An electron beam exposure mask is provided with a substrate portion provided with an aperture and a thin film portion supported by the substrate portion. The thin film portion is provided with a thin semiconductor active film (the first semiconductor film) and a thick semiconductor active film (the second semiconductor film) thicker than the thin semiconductor active film. A fine pattern portion having small-gauge apertures is formed in the thin semiconductor active film and a coarse pattern portion having large-gauge apertures is formed in the thick semiconductor active film. As a result, a fine pattern portion can be formed partially.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron beam exposure mask and a method for manufacturing the electron beam exposure mask and more particularly to the electron beam exposure mask and the method for manufacturing the electron beam exposure mask capable of forming fine patterns without losing mechanical strength.
2. Description of the Related Art
In manufacturing a semiconductor device represented by a LSI (Large-Scale Integrated)circuit, a lithography technology is essential in order to pattern various kinds of films, including insulation films such as a silicon oxidation film and a silicon nitride film formed on a semiconductor substrate and conductive films such as an aluminum alloy film and a copper alloy film, into desired shapes.
Conventionally, in this lithography technology, a photolithography technology is widely applied, in which a photoresist film is formed by coating photoresist having photosensitivity for ultraviolet rays, ultraviolet rays are irradiated (exposed) onto the photoresist film through a mask pattern, an ultraviolet ray irradiation area is made soluble (a positive type) or an ultraviolet ray non-irradiation area is made soluble (a negative type).
Now, as integration is improved with sophistication of the LSI, a lithography technology capable of further fine-processing is required. With this requirement, an electron beam lithography technology has been developed in which an electron beam of a wavelength shorter than that of the ultraviolet ray is used as an exposure medium.
In this electron beam lithography technology, an electron beam resist being photosensitive to an electron beam is used, and a desired pattern is represented by irradiating and exposing the electron beam to the electron beam resist. When the desired pattern is represented on the electron beam resist, a stencil mask, namely, an aperture mask (hereafter, called an electron beam exposure mask) is used. For the electron beam exposure mask, a material efficient in electron dispersion and in absorption and suitable for a fine process is used and generally a semiconductor film such as a silicon film is used.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a conventional structure of an electron beam exposure mask.
An electron beam exposure mask 51, as shown in FIG. 3, is provided with a substrate portion 52 formed from a silicon single crystal or a like and provided with an aperture 53 and a thin film portion 54 supported by the substrate portion 52.
The thin film portion 54 is provided with a semiconductor active film 56 formed from a silicon single crystal through an buried insulation film 55 formed from a silicon oxide film or a like. The semiconductor active film 56 is provided with a pattern portion 57 provided with apertures 58 conducting to the semiconductor active film 56.
Here, the aperture 53 of the substrate portion 52 and the apertures 58 of the semiconductor active film 56 become electron beam passages during the electron beam exposure.
Explanations will be given of a method of manufacturing an electron beam exposure mask with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E in accordance with a procedure.
First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a semiconductor substrate 60 formed from a silicon single crystal is used and an etching mask 61 formed from silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film or a like is formed on a reverse of the semiconductor substrate 60 by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process or a like.
Second, by applying a known SIMOX (Separation by IMplanted OXygen) technology to an obverse of the semiconductor substrate 60, oxygen ions are implanted to form the buried insulation film 55 of silicon oxide. The semiconductor active film 56 separated from the semiconductor substrate 60 by the buried insulation film 55 is formed.
Third, as shown in FIG. 4C, by applying a known photolithography process, necessary areas in the obverse of the semiconductor active film 56 are covered with photoresist film 62 and then dry etching is executed using the photoresist film 62 as a mask in order to form the semiconductor active film 56 in a desired shape, namely, in order to execute patterning. With this process, the pattern portion 57 of a desired shape having the apertures 58 is formed.
Fourth, after selectively etching the buried insulation film 55 exposed in the apertures 58, as shown in FIG. 4D, necessary areas in the etching mask are covered with photoresist film 63 and then dry etching is executed using the photoresist film 63 as a mask in order to form the etching mask 61 in a desired shape, namely, in order to execute patterning.
Fifth, after removing the photoresist film 63, wet etching is applied to the reverse of the semiconductor substrate 60 using the etching mask 61 as a mask and the semiconductor substrate 60 is selectively etched to form the apertures 53.
Finally, the etching mask 61 and the buried insulation film 55 exposed in the apertures 53 are removed by dry etching, and thereby the electron beam exposure mask 51 shown in FIG. 3 is completed.
Now, in a conventional electron beam exposure mask, there is a problem in that it is difficult to change a pattern accuracy partially since the semiconductor active film forming a pattern portion of a film portion supported by a substrate is formed wholly in a same film thickness.
In other words, concerning the electron beam exposure mask, though there is a case in that a pattern accuracy is changed partially on one mask and a fine pattern is formed on only a part of the mask according to a design rule, a film thickness of the above-mentioned semiconductor active film must be made thinner as to a processing precision to form such fine pattern.
However, when the film thickness of the semiconductor active film is made thin, mechanical strength of a mask deteriorates accordingly and a mask tolerance deteriorates. Therefore, the film thickness of the semiconductor active film must be thick to improve the mechanical strength of the mask.
For example, when the semiconductor active film is optimized to make a film thick in order to obtain mechanical strength, an aspect ratio becomes large in areas requiring a fine pattern. As a result, it is difficult to form fine apertures since a processing precision lacks. On the contrary, when the semiconductor active film is optimized to make a film thin, a fine pattern can be formed easily. However, the mechanical strength deteriorates since the whole mask becomes thin.
As above described, in manufacturing the electron beam exposure mask, forming the fine pattern is contrary to improving mechanical strength. Conventionally, since a film thickness of a semiconductor active film in which a pattern is formed is set to an identical thickness, there is a limitation in that a mask can be manufactured only from the viewpoint of forming the fine pattern or improving the mechanical strength.
Further, conventionally, instead of the semiconductor substrate, an SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate being two laminated substrates is manufactured. However, these two substrates are laminated under high tension, therefore, a mask is flexible under tension when the mask is made thinner. In addition, there are cases in that evenness during laminating deteriorates and in that since voids are apt to occur, etching liquid seeps in the voids in the manufacturing process and thereby the pattern is broken.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electron beam exposure mask and a method of manufacturing the electron beam exposure mask, in which forming a fine pattern is compatible with improving mechanical strength.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electron beam exposure mask provided with a substrate portion, a thin film portion supported by the substrate portion, and a pattern portion formed into a desired shape in a semiconductor film formed through a buried insulation film in the thin film portion: wherein a first semiconductor film and a second semiconductor film thicker than the first semiconductor film are formed in the thin film portion; a fine pattern portion having small-gauge apertures is formed in the first semiconductor film; and a coarse pattern portion having large-gauge apertures is formed in the second semiconductor film.
In the foregoing first aspect, a preferable mode is one wherein the first semiconductor film is formed through a first buried insulation film and the second semiconductor film is formed through a second buried insulation film thinner than the first buried insulation film in the substrate portion.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one wherein an aperture conductive to the small-gauge apertures and conductive to the large-gauge apertures is formed in the substrate portion.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an electron beam exposure mask including: a first semiconductor film forming step of forming an etching mask on:an obverse of a semiconductor substrate and forming an insulation film on a reverse of the semiconductor substrate and of forming a semiconductor film separated from the semiconductor substrate through a buried insulation film; a second semiconductor film forming step of increasing a thickness of the buried insulation film partially to divide the buried insulation film into a first buried insulation film and a second buried insulation film thinner than the first buried insulation film and of forming a first semiconductor film on the first buried insulation film and forming a second semiconductor film thicker than the first semiconductor film on the second buried insulation film; a pattern forming step of forming a fine pattern portion having small-gauge apertures in the first semiconductor film and forming a coarse pattern portion having large-gauge apertures in second semiconductor film; an etching mask patterning step of patterning the etching mask in a desired shape; and a semiconductor substrate etching step of selectively etching the reverse of the semiconductor substrate using the etching mask as a mask to form an aperture conductive to the small-gauge apertures and the large-gauge apertures.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one further including an etching step of etching the first buried insulation film and the second buried insulation film exposed to the etching mask and exposed in the aperture.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one wherein oxygen ions are implanted to form the buried insulation film in the first semiconductor forming step and to form the first buried insulation film and second buried insulation film in the second semiconductor forming step.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one wherein a SIMOX (Separation by IMplanted OXygen) technology is applied to the first semiconductor film forming step and to the second semiconductor film forming step.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one wherein a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxide film is used as the etching mask.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electron beam exposure mask including a substrate portion, a thin film portion supported by the substrate portion and a pattern portion formed into a desired shape in a semiconductor film formed through a buried insulation film in the thin film portion, the electron beam exposure mask including: a first semiconductor film formed in the thin film portion; a second semiconductor film thicker than the first semiconductor film in the thin film portion; a fine pattern portion having small-gauge apertures in the first semiconductor film; and a coarse pattern portion having large-gauge apertures in the second semiconductor film.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a media for storing a program for manufacturing an electron beam exposure mask, the program including: a first semiconductor film forming step of forming an etching mask on an obverse of a semiconductor substrate and forming an insulation film on a reverse of the semiconductor substrate and of forming a semiconductor film separated from the semiconductor substrate through the buried insulation film; a second semiconductor film forming step of increasing a thickness of the buried insulation film partially to divide the buried insulation film into a first buried insulation film and a second buried insulation film thinner than the first buried insulation film and of forming a first semiconductor film on the first buried insulation film and forming a second semiconductor film thicker than the first semiconductor film on the second buried insulation film; a pattern forming step of forming a fine pattern portion having small-gauge apertures in the first semiconductor film and forming a coarse pattern portion having large-gauge apertures in the second semiconductor film; an etching mask patterning step of patterning the etching mask in a desired shape; and a semiconductor substrate etching step of selectively etching the reverse of the semiconductor substrate using the etching mask as a mask to form an aperture conductive to the small-gauge apertures and the large-gauge apertures.

