Embodiments of the invention provide for persisting and retrieving search results based on a context of the search results and an application providing those results. For example, one embodiment of the present invention allows a user to access previous search result from a current page of a user interface, e.g., by clicking on an icon in the interface page. Additionally, these previous results can be made available without requiring the user to leave a current page in order to view the saved results. For example, the previous results can be indicated and accessible through an icon on the breadcrumb menu that, upon the user clicking of otherwise selecting the icon, causes the user interface to render the previous search results in a pop up dialog without leaving the current page.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods and systems for providing improved navigation in a user interface and access to search results therein and more particularly to and persisting and retrieving search results through the user interface based on a context for the results.
Search is one of the primary mechanisms for an enterprise application user to get to a particular transaction he is interested in. For example, the user usually starts with entering a search term to get a result set. There are then different possible scenarios on what the user may end up doing with this search result. In some cases, based on the result set summary, the user can look for a transaction of interest and click on it to go a detail page for that transaction. If the user determines that is not the transaction he is looking for, he has to go back to the search results page and click on another row and repeat it until he finds the desired transaction. That is, the user has to go back and forth between the results page and the detail pages. In another case, the user may update a set of transactions by navigating to each one and making changes to each transaction. For example, starting with a search, the user gets a set of results, i.e., transactions to be updated. The user then clicks on the first one, updates the transaction through the detail page, and saves the transaction. He then goes back to the search results page to select the next transaction and repeats the updating processes. Again in this case, the user has to navigate back and forth from the results page leaving his current context. In yet another scenario, the user can perform a search in one particular context of the enterprise application, i.e., related to a particular function of the enterprise application, related to a particular business object, etc. Then the user may leave that context to some other context, e.g., leave a recruiting pr personnel function of the enterprise application to work in an accounting function thereof. Later, the user may return to the initial context and want to continue where he left off with the previous result list. However, the previous results are not saved so, at this point, the user needs to re-do the previous search with the previous search terms to obtain a set of results before continuing.
In the above cases, the user has to flip between pages or screens which results in the user losing context of the current page. Additionally, when leaving a particular context and then returning, the user needs to repeat the search even if he is looking for the same result set as in a previous search in that context. Hence, there is a need for improved methods and systems for persisting and retrieving search results through a user interface based on context.

Framework to persist and retrieve previous searches based on the context


A measurement unit obtains, when a droplet ejected from an ejecting head adheres to an electrode of a crystal oscillator, a viscosity and a mass of the droplet on the basis of a changed value in resonance frequency and of a resonance resistance of crystal oscillator. Measurement unit then supplies to a control unit droplet information ID showing the obtained viscosity and mass. Control unit determines, on the basis of the viscosity and the mass included in droplet information ID, an appropriate drive waveform to be supplied to ejecting head.

A droplet ejecting device, such as an inkjet device, is commonly provided with an ejecting head where a liquid is temporarily stored, and also with a piezoelectric element for pressurizing the liquid stored in the ejecting head. To eject a liquid from the ejecting head, a drive signal is supplied to a piezoelectric element on the basis of a drive waveform. The drive waveform refers to data prescribing a time-sequential signal level of a drive signal applied for enabling ejection of a single droplet. Accordingly, it is possible to achieve high-precision patterning by consistently ejecting a droplet that is close to a desired value.
However, if a change in temperature occurs, a change in a viscosity of a liquid to be ejected may also occur. Thus, if a drive waveform for controlling ejection of a liquid droplet remains unchanged regardless of a change in temperature, variations in a volume of a liquid droplet ejected will also occur. Namely, a decrease in temperature of a liquid may result in an increase in a viscosity of the liquid, with the result that a droplet of the liquid ejected will have decreased volume.
To solve this problem, a technique is known for detecting a liquid temperature within an ejecting head by means of a thermal sensor provided close to the ejecting head, estimating a viscosity of the liquid from the detected temperature, and determining a drive waveform on the basis of the estimated viscosity such that a volume of a droplet ejected does not essentially change. Consequently, as compared to a fixed drive waveform method, this method provides a more stable droplet output since it employs a drive waveform that is changeable on the basis of an estimated viscosity of a liquid for droplet ejection.
However, a problem exists with such a method in that a viscosity used for the determination of a drive waveform is a value that is indirectly obtained on the basis of a temperature of a liquid for droplet ejection, and therefore an actual viscosity of the liquid may not be accurately determined. Moreover, a temperature of a liquid residing in an ejecting head is not generally uniform, and detection of the liquid's temperature will also vary depending on where a thermal sensor is provided. Consequently, in the prior art method and device a volume of an ejected droplet is subject to variance, and cannot be sufficiently accurately controlled.

