Techniques improving the performance and extending the lifetime of an ion source with gas mixing are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for improving performance and extending lifetime of an ion source in an ion implanter. The method may comprise introducing a predetermined amount of dopant gas into an ion source chamber. The dopant gas may comprise a dopant species. The method may also comprise introducing a predetermined amount of diluent gas into the ion source chamber. The diluent gas may dilute the dopant gas to improve the performance and extend the lifetime of the ion source. The diluent gas may further comprise a co-species that is the same as the dopant species.

Ion implantation is a process of depositing chemical species into a substrate by direct bombardment of the substrate with energized ions. In semiconductor manufacturing, ion implanters are used primarily for doping processes that alter the type and level of conductivity of target materials. A precise doping profile in an integrated circuit (IC) substrate and its thin-film structure is often crucial for proper IC performance. To achieve a desired doping profile, one or more ion species may be implanted in different doses and at different energy levels.
FIG. 1 depicts a conventional ion implanter system 100. The ion implanter system 100 may comprise an ion source 102 and a complex series of components through which an ion beam 10 passes. The series of components may include, for example, an extraction manipulator 104, a filter magnet 106, an acceleration or deceleration column 108, an analyzer magnet 110, a rotating mass slit 112, a scanner 114, and a corrector magnet 116. Much like a series of optical lenses that manipulate a light beam, the ion implanter components can filter and focus the ion beam 10 before steering it towards an end station 120.
The end station 120 supports one or more workpieces, such as workpiece 122, in the path of ion beam 10 such that ions of the desired speciess are implanted into the workpiece 122. The workpiece 122 may be, for example, a semiconductor wafer or other similar target object requiring ion implantation. The end station 120 may also include a platen 124 to support the workpiece 122. The platen 124 may secure the workpiece 122 using electrostatic forces or other similar forces. The end station 120 may also include a mechanical workpiece scanner (not illustrated) for moving the workpiece 122 in a desired direction. The end station 120 may also include additional components, such as automated workpiece handling elements for introducing a workpiece 122 into the ion implanter system 100 and for removing the workpiece 122 after ion implantation. The ion implanter system 100 may also include a controller (not illustrated) to control a variety of subsystems and components of the ion implanter system 100. The ion implanter system 100 may also include a number of measurement devices, such as a dose control Faraday cup 118, a traveling Faraday cup 128, and a setup Faraday cup 126. These devices may be used to monitor and control the ion beam conditions. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the entire path traversed by the ion beam 10 is typically evacuated during ion implantation.
The ion source 102 is a critical component of the ion implanter system 100. The ion source 102 is required to generate a stable, well-defined ion beam 10 for a variety of different ion species and extraction voltages. It is therefore desirable to operate the ion source 102 for extended periods of time without the need for maintenance or repair. Hence, the lifetime of the ion source 102 or mean time between failures (MTBF) is one performance criteria of the ion source 102 and a critical metric for the performance of an ion implanter system 100.
FIG. 2 depicts a typical embodiment of the ion source 102 in the ion implanter system 100. The ion source 102 may be an inductively heated cathode (IHC) ion source, which is typically used in high current ion implantation equipment. Other various ion sources may also be utilized. The ion source 102 includes an arc chamber housing 202 defining an arc chamber 206. The arc chamber housing 202 also includes an extraction aperture 204 for the ion beam 10. A cathode 208 and a repeller electrode 210 (or anticathode) may be positioned within the arc chamber 206. The repeller electrode 210 may be electrically isolated. A cathode insulator 212 may be positioned relative to the cathode 208 to electrically and thermally insulate the cathode 208 from the arc chamber housing 202. The cathode 208 may also be separated from the insulator 212 by a vacuum gap to control thermal conduction. A filament 214 may be positioned outside the arc chamber 206 and in close proximity to the cathode 208 to heat the cathode 208. A support rod 216 may support the cathode 208 and the filament 214. The cathode 208 may be positively biased relative to the filament 214 in order to accelerate electrons emitted from the filament 214 to the cathode 208. One or more source magnets 220 may also be provided to produce a magnetic field B within the arc chamber 206 in a direction toward the cathode 208 (see arrow 222 of FIG. 2).
An extraction electrode configuration, such as a ground electrode 240 and a suppression electrode 242, may be positioned in front of the extraction aperture 204. Each of the ground electrode 240 and the suppression electrode 242 have an aperture aligned with the extraction aperture 204 for extraction of the well-defined ion beam 10 from the arc chamber 206 for use in the ion implanter system 100.
An extraction power supply 248 may provide an extraction voltage between the arc chamber 206 and the ground electrode 240 for extraction of the ion beam 10 from the arc chamber 206. The extraction voltage may be adjusted according to the desired energy of the ion beam 10. A suppression power supply 246 may negatively bias the suppression electrode 242 relative to the ground electrode 240 in order to inhibit loss of electrons (from back-streaming to the ion source 102) within the ion beam 10. One or more additional power supplies may also be provided to the ion implanter system 100, such as a filament power supply or an arc power supply. A filament power supply (not illustrated) may provide current to the filament 214 for heating thereof, which in turn generates electrons that are accelerated toward the cathode 208 for heating the cathode 208. An arc power supply (not illustrated) may be coupled to the arc chamber housing 202 to facilitate emission of electrons from the cathode 208 into a plasma 20 formed within the arc chamber 206. This power may bias the cathode 208 to a negative potential relative to the arc chamber 202.
An ion source controller 250 provides control of the ion source 102. For example, the ion source controller 250 may control various power supplies of the ion source and/or may also control the flow rate of dopant gas from a dopant gas source 260 into the arc chamber 206. The ion source controller 250 may be a programmed controller or a dedicated special purpose controller. In one embodiment, the ion source controller 250 is incorporated into a main control computer of the ion implanter system 100.
A dopant gas source 260 may inject a predetermined amount of dopant gas into the arc chamber 206 via a gas flow controller 266. The dopant gas source 260 may provide a particular dopant gas containing a desired dopant element. For example, the dopant element may include boron (B), germanium (Ge), phosphorus (P), Arsenic (As), or silicon (Si) and may be provided as a fluorine-containing gas, such as boron trifluoride (BF3), germanium tetrafluoride (GeF4), phosphorous trifluoride (PF3), or silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4). Other various dopant gases and/or dopant elements may also be utilized, such as inert gases, including argon (Ar), xenon (Xe), etc.
A common cause of ion source failure is that some materials accumulate on cathode surfaces during extended use of the ion implanter system 100. The accumulated materials tend to reduce a thermionic emission rate of source ions from cathode surfaces. Consequently, desired beam currents cannot be obtained and the ion source 102 may have to be replaced in order to maintain proper operation of the ion implanter system 100. In addition, if the deposits are conductive, they may result in a short between the cathode 208 and the source chamber 206 whereby no plasma may be generated in the source 102 and the source needs to be replaced or rebuilt. Furthermore, this change in the condition of the cathode 208, the repeller electrode 210, or extraction electrodes 240 may result in unstable output of ions from the source 102 which is highly undesirable. This may result in beam current drifts and, in some cases, a higher frequency of glitches, both of which may be critical metrics towards the performance of an ion source. As a result, performance degradation and short lifetime of the ion source 102 greatly reduces the productivity of the ion implanter system 100.
The above-described problems are especially significant for, but are not limited to, germanium ion implantation. Germanium ion implantation has been widely used in the semiconductor industry to pre-amorphize silicon wafers in order to prevent channeling effects. The demand for pre-amorphizing germanium ion implantation is expected to increase greatly in future semiconductor device manufacturing. One of the most popular source gases for germanium ion beams is germanium tetrafluoride (GeF4) due to its stable chemical properties and cost-effectiveness. However, very short lifetimes of ion sources have been observed while operating with GeF4 dopant gas.
The short lifetime of an ion source used in germanium ion implantation may be attributed to the presence of excessive, free fluorine atoms in the arc chamber 206 as a result of chemical dissociation of GeF4 molecules. Specifically, arc chamber housing 202 material may be etched away due to chemical reactions with these free fluorine atoms. The arc chamber housing 202 material may eventually be deposited on a surface of the cathode 208, resulting in the degradation of electron emissions from the surface of the cathode 208.
It should be appreciated that while problems with germanium ion implantation are discussed above, other fluorine-containing dopant gases, such as boron trifluoride (BF3), phosphorous trifluoride (PF3), and silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4), may exhibit similar problems that adversely affect performance and lifetime of the ion source 102 as a result of such materials deposited on the cathode 208. Although an inert gas, such as argon, xenon, etc., may be used as a dopant gas, using inert gases, even though they do not contain fluorine, inevitably result in reduced beam currents. As a result, ion source operation, such as performance and lifetime, is still greatly reduced.
Another common cause of ion source failure is caused by stripping (or sputtering) of material from the cathode 208 during source operation. For example, metallic material (e.g., tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), etc.) from the cathode 208 is inclined to be removed due to the bombardment of ions from plasma 20 in the arc chamber 206 accelerating towards the cathode 208. Because sputtering rate is dominated by the mass of the ion in the plasma 20, as ion mass increases, the sputtering effect may worsen. In fact, continued sputtering of material "thins" the cathode 208 and may eventually lead to an aperture or opening within the cathode 208. Consequently, performance and lifetime of the ion source 102 are greatly reduced when utilizing a dopant gas containing a heavy element, such as germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), xenon (Xe), indium (In), Antimony (Sb), etc., as opposed to lighter elements, such as boron (B) or carbon (C). These adverse effects are particularly noticeable when using hydrides (e.g., AsH3, PH3, CH4, etc.), inert gases (Ar, Xe, etc.), or a mixture thereof, as the source material of desired implantation species.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a technique for improving the performance and extending the lifetime of an ion source to overcome the above-described inadequacies and shortcomings.