Electron beam exposure mask and method for manufacturing electron beam exposure mask


An air conditioning unit is disclosed for motor vehicles. The air conditioning unit includes with a compression refrigerant circuit where a refrigerant circulates, comprising comprehensively switched in series with respect to fluid flow at least one compressor upstream of a heat-delivering heat exchanger, and an expansion element upstream of a heat-absorbing heat exchanger, whereby into the flow path leading from the outlet of the heat-delivering heat exchanger to the expansion element an additional heat exchanger is integrated thermally coupled to at least one cooling means the temperature of which can be put to values below the temperature of the refrigerant in the compression refrigeration circuit at the position of the refrigerant's outflow from the heat-delivering heat exchanger, and a method for its operation.

Air conditioning units for motor vehicles typically include a compressor, a heat exchanger delivering heat, i. e. a condenser, or gas cooler, respectively, an expansion element, and one or several heat exchangers absorbing heat, for example evaporators. The heat-delivering heat exchanger functions to cool the refrigerant after having been compressed and heated as close as possible to the ambient temperature level. The heat-delivering heat exchanger is typically positioned in the engine compartment between the head lamps exposed to the air stream. When the air stream is insufficient, functioning of the heat-delivering heat exchanger is additionally supported by one or several fans.
Traditional air conditioning units are usually passed by a refrigerant that frequently has a composition including fluorine. Such units are, as a rule, operated in the sub-critical mode. That means that the diphase region of the refrigerant is passed when the refrigerant is evaporated at the low temperature level, as well as when the refrigerant is condensed at the high temperature level. Further, air conditioning units are known that function based on natural refrigerants, such as carbon dioxide. A refrigeration circuit with carbon dioxide as refrigerant functions, as a rule, in the supercritical mode. This means that in the refrigerant condition obtained by the compression, both the temperature and the pressure of the compressed carbon dioxide are higher than the critical pressure and critical temperature of carbon dioxide. Therefore, during subsequent delivery of heat by the refrigerant in the gas cooler, the wet vapor region is not passed.
It is decisive for the refrigerating capacity of a motor vehicle air conditioning unit, particularly in compression refrigeration circuits operated above supercritically, to achieve a refrigerant temperature as low as possible before the refrigerant is fed to the expansion element. To this end, circuit designers usually attempt to approximate the refrigerant temperature in the heat-delivering heat exchanger as close as possible to the ambient temperature.
In many vehicles, it is difficult to make such an approximation to the ambient temperature, particularly during a halt of the vehicle or under unfavorable ambient conditions. On the cooling airside, for example, due to heated pavement surface or backflow from the engine compartment, the input temperature of the cooling air may be significantly higher than the ambient temperature. This undesired preheating of the cooling air may often even be by 20 to 25 degrees centigrade. Also oil coolers and charge-air coolers positioned upstream contribute to this effect. Even if the temperature of the refrigerant was lowered to the temperature of this relatively hot cooling air, which is virtually impossible by mere heat transfer, the resulting cooling effect, hence the refrigeration capacity, would be insufficient in many cases. As a consequence, depending on the circuit design, the optimal high pressure or the necessary refrigeration capacity, respectively, can no longer be realized. A decrease in the COP and an increase in the power demand of the compressor drive result. In particular, at high ambient temperatures, where a high refrigeration capacity is normally required, these effects are markedly negative, not compatible with the comfort demands as having become usual in the meantime.
It is known to increase the capacity of an air conditioning unit for motor vehicles by passing the refrigerant through branched flow paths, for example, using an internal heat exchanger with separated flows upstream of an evaporator. Documents WO 2005/059449A1 and DE 10060114A1 are illustrative of such a design. However, such a design places relatively high installation demands for the realization of the various flow paths and the great number of line connections.
Further, it is known to cool the refrigerant before it is fed to a condenser/gas cooler. This, for example, can be obtained in that between the compressor and the throttling device of an air conditioning unit an additional heat exchanger is provided that extracts heat from the compressed refrigerant before the refrigerant reaches the condenser/gas cooler. Document DE 10231645A1 is illustrative of such a design. In this way, the inlet temperature on the hot side of the condenser/gas cooler is reduced. However, the problem of a too high ambient temperature as the lowest theoretically achievable refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the heat-delivering heat exchanger remains unsolved with this solution.
It is further known to reduce the temperature of the refrigerant before the inlet into an evaporator by that before the evaporator a heat exchanger is installed where heat is extracted from the refrigerant in countercurrent mode by evaporating liquid water. For this, the water to be evaporated is supplied from the collected condensate of the air conditioning unit and fed to the heat exchanger. Document DE 10159148A1 is illustrative of such a design. This solution is disadvantageous in that the formation of condensate and the efficiency of the evaporation strongly depend on the ambient conditions, particularly the humidity of the air. Hence the supporting function of such an assembly can only be controlled within narrow limits. Furthermore, functioning of this additional cooling depends on the operational state of the air conditioning circuit. At least a certain operational time in advance is necessary until a sufficient condensate flow will have started to supply the additional heat exchanger with condensate.
It is also known to include in the refrigerant circuit a cold store switched in series that, especially when the refrigerating capacity of the evaporator is not sufficient or not available, provides a cooling potential. Document DE 10258618B3 is illustrative of such a design. Such systems are preferably used for the air conditioning of motor vehicles at rest, serving to cool the passenger cell before the compression circuit of the real air conditioning unit has developed its full effect.
It would be desirable to produce an air conditioning unit for a vehicle that provides sufficient refrigerating capacity at a maximized efficiency under critical conditions such as at high ambient temperatures and periods when the vehicle is stationary.

Air conditioning unit for motor vehicles and method for its operation


Mobile phones are in a trend of having thinner configuration due to emphasis on the design. Thus, in order to meet this demand, the present invention aims to thin the key sheet portion as much as possible. A thin key sheet and a thin key unit incorporating the thin key sheet are configured by providing on its surface a key top 2 made of a metal or a resin with indications such as letters, symbols, graphics or the like indicating the functions of keys are formed on the front surface or the back surface thereof, and switch elements 4 for turning ON/OFF of an electric circuit by the pressing of the key top, together with a printed circuit board 5 on which a circuit pattern involved therewith is formed; and by adhering and fixing the key top 2 and the printed circuit board 5 together via a cushion gasket 3 having appropriate elasticity and a filler layer 14 disposed between the key top and the printed circuit board.

A key sheet is a component constituting a handy mobile equipment such as a portable phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) or the like, and a plurality of key tops working as push buttons each indicating an alphabetical and/or numerical key or a function key are adhered in an arrayed manner to the surface of a single sheet referred to as a key pad. The above-mentioned key pad is a flexible sheet having rubber elasticity such as a silicone rubber, thermoplastic elastomer or the like. On the undersurface of the key sheet thus configured, a printed circuit board provided with a plurality of normally open contacts closed by pressing a push button is closely disposed, so that push button switches are formed, and further a light source for illuminating a key top from the back surface is disposed.
Since the key sheet is thus configured in a state where a plurality of components are piled up in a layered manner, the thicknesses of each one of components are accumulated to have substantial thickness. Therefore, it is requested that the whole handy mobile equipment should be thinned as much as possible so as to further enhance the portability thereof.
However, for example in the method disclosed in Patent Publication 1, each component to be piled up has a conventional common configuration, which puts a structural limit on further thinner configuration. Moreover, there is a limit for the thinning of a key sheet only by using an EL sheet which is thinner than an LED as a light source.
Patent Reference 1
Japanese Laid-Open Patent [Kokai] Publication No. 2002-050258