Waveform determining device, waveform determining method, droplet ejecting device, droplet ejecting method, film forming method, device manufacturing method, electronic optical device, and electronic device


A radioactive-material container includes a container body that shields nuclear radiation, which includes a cavity that stores a basket containing a recycle fuel assembly, a lid that covers the cavity, and a metal gasket that includes a sealing area that makes a physical contact with the container body and the lid. The sealing area has a specific shape that disperses tightening stress acting on the metal gasket for a sealing.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for sealing a radioactive-material container.
2) Description of the Related Art
When a nuclear fuel assembly is at the end of a nuclear fuel cycle, finishes the combustion, and is not useful any longer, the nuclear fuel is called a recycle fuel assembly. The recycle fuel assembly is cooled at a cooling pit of a nuclear power plant for about 10 years because the recycle fuel assembly contains highly radioactive materials such as fission product (FP) and requires thermal cooling. Then, the recycle fuel assembly is contained in a radioactive-material container, conveyed to a reprocessing facility, and stored. Because the radioactive-material container contains highly radioactive materials, the radioactive-material container must be sealed with a strict care while the radioactive-material container is stored for about 40 years to 60 years.
FIG. 20 is a cross section for illustrating a sealing structure of a conventional radioactive-material container. In a conventional radioactive-material container 600, a primary lid 607 and a secondary lid 608 are fixed using bolts 610, 611 on a flange member 606. From a viewpoint of maintaining a sealing function over a long period of time, metal gaskets 618, 619, which have a heat resistance, a corrosion resistance, and a high durability, are used to seal a space between the primary lid 607 and the flange member 606 and a space between the secondary lid 608 and the flange member 606. That is, using the metal gaskets 618, 619, the recycle fuel stored in the radioactive-material container 600 is sealed.
FIGS. 21A, 21B are enlarged views for illustrating the metal gaskets 618, 619 and a sealing part of the radioactive-material container 600. A sealing part between the primary lid 607 and the flange member 606 and a sealing part between the secondary lid 608 and the flange member 606 has the same sealing structure. A metal groove 625 is formed by machining and the metal gaskets 618, 619 with a double-ring structure are used. In the metal gasket 618 or the metal gasket 619, inner covers 622a, 622b respectively cover coil springs 621a, 621b so as to form two rings, and an outer cover 623 covers the rings. The coil springs 621 and the inner covers 622 are made of Inconel (a registered trademark, a nickel alloy containing 16% chromium and 7% iron), which is corrosion resistant and oxidation resistant at high temperature, and the outer cover 623 is made of aluminum (the reference symbol with a subscript is represented by the reference symbol without the subscript, and the same is applied hereinafter). The metal gasket 618 (619), shown in FIG. 21A, has not been used yet. The metal gasket 618 (619), shown in FIG. 21B, is tightened and transformed by fixing the secondary lid 608, a body 601, and the like, and exerts a sealing function.
The metal gasket 618 (619) is fixed to the gasket groove 625 using a bolt hole arranged in the outer cover 623. As the metal gasket 618 (619), "TRYBACK" from NIPPON VALQUA INDUSTRIES, LTD. or "Helicoflex" from Cefilac in France, which are often used in radioactive-material container for nuclear power, may be used.
A time-and-temperature dependence of both a plastic-deformation ratio and a sealing performance of a metal gasket can be represented by Larson-Miller Parameter (LMP), and the details are disclosed in the documents: KATO, ITO, AND MIEDA, Development of method of verifying the long-term sealing performance of spent fuel storage casks, Journal of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, 1996, Vol. 38, No. 6, pages 95 to 101. Generally, a long-term sealing performance of a metal gasket is verified by acquiring LMP of sealing-maintenance limit and estimating the limit time at a predetermined temperature.
The radioactive-material container 600, which contains the recycle fuel assembly, is stored in the storage facility for a long time of several decades. At this time, the recycle fuel gives out a decay heat, therefore, the metal gaskets 618, 619 is used in the environment at about 120 degrees at the beginning. Then, the temperature gradually goes down during the storage period of several decades, and at the end of the storage period, the metal gaskets 618, 619 is used in the environment at about 60 degrees. The outer covers 623 of the metal gaskets 618, 619 are made of aluminum, and for aluminum, the temperature range described above is corresponding to a range between a temperature where a high-temperature creep occurs and a temperature where a low-temperature creep occurs. Therefore, even though the metal gaskets 618, 619 have the sufficient sealing performance in the early stage, the stress relaxation is caused by a creep deformation and the sealing performance may go down after the metal gaskets 618, 619 are used in a high-temperature environment for a long time. Moreover, though the metal gaskets 618, 619 can maintain the sealing under the applied stress of a few megapascals (MPa), the outer cover 623 creeps easily when the high stress is applied and the outer cover 623 is stressed strongly. Currently, to maintain a desired sealing performance for several decades, a high material (such as gold and silver), which does not creep easily, is used to the metal gasket, or a metal gasket with a large diameter, which enables maintaining a sealing function even when a creep occurs, is used.
A process of containing the recycle fuel assembly in the radioactive-material container 600 needs to be conducted in a pool. After setting the metal gasket 618 in the radioactive-material container 600 sunk in the pool and lifting up the radioactive-material container 600 from the pool, it is necessary to remove water around the metal gasket 618 by vacuum drying. However, an interspace in the sealing part is small, and in some cases, it takes a long time to completely remove the water inside the metal gasket 618. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. H5-75154 p. 1 FIGS. 1 and 2 discloses a structure that ensures a sealing performance of a metal gasket by forming a cover of solid lubricant between an outer cover and an inner cover. However, such a structure has a problem that, in case the water enters inside the metal gasket accidentally during the process conducted in the pool, it takes a very long time to remove the water completely.