Techniques for improving the performance and extending the lifetime of an ion source with gas mixing

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.


A semiconductor memory device which performs a refresh operation. The semiconductor memory device may include an information detection unit suitable for detecting a refresh characteristic of a memory cell, a control signal generation unit suitable for generating a refresh control signal having a refresh cycle corresponding to the refresh characteristic, and a refresh driving unit suitable for driving a refresh operation on the memory cell with the refresh cycle in response to the refresh control signal.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor design technology and, more particularly, to a semiconductor memory device which performs a refresh operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor memory devices such as double data rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM) include memory banks for storing data. Each of memory banks includes tens of millions or more memory cells. Each of the memory cells includes a cell capacitor and a cell transistor. The semiconductor memory device stores data by charging and discharging the cell capacitor. The amount of charge stored should theoretically remain constant. However, in actuality, the charge stored in the cell capacitor changes due to voltage differences between the cell capacitor and peripheral circuits. That is, a charged capacitor may leak current or a discharged cell capacitor may gain a charge. A change in the amount of charge in the cell capacitor corresponds to a change in the data value of the memory cell, which means that the stored data may be lost. A semiconductor memory device performs a refresh operation in order to prevent this phenomenon from occurring. Refresh operations are already well known in the art and will not be described here in detail.
As process technology is developed, integration of semiconductor memory devices continues to increase. An increase in the degree of integration of semiconductor memory devices has played a pivotal role in reducing the size of memory banks. However, a reduction in the size of memory banks means that the interval between memory cells is reduced. As the interval between the memory cells is reduced, the possibility that adjacent memory cells may disturb each other increases. Accordingly, in recent years, attention has been focused on different methods for improving refresh operations.

Semiconductor memory device, semiconductor memory system and method for controlling self refresh cycle thereof


A plating method includes the steps of (a) forming a roughened area in a predetermined area of a substrate, (b) forming a surface-active agent layer above at least the roughened area, (c) forming, above the roughened area, a catalyst layer above the surface-active agent layer, and (d) precipitating a metal layer above the catalyst layer.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to plating methods and electronic devices.
2. Related Art
A subtractive method and an additive method are known as a method for forming wiring patterns. In the subtractive method, a metal layer is formed over the entire surface of a substrate, a photoresist is formed on the metal layer by patterning, and the metal layer is etched by using the photoresist as a mask. In the additive method, a photoresist is formed on a substrate by patterning, and a metal layer is deposited by a plating process in an opening section in the photoresist. These methods may entail problems concerning consumptions of resources and raw material, in view of the fact that the photoresist is finally removed, and further in view of the fact that a part of the metal layer is removed in the subtractive method. Also, they require the steps of forming and removing a photoresist, which results in a large number of manufacturing steps. Furthermore, the solvent that is used to remove the photoresist may possibly remove, for example, the catalyst, too. An example of related art is described in Japanese laid-open patent application JP-A-8-64934.
In accordance with an advantage of some aspects of the present invention, a plating method that can improve the reliability of devices with a relatively simple process, and devices manufactured by the plating method can be provided.
(1) A plating method in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes the steps of: (a) forming a roughened area in a predetermined area of a substrate; (b) forming a surface-active agent layer above at least the roughened area; (c) forming, above the roughened area, a catalyst layer above the surface-active agent layer; and (d) precipitating a metal layer above the catalyst layer.
According to the embodiment of the invention, because the metal layer is formed above the roughened area of the substrate, adhesion between the substrate and the metal layer can be improved and the reliability can be improved. Also, surfaces of the substrate other than the area of the metal layer are not roughened, such that the strength of the substrate is not impaired, and therefore the area that is not roughened can be used for a wide variety of purposes. Moreover, for example, the use of photoresist can be omitted, such that a metal layer can be formed with a relatively simple process. It is noted that, in the invention, the case where B is provided above a specific A includes the case where B is provided directly on A, and the case where B is provided above A through another member. The same applies to other embodiments of the invention to be described below.
(2) In the plating method, the step (a) may include forming another surface-active agent layer other than the predetermined area of the substrate, and etching the substrate by wet-etching to thereby form the roughened area.
(3) In the plating method, the substrate may exhibit a first polarity, and the surface-active agent layer and the other surface-active agent layer may exhibit a second polarity.
(4) The plating method may further include removing the other surface-active agent layer before the step (b), and patterning the surface-active agent layer to be remained only above the roughened area in the step (b).
(5) In the plating method, the step (b) may include patterning the surface-active agent layer by light irradiation in a manner that the surface-active agent layer remains only above the roughened area, and removing the other surface-active agent layer by the light irradiation.
(6) In the plating method, the substrate and the other surface-active agent layer may exhibit a first polarity, and the surface-active agent layer may exhibit a second polarity.
(7) In the plating method, an absolute value of the first polarity of the other surface-active agent layer may be greater than that of the substrate.
(8) In the plating method, in the step (b), the surface-active agent layer may be formed above the roughened area and above the other surface-active agent layer.
An electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes a wiring pattern, wherein the wiring pattern is formed by the plating method described above.


An explosion-proof housing 10 having at least one pressure relief body 15 arranged in a pressure compensation vent opening 14 of one of the housing parts 12, 13. In order to secure the pressure relief body 15 to the housing part 12, a thickened region 20 of the housing part 12 engages over an edge zone 24 of the pressure relief body 15 along its entire peripheral surface 23 on both of its flat sides 16, 17. A resulting engaging depth Si, which is measured parallel to the flat sides 16, 17, is preferably greater than a thickness D1, D2 of the part of the thickened region 20 engaging over the edge zone 24. The pressure relief element 15 consists of sintered wire mesh. This connection is pressure-resistant and stable over a wide temperature range.

Explosion-proof housings with pressure relief devices are known for explosion protection contaminant.
Publication DE 10 2013 109 259 A1 describes a housing with a porous flame filter body that is inserted into a receptacle part of the housing. The receptacle part may be a housing wall or a housing wall section of the explosion-proof housing. The peripheral zone of the porous body is connected to the receptacle part 25 in a positive-locking and/or material-bonding manner. The positive connection results from the penetration of the cast material into the pores of the porous body which consists of irregularly arranged, intertwined metal fibers. However, deep a penetration of cast material into the porous body is prevented by a barrier arranged in the peripheral zone of the porous body. The casting process itself is a pressure casting/injection-molding process or a transfer molding process.
It further has been known from publication DE 10 2013 109 260 A1 to fabricate entire housing components, for example housing walls, housing tops or housing bottoms from a porous material that is formed by irregularly intertwined fibers.
Larger housings of the "flame-proof encapsulation" construction type may be configured as cast aluminum housings. Such housings are intended for a broad spectrum of use so high standards are required for operating temperature ranges. Gaps in the housing must not allow a flame transmission at any of the occurring temperatures. It must ensure that flames, sparks or the like cannot move from the interior space of the housing toward the outside into an explosive environment. Therefore, the housing, as well as the pressure relief device, must withstand an explosion pressure.

Housing having cast pressure relief means


One or more embodiments includes storing a group email message in multiple email mailboxes to obtain multiple stored email messages, receiving, for a first stored email message in the stored email messages, an updated label from a first user computing device, detecting, in response to receiving the updated label, that the stored email messages matches the first stored email message, and storing the updated label with at least a subset of the stored email messages. The method further includes transmitting, with the updated label and to a second user computing system, a second stored email message in the stored email messages.

Email messaging offers some benefits of enabling multiple concurrent threads of communications between the same users, allowing users to view and respond to an email message long after the email message was sent and delivered, and providing a static record of a communication. With these benefits, email messaging is one of the most prevalent forms of communication. Because of the prevalence, however, users may be inundated with email messages. Each email message has a storage cost to the server and the user computing device storing the email. Further, each email message has a time cost to the user in the form of time spent opening the message, reading the body (i.e., contents) of the email, and, optionally, performing an action based on the email. Thus, while email messaging has benefits leading to the prevalence of email messaging, the time and storage costs can be detrimental when factoring the number of email messages that a user receives.
One type of email message is a group email message. In a group email message, a single sender sends an email that is directed to multiple destination email addresses. In contrast to other messaging platforms, in an email platform, a group email message is treated as multiple individual messages that are individually managed. Thus, the time cost and storage cost are increased by the number of destination email addresses.

Communication platform for email management


The present invention relates to a novel FGF-5 analogous protein derived from mature mRNA formed by directly binding exon 1 to exon 3 in the splicing of a gene coding for FGF-5 protein as well as to a pharmaceutical composition containing the same as an active ingredient. The pharmaceutical composition containing the novel FGF-5 analogous protein of the present invention as an active ingredient can regulate physiological functions of FGF-5, such as regulation of restoration or development of hairs on the head and body, regulation of trophic and functional regulation in the brain and nervous system, proliferation of fibroblasts, etc.