Thin key sheet and thin key unit incorporating the thin key sheet


A system for guiding an ion beam along an axis (Z), comprises at least one section having upper flat plate strip electrodes (Iu, 2u, 3u, 4u and 5u) and lower flat plate strip electrodes (Id, 2d, 3d, 4d and 5d) for producing at least one electric field of substantially symmetric in a parallel direction and substantially antisymmetric in a perpendicular direction with respect to a plane including a beam axis and a fringe-field boundary that is located at the end of the at least one section.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a charged-particle transport device in which a system of electrodes is installed in that is designed to transversally focus the charged particles. More specifically, the present invention relates to forming the required transverse fields by electrode strips on flat plates arranged in a substantially parallel configuration, and variations and applications thereof.
2. Related Art
In the related art, charged particles are transported in vacuum or in a buffer gas with transverse forces caused by electric multipole fields formed by rod-like electrodes that are arranged parallel to and around the particle beam. Such fields can be DC-field, i.e. constant direct current fields, or RF-fields, i.e. quickly varying high-frequency fields. Such fields are important for many applications in which the transport of charged particles is required over reasonably long distances without intensity losses. Generally these applications can be characterized by the pressure of the buffer gas in the transport region or the residual gas pressure in a vacuum.
Related art particle transport schemes include:                1. The transport of charged particles in a region in which the buffer gas has pressures from several mbar to several bar. As discussed in [G. Eiceman, "Ion Mobility Spectrometry", CRC-Press, Boca Raton, 2006] one can house in such a region:                    1.1. an ion-mobility spectrometer (IMS) or            1.2. a differential mobility spectrometer (DMS) also known as FAIMS.                        2. The transport of charged particles in a region in which the buffer gas has pressures from below μbar to several mbar. In such a region one can house:                    2.1 a "beam-cooler" in which ions collide with atoms or molecules of the buffer gas and in this process distribute kinetic energy to them. Thus the ions will be "cooled" and the phase-space the ion beam occupies be reduced.            2.2 a "collision cell" in which molecular ions will be broken into fragments by collisions with atoms or molecules of the buffer gas.            2.3 a "transfer line" in which ions can be transported from a high pressure region to a low pressure region or vice versa.                        3. The transport of charged particles in a region in which the residual gas pressure is lower than about one μbar. In such a region one can house                    3.1 a beam transport channel as in particle accelerators or particle-beam guidance systems or            3.2 a mass spectrometer built from a sector field, an RF-quadrupole or an energy-isochronous time-of-flight system [P. H. Dawson, "Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry and its Application", Elsevier, Amsterdam 1976]
In the foregoing examples, it is important that substantially all (or at least a large portion of) the initially existing charged particles arrive at the end of the transport line. In the related art, this can be achieved by using one or a number of lenses that repeatedly refocus the charged particle beam along the transport line with a curvilinear beam axis Z.
Assuming Cartesian X,Y coordinates perpendicular to this beam axis, rotationally symmetric electric or magnetic lenses can be used to simultaneously focus the charged particles towards the beam axis in X- and in Y-direction. However, magnetic or electric quadrupole lenses, i.e. 4-poles, can also be used advantageously to focus the charged particles in either the X- or the Y-direction and defocus them in the other direction, as discussed in [H. Wollnik, "Optics of Charged Particles", Acad. Press, Orlando, 1987].
In some cases, magnetic or electric hexapoles or octupoles, i.e. 6-poles or 8-poles, can be used that exhibit nonlinear forces that drive the charged particles towards or away from the beam axis. In all 4-, 6-, or 8-pole devices—usually referred to as multipoles—the overall action on the charged particles is such that the charged particles are driven towards the beam axis both in X- and in Y-directions. This overall action occurs because the charged particles experience overall larger forces towards rather than away from the beam axis in each multipole. The reason is that these forces increase with the distance from the axis when they pass through a multipole, and since the beam diameters are always larger when the particles experience forces towards the beam axis, while the beam diameters are smaller when the particles experience forces away from the beam axis.
Although beams of charged particles can be transported efficiently by separated short 4-, 6-, and 8-pole devices, it is also possible to use a longer single device if one applies high-frequency RF-potentials to its electrodes [P. H. Dawson, "Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry and its Application", Elsevier, Amsterdam 1976]. In this case, an ion will experience similar focusing and defocusing forces during its passage through the RF-multipole.
In the related art, electric multipoles are formed by 2N=4, 6, 8 . . . rod-like electrodes arranged parallel to and around the ion beam axis at equal azimuthal intervals Δθ=π/N in which case one applies to the even-numbered electrodes, the potential +VN0, and to the odd-numbered electrodes the potential −VN0. The most common multipoles are quadrupoles that have 2N=4 poles the geometry, as illustrated in FIG. 1, characterized by 4 electrodes arranged at azimuthal intervals of π/2 around an aperture of diameter 2G0.
In cylindrical R,θ,Z-coordinates, the potential VN(R,θ) in a 2N-pole is independent of Z, and can be described as:VN(R,θ)=VN0(R/G0)N*cos [N(θ−Φ)]  (1)Here, θ is the azimuthal angle around the Z-axis, and Φ is the azimuthal angle by which the arrangement of the 2N electrodes has been rotated relative to the θ=0 plane, i.e. the XZ-plane in FIG. 1. However, the exact potential distribution of Eq. (1) is usually only approximated when realistic electrodes are used that have finite shape tolerances.
In case of a classical electric 2N-pole with N=2, as is shown in FIG. 1, the potential distribution V2(R, θ−Φ) of Eq. (1) is approximated by applying potentials +V20, −V20, +V20, −V20 to electrodes with apices at θ−Φ=0, π/2, π, 3π/4, and with θ being the azimuthal angle. In order to represent V2(R, θ−Φ) of Eq. (1) exactly, the electrodes must be hyperbolically shaped in the XY-plane. Due to the symmetry of the electrodes, the potential distribution V(R, θ−Φ) has a 4-fold symmetry with Φ being the angle by which the electrode arrangement has been rotated relative to θ=0 as is illustrated in FIG. 1 for the cases Φ=0 and Φ=π/4. The potential vanishes along the dashed lines in FIG. 1 while the field E2=gradV2(G0) is constant along the so-called aperture circle of diameter 2G0. The resulting forces on charged particles thus have a constant magnitude along this circle but change direction as indicated by the small arrows in FIG. 1.

Parallel plate electrode arrangement apparatus and method


A card with a core and at least one chip incorporated into the core, characterised in that at least 5% of at least one main surface are covered by a seal, the chip is covered on both main surfaces with a seal or a plastics layer and a recess of the core and/or a seal exhibit fine structures, is distinguished by elevated anti-counterfeiting security and very good durability.

Card comprising a core and at least one chip incorporated into the core and a process for the production thereof.
It is known to produce cards which contain an electronically readable and/or writable chip. Such cards, also known as identity cards, are frequently printed, are used as payment or telephone cards and are usually produced from plastics such as for example PVC, PET or ABS. The chip comprises a digital memory component, the storage capacity of which may vary, and which may be read and/or written either via contacts brought out to the surface of the card or in contactless manner, for example via a coil.
Chips which are suitable for both the contactless variant and that comprising contacts are commercially available. However, cards made from plastics cannot be provided with high quality print and films laminated thereon can be exchanged without leaving visible traces. As a consequence, known plastics cards may only insufficiently be protected against tampering with the chip.
It is known from DE 42 18 158 to coat a plastics card with photographic layers. However, the process required for this purpose, in which the photosensitive layers of a photographic material must be peeled off from the support thereof, is highly complex.
A card is described as known in DE 29 20 012 which comprises a unit consisting of a chip with support element, supply lines and external contact surfaces, wherein the unit is rigidly connected with the card. Due to the severe bending loads to which the unit is exposed, this structure is considered unsuitable for practical requirements.
The card according to the invention of DE 29 20 012 differs from the rigid structure in that the unit consisting of chip plus support element is accommodated in a cut-out which is somewhat larger than the unit and the unit is moreover retained in the cut-out by a resilient material. The cut-out is intended to be similar in outline to the support element and is thus rectangular or round. Preferably, the chip plus support element and contact surfaces is held in the window by cover films laminated onto both sides, wherein the cover film must have punched out portions over the contact surfaces. In order to avoid damaging the chip, which, via the contact surfaces, is in direct thermal contact with the cover films, only cold lamination can be used to apply the cover films. Films laminated in this manner may, however, be more readily detached than hot-laminated films. In addition, according to DE 29 20 012, the cover films must be stiff, so resulting in unpleasantly rigid cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,798 discloses a process which involves treating the card inlay at one point in such a manner that a subsequently hot-laminated film does not adhere at this point. This point is then punched out in such a manner that the film remains undamaged and the chip module is inserted and firmly adhered in the resultant indentation. While the process does indeed make it possible to hot-laminate films onto the card inlay, the chip and the contact surfaces are, however, inadequately protected. In addition, residual release agent frequently results in detachment of the cover film and the process is highly elaborate.
The identity cards described in DE 30 299 39 contain an IC component plus support element and connection lines, which component is laminated into the card composite and is bonded with the card on all sides and over its entire surface. In order to make it possible to use hot lamination for this purpose without destroying the chip, the latter must be protected by buffer zones.
While the resultant identity cards do indeed exhibit resistant cover layers, anti-counterfeiting security is still unsatisfactory.
Known cards do not meet the elevated anti-counterfeiting security requirements of identity cards. For example, the cover films may too easily be removed without damaging the card body, so making it possible to tamper with the chip and other security features and too few different security features are possible.
A further disadvantage of known cards is the inadequate durability thereof, which results in detachment of the cover layer after some time, so in turn permitting tampering. In particular, it is then no longer possible to tell whether the card has been tampered with or has simply been exposed to particularly severe use.
Furthermore, prior art cards are very stiff, contacts brought to the surface are readily worn away and manufacture is very elaborate and thus costly.


