cavity thereby to produce the metal composite compact including the first compact and the second compact integrated with each other.
In the fabrication method according to this aspect of invention, the first cavity is formed first of all by the reference die and the first replacement die. Specifically, two dies making up a first mold member are each formed with a cavity surface, and these two cavity surfaces are placed in opposed relation to each other thereby to form a first cavity of a shape corresponding to the desired first compact. The metal powder for the first compact is injected into the first cavity. The metal powder, as explained with reference to the prior art, is in the form of a mixture with a binder heated to a predetermined temperature and having fluidity.
After molding the first compact in the first cavity, only the first replacement die is replaced by the second replacement die without releasing the first compact. The second replacement die has a cavity surface corresponding to the desired shape of the second compact, and forms a second cavity with the surface of the first compact in opposed relation thereto. The metal powder for the second compact is injected into this second cavity. This metal powder is also in the form of a mixture with a binder heated to a predetermined temperature and having fluidity.
As described above, according to this invention, after molding the first compact by injection, the second compact can be molded by injection on the first compact without removing it from the die. Specifically, immediately after molding the first compact by injection, the second compact can be molded by injection within a short time simply by exchanging the first and second replacement dies with each other. As a result, the second compact can be brought into contact with the first compact left on the cavity surface of the reference die without significantly reducing the temperature of the first compact.
A very satisfactory condition of the boundary portion between the first compact and the second compact can be obtained by suppressing the temperature drop of the first compact.
Specifically, the first compact and the second compact each contain a binder as well as the metal powder making up the main component. In the case where a mixture of the binder and the metal powder is used for injection molding, the fluidity characteristic thereof causes the concentration of the binder in the surface portion to increase. Also, the binder solidifies and loses the fluidity when the temperature drops. In the case where a second compact is molded by injection on the surface of the first compact after the first compact is cooled and solidified, therefore, a boundary layer high in binder concentration may be formed between the first compact and the second compact. If the mold is degreased and sintered with a boundary layer high in binder concentration, the distance between the metal powder of the two compacts is increased excessively, thereby often making it impossible to obtain a satisfactory sintered state.
By maintaining an appropriately high temperature of the first compact as described above, the surface of the first compact can be maintained in a state of some fluidity. Even after the first compact is solidified, on the other hand, the fluidity thereof can be easily restored by the heat transmitted from the second compact. In such a case, therefore, the distance between the metal powder of the first and second compacts can be reduced by maintaining the fluidity of the portion of the boundary therebetween high in binder concentration. Thus, the quality of the sintered compact finally obtained can be improved.
Also, according to this invention, as described above, the fact that the first compact is left on the cavity surface of the reference die can improve the dimensional accuracy of the resulting metal composite compact.
Further, the second compact can be molded by injection substantially without intermission simply by replacing the first replacement die and the second replacement die with each other as described above. Therefore, the metal composite compact can be fabricated with a very high efficiency for a reduced fabrication cost. As described above, according to this invention, a fabrication method is provided in which a metal composite compact including a plurality of compacts of different types of material or the same type of material integrated with each other can be fabricated with a high dimensional accuracy at low cost.

Method of fabricating metal composite compact


The disclosure relates to Bovine germplasm of Bos taurus variety JE840003146074527. Included in the present disclosure are cells comprising the Bovine variety JE840003146074527. Also provided by the present disclosure are tissue cultures of cells, animals obtained from said cells, and parts thereof, including F1 spermatozoa. The disclosure further provides for methods of breeding, selecting, and using the germplasm to improve existing commercial cattle herds generated from in vitro fertilization methods and progeny cattle obtained from in vitro fertilization and implantation and artificial insemination methods.