Conventionally, almost all components effective for promotion or suppression of restoration or development of hairs on the head or body have been obtained by screening synthetic compounds or natural substances in plants or microorganisms for those having such activity in e.g. experimental animals. However, because the trophic environments of hair roots were believed to be essential, conventional developments in hair restoration promoting agents, hair restoration suppressing agents and hair developing agents were based on improvement or suppression of topical blood circulation or environmental conditions for hair roots, but not on the mechanism of production of animal hairs.
Fibroblast growth factor-5 (FGF-5) is known to have growth promoting activity and transforming activity on fibroblasts as its physiological functions. If NIH3T3 fibroblasts are transformed with an FGF-5 gene under the control of a constant-expression vector, their growth ability is known to be altered by FGF-5. Also, FGF-5 secreted from these transformed cells into the culture significantly promotes the proliferation ability of other fibroblast BALB/c3T 3 cells. Further, an FGF-5 polypeptide expressed by E. coli transformed with an FGF-5 gene expression plasmid significantly promotes the proliferation ability of BALB/c3T3 as well.
The activity of FGF-5 as a neurotrophic factor is also known and expressed in skeletal muscle cells. Both FGF-5 contained in an extract of these skeletal muscle cells and FGF-5 expressed in the E. coli transformed with the FGF-5 gene expression plasmid are known to significantly promote the survival of cultured motor neurons. This fact strongly suggests that FGF-5 is a trophic factor of motor neurons. The expression of FGF-5 in mouse and rat brains was further found and it is believed from an experiment with brain nerve primary culture cells that FGF-5 acts as a trophic factor of cholinergic and serotonergic neurons in the brain.
The activity of FGF-5 as a neurotrophic factor came to be known as described above, and much attention is paid to a regulatory factor for the activity, but none of such regulatory factor has been found.
In the generation of the FGF-5 protein, it is known that a gene coding for the FGF-5 protein is transcribed into mRNA which in turn undergoes splicing such that exon 1, exon 2 and exon 3 are linked in this order to form a continuous chain in mature RNA. That is, its translational frame begins at the translational initiation codon ATG (coding for methionine) in exon 1, proceeds through exon 2 and ends at a termination codon in exon 3 to result in a protein composed of 268 amino acids in human or a protein of 264 amino acids in mouse (Zhan, X. et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., Vol. 8, pp. 3487-3495 (1988); Haub. O. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, Vol. 87, pp. 8022-8026 (1990)).

FGF-5 analogous protein, and pharmaceutical composition containing the same

Director-General of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology


A graphite material includes a plurality of graphite particles and a plurality of pores which form a microstructure. When a cross-section of the microstructure is observed with a scanning electron microscope, the number of the pores appearing on the cross-section is more than 250 or more per 6000 μm2, an average area of the pores appearing on the cross-section is 5 μm2 or less, and an average aspect ratio of the pores appearing on the cross-section is 0.55 or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a graphite material and a process for producing the same.
2. Discussion of the Background
Since graphite materials are excellent in chemical stability, thermal resistance, processing characteristic, and the like, the materials have been used in many fields including an electrode for electric discharging, a jig for glass-sealing and brazing of electronic parts and an elastic body. Recently, with miniaturization of home electric appliances and automobile parts, precise processing to form thin ribs and grooves, thin pins, fine holes, and the like is performed to molds for use in die-casting and plastic molding. For the purpose of preparing such precise molds, an electrode for electric discharging comprising a graphite material which can be precisely processed has been needed.
For obtaining a precise form such as a thin rib by electric discharging using a graphite material as an electrode without breaking the electrode, it is necessary for the graphite material to have some degree of strength. Moreover, in order to enhance dimensional accuracy of a mold to be processed, it is important for the graphite material not to be deformed by heat and external force during electric discharging.
As a high-strength and high-density graphite material suitable for such an application, JP-A-1-97523 describes to use mesocarbon microbeads as a raw material. As another means for producing a high-density and high-strength graphite material, JP-A-4-240022 describes to mold mesocarbon microbeads having specific β resin content, ash content, water content, volatile content, fixed carbon, and average particle diameter as a raw material under cold press, and burning and graphitize it at a predetermined temperature. Since the graphite materials obtained by production processes described in JP-A-1-97523 and JP-A-4-240022 have high strength and high density, it is advantageous that the materials are difficult to break even when they are processed into a precise form such as a thin rib. The contents of JP-A-1-97523 and JP-A-4-240022 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Meanwhile, JP-A-6-144811 describes a carbonaceous coil spring in order to remedy a disadvantage of conventional springs such as a metal spring and a ceramic spring. That is, a metal spring has a large temperature dependency in the spring constant and thus is generally used at 200° C. or lower, and its thermal resistance is also limited to 600° C. and the strength rapidly decreases above the temperature. Moreover, the metal spring is poor in corrosion resistance against rust and chemicals. The thermal resistance of a ceramic spring is also limited to 1000° C. and the thermal shock resistance of the ceramic spring is poor. Since both of metal and ceramic have high specific gravity, it is disadvantageous that a device having the metal or ceramic spring incorporated therein has a large weight.
The method for obtaining the carbonaceous coil spring described in JP-A-6-144811 includes: forming an organic material capable of carbonization or an organic string body, which contains carbon fibers, graphite whiskers, graphite powders, amorphous carbon powders, or the like homogeneously dispersed therein and is highly reinforced, into a coil shape; subjecting it to a carbon precursor treatment as needed; carbonizing it through a heating treatment in an inert atmosphere; and covering the whole surface of the carbonized spring with a metal corresponding to a desired function. The carbonaceous coil spring has excellent thermal resistance and corrosion resistance even at a high temperature in the presence of oxygen and is expected to have high strength and reliability.

Graphite material and a method of producing graphite material


Cigarette packs, namely hinge-lid packs and soft-cup packs in particular, are designed in such a way that the pack content, namely a cigarette group, is surrounded on all sides by an inner wrapping (11) consisting of paper with a decorative print applied on the outside. For reasons of cost above all, the print is applied only on those surface regions of the inner wrapping (11) which are exposed when the pack (hinge-lid pack) is open or by virtue of construction. The inner wrapping (11) is produced by being severed from a paper web which, depending on the design of the inner wrapping and depending on the folding construction, has printed zones (34, 35), arranged at a distance from one another, or a continuous strip-shaped printed zone (43, 51) located along the edge of the web.

The invention relates to a cigarette pack with a box made from cardboard or with a cup made from paper and with an inner wrapping for the cigarettes which is made from paper or similar material and which has a print on the outside.
Cigarette packs are conventionally constructed by completely surrounding the pack contents, namely a cigarette group, by an inner wrapping. This has hitherto consisted predominantly of a tinfoil blank. Nowadays, inner wrappings made from paper are increasingly being used for ecological reasons. The blank for the inner wrapping is provided on the outside with a print. This can be an ornamental decoration. However, closely placed letterings covering the surface completely are also applied. The print is necessary in order to avoid the visually unattractive appearance of unprinted (white) paper.

Cigarette pack and material web for the production of an inner wrapping for this


A container comprises a containment receptable (11) of yielding plastic material which is inserted in a generally box-like rigid supporting shell (12) to project above it with a portion (20) thereof comprising a pouring neck (13). The side wall of said receptable displays projections (14, 15) received in corresponding openings (16, 17) in the shell and preventing withdrawal.

In the production of plastic containers, in general not reusable, in the form of bottles, phials and the like, the problem of the difficulty of eliminating said containers once emptied because of their physical dimensions or their polluting characteristics is becoming more acute because of their poor degradability in time.
On the other hand these containers require rigidity sufficient for good stability and easy handling in use, transportation and storage.
This cannot be secured without a certain wall thickness and the resulting relatively high quantity of material, which reflects negatively on the product cost.
In the know art have been proposed composite bottles, i.e. formed of a relatively yielding plastic containing an element inserted in a more rigid supporting structure.
For example, in French patent application FR-A-2 166 173 is shown a substantially cylindrical composite container consisting of a rigid external tube in which is fixed a plastic receptacle. The receptacle of such a container must however have relatively thick walls. Otherwise the receptacle would tend to fold back on itself, slipping into the stiffening tube. In addition, during pouring, the receptacle would slip easily out of the tube due to the the weight of its contents.
In French patent application FR-A-2 013 654 there is proposed a container substantially similar to the above with the only variant being that the side wall of the cylindrical receptacle has projections for engagement with corresponding holes in the external supporting shell.
Although this embodiment ensures better fixing between the shell and the receptacle, when the latter is full or under pressure a rather high rigidity of the receptacle walls is still necessary to prevent collapsing or slipping out during pouring or when it is partly empty. In effect, the container described in said patent has its utility simply in the greater resistance to internal pressure given by the spherical bottom of the receptacle while the cylindrical external shell serves only to provide the container with a flat resting base.
In addition to wasting plastic material, the need for using receptacle with relatively rigid walls results in the difficulty of folding the container once emptied to reduce its space occupied and facilitate its disposal.
In U.S. Pat. No. US-A-4 456 334 are shown various solutions in which the cylindrical bottles are formed to have a containing part supported by a rigid part. The containing parts are readily folded either because made of very thin and easily deformed plastic material or due to the presence of bellows or the like. With bellows, the expenditure for plastic material is great while with thin walls the supporting part made at the same time of plastic is particularly complicated and costly and hence unsuited for a single us.