The present invention relates to a display device and a manufacturing method thereof, wherein a spoilage layer generated in a manufacturing process is removed, and a manufacturing method of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: forming a thin film transistor on a substrate including a plurality of pixel areas; forming a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor in the pixel area; forming a sacrificial layer on the pixel electrode; forming a barrier layer on the sacrificial layer; forming a common electrode on the barrier layer; forming a roof layer on the common electrode; patterning the barrier layer, the common electrode, and the roof layer to exposed a portion of the sacrificial layer thereby forming an injection hole; removing the sacrificial layer to form a microcavity for a plurality of pixel areas; removing the barrier layer.

(a) Field
The present invention relates to a display device and a manufacturing method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display device and a manufacturing method thereof in which a spoilage layer generated in a manufacturing process is removed.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal displays are a type of flat panel display that is widely used. A liquid crystal display includes two display panels on which field generating electrodes, such as a pixel electrode and a common electrode, are formed, and a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween. An electric field is generated across the liquid crystal layer by applying a voltage to the field generating electrodes. The electric field alters the directions the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are aligned, which is used to control the polarization of incident light, thereby displaying an image.
The two display panels forming the liquid crystal display may be a thin film transistor array panel and an opposing display panel. In the thin film transistor array panel, a gate line transmitting a gate signal and a data line transmitting a data signal are formed, and a thin film transistor connected to the gate line and the data line and a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor may be formed. The opposing display panel may include a light blocking member, a color filter, a common electrode, etc. If necessary, the light blocking member, the color filter, and the common electrode may be formed in the thin film transistor array panel.
In conventional liquid crystal displays, however, two substrates are inevitably required, and the constituent elements are respectively formed on the two substrates such that the display device is heavy, the cost is high, and the processing time is long.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Display device and manufacturing method thereof


An interstitial creator identifies a playlist of media items, the playlist comprising pointers to the media items. The interstitial creator receives a request to insert an interstitial at a location in the playlist, wherein the location is after a first media item and before a second media item. In response to the request, the interstitial creator provides an interstitial creation interface and receives, through the interstitial creation interface, interstitial configuration parameters. The interstitial creator creates the interstitial based on the received interstitial configuration parameters and inserts a pointer to the interstitial into the playlist at the location.

On the Internet, content sharing platforms or other applications allow users to upload, view, and share digital content such as media items. Such media items may include audio clips, movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging, short original videos, pictures, photos, other multimedia content, etc. Users may use computing devices (such as smart phones, cellular phones, laptop computers, desktop computers, netbooks, tablet computers) to use, play, and/or consume the media items (e.g., watch digital videos, listen to digital music).
The media items in the content sharing platforms can be organized into playlists. Playlists are a group of media items that a user may consume in a single session or in a particular order. In some cases, the media items in a playlist may be related, such as if they share a similar subject matter or theme. In other cases, the media items in the playlist may not necessarily be related, or the relation may not be obvious. In convention content sharing platforms, however, there is no easy way to provide a user with the context for a given video. As such, users may not understand why certain media items are grouped together in a playlist or why they are being shown the media items in a certain order. This can result in a diminution of the user experience. In addition, a playlist curator (i.e., an individual or organization that complied and manages the playlist, but did not necessarily create the content in the individual media items) has no way to monetize the curated compilation. Without this monetary incentive, there may be fewer playlists available for users to enjoy.

Cloud-based tool for creating video interstitials


A linear compressor includes a casing, a cylinder forming a compression chamber inside the casing, a piston reciprocating to compress a fluid of the compression chamber, a mover having a movable magnet and reciprocating on the basis of a predetermined reference position to drive the piston, and a stator generating a thrust pushing the mover in the reciprocating direction and a restoring force pushing the mover in a direction toward the reference position according to an interaction with the movable magnet, wherein the stator includes a mover air gap formed to accommodate the mover and a magnetoresistive air gap formed in a position spaced apart from the mover air gap to change magnetic resistance of a magnetic circuit formed along the stator. According to this, a magnetic resonance spring with increased restoring force may be implemented.

Generally, compressors are devices which compress a working fluid such as air, a refrigerant, or the like, upon receiving power from a power generating device such as a motor, a turbine, or the like. Compressors are commonly applied to industrial and household appliances, in particular, steam compression chamber refrigerating cycles (hereinafter referred to as a 'refrigerating cycle').
Compressors include a reciprocating compressor in which a compression chamber is formed between a piston and a cylinder and the piston reciprocates linearly to compress a fluid, a rotary compressor that compresses a fluid by a roller which rotates eccentrically in a cylinder, and a scroll compressor in which a pair of scrolls are engaged to rotate to compress a fluid.
Recently, among reciprocating compressors, linear compressors which employ a linear motor that reciprocates linearly without using a crank shaft have been developed. The linear compressors does not have mechanical loss in changing a rotational motion into a linear reciprocal motion, obtaining enhanced efficiency, and have a simple structure.
In such a linear compressor, a cylinder is positioned inside a casing forming a closed space to form a compression chamber, and a piston covering the compression chamber reciprocates in the cylinder. That is, as the piston moves to be positioned at a bottom dead center (BDC), a fluid in the closed space is sucked into the compression chamber (suction stroke), and as the piston moves to be positioned at a top dead center (TDC), the fluid in the compression chamber is compressed and discharged (compression stroke), and this process is repeated.
In order to efficiently realize the reciprocating motion of the piston, a resonance spring is mounted on the linear compressor. As the resonance spring, a coil spring is largely used, which has a predetermined spring constant and is resonated with the reciprocating motion of the piston to act to amplify the reciprocating motion of the piston.
However, since the mechanical resonance spring such as a coil spring is a component added to the linear compressor, unlike other types of compressors driven by a rotational motion, research has been conducted to remove or replace the resonance spring.
For example, Patent document 1 (Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2016-0132665, published on Nov. 21, 2016) proposes a magnetic resonance spring configuration which employs a mover having two or three magnets to generate a restoring force pushing a vibrating body in a central direction of vibration, in addition to a thrust for a driving unit to push the vibrating body in a direction in which the vibrating body is driven.
However, Patent document 1 does not propose a structure for regulating linearity or an inflection point of a restoring force profile, a variation width of a thrust constant, i.e., a ratio of a thrust and an applied current, and the like. Thus, it is required to derive a structure capable of easily changing the characteristics of a magnetic resonance spring based on the restoring force, the thrust constant, and the like. In addition, by optimizing the characteristics of the magnetic resonance spring, a magnetic resonance spring structure capable of completely replacing the mechanical resonance spring may be derived.


The present invention relates to a medium storage box. The medium storage box according to one aspect comprises: a medium depositing and withdrawing unit through which medium is deposited or withdrawn; a temporary medium stacker for temporarily stacking the medium deposited through the medium depositing and withdrawing unit; a medium storage unit for storing medium for withdrawal; a printing apparatus for printing one of the deposited medium and the medium for withdrawal; and a reversal unit for reversing the deposited medium when it is necessary to reverse the deposited medium.

Generally, financial devices process financial tasks that customers demand. Financial devices may allow medium to be deposited or withdrawn or automatically transfer medium. For example, financial devices may allow banknotes or checks to be deposited or withdrawn.
However, general financial devices are configured to allow banknotes or checks to be deposited or withdrawn through separate depositing and withdrawing units. That is, financial devices comprise a banknote depositing and withdrawing unit, a banknotes transfer path, and a banknote processing module together with a check depositing and withdrawing unit, check transfer path, and a check processing module.
In general financial devices, since banknotes and checks are separately processed, a structure thereof is complicated and time for processing tasks increases.
Particularly, since general financial devices are configured to allow checks to be deposed one by one, a considerable time is consumed for depositing checks.