Radioactive-material container, metal gasket for sealing the radioactive-material container, and method of manufacturing the metal gasket


A sputtering target comprising a flat part and a tapered part, wherein a machined groove for use in ignition is arranged on a sputtering surface of the target. With the sputtering target of the present invention, the ignition failure rate during ignition (plasma ignition) can be reduced, and the sputtering process can be started stably. It is thereby possible to shorten the downtime of the device, and consequently contribute to improved throughput and enhanced cost performance.

The present invention relates to a sputtering target capable of stably performing ignition (plasma ignition) during sputtering.
Demands for further thinning the wiring of semiconductor integrated circuits are increasing through successive generations, and sputtering, which is one type of physical vapor deposition method, is being used for forming thin films to be used as such wiring. In recent years, magnetron sputtering, which controls plasma based on electromagnetic force, is often used in order to increase the deposition rate of sputtering. In this type of state-of-the-art sputtering technique, a stable and easily controllable target is essential. If stable deposition cannot be performed due to the shutdown of the device caused by a plasma ignition failure or the occurrence of a voltage fluctuation, not only will the productivity deteriorate, it may also cause the degradation in the quality of the product. Moreover, if control is difficult, it may be difficult to start and maintain stable deposition when the deposition conditions are intentionally changed.
A sputtering target formed from tantalum is being used for forming barrier films of copper wires. A barrier film also needs to be formed in wiring holes with a high aspect ratio (ratio of depth of steps and opening), and it is necessary to control the deposition rate and stably form ultrathin films. Moreover, sputtering needs to be performed at a high power in order to increase the sputter yield, and demanded is a target with a low deposition rate that is advantageous for controlling the film thickness even under the foregoing conditions. Thus, the foregoing technology for controlling deposition plays a role in the development of PVD.
Tantalum targets having a purity of 4N5 (99.995 wt %) are being used from the perspective of general versatility, but tantalum targets substantially having a purity of 6N (99.9999 wt %) are also being used for suppressing, as much as possible, the degradation of adhesiveness of the film and the increase of leak currents caused by impurities. In recent years, these ultrahigh purity materials are often used in order to increase the freedom of wiring designs.
When the purity of the target material is increased, the target material becomes soft, and there are cases where it is difficult to control the quality of the target due to the uneven orientation of the texture after plastic working or the coarsening of crystals during recrystallization based on heat treatment. While these problems can be resolved to a certain extent by strictly controlling the production process of the target, even a high quality target produced in the manner described above encounters new problems when the operating environment of the target becomes more severe.
Meanwhile, sputtering is a phenomenon where the following cycle is continued successively; namely, a voltage is applied to a target as a cathode, primary electrons discharged from the target ionize the introduced Ar gas, the Ar ions are drawn toward and collide with the target as the cathode and sputter the target material and discharge secondary electrons, and once again ionize Ar. Here, ignition is required for generating plasma.
In this plasma ignition, conditions related to the ignition process, such as limiting the number of times that the re-ignition process can be performed in cases of an ignition failure, are becoming stricter in order to improve the film quality by reducing the introduced gas, improve the yield by shortening the voltage application time, and protect the device. Under the foregoing circumstances, an ultrahigh purity material tends to cause the ignition process to become unstable, and there is a dilemma of using a low purity product in order to improve the ignition success rate, or using a high purity product in order to improve the quality.
The problem here is only in the ignition process, which is the first stage of the deposition process, and the subsequent deposition process can be continued without any problem once the plasma is stabilized. Thus, considered was the production of a target comprising characteristics that would only affect the ignition process, and would not contribute to the subsequent deposition. Note that sputtering targets having a unique shape are described in following Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 4.


A device for monitoring distances having an interrogator and a transponder in wireless communication with the interrogator, the transponder having a signaling device that is activated based on the distance between the interrogator and transponders. The interrogator sends an encoded signal to the transponder and determines the distance to the transponder based on the delay of the transponder's response. The interrogator instructs the transponder to activate a signaling device when the distance exceeds a predetermined setting. The present invention is directed towards applications that require one-foot precision and accuracy.