A push fit waterproof interconnect hub for a sequence of lighting fixtures. Each interconnect hub is formed as part of a special end cap of the lighting fixture. The interconnect hubs include a waterproof interconnect system that allows pass-through of electrical dabbling.

The present invention is directed to the field of lighting fixtures for mounting fluorescent light bulbs and/or light emitting diode arrays ("LED arrays"). More specifically the present invention is directed to a push fit waterproof interconnection hub allowing, the coupling of two or more lighting fixtures.
For architectural lighting, it is often desirable to couple one or more lighting fixtures together in a series so as to provide lighting for an extended distance. Each lighting fixture may, for example, be able to accommodate a fluorescent light bulb that is 3 to 5 feet in length. However, fluorescent light bulbs generally are not provided in lengths greater than 5 feet. Accordingly, for a lighting arrangement which needs to have lighting fixtures that are longer than the length of a standard fluorescent bulbs, it is beneficial to be able to couple two or more fixtures together so as to accommodate the extended length requirement.
For outdoor lighting requirements, it is generally also required to have a degree of waterproof capability so as to prevent moisture from getting into and being trapped within the lighting fixture. Accordingly, it is known to have coupling systems at the ends of lighting fixtures which allow for both pass-through of electrical cabling as well as the secure positioning of one fixture with respect to the adjacent fixture. One example would be a threaded locking sleeve which may be screwed onto an abutting threaded receiver so as to secure adjacent fixtures. The disadvantage of these types of systems, however, is their ridged placement and potential requirement for tools to be able to fix the components together and, once they are fixed together, their relative inability to independently rotate to provide lighting at different angles for different surfaces.

Push fit waterproof interconnect for lighting fixtures


First and second shelf sections are positioned side by side in an outer frame. A transfer section is movable along a linear space defined between the first and second shelf sections. The transfer section includes a movable base and a rack pull-out mechanism provided on the movable base for pulling out each rack stored in the shelf sections. The base has a mounting area beside the rack pull-out mechanism for mounting thereon a receptible rack. A repacking mechanism including a picker mechanism is provided on the transfer section for moving a sample container from the rack on the rack pull-out mechanism to the receptible rack on the mounting area.

The present invention relates to an automatic storage system used in the field of medical science, pharmacy, agriculture, clinical medicine, and bio-technology. More particularly, the invention relates to such automatic storage system for storing a plurality of sample containers and picking up a selected sample container(s).
As a result of technological innovation in various fields such as medical science, pharmacy, agriculture, clinical medicine, and bio-technology, various kinds of testing samples must be investigated. To this effect, greater numbers of sample containers accumulating therein various kind of testing samples such as blood, ferment, gene, a chemical compound, a chemical reagent must be stored and picked-up for the investigation.
A conventional automatic storage system is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The storage system includes a storage section 110 for storing a plurality of sample containers 2 accommodated in a plurality of racks 3, a transfer section 120 for picking-up a rack 3 from the storage section 110, and a repacking section 126 for picking up one or several sample containers from the rack 3 or accommodating other sample container(s) into the rack 3. The storage system also includes a control section 130 for controlling operation of the storage section 110, the transfer section 120 and the repacking section 126.
In the storage section 110, a plurality of shelves 114 area arrayed side by side, and these shelves 114 are circularly moved as shown by an arrow F in FIG. 9. In each shelf 114, a plurality of racks 3 are vertically arrayed and held in positions. The storage section 110 has an elongated configuration.
The transfer section 120 is positioned at one longitudinal end of the storage section 110. The transfer section 120 includes an arm robot and a belt conveyer movable in both horizontal and vertical direction as shown by arrows G and H for picking up a selected one of the racks 3 from a selected one of the shelf 114 moved and stopped beside the transfer section 120 and for transferring the selected rack 3 to the repacking section 126. The transfer section 120 is also adapted for transferring the rack 3 from the repacking section 126 to the storage section 110.
The repacking section 126 is positioned beside the transfer section 120 at a position opposite to the storage section 110. The repacking section 126 includes a picker mechanism 129 and a stand 122 on which a receptible rack 4 is to be mounted. The picker mechanism 129 is adapted for picking up a selected sample container 2 from the rack 3 and accommodates the selected sample container 2 into the receptible rack 4. The repacking section 126 is also adapted for accommodating a sample container 2 from the receptible rack 4 to the rack 3.
The control section 130 stores therein data indicative of position of each sample container 2 and each rack 3, and transmits command signal to the storage section 110, the transfer section 120 and the repacking section 126. More specifically, when a specific sample container 2 is input through the control section 130, the storage section 110 performs circular movement so that a specific rack 3 accommodating therein the specific sample container 2 can be positioned in confrontation with the transfer section 120 based on the position data of the racks and the sample containers. Then, the transfer section 120 picks up the specific rack 3 from the storage section 110, and transfers the specific rack 3 to the repacking section 126 where the picker mechanism 129 picks-up the specific sample container 2 from the specific rack 3, and accommodates the specific sample container 2 into the receptible rack 4 mounted on the case stand 122. Then the specific rack 3 is returned to the storage section 110 by the transfer section 120. This operation is repeatedly performed so that desired sample containers 2 can be accommodated into the receptible rack 4.
The above described conventional automatic storage system has been developed from an industrial automatic storage house, and is extremely large occupying an entire space of the storage house. However, such system is too large in the field of medical science, pharmacy, agriculture, clinical medicine, and bio-technology except for a storage of chemical compounds of pharmaceutical industry company. Therefore, a compact storage system has been demanded.
Further, in the conventional system, since the storage section 110, the transfer section 120 and the repacking section 126 are separated from each other, each rack must be moved from the storage section 110 to the repacking section 126 each time a desired sample container is picked up. This takes a long period of time.
Further, due to repeated picking-up and storing operations, sample containers 2 may be scattered over various racks 3. Therefore, the sample containers must be in trim order in the reduced numbers of racks 3. For the proper arrangement of the sample containers, an operator must be manually repack the sample containers among the racks in the storage section 110. However in this case, the position data of the sample containers and racks may be destroyed.
In the conventional automatic repacking operation, the storage section 110 must perform circular movement until the desired rack 3 is brought into confrontation with the transfer section 120, and this circular movement must be performed each time the desired sample container must be picked up by the picker mechanism 129 from each rack 3 while the identical receptible rack 4 remains on the stand 122. Such process is extremely complicated.
Japanese patent application Publication No.2002-205804 discloses storage shelves positioned side by side, and an automatic pick-up device runs between the storage shelves for picking up a desired rack from the shelf, and for transferring the picked up rack to a transfer box outside of the shelves. Further, an external station is positioned for picking up a container or a test tube accommodated in the rack.
Japanese patent application Publication no. 2002-234601 discloses a pair of shelves each circularly moved in a vertical direction. A rail extends through a space between the pair of shelves, and a transfer unit runs along the rail.


A microwave plasma processing device is composed of a vacuum chamber which is evacuated to a predetermined pressure and into which processing gas is introduced; a sample table disposed in the vacuum chamber to which an AC voltage is applied; a microwave generating apparatus which generates microwaves and introduces the microwaves towards a surface to be processed of a sample located on the sample table; a magnetic field generating apparatus for generating a magnetic field in the vacuum chamber; an insulator disposed on a part exposed to plasma produced in the vacuum chamber; and a ground electrode disposed at a place which is on a microwave introduction side with respect to the surface of the sample table on which the sample is placed. The ground electrode arranged in an insulator exposed to the plasma is protected by covering the surface of the ground electrode by an insulating film which is so thin that application of an AC voltage is not prevented. In this way the AC voltage is applied at a place where efficiency is high, and stable plasma processing can be effected.