A system and method implemented by a computer for performing query based electronic document retrieval implementing a Markov process model adapted for determining a relationship or relevance between documents. The system ranks documents for retrieval based on their relevance measure. The model calculates the measure of relevance that a document from a given database is relevant to a given query. The method learns the Markov models mixture coefficients from the document database so as to maximize the relevance measure of the documents being retrieved. The method requires only that a similarity measure, D(d,d′), between two documents be specified. Any existing method may be used for generating a model that is at least as good as the chosen similarity measure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to document retrieval systems, generally, and particularly, query-driven systems for the automated retrieval of electronic documents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Document retrieval systems typically comprise document databases and the ability to determine the relevance of each document to any given query, Typically queries consist of a few words, but in principal they are themselves documents. Thus the core problem of building a document retrieval system is the task of estimating the relevance of two documents when such relevance judgments are generally subjective.
Recent approaches developed to solve this task are based on the "physical" properties of the documents (i.e., on the words they contain and how frequently they appear. See, for example, the reference to Baeza-Yates, R. and Ribeiro-Neto, B. entitled "Modern Information Retrieval", Addison Wesley, 1999 and the reference to van Rijsbergen, C. J. entitled "Information Retrieval", Buttersworth, 1979).
While being a desirable approach, it would be further desirable to provide a system and method for retrieving electronic (stored) documents that does not require explicit use of semantic meaning (e.g., a thesaurus).

Apparatus for selecting documents in response to a plurality of inquiries by a plurality of clients by estimating the relevance of documents

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention provides a high refractive index, high dispersion optical glass for precision molding, being free from harmful materials causing environmental problems, such as lead oxide, etc., and having a low yield temperature (At), i.e. at most 580° C., a refractive index (nd) of at least 1.89 and an Abbe number (νd) of at most 23.0 and further providing a low softening property as well as an improved mass production property with less coloration, which is represented in terms of for making up the glass, by the following chemical composition (wt %):

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical glass for precision molding, capable of carrying out a precision molding at a low temperature and needing no polishing and grinding after the precision molding.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With lately marked progress in obtaining high performance and effective miniaturization of optical devices such as digital cameras, the requirements of miniturization and weight reduction for lenses composing such optical systems are increasing more and more and the use of aspheric lenses made by the precision molding method has become indispensable. Furthermore, a precisely molded, high refractive index and high dispersion glass has strongly been required so as to realize a very compacted optical system in various optical devices.
In the high refractive index, high dispersion optical glass of the prior art, a composition system containing a large amount of lead oxide is typical, which is stable because of having a high devitrification resistance and has been used for precision molding because of having a low transition point (Tg) and low yield temperature (At). For example, JP-A-1-308843, JP-A-7-247135 and JP-A-7-247136 respectively disclose an optical glass for precision molding containing a large amount of lead oxide.
However, the precision molding has generally been carried out in a reducing atmosphere so as to prevent a mold from oxidation, so if lead oxide is contained in the glass composition, the lead oxide on the glass surface is reduced and deposited as lead on the surface of a precision molding lens. The lead is evaporated by heating for the precision molding, a part of which adheres to the surface of the mold material to form a convex part which is then transferred to the surface of the precision molding lens as it is. When such steps are continuously repeated, the surface accuracy of the precision molding lens cannot be maintained. In addition, lead oxide has such a problem that it is harmful to the environment and human body. Accordingly, the glasses disclosed in the foregoing JP-A-1-308843, JP-A-7-247135 and JP-A-7-247136 are not suitable, nor practically used as an optical glass for precision molding.
On the other hand, in glasses described in JP-A-8-157231, JP-A-2003-300751 and JP-A-2003-335549, surely, lead oxide is not contained. In JP-A-8-157231, however, in place of the lead oxide, TiO2 is all incorporated, although defined as an optional component in claim 5, in order to obtain high refractive index, high dispersion properties as shown in Examples 7 to 11 (Cf. JP-A-8-157231, page 7, Table 2). Consequently, the resulting glass is very strongly colored. In JP-A-2003-335549, similarly, in Examples (Cf. JP-A-2003-335549, Table on pages 4 to 6) TiO2 is all incorporated. In an invention described in JP-A-2003-300751, TiO2 is an essential component. In the ordinary optical system, use of a single glass lens is not realistic and many optical systems are substantially composed of a number of lenses. Thus, it is desired that coloration of these glass lenses is rendered as little as possible. Accordingly, the glasses described in JP-A-8-157231, JP-A-2003-300751 and JP-A-2003-335549 are substantially caused to have high referactive index, high dispersion properties by TiO2, which cannot be said to be preferable from the standpoint of optical designing.
The glass described in JP-A-2001-058845 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,282B1) is a high refractive index, high dispersion optical glass of P2O5—Nb2O5—Bi2O3-alkali metal oxide type, the present inventors have invented, having a refractive index (nd) of at least 1.83 and Abbe number (νd) of at most 26.0. The refractive index (nd) of the optical glass herein described is only less than 1.89, and if the refractive index is at least this range, the devitrification resistance is deteriorated to render it unstable. This is the limit for the glass.

Abstract: P2O53 to 20%B2O30 to 5%GeO2more than 14 to 37%Sum of P2O5 + B2O3 + GeO224 to 43%Li2O0 to 5%Na2O0 to 8%K2O0 to 10%Sum of Li2O + Na2O + K2O1 to 10%Nb2O50 to 50%Bi2O312 to 67%BaO0 to 5%WO30 to 12%.


A method for use in print matching apparatus that includes the steps of: enrolling (200) a print of a user; extracting (210) a set of matching features from the enrolled print; comparing (220) the extracted features of the enrolled print to extracted features of each print in a set of reference prints, wherein each reference print in the set is from a person other than the user, and determining a highest non-matching score; determining (230) at least two minimum and maximum threshold pairs based on characteristics of the print matching apparatus; and storing (240) the matching features of the enrolled print, the highest non-matching score, and the at least two maximum and minimum threshold pairs for use in verifying a subsequently captured print of the user.

Biometric image-based identification/verification systems (also referred to herein as matching systems) have played a critical role in modern society in both criminal and civil applications. For example, criminal identification in public safety sectors is an integral part of any present day investigation. Similarly in civil applications such as credit card or personal identity fraud, print identification, for instance, has become an essential part of the security process. Among all of the biometrics (face, fingerprint, iris, etc.), iris and retina are the preferred biometric indicators for high security applications. However, verification systems based on fingerprints are very popular both for historical reasons and for their proven performance in the field, and facial image matching is the second largest biometric indicator used for identification.
An automatic biometric image-based identification operation, e.g., for enabling fingerprint, palm print, or facial image identification, typically consists of two stages. The first is the registration or enrollment stage, and the second is the identification, authentication or verification stage. In the enrollment stage, an enrollee's personal information and biometric image (e.g., fingerprint, palm print, facial image, etc.) is enrolled in the system. The biometric image may be captured using an appropriate sensor, and features of the biometric image are generally extracted. In the case of fingerprints, such matching features may include, but are not limited to, a classification of each print as one of four major print types (i.e., arch, left loop, right loop and whorl) as well as minutiae that have respective X-Y coordinate positions and angles of orientation as is well known in the art. The personal information and extracted features, and perhaps the image, are then typically used to form a file record that is saved into a database for use in subsequent identification or verification of the enrollee.
In the identification/verification stage, a biometric image may be captured from an individual or a latent image may be obtained. Features are generally extracted from the image and, along with personal information, are formed into what is typically referred to as a search record. The search record is then compared with the enrolled (i.e., file) record(s) in the database of the identification system. One or more matched scores are typically generated as a result of this matching process, wherein each matched score is a measurement of similarity, for example between the matching features of the identified search and file records or images. Typically, the higher the matched score, the greater the similarity is determined to be. In one to one matching, for example, to determine whether a person is a previously enrolled person, the matched score between the search and file images is compared with a pre-determined threshold (also referred to herein as a verification threshold). If the matched score is greater than the pre-determined threshold, the person's identity is verified. Otherwise, the person cannot be verified as the person he or she claims to be.
The accuracy of a biometric verification system may be characterized by two types of measurements: a true accept rate (TAR) and a false accept rate (FAR). The TAR is a measurement, which describes how accurate a system is at accepting a legitimate fingerprint, for instance, from a person. The FAR is a measurement, which describes the level at which a system accepts a false claim from a person. Thus, the goal of designing a system is to achieve a very high TAR and a very low FAR. However, there is a trade-off between these two measurements, and one cannot simultaneously maximize the performance of both TAR and FAR.
For a given verification threshold, the TAR and FAR ratio of a matching system or apparatus is fixed. For a different verification threshold, the TAR and FAR numbers may be different. Normally the higher the verification threshold, the higher TAR and FAR will be (and vice versa) for the relationship between the verification threshold and the two measurements. A Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve may be used to characterize the trade-off between TAR and FAR. An ROC curve based upon an ROC analysis is an effective method of evaluating the performance of a given system. For an image-based identification/verification system as described above, the ROC curve is defined as a plot of TAR vs. FAR. The TAR is the percentage of genuine matched pairs whose matching score on the ROC curve is greater than or equal to the verification threshold and the FAR is the percentage of non-mated pairs whose matching score on the ROC curve is less than the verification threshold.
As discussed above, the verification threshold in authentication is used to evaluate whether two prints come from the same person. The threshold for prior art image-based identification/verification systems is typically determined and set based on the desired accuracy requirement for the system and based on a single ROC curve. This verification threshold then typically remains fixed for the system. However, a single fixed threshold found on the ROC curve in the prior art may not be optimal for an image-based authentication/verification system.
For example with respect to fingerprint matching systems, unfortunately the scores from two mated prints from the same person or from different people typically vary widely in the real world. The score differences are mainly caused by differences in the matching features, including mated minutiae, extracted from the two prints. For example, a different number of minutiae may be extracted from prints captured from the same person at different times for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, the way of the person's prints were captured, smudges in the prints, over ink, under ink, using different capture sensors at different times, etc.
Accordingly, false minutiae may be detected and some true minutiae may not be detected in a print due to poor image quality prints. Moreover, differences in extracted minutiae may result from two prints having a different classification. For example, arch type fingerprints typically have fewer average true mated minutiae than that of whorl type fingerprints. Therefore, for reasons including those discussed above the matching score for two prints from the same person can be very different from time to time, finger to finger, pattern to pattern, and person to person.
Thus, there exists a need for a biometric identification system in which a dynamic threshold for the print verification process may be determined based at least on print quality and classification characteristics of a candidate print being evaluated.