The present invention relates to electromagnetic transponding devices and, more particularly, a device for monitoring and measuring distance.
Electromagnetic transponding devices having receivers and transmitters are well known in the art. One specific application for such devices is for training dogs and other pets to remain within a certain bounded area without the need for fences or other physical structures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,695 to Giunta discloses a system for controlling the movement of dogs having a loop of wire that serves as a transmitting antenna and defines the boundary of the desired area. Giunta further discloses a receiver attached to the dog's collar that produces a signal, such as an electric shock, when the dog moves into the vicinity of the loop of wire. The Giunta device determines when the dog is in the vicinity of the loop by comparing the magnitude of the received signal. Specifically, as the dog moves closer to the loop of wire, the magnitude of the signal increases. When the magnitude reaches a certain threshold, the dog is considered to be within the vicinity of the loop, and the receiver produces the electric shock or similar signal.
This type of monitoring is in a class called 'amplitude detection'. The detected proximity of the units is based upon the strength of the transmitter and sensitivity of the receiver. The accuracy and precision of the measured distance is a percentage of the total range of the system.
The disadvantage with conventional systems such as that disclosed by Giunta and others is that installation and set up is labor intensive and time consuming. Specifically, a trench must be dug around the perimeter of the desired area, and a wire loop must be installed. Additionally, the receiver must be programmed for the specific loop to set the desired boundaries. Also, the system is stationary and not designed for mobile use. Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved system for monitoring and controlling the movement of dogs and other animals.
A more accurate method of measurement is to detect the phase of a signal. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,460 to Sallen discloses a system that compares the received signal to a reference. However, this method is actually a time delay to a code epoch that is RF power-detected and does not include a quadrature phase to provide greater resolution and accuracy.
Additionally, there is a need for adapting such a system to be used with other applications, such as monitoring the location of children, properly placing road signs, and measuring distance on a golf course. Presently, most prior art systems rely on advanced technology including global positioning systems (GPS) to monitor the location of children or determine the proper position of a road sign. Other systems use laser beams which, when reflected off remote objects, can be used to monitor and measure distances. While these systems are very accurate, they require the use of expensive and sophisticated electronic equipment. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a cost effective system of monitoring and measuring distances.
Therefore, a principal object of this invention is to provide a system that monitors and measures distance in a simplified manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that monitors and measures distance in a mobile situation.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a system that monitors and measures distance for training and controlling the movement of dogs and other animals.
A further object of this invention is to provide a system that monitors and measures distance for safely monitoring the location of children.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a system that monitors and measures distance for placing road signs and the like.
Also, an object of this invention is to provide a system that monitors and measures distances for applications that require one-foot precision and accuracy.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Device for monitoring and measuring distance


The present invention provides a method of producing a fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion by which the fluorine-containing emulsifier contained in the fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion as obtained after polymerization can be efficiently removed as well as a fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion low in fluorine-containing emulsifier concentration. The present invention is a method of producing a fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion which comprises carrying out a concentration treatment comprising a concentration operation of a pretreatment fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion, wherein the pretreatment fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion is obtained by carrying out a polymerization in an aqueous medium in the presence of a fluorine-containing surfactant (A), the fluorine-containing surfactant (A) is a fluorine-containing surfactant having an octanol/water partition coefficient of 1.5 to 3.5.

The method of producing a fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion generally comprises carrying out the polymerization in an aqueous medium in the presence of a fluorine-containing emulsifier. It has so far been demanded that concentration of the fluorine-containing emulsifier contained in the aqueous dispersion obtained after polymerization be as low as possible so as not to influence the physical properties, among others, of the moldings obtained therefrom, without deteriorating the dispersion stability of fluoropolymer particles.
As a method of producing fluoropolymer aqueous dispersions reduced in fluorine-containing emulsifier concentration, there is disclosed the method comprising adding a nonionic surfactant to the aqueous dispersion after polymerization and then contacting the mixture with an anion exchange resin to thereby remove the fluorine-containing emulsifier (cf. e.g. Patent Document 1: Japanese Kohyo Publication 2002-532583).
This production method, however, has a problem; the nonionic surfactant added to the fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion obtained mostly remains in the dispersion.
As another method of producing fluoropolymer aqueous dispersions reduced in fluorine-containing emulsifier concentration, there is disclosed the method of a polytetrafluoroethylene aqueous dispersion comprising adding water and a specific nonionic surfactant to the aqueous dispersion obtained after carrying out the polymerization in the presence of a perfluorocarboxylic acid type surfactant and then subjecting the mixture to electric concentration (cf. e.g. Patent Document 2: Japanese Kokai Publication 2003-268034).
This production method, however, has a problem; the nonionic surfactant added to the fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion obtained mostly remains in the dispersion, because the production method comprises the step of adding the specific nonionic surfactant before the electric concentration.

Process for producing aqueous fluoropolymer dispension and aqueous fluoropolymer dispersion


A computational method and computer-based system of modeling DNA synthesis for the design and interpretation of PCR amplification, parallel DNA synthesis, and microarray chip analysis. The method and system include modules that address the bioinformatics, kinetics, and thermodynamics of DNA amplification and synthesis. Specifically, the steps of DNA selection, as well as the kinetics and thermodynamics of DNA hybridization and extensions, are addressed, which enable the optimization of the processing and the prediction of the products as a function of DNA sequence, mixing protocol, time, temperature and concentration of species.