The present invention relates to a microwave plasma processing device and in particular to a microwave plasma processing device suitable for formation of various sorts of films, etching processing therefor, etc., effected in semiconductor element fabrication, etc.
Recently, down sizing and higher density integration of semiconductor elements have more and more progressed. A microwave plasma processing device can be cited as a processing device suitable for such down sizing. A prior art microwave plasma processing device described e.g. in Japanese Utility Model Publication Laid-Open No. 2 - 67632 is known. In this microwave plasma processing device, a bell jar made of quartz is disposed in the upper part of a vacuum chamber, in which a sample table is disposed; a waveguide, at an end of which a magnetron is mounted, is disposed around the quartz bell jar; a coil for generating a magnetic field is disposed around the quartz bell jar through the magnetic waveguide; a high frequency power supply is connected with the sample table; and a movable ground plate is disposed around a sample placed on the sample table. The device described above operates as follows. Gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber through a processing gas introducing tube. Microwaves from the magnetron are injected in the quartz bell jar and at the same time a magnetic field is generated in the quartz bell jar. In this way, plasma is produced by the effect of the microwave and the magnetic field in the quartz bell jar, and a bias voltage is produced by applying a high frequency voltage to the sample table. At this time, the height of the ground plate is regulated so that a potential distribution is made uniform.
In the prior art technique described above, no attention was paid to metal contamination by the ground plate, and there was a problem that the ground plate was sputtered by ions in the plasma generated in the quartz bell jar and sputter particles were scattered in the vacuum chamber to contaminate the sample.
The object of the present invention is to provide a microwave plasma processing device capable of effect stable plasma processing without any metal contamination.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a plurality of recesses in a semiconductor substrate, forming a gate insulating film in the plurality of recesses, and a plurality of gate electrodes on the gate insulating film in the plurality of recesses, forming an insulating layer on the semiconductor substrate and the plurality of gate electrodes, forming a plurality of contact holes in the insulating layer, the contact holes being formed between adjacent ones of the plurality of gate electrodes, implanting a first impurity into the semiconductor substrate through the plurality of contact holes to form each of source and drain regions in contact with the gate insulating film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having an insulated gate transistor of a recess gate type (called hereinafter "recess gate transistor" or "recess channel transistor").
2. Description of the Related Art
With the miniaturization of DRAM (dynamic random access memory) cells, recess gate transistors (recess channel transistors) have been invented to suppress the short channel effect of access transistors in a cell array (hereinafter, "cell transistors") (see, for example, J. Y. KIM et al., Symp. on VLSI Tech., p 11-12, 2003).
As shown in FIG. 5, in a semiconductor device H1 with a recess-gate transistor structure, one or more recess gate transistors are formed in an active region defined by a shallow trench isolation (STI) region 102.
Specifically, an N-type diffusion layer 113 which will be a source and/or a drain (S/D) is formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate 101 including a P-type channel doped layer 109. Recesses 106 are formed on the semiconductor substrate 101 and the N-type diffusion layer 113. Source regions and drain regions of the N-type diffusion layer 113 are separated from one another by the recesses 106. A gate insulating film 107 is formed on an inner surface of each recess 106. Agate electrode 112 is buried onto each recess 106. The channel doped layer 109 is formed around the bottom portions of the recesses 106 and the side surfaces of the bottom portions.
The gate electrode 112 includes a DOPOS film 108, a tungsten film 110, and a gate nitride film 111. The DOPOS film 108 is partially buried onto the recess 106 through the gate insulating film 107. In this manner, the gate electrode 112 is formed between the source and the drain regions of the N-type diffusion layer 113 through the gate insulating film 107.
An inter-layer insulating film 115 is formed on the gate electrode 112. Cell contact poly-plugs 117 are formed on the N-type diffusion layer 113 between the gate electrodes 112 through gate-sidewall nitride films 114.
Thus, the gate electrode 112 is buried onto the recess 106. Thereby, an effective channel length can be controlled by the depth of the recess, and a higher threshold voltage Vth can be obtained compared with conventional planar semiconductor devices.
Methods of manufacturing a semiconductor device having the recess gate transistor structure are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. H06-5798, H08-78682, and H10-50992.
Typical processes are explained. As shown in FIG. 6A, the element isolation regions 102 are formed on the P-type semiconductor substrate 101 using the STI (shallow trench isolation) technique. Then, a pad oxide film, a nitride film, and a photoresist film (not shown) are formed on the semiconductor substrate 101. After the photoresist film is patterned by lithography so as to have openings at substantially the same positions as those of the gate electrodes 112, the nitride film is formed by dry etching.
After the photoresist film is removed, the semiconductor device 101 is etched with the nitride film as a mask to form the recesses 106. Then, the nitride film and the pad oxide film are removed, and the gate insulating film 107 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 101 and the inner surfaces of the recesses 106.
Then, the DOPOS film 108 as a gate electrode material is formed on the semiconductor substrate 101 and inside the recesses 106. Then, a non-depicted photoresist pattern having openings at the positions corresponding to those of memory cell regions is formed by lithography. In this state, an impurity, such as boron, is ion-implanted through the DOPOS film 108 to form the P-type channel doped layer 109 around the bottom portions of the recesses 106.
Then, the tungsten film 110 is formed by CVD or spattering as shown in FIG. 6B. Then, the gate nitride film (SiN film) 111 is formed by low pressure CVD. Then, a photoresist film (not shown) is formed by lithography so as to match the recesses 106.
Then, the gate nitride film 111, the tungsten film 110, and the DOPOS film 108 are sequentially etched by dry etching to form the gate electrode 112 as shown in FIG. 6C. In this state, a photoresist pattern having openings at the positions corresponding to those of the memory cell regions is formed, and an impurity, such as phosphorus, is implanted so as to be doped only into the cell portions to form the N-type diffusion layer 113.
Then, the gate-sidewall nitride film 114 is formed. Then, the inter-layer insulating film 115 is formed. Then, contact holes 116 are formed on the inter-layer insulating film 115 by lithography and dry etching so that the source and drain regions (the N-type diffusion layer 113) are exposed. The cell-contact poly plugs 117 are formed by DOPOS film formation and polysilicon CMP. Thereby, the semiconductor device H1, as shown in FIG. 5, is completed.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device with recess gate transistor


An apparatus and method for cooling water in a swimming pool includes a heat exchanger coupled to a withdrawal conduit and a skimmer conduit of the pool filtering system. The heat exchanger is buried in the ground at a depth at which the ground temperature is substantially constant year-round thereby providing a passive heat sink for the heat exchanger. Water from the swimming pool is passed to a three-way valve for directing pool water either directly back to the swimming pool or through the heat exchanger for cooling pool water by heat transfer to the ground heat sink before being returned to the pool. Pool water from the skimmer conduit is selectively directed through the heat exchange while flow of pool water from the withdrawal conduit is prevented. A temperature sensor may control operation of the three-way valve and selective operation of the skimmer and withdrawal conduits.

Swimming pools are enjoyed by many as a way of cooling off on hot summer days. The desired temperature of the swimming pool water for most comfortable enjoyment is in the range of about 70° F. to about 80° F. (approximately 21° C. to 27° C.). As such, controlling the water temperature to the comfort range is desirable. In cooler climates where the air temperature is typically lower, especially at night, heating the pool water with solar and other systems is well known. Such heating systems allow extended use of the swimming pool even when the temperature drops below 70° F. (21° C.).
In warmer climates, such as in the Southern United States, the ambient temperature can reach 100° F. (38° C.), or more, in the summer months. Swimming pool water in such conditions, particularly where there is no shade from the sun, can reach an uncomfortable 90° F. (32° C.), or higher, even with inground pools. Inground pools are commonly dug into the ground to depths of 8-10 feet or more to accommodate diving at the deeper portions of the pool. It is known that the temperature of the ground at a depth beginning at about five feet below ground level is substantially constant year-round, as recognized by many, including McClendon in U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,957, issued on Feb. 17, 1981. This constant temperature is in the range of approximately 55° F.-65° F. (approximately 13° C.-18° C.), depending upon the location, as noted by Azzam in U.S. Pat. No. 8,820,394, issued on Sep. 2, 2014.
While the bottom of inground pools at 8-10 feet is lower than the depth of about five feet at which the ground temperature is constant at around 55° F. (13° C.), the construction of the walls of the pool basin typically inhibits use of the lower ground temperature as a source of cooling for the swimming pool. Walls of inground pools are commonly constructed of concrete, such as Gunite material, or fiberglass, both of which are poor conductors of heat. Basin walls made of these materials thereby introduce a thermal barrier between the pool water and the ground which serves to insulate the pool water from the surrounding cool temperature of the ground. Further, manufactures often use an additional layer of insulation such as vinyl, either to the inner surface of the basin wall to keep heat in the pool water, or to the outside of the basin wall to keep the cold of the ground out. Sometimes, both inside and outside layers are used.
Certain efforts have been made to provide systems for cooling swimming pool water. One example is described by Argovitz in U.S. Pat. No. 7,624,589, issued on Dec. 1, 2009. The Argovitz apparatus comprises a cooler including a hollow tower that uses evaporative cooling principles to cool swimming pool water. Argovitz describes a number of other efforts that have been made to cool swimming pool water, which he indicates as being too costly or too complicated or cumbersome to install. Accordingly, there is interest in providing an improved system or apparatus that can effectively and inexpensively cool water in a swimming pool for the comfort of swimmers during hot weather conditions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and method for cooling selected portions of swimming pool water