Dynamic thresholding for a fingerprint matching system


The present invention relates to the use of, and a composition containing, at least one non-polymeric organic salt with a melting point of less than 60° C. These organic salts may be imidazolium, pyrazolium, pyridinium, pyrimidinium or tetraalkylphosphonium salts. The invention composition may be used for washing (cleaning) and/or conditioning keratin materials, and especially the hair.

It is especially sought in the cosmetics field to improve the conditioning of keratin materials, and in particular the hair. The term "conditioning" means properties of ease of disentangling, sheen and soft feel.
Fluid compounds with a low surface tension, such as silicones, are generally used for this purpose. They are well known in the art for improving in particular the disentangling of the hair.
Quaternary ammonium salts with a high melting point, such as cetrimonium bromide, in the form of an aqueous solution or an aqueous emulsion, may also be used for this purpose. With these two types of compounds, excellent conditioning of the hair may thus be obtained, but their use is accompanied by major drawbacks. Specifically, the hair becomes greasy, has a laden feel and a transfer of material onto the fingers is observed.
There are not currently, in this field, any other liquid lubricant compounds that afford excellent conditioning of the hair without the major drawbacks mentioned above.

Organic salt conditioner, organic salt-containing composition, and uses thereof


A method, device and retrofitting kit is disclosed that will protect materials that are housed within a storage device from one or more forms of radiographic imaging. A target subject is at least partially covered with a first and second layer of radiographic cloaking material. The first layer of radiographic cloaking material is configured to defeat a first type of radiographic beam, such as a photon beam. The second layer of radiographic cloaking material is configured to defeat a second type of radiographic beam, such as a particle beam.

The present invention relates generally to radiographic imaging of storage devices and more particularly, to a method and device for protecting a storage device from radiographic imaging.
Security devices are available which, if their inner workings could be discovered, would be ineffective and therefore would no longer prevent undetected, unauthorized discovery of objects they are designed to secure. An example is a mechanical combination lock which, if the position of its various internal components could be ascertained, would allow unauthorized access. In addition, it is also important in some instances to prevent unwanted radiographic imaging of a storage device so that its contents cannot be ascertained. The current art of radiographic imaging has significantly increased the possibility of this type of intrusion into areas protected by such high security devices. Other types of locks, closures, fasteners, and bolts that protect by mechanically restricting access and which are themselves assumed secured because of the inability of an intruder to ascertain the position of their locking mechanism are also vulnerable to radiographic imaging.


A liquid medicine injection apparatus of the present invention is directed to improvement of a precise and detailed technology that can implement two functions of a high liquid medicine injection pressure and easy filling of the apparatus with a liquid medicine in a single apparatus without a separate additional unit, i.e., a technology for effectively adjusting an internal pressure of the apparatus depending on a liquid medicine filling mode and a liquid medicine injection mode. In the liquid medicine injection apparatus of the present invention, when an internal pressure of the apparatus exceeds a preset pressure due to a gas generated in a gas-generating unit of the apparatus, a switch member in the liquid medicine injection apparatus can operate as a pressure regulating valve, thereby constantly keeping the internal pressure of the apparatus at the preset pressure.

When a liquid medicine of special injectable drugs such as anticancer drugs and antibiotics is injected into a patient's body, a constant amount of liquid medicine should be continuously injected for a considerably long period of time depending on a patient's condition. If the special injectable drugs are not injected continuously and consistently to meet an amount required by a patient, there is concern that a shock occurs, leading to a medical accident. In view of such a problem, there has been devised and used a mechanical apparatus for injecting a predetermined amount of liquid medicine per unit time into a patient's body.
However, such a conventional mechanical apparatus is an apparatus in which a plunger of a syringe is gradually pushed by a driving force of a motor and an auxiliary unit such as a motor is required so that the apparatus may be larger in size and unsuitable for being carried by a patient.
In view of such a problem, Korean Patent No. 10-0262930 discloses a liquid medicine injection apparatus that can be carried by a patient. This conventional portable liquid medicine injection apparatus has a configuration in which an elastic pouch (also referred to as "balloon") made of a rubber material is provided within a chamber of the apparatus. The elastic balloon has an inlet and an outlet. When the liquid medicine is introduced into the pouch through the inlet, the pouch is swelled. The pouch is configured such that the liquid medicine may be slowly discharged through the outlet mounted with an elongated tube. The liquid medicine is discharged at a small flow rate and injected into a patient's vein.
In the liquid medicine injection apparatus having such an elastic balloon, however, a defective product having a non-uniform thickness or with a minute hole generated therein may be produced when the balloon is manufactured. These defects change elasticity so that the pouch may not have desired elasticity. Then, it is difficult to constantly keep an amount of injection per unit time. Moreover, the elastic balloon may have elasticity that varies depending on the amount of the liquid medicine remaining therein, and thus an external force (elastic restoring force) that influences a flow of the liquid medicine may be different at initial and end stages of the injection.
In addition, the liquid medicine injection apparatus provided with the elastic balloon has a weak physical force for pushing the liquid medicine. The liquid medicine injection apparatus provided with the elastic balloon having a low liquid medicine injection pressure is very sensitive to external environments such as an elevation of the apparatus, a temperature and the like, and thus a flow rate of the liquid medicine to be injected into the patient's body is extremely changed. In particular, when the flow rate of the liquid medicine to be injected into the patient's body is large, the liquid medicine may not be constantly pushed if the liquid medicine injection pressure is low. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the liquid medicine injection pressure in the liquid medicine injection apparatus. Furthermore, a higher pressure is required if the flow rate is intended to be changed from time to time during injection of the liquid medicine into the patient's body.
In order to overcome such a problem, a gas-generating type liquid medicine injection apparatus disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0507593 has been known. In this apparatus, an injection piston in a cylinder of the apparatus is steadily and slowly moved forward by a high pressure of a generated gas, and a liquid medicine accommodated within a liquid medicine storage space in the cylinder is steadily and constantly injected into a patient's body at a constant flow rate by the forward movement of the injection piston.
However, in the gas-generating type liquid medicine injection apparatus, there is a problem that if the liquid medicine injection pressure is increased, resistance to inflow of the liquid medicine is generated at a stage of filling the liquid medicine storage space with the liquid medicine so that it is difficult to fill the liquid medicine storage space with the liquid medicine. For this reason, the conventional gas-generating type liquid medicine injection apparatus has a limitation on an increase of the liquid medicine injection pressure for facilitating the filling of the liquid medicine storage space with the liquid medicine.
In other words, the conventional gas-generating type liquid medicine injection apparatus as described above is an excellent technology, although it can be continuously improved similarly to other excellent technologies. For example, there is a need to provide a novel gas-generating type liquid medicine injection apparatus that can simultaneously address requirements for an increase in the liquid medicine injection pressure so as to stably and continuously inject the liquid medicine into the patient's body while being less affected by changes in the environment such as an elevation of the apparatus or an external temperature, and a challenge of filling the liquid medicine storage space with the liquid medicine at a high liquid medicine injection pressure.
Accordingly, the liquid medicine injection apparatus of the present invention is directed to improvement of a precise and detailed technology that can implement two functions of the high liquid medicine injection pressure and easy filling of the apparatus with the liquid medicine in a single apparatus without a separate additional unit, i.e., a technology for effectively adjusting the internal pressure of the apparatus depending on a liquid medicine filling mode and a liquid medicine injection mode.

Internal pressure-adjustable liquid medicine injection apparatus


Methods and systems for transaction fencing in a multi-domain network are provided. A system for providing transaction fencing in a multi-domain network includes an error identification module that identifies a communication error between a source domain and a destination node. The communication error is associated with a connection in a plurality of connections between a plurality of domains. Additionally, the system includes a tearing module that disconnects the destination node from the plurality of domains and clears outstanding transactions associated with the destination node in the plurality of domains. Further, the system includes a connection enable module that enables connections between the plurality of domains and the destination node.