PCR (i.e. Polymerase Chain Reaction) technology is fundamental to modern biology and is considered among the most important scientific developments for the analysis of biological sequence data. Used in virtually every laboratory conducting molecular, cellular, genetic, ecologic, forensic, or medical research, among others, PCR generally involves the amplification of DNA by subjecting a DNA fragment to a series of heating and cooling cycles, including denaturing the DNA by heating, annealing oligonucleotide primers to complementary bases during cooling, and heating with polymerase for DNA extension and synthesis.
Despite its ubiquity, the precise details about the effects of DNA sequence and reaction/processing conditions on the PCR product is currently lacking, as well as the ability to predict all products of PCR amplification as a function of DNA sequence and reaction conditions. In particular, the effects of time, temperature, ion concentration, complex sequence mixtures containing primer perfect matches and/or sequence mismatches, and the locations of mismatches within primer sequences (3′,5′, or central) are not well understood, as well as what products are amplified when complex sequence mixtures are present containing multiple, closely related targets and multiple primers which may hybridize with sequence mismatches. A better understanding of these issues and the ability to predict all PCR products can improve the design, interpretation, and detailed optimization of PCR reactions.
Various developments in computational PCR reaction design, such as the development of DNA melting programs, have demonstrated the importance of calculations in PCR analysis. Such efforts, however, do not adequately address the underlying physics and biology of the problem; only examine isolated aspects of the systems; and do not follow all significant reaction pathways which arise during the process. Specifically, while various software programs are available for PCR reaction design they are generally limited to selecting a "best" primer or, examining how reaction conditions effect the desired reactions during only the first thermocycle. For example, commercially available bioinfomatics programs, such as Primer3, PRIMO, Primer Design, and Oligonucleotide, return a list of best primers for a specific target based on sequence similarities, primer length, and melting temperatures, using simple GC content equations or Nearest Neighbor parameters, described in "Thermodynamics and NMR of internal G.T mismatches in DNA" by Allawi, H T and Santalucia, J, Jr., Biochem 36, 10581-10594 (1997), incorporated by reference herein. And more recent programs, such as Visual OMP, provide the ability to predict the concentration of hybridized species for only the first round of PCR for a given set of reaction conditions. However, they do not include, for example, modeling of extension, replication, or multiple thermocycles; do not run in parallel which hinders the modeling of complex mixtures and limits the complexity of mixtures that can be modeled; assume that all reactions proceed to equilibrium without considering non-equilibrium conditions; and do not consider the effects of competitive contaminants.
As suggested above, current practices estimate PCR products based solely on thermodynamics. However, in order to gain insight into the dynamics of the process and to optimize cycle processing conditions, there is a need to employ reaction kinetics. Traditionally, researchers have described the reaction kinetics using deterministic methods. While these approaches are valuable, it is well known that biochemical processes are stochastic in nature. This is suggested in "Computational and Experimental Analysis of DNA Shuffling" by Maheshri, N and Schaffer, D V (2003), Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100, 3071-3076, where probabilistic methods were applied to modify rates of reaction to describe the DNA shuffling process. However, the probabilities of competitive events to describe the rates of stochastic events are not considered.
There is therefore a need for a complete and integrated computational model and methodology that enables the prediction of both the sequences and the concentrations of all species of hybridized and single strand sequences that are amplified during PCR. And in particular, there is a need for a computational method and computer-based system that not only models all relevant parts of the PCR process under investigation and the resulting reaction pathways, but also integrates the results by using the output of one modeling calculation as input into a subsequent modeling calculation. Furthermore, a need exists to derive probabilities of competitive events to describe the rates of stochastic events to provide a generalized framework that can be applied to describe the time-evolution of a host of biochemical processes. In this manner, a full spectrum of PCR products can be predicted after multiple thermocycles.

Computational method and system for modeling, analyzing, and optimizing DNA amplification and synthesis

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC


A skateboard truck configured to be mounted to a skateboard deck, with a hanger with a wheel axle configured to hold skateboard truck wheels; a suspension system with a flex member configured to attach the hanger resiliently to a skateboard deck; a rolling contact bearing connecting the hanger with the flex member such that the rolling contact bearing allows rotation of the hanger with respect to the flex member by a steering angle around a steering axis extending substantially vertically to the wheel axle; and a spring mechanism attached to or integrally formed with the flex member biasing the hanger to the neutral position where the steering angle is zero.

Previous attempts to provide adjustment to restrictive force of the truck pivoting have been non-existent or require a mechanical tool and a formula is needed to determine how many turns the adjuster screw must be turned and in which direction to increase the resistive force in the resting position to create stability enough for cruising and higher speeds.
Cheng U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,710 discloses a biasing mean to apply resistive force to hanger, but is limited because the bias arms are operable in only one direction, thereby requiring two spring arms, one to resist leftward rotation of the hanger and one to resist rightward rotation of the hanger. It is limited also because the rider would need to carry tools with them to change the resistance if different terrains were encountered or different riding styles were desired.
Providing the appropriate characteristics of a spring force forcing the hanger of a skateboard truck, meaning the wheel axle into the neutral position is particularly crucial for so-called surfskate trucks that allow a significant steering angle.
It is therefore desirable to provide a functionality that allows the rider to quickly change the characteristics of the truck for more stability for higher speed transportation purposes or less stability for slow speed play. Turning dynamics should preferably be selectively changed by the rider in predetermined increments without requiring tools as in the past thereby conveniently and quickly increase or decrease stability based on riding style desired.