An evaporated-fuel processing apparatus including: a sealing valve which is arranged in a communication path between the atmosphere and a fuel tank mounted on a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, and shuts an internal space of the fuel tank off from the atmosphere; an open/close member which covers a fuel filling port of the fuel tank; a refueling-intention-information acquisition unit which acquires information indicating an intention of refueling; and a control unit which issues an opening command for opening the sealing valve when the refueling-intention-information acquisition unit acquires the information indicating an intention of refueling, and allows the open/close member to open when a time elapsed from the moment at which the opening command is issued exceeds a first predetermined time.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an evaporated-fuel processing apparatus for processing evaporated fuel.
Description of the Related Art
For example, in vehicles having an internal combustion engine, when a fuel tank is refilled, the volume occupied by liquid fuel in the internal space of the fuel tank increases. Therefore, the volume of the vapor-phase region in the internal space decreases, so that the pressure of the vapor-phase region (which may be referred to as the tank internal pressure) becomes higher than the atmospheric pressure. Then, the evaporated fuel in the vapor phase staying in the fuel tank tends to be emitted to the atmosphere. If the evaporated fuel is emitted to the atmosphere, the atmosphere is polluted.
In order to prevent the air pollution caused by the emission of the evaporated fuel, in a conventional evaporated-fuel processing apparatus, a canister having absorbent which temporarily absorbs the evaporated fuel is arranged in a communication path between the fuel tank and the atmosphere, so that the evaporated fuel in the vapor phase overflown from the fuel tank is absorbed by the absorbent in the canister. That is, the conventional evaporated-fuel processing apparatus is configured to suppress the tank internal pressure while suppressing emission of the evaporated fuel to the atmosphere.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-156494 (which is hereinafter referred to as JP2004-156494A) discloses an evaporated-fuel processing apparatus in which a sealing valve for controlling the state of communication between the fuel tank and the canister is arranged in a flow path for the evaporated fuel realizing communication between the fuel tank and the canister. According to the evaporated-fuel processing technique disclosed in JP2004-156494A, when the internal combustion engine is stopped, the sealing valve is brought into a closed state, and the canister is opened to the atmosphere. In addition, when the internal combustion engine is stopped and a pressure difference exceeding a valve-opening threshold occurs between the tank internal pressure and the atmospheric pressure, the sealing valve is opened. Then, the change in the tank internal pressure which is caused by the opening of the sealing valve is detected. When the detected change in the tank internal pressure is smaller than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that a clogging failure (a failure in which the closed state continues) occurs in the sealing valve.
According to the evaporated-fuel processing technique disclosed in JP2004-156494A, the clogging failure of the sealing valve for sealing the fuel tank can be efficiently detected.
Further, according to the evaporated-fuel processing technique disclosed in JP2004-156494A, when an operator manipulates a lid switch, which is to be manipulated for unlocking a fuel lid covering a fuel filler port, first, the sealing valve is opened in order to prevent emission of the evaporated fuel through the fuel filler port to the atmosphere. The opening of the sealing valve causes a gradual decrease in the tank internal pressure. When the tank internal pressure is lowered to the vicinity of the atmospheric pressure, the fuel lid is unlocked. Thereafter, when the operator manually closes the fuel lid, the operator's manipulation is detected by an open/closed-state detector, and the sealing valve is closed.
However, according to the evaporated-fuel processing technique disclosed in JP2004-156494A, in the case where a failure in which the output value of a sensor detecting the tank internal pressure is stuck to a vicinity of the atmospheric pressure occurs, even when the tank internal pressure is actually high, the sensor outputs a wrong value indicating the tank internal pressure is in the vicinity of the atmospheric pressure, so that the fuel lid can be erroneously unlocked. As a result, it is impossible to perform refueling so as to prevent air pollution.
In view of above, the object of the present invention is to provide an evaporated-fuel processing apparatus which enables refueling so as to prevent air pollution.


The invention is to provide an optical scanning apparatus which scans light from a light source onto a surface to be scanned, comprising a light scanning optical system having at least one reflecting surface of non-rotation symmetrical shape, and guiding a deflected beam two-dimensionally deflected by a deflection optical system onto the surface to be scanned by using the one reflecting surface of non-rotation symmetrical shape, wherein a principal ray of a beam incident onto the center of an angle of view of the surface to be scanned is made inclined incident onto the surface to be scanned in the first scanning direction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a two-dimensional scanning apparatus and a scanning type image displaying apparatus using the same, and particularly is adapted to two-dimensionally scan a beam (deflected beam) deflected by deflecting means to thereby project and display a two-dimensional image on a surface to be scanned (a screen surface).
2. Related Background Art
There have been proposed various two-dimensional scanning apparatuses which two-dimensionally deflect a beam emitted from light source means by deflecting means, two-dimensionally optically scan on a surface to be scanned by a spot, and form a two-dimensional image by the afterimage effect thereof (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-084291 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-281583).
Now, it is known that by a beam being two-dimensionally deflected and scanned, so-called distortion occurs to a two-dimensional image on a surface to be scanned. The distortion includes trapezoid distortion, distortion of a uniform speed scanning property, distortion of a rectilinear scanning property and further, TV distortion which refers to the curving of the frame of an image depicted on the surface to be scanned.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-084291 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-281583, there is disclosed a two-dimensional scanning apparatus using an optical element including a refracting surface and a reflecting surface, and adapted to turn back an optical path in the interior of the optical element (prism member), and in which in order to correct eccentric aberration, the refracting surface or the reflecting surface is constituted by a non-rotation symmetric surface having no rotation symmetry axis either inside or outside the surface.
This is a two-dimensional scanning apparatus constituted by the use of an optical element, and yet well corrects uniform velocity property of scanning light on the surface to be scanned over a wide scanning angle. It can also achieve telecentricity necessary for highly accurate image depiction.
However, the two-dimensional scanning apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-084291 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-281583 does not at all correct TV distortion. Further, when an image has been obliquely projected onto a surface to be scanned such as a screen, trapezoid distortion has occurred to thereby deteriorate the dignity of the image, the two-dimensional scanning apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-084291 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-281583 neither correct trapezoid distortion.

Two-dimensional scanning apparatus and scanning type image displaying apparatus using the same


A method of predicting failures in equipment including at least one sensor for generating sensor data corresponding to a sensed parameter. The method includes monitoring the sensor data during normal operation of the equipment. The sensor data during normal operation is compared to a model prediction of the sensed parameter to determine variance between the sensor data and the model prediction. The model is calibrated to minimize the variance between the model prediction and the sensor data. Error in the sensor data is determined and an error condition is generated upon detection of an error in the sensor data.

The invention relates to a method for preventive maintenance diagnosis of equipment which utilizes a six sigma quality approach to forecast incipient failure. Equipment is expected to operate without interruption over a predetermined period of time. For example, locomotives are expected to operate without interruption for a period of typically 92 days. At the end of the 92 day period, scheduled routine shop maintenance occurs, where the opportunity exists to replace worn or damaged components which might prevent the locomotive from completing the next 92 day mission. It would be beneficial to identify equipment problems before such problems result in failures with sufficient lead time to correct deficiencies during scheduled maintenance.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved method of diagnosing equipment.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is directed to a method of predicting failures in equipment including at least one sensor for generating sensor data corresponding to a sensed parameter. The method includes monitoring the sensor data during normal operation of the equipment. The sensor data during normal operation is compared to a model prediction of the sensor data to determine variance between the sensor data and the model prediction. The model is calibrated to minimize the variance between the model prediction and the sensor data. Error in the sensor data is determined and an error condition is generated upon detection of an error in the sensor data.


An electrocatalyst, suitable for use in a fuel cell, comprises an alloy having a single crystalline phase, wherein the alloy consists of 5-95 at % palladium, 5-95 at % ruthenium and less than 10 at % of other metals, provided that the alloy does not consist of 50 at % palladium and 50 at % ruthenium.

A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell comprising two electrodes separated by an electrolyte. A fuel, e.g. hydrogen or methanol, is supplied to the anode and an oxidant, e.g. oxygen or air, is supplied to the cathode. Electrochemical reactions occur at the electrodes, and the chemical energy of the fuel and the oxidant is converted to electrical energy and heat. Electro catalysts are used to promote the electrochemical oxidation of the fuel at the anode and the electrochemical reduction of oxygen at the cathode.
In proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, the electrolyte is a solid polymeric membrane. The membrane is electronically insulating but ionically conducting. Proton-conducting membranes are typically used, and protons, produced at the anode, are transported across the membrane to the cathode, where they combine with oxygen to create water.
The principle component of a PEM fuel cell is known as a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and is essentially composed of five layers. The central layer is the polymeric membrane. On either side of the membrane there is an electrocatalyst layer, containing an electrocatalyst, which is tailored for the different requirements at the anode and the cathode. Finally, adjacent to each electrocatalyst layer there is a gas diffusion layer. The gas diffusion layer must allow the reactants to reach the electrocatalyst layer, must allow products to be removed from the electrocatalyst layer, and must conduct the electric current that is generated by the electrochemical reactions. Therefore the gas diffusion layer must be porous and electrically conducting.
Direct methanol fuel cells are a promising alternative power source for portable power applications and electronic devices such as mobile telephones and laptop computers. Methanol is a readily available fuel that is easy to store and transport and has a high energy density. Methanol or a mixture of methanol and water is supplied to the anode, and an oxidant, usually air or oxygen, is supplied to the cathode. The anode and cathode reactions are shown in the following equations:Anode: CH3OH+H2O→CO2+6H++6e−Cathode: 3/2O2+6H++6e−→3H2O
The state-of-the-art anode electrocatalyst is a platinum-ruthenium alloy, which may or may not be supported on a conducting support material such as carbon particles. Platinum is an expensive metal and the present inventors have sought to provide an anode electrocatalyst that has useful activity in direct methanol fuel cells, but uses less or no platinum and is therefore less costly to produce. The present inventors have developed palladium-ruthenium alloy catalysts that have surprisingly high activity in direct methanol fuel cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,995,114 discloses platinum-ruthenium-palladium catalysts that are useful in direct methanol fuel cells and U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,207 discloses platinum-ruthenium-palladium catalysts that are useful in fuel cells wherein the fuel is reformats. The disclosed ranges specify that the catalysts must contain at least 10% platinum (expressed as atomic percentage) and all the examples contain at least 20% platinum. The present inventors have found that a palladium-ruthenium alloy catalyst (containing no platinum or less than 10% platinum) has useful activity as an anode electrocatalyst in a direct methanol fuel cell. By contrast, a palladium-only catalyst and a ruthenium-only catalyst do not have useful catalytic activity. U.S. Pat. No. 6,995,114 contains a comparative example (electrode 13) which is said to represent a 50:50 Pd:Ru alloy. This electrode exhibits no activity for the electrochemical oxidation of methanol, so the present inventors assume that this catalyst is not a palladium-ruthenium alloy, but an inactive mixture of palladium and ruthenium.