Modern enterprise applications often deploy a grid architecture to provide application services. For example, a plurality of grid nodes may be interconnected with one another using a fast interconnect when providing application services. Interconnect examples may typically include fast Ethernet, Infiniband or other interconnect solutions. To satisfy the complex requirements of enterprise applications, various protocols may be deployed for communications between the various grid nodes. Further, to achieve the desired performance for the enterprise applications, the grid architecture may use interconnect protocols that allow hardware level connections and remote direct memory access (RDMA) transfers. Infiniband and data center bridging (DCB) Ethernet fabrics are examples of interconnect solutions that offer reliable peer-to-peer connections that are implemented at the host channel adapter (HCA) level and that use RDMA protocols.

Transaction fencing in a multi-domain network


Disclosed is a near-field exposure mask having a light blocking layer formed on a substrate, the light blocking layer having an opening with an opening width narrower than a wavelength of an exposure light source, wherein exposure of an object to be exposed is carried out by use of near-field light to be produced at the opening while the exposure mask and the object to be exposed are placed in contact with each other, an important feature residing in that the light blocking layer is provided by a film that contains silicon in a range from 50% to 100% in terms of mole fraction.

In the fields of various electronic devices such as semiconductor devices, for example, which need microprocessing procedures, because of requirements for further enlargement of device density and integration, the pattern size has to be miniaturized more and more. One of the semiconductor manufacturing processes which plays an important role for formation of an extraordinarily fine pattern is a photolithographic process.
Most of current photolithographic processes are currently carried out on the basis of reduction projection exposure. The resolution thereof is restricted by diffraction limits of light, and generally a spatial resolution of only about one-third of the wavelength of a light source is obtainable. In consideration of this, the wavelength for exposure has been shortened such as, for example, by using a KrF excimer laser or an ArF excimer laser as an exposure light source. As a result of this, microprocessing of about 100 nm order has currently been enabled.
Along with the introduction of shorter wavelengths, various modifications have been attempted in relation to photomasks, for example, used there because the light intercepting property is insufficient where conventional masks are used.
An example is found in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication No. H06-095363 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication No. H06-095358, wherein a photomask having a light blocking film made of silicon is proposed, for, with a conventional chromium-based photomask, the light intercepting property with respect to KrF excimer lasers (wavelength 248 nm) is insufficient.
However, the photomasks disclosed in these patent documents are anyway those masks to be used in the reduction projection exposure process.
In the photolithography wherein the wavelength of used light sources has been shortened more and more as described above, in addition to the matter of photomasks, there are many problems such as bulkiness of apparatus, development of lenses usable in shortened wavelengths, cost of apparatus, cost of usable resist materials, and so on.
On the other hand, as another attempt to enabling optical microprocessing with a resolution finer than the wavelength of light, a method that uses near-field light has been proposed.
Such near-field optical lithography is free from the restriction due to the diffraction limits of light, and thus a spatial resolution of one-third or less of the light source wavelength is attainable. Another advantage is that, if a mercury lamp or a semiconductor laser is used as an exposure light source, the exposure light source can be made very small and therefore the apparatus can be made very compact and yet the cost of the apparatus can be made lower.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,730 shows an example of lithography using near-field light.
This patent document discloses a method in which a near-field exposure mask provided with a light blocking film having openings narrower than the light source wavelength is closely contacted to a resist with a small clearance less than 100 nm (i.e. near field region), and a fine pattern formed on the mask is transferred to the resist by one-shot exposure.
In the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,730 wherein the exposure is carried out while the near-field exposure mask is closely contacted to the resist, a portion of near-field light produced at the openings of the light blocking layer would be transformed into propagating light. Even if the incident light is being perpendicularly incident on the light blocking layer, since the propagating light produced by transformation from the near-field light has low directivity, it would be propagated in oblique directions. This propagating light is propagated through the object material to be exposed, while it is reflected by the substrate surface and then by the light blocking layer (i.e. multiple reflection). As a result of propagation of light through the object material to be exposed while being reflected repeatedly, it is possible that the propagating light reaches an adjacent pattern area to adversely affect the quality of the pattern. Furthermore, depending on a resist used, the adhesion to the light blocking layer of the mask may be strong so that the mask may be broken upon removal thereof or the resist may be peeled off from the substrate.
Additionally, if a used resist material is of the type that development contrast is produced by reaction that uses, as a catalyst, acid being produced by the exposure, such as, for example, a chemical amplification type resist or an optical cationic polymerization type resist, the light blocking layer of the mask would be corroded by the produced acid and hence the lifetime of the mask would become shorter.

Near-field exposure mask, method of producing that mask, near-field exposure apparatus having that mask, and resist pattern forming method


A game apparatus, a storage medium and a computer program, suitable to games that can be experienced by a player using an entire body to play a game. The game apparatus comprises: a storage section for storing a predetermined assigned movement for a player; an assigned movement display section for displaying the assigned movement, thereon; a movement detection section for detecting a movement of the player; a player movement display section for displaying the movement of the player detected by the movement detection section, thereon; a similarity decision section for comparing the assigned movement with the movement of the player detected by the movement detection section, to decide a similarity between the assigned movement and the movement of the player; and a game operation section for processing a score on the basis of the similarity decided by the similarity decision section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game apparatus that detects a movement of a player and then operates a game according to the movement detected, and so on.
2. Description of Related Art
Various types of a game apparatus today typically has an input device used by a player to enter various control commands, and the input device has an operating unit manipulated by the player to play the game. The operating unit of the input device of the game apparatus is typically a joy-hand, a joystick or similar device. When the player manipulates the operating unit while playing a game, the input device sends a signal indicative of the player's action to the game system. The game apparatus then performs a particular game process, such as moving or otherwise operating the object in the game image affected by the player's action. A drawback to game apparatuses having such a conventional input device is that while the player uses the player's hands and feet to manipulate the operating unit and play the game, it is difficult for the player to enjoy the experience of using the entire body to play the game.
Video game apparatuses having a CCD camera or other imaging device are known from the literature as one attempt to solve this problem. This type of video game apparatus uses the imaging device to image the player. A feature extraction process then removes the background from the captured image to extract an image of just the player. The shape (body shape) and actions of the player are then recognized using the result of this feature extraction process.
Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No.hei-7-155467, for example, teaches a video game apparatus of this type. The video game apparatus described in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No.hei-7-155467 uses a CCD camera to capture an image of the player in front of a screen. The captured image is then converted to a digital image signal to which a feature extraction process is applied to remove the background and extract only the player. More specifically, color differences between the screen color and the color of the player in the captured image are used to extract an image of just the player. This operation focuses on the screen color (which is blue), and uses a blue extraction circuit to remove the screen (that is, the background image).
This video game apparatus displays an instruction pattern having white or red areas near the four corners of the screen. The player holds a white or red flag in each hand and appropriately raises and lowers the flags according to the pattern displayed on the screen. The game apparatus detects whether the color of the flag raised or lowered by the player matches the color displayed on the screen.
The video game apparatus according to an earlier development as described above, has the following technical problem. Since the player is photographed by the CCD camera, more specifically, the characteristic extracting process or the like for detecting the movement of the player takes such a long operation time as to make it difficult to establish the processing rate desired for the execution of the game. Therefore, the recognition (the pattern recognition) of the flag raised and lowered by the player in the video game apparatus as disclosed in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No.hei-7-155467, is decided depending on whether or not the color data of the flag exceed a predetermined amount (or area) at a predetermined region. Accordingly, a match or mismatch is thus determined using the flag color, so that the video game apparatus does not detect the action itself of the player.
As one game apparatus for the player to enjoy the game physically with the whole body, there is known a game apparatus for a dance game. This game apparatus comprises an input unit having a plurality of switches to be turned ON/OFF by the weight or the like of the player, and the player plays the game on that input unit. Specifically, the game apparatus for playing this dance game is constructed such that the game can be progressed while calculating the score by detecting whether or not the player depresses (or rides on) the switches at a given timing. Therefore, the game apparatus does not detect and decide the dance itself of the player, but the dance game is realized and held by detecting the input timing to the input unit.
However, a problem with the above video game apparatus taught in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No.hei-7-155467 is that an extremely complex image process is required to capture an image of player's movement and identify player's movement within the image. In addition, player's movement is detected by a pattern recognition process based on the color of flags held in the player's hands. It is therefore not possible to play the game if the player is not holding flags of the correct colors, and players cannot be said to enjoy experiencing playing the game with the entire body. The result, therefore, is that the game is played with only hand's movements detected using flags, which function as the above-noted operating unit.
Furthermore, the game is played by the player simply raising and lowering red or white flags held in the hands to match a particular pattern having red or white areas displayed in the four corners of the screen. The game is thus extremely simple.
Further, as described above, either the video game apparatus, as disclosed in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No.hei-7-155467, or the game apparatus for the dance game according to an earlier development progresses the game by the simple movement of raising the flag in the given region or by the simple input of depressing the given switch. Therefore, the game contents are monotonous, and the inputting action is specified to a predetermined movement to depress the switch so that the game apparatus is troubled by the following problem. It is entrusted on the player whether or not the player plays the game by using the entire body. In other words, the game apparatus only decides whether or not the switch is depressed. Therefore, the movement on the player side has no relation to the progress or score of the game so that it results in the so-called "waste".
Furthermore, according to the video game apparatus as disclosed in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No.hei-7-155467, since the player would be indicated with an answer upon the display of the instruction patterns on the four corners of the screen, the apparatus is incapable of giving clues to allow the player to guess a correct movement or providing incorrect clues to confuse the player. Accordingly, the only factor reflected to the game result is the quickness of the player's movement, rendering the game quite simple, so that the player may quickly loose his interest in playing the game.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Game apparatus, storage medium, and computer program that adjust level of game difficulty


A wobble signal detecting circuit for optical disc system includes at least a sample-and-hold circuit for carrying out sample-holding steps on each of first and second photoelectric signals, and a high range frequency limiting circuit for removing frequency components equal to, or higher than, a predetermined cut-off frequency from the first and second photoelectric signals. By selectively enabling either the sample-and-hold circuit or high range frequency limiting circuit, depending on recording conditions during the period of recording information into an optical information recording medium, noise components which may unduly affect wobble signals can be removed efficiently, irrespective of recording conditions.