A suspension arm made of an aluminum alloy extruded profile having a portion forming a bottom portion, portions forming at least two vertical walls, and a horizontal rib which connects the two vertical walls, wherein a suspension part lower end support portion is formed between the two vertical walls or at the bottom portion by removing a part of the horizontal rib. It is preferable to gradually change the interval between the two vertical walls in the portion in which the horizontal rib is removed.

The present invention relates to a vehicular suspension arm.
As shown in FIG. 24, a centrifugal force G acts toward the right in the direction of the vehicle width when a vehicle turns left. The centrifugal force G acts upon reaction forces F1 and F2 respectively occurring due to the friction between a left tire 2L and a right tire 2R in the direction of the vehicle width and the road, so that a compressive force P1 due to the centrifugal force G and a reaction force P2 which is acted upon by the compressive force P1 occur in a right suspension arm 100R, and a tensile force T1 due to the centrifugal force G and a reaction force T2 which is acted upon by the tensile force T1 occur in a left suspension arm 100L. The forces act in the opposite directions when the vehicle turns right.
The suspension arm is acted upon by the above-mentioned forces when the vehicle makes a turn. In order to obtain a sufficient operation stability, a highly rigid suspension arm is required so that the amount of change in alignment due to deflection is reduced.
When the forces exceed the allowable rigidity limit of the suspension arm, a change in alignment occurs since permanent deformation remains, thereby adversely affecting the straight line stability.
In some suspensions, a shock absorber and a coil spring are integrally provided. However, since a suspension having an integral shock absorber/coil spring occupies a large space in the passenger compartment and the luggage compartment, a structure has been employed in which a coil spring 3 and a shock absorber 4 are separately disposed. In this structure, the coil spring which requires a large arrangement space is disposed under a side member, and a suspension arm 100 supports the lower end of the coil spring 3.
In an independent double wishbone rear suspension as shown in FIG. 24, the lower end of the shock absorber 4 or the coil spring 3 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle is supported by the suspension arm 100L (100R).
An axle carrier 2 which holds the tire 2L (2R) is mounted on the outer end of the suspension arm 100L (100R) in the direction of the vehicle width, and the inner end of the suspension arm 100L (100R) is mounted on a suspension member 1.
As described above, the suspension arm 100L (100R) is incorporated into a suspension mechanism, and the shock absorber 4 or the coil spring 3 is supported by the suspension arm 100L (100R) between the support points of the axle carrier 2 and the suspension member 1 in the direction of the vehicle width to form a suspension device.
A stabilizer link, which is a link member of a stabilizer bar, may be mounted on the suspension arm in order to actuate a stabilizer mechanism.
Such a known suspension arm is generally formed by joining relatively inexpensive steel materials aiming at ensuring sufficient strength and rigidity (e.g. JP-A-2002-316228). In recent years, a suspension arm using a light metal material such as an aluminum alloy has been proposed aiming at reducing the weight of the suspension arm (e.g. WO 01/32979, JP-A-2000-225821, and JP-A-2002-274133).
In this case, the arm member may be formed by casting which allows a certain shape to be formed without limitations, or the arm member may be formed by extrusion in order to ensure sufficient strength.
However, when forming the suspension arm by joining steel materials in order to obtain strength (e.g. JP-A-2002-316228), since the cost of joining is high, the weakest coil spring support portion can be reinforced merely by joining. As shown in FIG. 25, a portion 200 between the coil spring support portion and the suspension member mounting portion is formed merely by pressing. In FIG. 25, deflection or deformation occurs in the cross section from the shape indicated by the dotted lines to the shape indicated by the solid lines due to the effects of the compressive force P1 and the reaction force P2, so that sufficient rigidity and strength cannot be obtained. This also applies to the case where the tensile force occurs.
In a structure in which the suspension member mounting portion and the axle carrier mounting portion have a continuous hollow cross section to obtain rigidity and strength (e.g. WO 01/32979), since the coil spring is placed on the hollow portion of the suspension arm, it is necessary to dispose the upper end of the coil spring upward in the vertical direction of the vehicle corresponding to the height of the cross section of the suspension arm, or to reduce the stroke of the suspension. This poses a problem in which the space of the passenger compartment must be reduced or the suspension performance must be decreased.
Since the shock absorber or coil spring mounting portion, the suspension member mounting portion, and the axle carrier mounting portion are formed in a shape optimum for the respective parts, the shape of each mounting portion of the suspension arm generally differs to a large extent. Therefore, when forming the suspension arm by extruding an aluminum alloy (e.g. JP-A-2000-225821), it is difficult to form the mounting portions having different shapes if the extruded aluminum alloy has an approximately uniform cross-sectional shape.
When forming the suspension arm by casting an aluminum alloy (e.g. JP-A-2002-274133), mounting portions having different shapes can be formed to a certain extent, so that the coil spring can be supported on the bottom surface of the suspension arm and the suspension arm can be reinforced using a rib. However, since a sufficient dimensional accuracy cannot be obtained for the center distance in the bearing portions on the ends for which a particularly high dimensional accuracy is required, it is necessary to provide a number of cutting steps after casting to secure dimensional accuracy, or to inspect casting internal defects, thereby increasing the number of steps and manufacturing cost.
The invention was achieved in view of the above-described situation. A technical object of the invention is to provide an arm member such as a suspension arm which can be reduced in weight while ensuring sufficient strength and rigidity without increasing of the number of steps and cost, which can support the lower end of a part such as a coil spring disposed at a low position, and of which the mounting portions can be formed in different shapes.