A nut for slidable application to a bolt has a nut body with a first end, a second end, and a through hole. The nut body has an outer wall formed in the and an inner wall defining the through hole including at least a portion thereof being an inclined wall hole having a diameter decreasing from a first diameter to a second diameter proximate the second end. A stop flange extends radially inward into the through hole at the first end of the nut body and defines a bolt exit aperture. Three guideposts are formed coaxially on the inner wall of the inclined wall hole. Three nut segments have inclined outer surfaces complementing an inclination angle of the inner wall of the inclined wall hole and inner surfaces with threads. The three nut segments are movably disposed between the guideposts so as to permit sliding movement in an axial direction and radial displacement urged by sliding engagement of the inclined outer surfaces with the inner wall of the inclined wall hole. A flange is disposed at the second end of the nut body and extends inward of the second diameter to define a bolt insertion aperture, through which the bolt passes during application of the nut body to the bolt, and thereby retains the nut segments between the guide posts. A spring is disposed between the stop flange and the nut segments to bias the nut segments toward the second end of the nut body.

The present invention relates to a nut which is screwed into a battledore-shaped bolt used where a connection between a beam and another beam in a wooden house is reinforced, or a nut and connector which are used to reinforce a connection between the beam and the other beam.
When a connection between a beam and another beam in a wooden house is reinforced using the conventional method, a head of a battledore-shaped bolt is fixed to one beam, a top end portion of the battledore-shaped bolt is inserted into a bolt insertion hole which is formed at the other beam, and a nut is fixed and screwed onto the bolt which is passed through a washer.
In the above-mentioned structure, the nut screwed onto the bolt is released from timber material and does not function when timber material dries and contracts.
Additionally, it is troublesome to fit the battledore-shaped bolt to the nut because the nut is screwed onto the bolt to a fixed position.


An ergonomic computer mouse whose design and function is solely dedicated to ergonomic benefit and optimal operator comfort for improved operator efficiency and avoided injury. The ergonomically formed mouse body is elevated from a fixed base structure via a short rigid pedestal where the ball-and-socket interface to the mouse body allows for a wide range of adjustment across three axis of positioning. This adjustment is lockable into an operator-selected position which best meets individual operator's ergonomic and comfort requirements. Once in locked mode, the operator's arm, wrist and hand remain stationary to operate the standardized prior art mouse controls, thereby achieving a zero-motion ergonomic benefit. The current art ergonomic mouse solution provides any computer mouse operator with the ability to achieve optimal ergonomic form, comfort and operation under virtually any workstation condition.

The standard input device for controlling cursor movement and other operator functions on personal computers and related computer applications is the computer mouse. Prior art computer mouse design has evolved into several various forms and methods of operation. The typical means is by a generally palm-sized device that mimics the general shape of the underside of the hand, allowing for the computer operator's arm and wrist to impart two dimensional movement of the mouse on a flat surface that translates into the two dimensional movement of the cursor on the computer screen. Finger operated switches for cursor activation and special computer functions are typically operated by the first two fingers from the thumb. A "scroll wheel" device is usually positioned roughly between these two switch controls for paging control of documents amongst other things. More recent embodiments of the prior art samples eliminate the mechanical motion sensing mechanism that requires traction-based contact with a mouse pad surface, replacing this with a light-based optical sensing mechanism. Other embodiments have incorporated a wireless connection to transmit control signals between the wireless mouse and the target computer, eliminating the physical wire connection that may inhibit proper mouse operation.
Use of the prior art computer mouse requires that the operator continuously move the mouse across the two-dimensional mouse pad surface located immediately to the right of the keypad for right-handed operators (to the left side for left-handed operators) in motions directly related to the desired two-dimensional movement of the cursor on the computer screen. The controlling hand of the mouse operator generally rests across the top of the mouse, but often the operator's hand may contact or even rest on the mouse pad at the wrist location with the weight of the hand, wrist and forearm upon the point of contact. Continued operation of the mouse requires repetitive movements in any and all directions along the horizontal plane represented by the computer mouse pad or contact surface. The position of the operator's hand while operating the mouse device may impart varying degrees of pressure and various degrees of deflection on the wrist area.
A growing issue with the use of the computer mouse is the incidence of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), also referred to as Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD), Occupational Overuse Syndrome, or Work Related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD), One particular manisfistation is Carpal Tunnel Syndrom. All are products of repetitive motion situations where improper ergonomic technique and inadequate design and/or workstation configuration can lead to discomfort in the short run and strain and injury in the long run. This can result in a reduction of worker productivity, and ultimately in chronic pain, quality of life issues, high costs for medical care and medical leave of absense. There are now general standards of practice for workplace ergonomic convention aimed at minimizing the possible onset of RSI as well as various other discomforts and stresses to the body from extended periods of workstation activity. These programs incorporate both training and use of ergonomically designed workstation equipment. Primary to improved ergonomic standard are the various embodiments of prior art ergonomic mouse configurations, each representing varying degrees of benefit. Prior art ergonomic solutions may offer taller mouse body shapes to help reduce the potential for stress upon the wrist. Others may incorporate a more vertically oriented griping structure to rotate the hand into a more comfortable vertical position of reduced wrist pronation. However, the preceding examples still require the mouse operator to engage in repetitive movement of the mouse across a flat surface to manipulate the cursor. Another prior art ergonomic mouse embodiment replaces repetitive movement of the mouse for cursor control with a "track ball" feature in which movement of a spherical device by the thumb controls cursor placement while the mouse body remains stationary. However, the trackball solution still requires substantial and exaggerated repetitive movement of the thumb to operate, leading to the likelihood of operator discomfort and possible development of RSI. An option for cursor control where a mouse may not be usable or space does not permit, such as with a laptop computer, is the miniature joystick or control "nub," which is comparable in size to a pencil head eraser. This device as previously incorporated within a laptop computer keyboard requires only the slightest movement by an operator's finger for cursor operation. One embodiment of this device is represented by application Ser. No. 08/685,486 filed on Jul. 24, 1996.
The fault with prior-art ergonomic mouse design is primarily two-fold: 1) it presumes the mouse operator will engage in proper ergonomic form for sitting at a workstation when holding and operating the mouse in order to obtain the greatest degree of ergonomic benefit, and 2) it does not provide for a solution in which all operators can achieve optimal hand, wrist and forearm positioning while operating the mouse for maximum ergonomic benefit under all possible workstation conditions. Application Ser. No. 11/349,751, filed Feb. 8, 2006, specifies a similar approach incorporating the pedestal and articulation features of the current art but for an entirely different goal focused on advanced cursor control function with ergonomic considerations subordinate to this feature. In fact, the referenced device requires that the mouse operator engage in significant rocking motions of the mouse body controller to enable cursor movement, resulting in potentially complex and continuous wrist motion and deflections. With the multitude of prior art ergonomic mouse designs on the market, computer mouse operator discomfort and RSI cases continue to be a serious problem still in need of a viable solution.

AEE (articulated, elevated, ergonomic) computer mouse


Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems and methods are provided herein. One aspect of the present subject matter is a polishing system. One polishing system embodiment includes a platen adapted to receive a wafer, and a polishing pad drum that has a cylindrical, or generally cylindrical, shape with a length and an axis of rotation along the length. The polishing pad drum is adapted to rotate about the axis of rotation along the drum length. The polishing pad drum, the platen, or both the polishing pad drum and the platen are adapted to be linearly moved to polish the surface of the wafer using the rotating polishing pad drum. The polishing pad drum and the platen are adapted to be operably positioned a predetermined minimum distance from each other as the polishing pad drum and the platen pass each other due the linear motion.

One problem that is confronting the semiconductor processing industry in the age of ultra large scale integration (ULSI) is capacitive-resistance loss in wiring levels. Conventionally, aluminum and aluminum alloys have been used for semiconductor wiring. In an effort to improve conductivity, it has been suggested to substitute copper metallurgy for aluminum metallurgy.
However, problems have been encountered in developing copper metallurgy. One problem is that copper quickly diffuses through both silicon and silicon dioxide (SiO2). Another problem is the known junction poising effects of copper. It has been proposed to use a liner to separate the copper metallurgy from the SiO2 insulator. Proposed liners include either a metal such as tantalum (Ta) or tungsten (W), or a compound such as tantalum nitride (TaN) or silicon nitride (Si3N4). Another problem is that copper, unlike aluminum, does not form a volatile compound at room temperature and thus cannot be reactively ion etched. The "damascene" process has been used to form copper lines embedded in an insulator. In this process, a layer of insulator is deposited, and trenches for conductors are formed in the insulator using a resistive ion etching (RIE) process. A liner and adhesion layer is deposited, and copper is blanked deposited by either chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or electroplating. The unwanted copper and liner is then removed by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process.
CMP is a semiconductor wafer flattening and polishing process that combines the chemical removal of semiconductor layers such as insulators and metals with the mechanical buffering of a wafer surface. Typically, CMP is used to polish or flatten wafers after crystal growth during the wafer fabrication process, and to polish or flatten the profiles that build up in multilevel metal interconnection schemes.
A traditional CMP tool has a hard surface platen onto which the wafer is fixed. A polishing abrasive is applied and a polishing pad, which may contain additional abrasive, is moved over the wafer surface. The polishing solution containing the abrasive is, at least to some extent, generally reactive to the materials being polished. In one known polishing system, the abrasive is fixed to the pad and the pad is immersed in a liquid. This pad is then used in a similar method as the other systems.
In many CMP systems, the wafer platen and the polishing pad are rotated during the polishing process. Some designs have used a belt that contains an abrasive material. These systems have been used to achieve a significant degree of local planarization as well as limited long range planarization. However the degree of long range planarization has been significantly less than desired. Additionally, other non uniformity problems such as dishing and rounding of the features tend to occur. These non uniformity problems result in uneven surfaces and layers that are not uniformly thick. This is a significant problem for achieving complete planarization.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a CMP system and process that overcomes the problems of uneven surfaces and increases the degree of long range planarization.