1. Field
This patent specification relates to a wobble signal detecting circuit in use primarily for optically recording and reading out, and more particularly, to such circuits capable of effectively detecting wobble signals prerecorded in an optical recording medium and being suitably incorporated into an optical information record and readout system.
2. Discussion of the Background
Optical information record/readout systems (or optical disc systems) have come into practical use for viable information data storage and archival device of large capacity, which are configured to record information into recording regions formed continuously in the shape of spiral on an optical recording medium and read out recorded information from the medium with laser beams emanated from an optical pickup device.
With recent improvements in overall capabilities, it has become feasible of a personal computer to process AV (audio-visual) information such as music sounds and movie images, for example. Since the data volume of AV information is considerably large, optical recording media has been attracting much attention as viable means for storing such information data, and optical disc systems with lowering costs have been in wide spread use as one of peripherals of personal computers.
As described earlier, for rewritable recording media such as CD-R (CD-Recordable) and CD-RW (CD-Rewritable), a plurality of recording regions are formed in general with tracks (or pregrooves) formed continuously on an optical recording medium. In addition, by meandering (or wobbling) the tracks, additional pieces of information pertinent to driving the recording media is recorded as wobbling signals.
Of particular importance among the pieces of information is ATIP (Absolute Time in Pregroove) information. This information includes time information designating absolute address on recording medium (absolute time information) for properly controlling the location of the optical pickup during recording and reading out process steps. In addition, the ATIP information also includes signals for synchronizing overall operation with the velocity of disc rotation.
If correct ATIP information is not obtained, therefore, the control of optical pickup to bring to a proper programmed location can not be achieved, nor the necessary synchronization of the overall operation with disc rotation, which may give rise to recording errors.
These errors have serious effects particularly on the CD-R disc currently used, in which the disc has to be prohibited from a further use if one recording error is once detected.
Therefore, it is of considerable importance to obtain correct ATIP information during recording and reading out process steps. This becomes feasible by detecting wobble signals with a high accuracy.
The wobble signals have been detected previously by receiving light beams reflected from recording tracks with a photoreceptive device doubly split (or doubly-split photoreceptor) in the tangential direction with respect to the recording track regions, obtaining tracking error signals based on photoelectric signals (output signals) from respective portions of the doubly-split photoreceptive device, and extracting predetermined frequency components from the tracking error signals.
The signals obtained from reflected light beams, however, have to be examined closely because of the effect from the beam intensity as described herein below.
That is, the power emanated from a semiconductor laser in optical pickup is increased during recording into an optical disc. During the periods in-between recordings (i.e., space time without recording), in contrast, the power is decreased to the approximately same level of magnitude as that for readout periods. As a result, the power of laser emission varies in a pulse-shaped manner with time. The photoelectric signals output from photoreceptive device, however, do not exhibit the same pulse shape.
For example, in the case of approximately quad-nominal (CD 4×) speed, the intensity of photoelectric signals output from photoreceptive device exhibits a peak almost immediately after the increase in laser power (i.e., after showing leading increase with time) during recording, then decreases gradually with the formation of recorded marks, that is followed by flat portions which appears partially during the period corresponding to decreased laser power.
The change in photoelectric signal intensity, therefore, has a waveform different from that of the laser emission for the following reason: Chemical and other similar changes take place at the disc portions irradiated with laser beams following the formation of recorded marks, thereby giving rise to reflectivity change of corresponding track portions.
Because of such a rather complex change exhibited by signal intensity of reflected light, it has been often difficult to detect wobble signals from tracking error signals with a high accuracy.
In order to obviate the above noted difficulty, several detecting circuits have been disclosed for accurately detecting wobble signals during information recording into optical discs. One example of such circuit is Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-93147.
According to this reference, a wobble signal detecting circuit includes an optical detecting means for optically detecting a pair of portions (left- and right-hand sides) which are formed by splitting a light beam spot and aligned in the tangential direction with respect to the recording tracks, sample-holding means for carrying out sample-and-hold steps with respect to signals output from respective left- and right-hand sides of the beam spot, low range frequency filtering means for filtering noise components which are caused by filtering and included in respective signals output from left- and right-hand sides portions, and subtracting means for computing the difference between respective signals output from the low range frequency filtering means, whereby wobble signals are obtained.
In addition, the above noted sample-holding steps are carried out with respect to the aforementioned flat portions, which appears partially during the period corresponding to decreased laser power, in the intensity versus time curve of photoelectric signals.
With the wobble signal detecting circuit according to that disclosure, it appears feasible to detect wobble signals accurately in the case of relatively low recording velocity, since the flat regions in the intensity versus time curve of photoelectric signals are relatively stable for respective output signals from left- and right-hand side portions.
In the case of relatively high recording velocity, in contrast, the intensity versus time curve of photoelectric signals becomes more complicated for respective output signals, and the flat regions become less stable. As a result, output photoelectric signals include more complex noise components which can not be removed completely. This gives rise to a drawback, in which errors may be included in detected wobble signals.
Since time interval for carrying out sample-holding steps becomes shorter with increasing recording velocity, the sample-holding means is required to function stably and accurately at high recording velocities. This tends to hamper miniaturization and reducing costs of the wobble signal detecting circuit, to thereby give rise to another drawback.
In addition, with further increase in recording capacity of optical recording media in future, concomitant increase in recording velocity can be much anticipated which necessitates improvements in high frequency capabilities of the wobble signal detecting circuit.

Wobble signal detecting circuit for optical disc system


An electrical plug includes a support body, a pair of electrical contacts of elongated shape having respective longitudinal axes arranged coplanar on a common lying plane, and connecting members adapted to allow a mutual movement between said electrical contacts and the support body. The connecting members include a first rocker hinged to the support body according to a first hinging axis perpendicular to the lying plane, and a second rocker hinged to the support body according to a second hinging axis parallel and spaced with respect to the first hinging axis, each electrical contact being fixed overhanging a respective of the first and second rockers.

It is known that many electrical/electronic devices of the type mentioned above are powered and/or recharged by means of electrical power supplies which are capable of converting the alternating voltage coming from the electrical distribution network into a suitable direct voltage.
In order to connect to the electrical distribution network, these power supplies are commonly provided with an electrical plug, which normally comprises at least two electrical contacts which are suitable for being inserted in the slots of a corresponding electrical socket.
Depending on the type of electrical socket adopted in the various countries of the world, the electrical contacts of the plug can have different shapes.
For example, in order to be able to be coupled with type C sockets, used in most European countries, the plug must have cylindrical electrical contacts, while in order to be able to be coupled with type A sockets, used in the United States and other countries, the electrical contacts of the plugs must have a flat shape.
Regardless of said considerations, electrical plugs in which, generally for reasons of general dimension and/or aesthetics, the electrical contacts are not rigidly fixed to the body of the plug but are connected to the latter through connection means which allow the movement between an "open" configuration and a "closed" configuration are also known.
In the open configuration, the electrical contacts protrude overhanging from the body of the plug to be able to be coupled to the corresponding socket, while in the closed configuration, the electrical contacts are hidden inside or any way are close to the body of the plug.
For example, retractable electrical plugs in which the electric contacts can be made to slide inside the body of the plug along a direction parallel to their axis are known.
In this case, the overall dimension of the plug remain however quite high, since the body of the same must be sufficiently large to be able to contain the electrical contacts in the closed configuration.
Other types of electrical plugs provide that the electrical contacts can be reclined on the body of the plug by means of a rigid movement of both electrical contacts around a common axis of rotation.
Even in this case, however, the displacement of the electrical contacts in the closed configuration does not lead to an effective reduction of the overall dimensions but a mere redistribution of the volumes.