An apparatus for heat treatment of a wafer is disclosed. The apparatus includes a heating chamber having a heat source. A cooling chamber is positioned adjacent to the heating chamber and includes a cooling source. A wafer holder is configured to move between the cooling chamber and the heating chamber through a passageway and one or more shutters defines the size of the passageway. The one or more shutters are movable between an open position where the wafer holder can pass through the passageway and an obstructing position which defines a passageway which is smaller than the passageway defined when the shutter is in the open position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for providing heat to wafers and more particularly to an apparatus for rapid thermal precessing of wafers.
2. Description of Related Art
Heat treatment apparatuses are used in a variety of industries including the manufacture of semiconductor devices. These heat treatment apparatuses can be used for several different fabrication processes such as thermal annealing, thermal cleaning, thermal chemical vapor deposition, thermal oxidation and thermal nitridation. These treatments often require that the temperature of a wafer be elevated to as high as 350xc2x0 C.-1300xc2x0 C. before and during the treatment. Further, these treatments often require that one or more fluids be delivered to the wafer.
There are several design challenges to meeting the thermal requirements of heat treatment apparatuses. For instance, it is often desirable to quickly ramp up and/or ramp down the temperature of a wafer to be treated. During these rapid temperature changes the temperature uniformity of the wafer should be sufficient to prevent damage to the wafer. Wafers often cannot tolerate even small temperature differentials during high temperature processing. For instance, a temperature difference above 1xc2x0-2xc2x0 C./cm at 1200xc2x0 C. can cause enough stress to produce slip in the silicon crystal of certain wafers. The resulting slip planes will destroy any devices through which they pass.
Delivery of fluid to the wafer can also present design challenges. For instance, the exposure of the wafer to the fluid should be uniform across the wafer to avoid uneven treatment results. Further, fluids within the heat treatment apparatus must often be rapidly evacuated from the heat treatment apparatus. Another challenge derived from fluid delivery is the replacement of fluids within the heating chamber with other fluids. This exchange of fluids must often occur with minimal interaction between the original and replacement fluids.
The invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus. The apparatus includes a heating chamber having a heat source. A cooling chamber is positioned adjacent to the heating chamber and includes a cooling source. A wafer holder is configured to move between the cooling chamber and the heating chamber through a passageway. One or more shutters define the size of the passageway and are movable between an open position where the wafer holder can pass through the passageway and an obstructing position which defines a passageway which is smaller than the passageway defined when the shutter is in the open position.
Another embodiment of the apparatus includes a heating chamber positioned adjacent to a cooling chamber. A wafer holder is configured to be positioned in the cooling chamber at a loading position where the wafer can be removed from the wafer holder. The wafer holder is movable between the cooling chamber and the heating chamber. A cooling source such as a cooling plate is positioned in the cooling chamber so as to be positioned beneath the wafer holder when the wafer holder is positioned in the loading position.
Another embodiment of the apparatus includes a heating chamber with a closed upper end. A plurality of heating elements are positioned above the closed upper end of the heating chamber. The upper end of the heating chamber includes a heating plate which is configured to receive thermal energy from the heating elements and distribute the thermal energy in a substantially uniform manner over a surface of the heating plate which is positioned within the heating chamber. The heating plate includes a plurality of fluid ports which are configured to be coupled with a fluid source. A wafer holder is configured to be positioned in the heating chamber such that a wafer held by the wafer holder receives fluid delivered into the heating chamber through the fluid ports.
Another embodiment of the apparatus includes a cooling chamber positioned adjacent to a heating chamber. A wafer holder is coupled with at least one shaft which is driven so as to move the wafer holder between the cooling chamber and the heating chamber through a passageway. Two or more shutters are positioned adjacent to the passageway and are movable within a horizontal plane so as to define the size of the passageway. The two or more shutters are movable to an obstructing position where the two or more shutters encompass the at least one shaft coupled with the wafer holder.
The invention also relates to a heat treatment apparatus having a heating chamber and one or more fluid inlet ports for delivery of a fluid into the heating chamber. A member extends into the heating chamber from a side of the heating chamber at a height below a height of the fluid inlet port. The member has an edge with a shape which is complementary to the perimeter of a portion of the wafer to be treated in the apparatus. A wafer holder is movable within the heating chamber and can move the wafer adjacent to the member to define a fluid flow region within the heating chamber.
Another embodiment of a heat treatment apparatus having a heating chamber and one or more fluid inlet ports for delivery of a fluid into the heating chamber includes a flow distribution chamber which distributes a flow of fluid from the one or more fluid inlet ports. The flow distribution chamber is positioned such that fluid from the fluid inlet port enters the heating chamber through the flow distribution chamber.
The apparatus can also include a fluid exhaust port for withdrawing fluid from the heating chamber and a second flow distribution chamber for distributing a flow of fluid from the heating chamber to the fluid exhaust port. The second flow distribution chamber is positioned such that fluid from the heating chamber enters the fluid exhaust port through the flow distribution chamber.
A flow distribution chamber associated with a fluid inlet port can include a flow distribution member positioned such that fluid from the fluid inlet port enters the heating chamber through the flow distribution chamber. Similarly, a flow distribution chamber associated with a fluid exhaust port can include a flow distribution member positioned such that fluid from the heating chamber enters the fluid exhaust port through the flow distribution chamber.
The invention also relates to a method for rapid thermal processing of a wafer. The method includes providing a heating chamber having a heating plate and heating the heating plate. The method also includes positioning a wafer in a wafer holder and moving the wafer holder toward the heating plate until the wafer is positioned close enough to the heat source for heat to be conducted from the heating plate to the wafer.
The method can also include backing the wafer holder away from the heating plate after a target condition has been achieved at the wafer and delivering a fluid into the heating chamber from above the wafer holder.