Chemical mechanical polishing system and process


A semiconductor device includes an SOI substrate, trench memory cells including trench capacitors formed in the SOI substrate and a mesa or trench isolation region for isolating the trench memory cells. As a result, the trench memory cells are isolated more completely and soft errors are reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a semiconductor memory device using an SOI (Silicon (Semiconductor) On Insulator) substrate.
2. Description of the Background Art
A semiconductor memory device capable of storing data is provided as one of semiconductor devices. Generally, semiconductor memory devices are roughly classified into volatile memories including a random access memory (RAM) and non-volatile memories including a read only memory (ROM). Volatile memories are further classified into dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) and static random access memories (SRAMs). Non-volatile memories include a mask ROM, an EPROM, a flash memory, an EEPROM and a fuse ROM.
The most common memory cell in a DRAM includes an n channel MOS transistor and a capacitor formed on a p type silicon substrate. The transistor has one source/drain electrode connected to a bit line and the other source/drain electrode connected to a storage node of the capacitor. Therefore, when a word line rises, the transistor turns on, thereby applying a voltage of the bit line to the capacitor. When the word line falls, data is stored in the capacitor.
As described above, a memory cell of a DRAM requires refreshing because data is stored therein by accumulating electrical charges in a capacitor. However, since the structure of a memory cell is simple, a DRAM having a large storage capacity can be manufactured at a low cost.
However, since data is stored in the DRAM memory cell by accumulating charges in the capacitor, .alpha.-particles generated in a package, interconnection material, and the like are injected into a silicon substrate, thereby changing the amount of charges stored in the capacitor. More specifically, inversion of the logic of the stored data, the so-called soft error, is apt to occur. Especially in a trench memory cell, the soft error is more apt to occur than a stacked memory cell because its capacitor is formed in the silicon substrate.
In addition, although elements formed on the silicon substrate are electrically isolated by element isolation regions using the LOCOS (Locational Oxidation of Silicon), the field shield method or the like, a complete element isolation has been principally impossible because of the great thickness of the silicon substrate. As a result, there has been a problem that the so-called latch-up tends to occur in which normal operation is hindered by a parasitic MOS transistor attaining an on-state.
Furthermore, since the LOCOS isolation region and the field shield isolation region described above are generally thicker than the element active region, it has been difficult to form various films in these regions.
When a fuse link employed in such as a redundancy circuit of DRAMs is to be blown out with a laser, a considerable thought must be given to the arrangement or the structure of the fuse link so that the silicon substrate under the fuse link is not damaged by emission of the laser. Similarly in bonding wires to bonding pads, thought should also be given to the arrangement or the structure of pads so that the silicon substrate is not damaged by the impact of bonding.
If elements on an SOI substrate are isolated by LOCOS method or the field shield method, the difference in level between the element isolation region and the element active region is great and the subsequent step of stacking layers is difficult. Another problem remains unsolved that a crack tends to be generated in the LOCOS isolation region, the field shield isolation region, the silicon active layer, the buried oxide layer and the like during the dicing step in which the silicon wafer is cut into a plurality of chips.

Semiconductor device using an SOI substrate


A means of wireless data transmission between a tractor and a trailer using a data transfer system having a first communication unit that is installed on the front of the trailer and a second communication unit that is installed on the rear of the tractor cab. Both communication units on a coupled tractor-trailer are located facing each other across a hitching space between the tractor and trailer to define a communication gap over which data is wirelessly transmitted. A notification device is carried by the tractor and operatively connected to the second communication unit. At least one data collector is carried by the trailer and operatively connected to the first communication unit. Accordingly, the driver is provided with information through the notification device from the data collector by way of the first and second communication unit, which wirelessly transmit the data between the tractor and trailer.

Basic data transfer systems for transmitting information between a pulling vehicle and a trailer are known. Typically, these systems include data collectors at the rear of the vehicle and a notification device in view of a driver in the cab. The data collection mechanisms typically include various sensors for interacting with the notification device. Signals generated by the sensors are then capable of notifying the driver of a situation behind the vehicle. The sensors may typically include radar mechanisms, cameras, ultrasonic and infrared sensors, which signal the notification device in order to notify the driver about various conditions in and around the vehicle cab and trailer. For example, in the case of the camera, the signal generated by the camera is transmitted to a display screen included in the notification device or, in the case of the radar mechanism, to an acoustic warning device in the cab. Using such a system, the driver of a large tractor trailer can be assisted when backing up, such as in parking, and can avoid a collision with any obstacle, such as a parked vehicle.
With such a data transfer system as described above, a connection between the notification device in the tractor and the data collector in the trailer is established by wires running through the vehicle. However, a problem arises in that a connection must be provided between the notification device and the data collector that can be disconnected, enabling the trailer to be unhooked or traded to a different pulling vehicle.
Attempting to avoid the above noted problem, German utility patent 201 10 339.7 describes a parking assistance system in which data about obstacles behind the vehicle is collected by sensor and broadcast via radio communication to the notification device near the driver, thereby facilitating simpler hitching and unhitching by eliminating the connection of wires between the tractor and trailer.
However, there are several new problems that arise with this system. In the case of a commercial sized tractor-trailer, the transmission path necessary to transfer the data from the data collector in the rear of the trailer to the notification device in the cab is relatively large, requiring a relatively strong radio signal. This strong radio signal can then disturb similar equipment that is insufficiently shielded. Accordingly, a trucking company that operates several trucks with this equipment must pay special attention that the equipment in a specific tractor-trailer communicates only with itself and does not interfere with the equipment of another tractor-trailer in the fleet. For this reason, the system must have a distinct identifier and it must be secured, such as by encoding the signals, so that the respective transmitting device only communicates with the corresponding receiver in the same truck. Thus, each pair of transmitters and receivers requires specific codes or protocols that are either programmed in advance or are "defined" at transmission. This increases the complexity of these devices and diminishes the data transfer rate that is utilizable in the transfer of images or other sensor information because a part of the data transfer has to be used for the required encoding overhead.
Additionally, as a matter of some logistics, it is preferable in a modern fleet of trucks to at any time provide other information concerning the trailer being towed, such as data about the load, temperature in a refrigeration unit, the destination, and the maintenance of the trailer, as opposed to just a picture of the lane behind the trailer.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a data transfer system for use in a tractor-trailer in which a variety of data can be wirelessly transferred from sensors in the trailer across the hitching space to a notification device in the tractor, which can assist the driver in operation of the vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to position the wireless transmission devices as closely as possible to each other across the hitching space to simplify data transmission and reduce signal strength to enable only a minor overhead of protocol data for increased transmission rate with reduced interference to other similar systems.

Wireless data transfer system for a tractor-trailer


A processing device provides a method for protecting a program from unauthorized copying. The processing device may include an encrypted version of the program. According to one example method, the processing device creates a secure enclave, and in response to a request to execute the encrypted program, the processing device automatically generates a decrypted version of the program in the secure enclave by decrypting the encrypted program in the secure enclave. After automatically generating the decrypted version of the program in the secure enclave, the processing device may automatically execute the decrypted version of the program in the secure enclave. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

The hardware and firmware components in a conventional data processing device may be referred to collectively as the system platform. An operating system may run on top of the system platform, providing a layer of abstraction that enables developers to disregard many of the specific details of the various hardware and firmware components of the underlying system platform. Many different operating systems have been created for many different system platforms.
In addition, software has been created to allow a single application to run on different operating systems. Such software provides another layer of abstraction, on top of the operating system. That layer of abstraction may be referred to as a virtual machine (VM) or a virtual runtime environment (VRE).
If an application is designed to run in a VRE, the application is not limited to a particular system platform or a particular operating system, but can be used on various different platforms with various different operating systems. The term "virtual application" may be used in general to refer to a program, an application, an applet, and/or other software that is designed to run in a VRE. By contrast, the term "virtualization software" may be used in general to refer to software that is designed to provide the VRE itself. For instance, a processing device may run virtualization software that creates a VRE which, in turn, enables a virtual application to run within that VRE.
Virtualization software typically includes a collection of components which work together to create the VRE. That collection of components may be referred to as a virtualization package.
Different developers have created various different virtualization packages to provide various different varieties of VREs. For instance, software distributed under the JAVA trademark provides a so-called "Java Runtime Environment" (JRE) or "Java Virtual Machine" (JVM). That virtualization package includes core classes and supporting libraries for implementing the JRE. Other software packages designed to provide VREs include, without limitation, products distributed under names or trademarks such as PARROT and COMMON LANGUAGE RUNTIME (CLR).
One of the challenges currently faced by the software industry is the challenge of protecting virtual applications and other software from unauthorized copying. Unauthorized copying of software may also be referred to as software piracy.

Methods and apparatus for protecting software from unauthorized copying