There are numerous steps in the development of any new, desirable Bos taurus germplasm. Bos taurus breeding begins with the analysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishment of program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives. The next step is selection of germplasm that possesses the traits to meet the program goals. A goal is to combine in a single variety an improved combination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm. See Schefers et al., Animal Frontiers 2(1):1-9 (2012).
During breeding, cattle breeders have a variety of sources when making breeding decisions. In addition to genomic data, a number of agencies and organizations collect and release analysis of population data and indexes. Every three months, the Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory (AIPL) of the United States Department of Agriculture releases the newest USDA-DHIA (Dairy Herd Improvement Association) genetic evaluations for dairy bulls and cows. The AIPL calculates genetic evaluations for type for various breeds, and many breed associations provide their own indexes or other strategies for evaluating certain breed-relevant traits. U.S. dairy genetic evaluations are computed every four months by the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) and American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA). Both CDCB and AJCA traits provide the breeder with important comparative data to evaluate the complex genetic and phenotypic traits to develop improved and desirable Bos taurus germplasm. For Holstein and Jersey sires, for example, evaluations are genomically enhanced and represent a blending of genomic data, pedigree information, and results from progeny. These genetic evaluations provide the breeder with important information for the selection of desirable germplasm and the development of new and valuable inseminates.
There is a continuous need to develop improved Bos taurus germplasm for use in improving production herds as well as for the continued improvement of elite animals.


An adapter is removably mountable on one end of a memory card of predetermined length. The adapter has a protrusion which registers with a notch in the end of the memory card, and the adapter has a substitute notch which provides the memory card with an effective length that is equal to a specified longer length than the predetermined length. The adapter permits the memory card of predetermined length to be reliably mated with an electrical connector that is dimensioned to receive a memory card of the specified longer length.

With the spread of personal computers (PC's), their performance is advancing at a great rate. As integrated circuit (IC) technologies advance, the volume of memory elements is constantly increasing along with performance characteristics of personal computers.
Computer users tend to purchase a computer at a price they can afford with a lowest acceptable memory mounted on the mother board which is expanded later as needs may be by plugging single in-line memory modules (SIMM's), dual in-line memory modules (DIMM's) or other memory elements into sockets provided for that purpose on the mother board. This arrangement makes it possible to buy a PC at a minimum investment and upgrade it later using up-to-date memory cards, thus providing an effective solution for both makers and users of personal computers.
Among connectors (or sockets) for such memory cards, SIMM sockets (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,737,120; 4,850,892), DIMM sockets (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,870), Small Outline DIMM sockets (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,302), etc., are known in the art.
These sockets for memory cards comprise an insulative housing having an elongated slot with one or two rows of contacts arranged at a predetermined pitch along the slot. An edge of a memory card is inserted between the contact rows at one angle using low insertion force, after which it is rotated to a second angle resulting in the formation of spring loaded connections between contact pads formed along the edge of the memory card on one side (SIMM), or two sides (DIMM), and contacts of the socket. During rotation of the memory card to the second angle, the card is latched in the insulating housing of the socket by means of a latching device. When it is necessary, the latching devices can be released, the memory card can be rotated to the first angle and easily removed from the socket.
These memory cards may have either 150 contact pads (150P-type memory cards) or 144 contact pads (144P-type memory cards) arranged at a pitch of, for example, 0.8 mm on one or both sides of the card edge. These two types of memory cards are usually of the same thickness and the same height, but the length is either 70 mm or 67.6 mm. Because of the difference in length, memory cards of the 150P and 144P types can be used only in connectors designed specifically for that type of memory card. In other words, memory cards of the 150P type cannot be inserted in connectors for memory cards of the 144P type. Memory cards of the 144P type can be inserted in connectors for memory cards of the 150P type, but they cannot be retained in the connector housing by the latching device, resulting in unreliable electrical connections between the contact pads of the memory card and the contacts of the connector. Situations when it is impossible to use memory cards of the 144P type in connectors intended for memory cards of the 150P type, such as when the 144P card was purchased by mistake or was otherwise available, result in inconvenience for the user and additional expense.

Memory card connector and adapter therefor