A method is proposed for the fabrication of the gate electrode of a semiconductor device such that the effects of gate depletion are minimized. The method is comprised of a dual deposition process wherein the first step is a very thin layer that is doped very heavily by ion implantation. The second deposition, with an associated ion implant for doping, completes the gate electrode. With the two-deposition process, it is possible to maximize the doping at the gate electrode/gate dielectric interface while minimizing risk of boron penetration of the gate dielectric. A further development of this method includes the patterning of both gate electrode layers with the advantage of utilizing the drain extension and source/drain implants as the gate doping implants and the option of offsetting the two patterns to create an asymmetric device. A method is also provided for the formation of shallow junctions in a semiconductor substrate by diffusion of dopant from an implanted layer contained within a dielectric layer into the semiconductor surface. Further, the ion implanted layer is provided with a second implanted species, such as hydrogen, in addition to the intended dopant species, wherein said species enhances the diffusivity of the dopant in the dielectric layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to semiconductor devices and in particular to the processes used to fabricate them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The process for fabricating conventional CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) semiconductor devices is well known and includes the steps of creating a gate dielectric layer, depositing polysilicon gate electrode material, patterning the polysilicon/dielectric gate stack into the gate electrode, implanting a drain extension implant, creating sidewall insulator structures (spacers), implanting a source/drain implant, and providing a heat treatment to diffuse and electrically activate the implanted layers. The implants can be of n-type or p-type dopants, for the formation of N-channel or P-channel devices respectively.
There are various technical issues related to conventional CMOS processes as technology scaling progresses with regard to the doping of the gate electrode. First, as the gate dielectric thickness is scaled down, the field intensity at the gate electrode/gate dielectric interface increases with the result that the gate electrode experiences depletion of charge starting at the dielectric interface. This condition is undesirable because it has the effect of increasing the effective gate dielectric thickness, and modulating the threshold voltage. Further, there is a competing issue that attempts to increase the doping of the gate electrode at the electrode/dielectric interface which enhances the risk of dopant diffusion through the gate dielectric and into the channel, particularly for boron doped gates. Dopant penetration of the gate dielectric is undesirable because it changes the threshold voltage. The device is sensitive to dopant penetration of the gate dielectric because the doping concentration in the channel region under the gate is low; therefore small amounts of dopant diffusing through the gate dielectric have significant effects.
There are two unit processes involved in the gate doping processes that interact to determine the extent of gate depletion and gate dielectric penetration. The first is the ion implant which provides the dopant atoms, and the second is the heat treatment, or annealing, needed to activate the implanted dopant, and which also diffuses the dopant through the gate material. The ion implant energy is chosen to be low, even though this compromises productivity, to ensure that no dopant is implanted through the gate oxide, since the underlying channel region is doped with a low concentration. This requires that the dopant be diffused through the gate layer to provide dopant at the gate electrode/gate dielectric interface where it is needed to prevent gate depletion. However, the gate material is usually polysilicon, which has very nonuniform diffusion characteristics. As such, there is very fast diffusion down to the grain boundaries in the polysilicon, so some dopant reaches the gate electrode/gate dielectric interface quickly, yet most of the dopant still needs to diffuse to fully dope the polysilicon grains and achieve high conductivity. The grain boundary dopant at the gate electrode/gate dielectric interface is then a risk for gate dielectric penetration as the heat treatment continues. This risk is increased as the heat treatment goes to higher temperatures and longer times. There are practical limits to the reduction of time/temperature for the gate electrode anneal, due to the need to diffuse the dopant to the gate electrode/gate dielectric interface and the need to electrically activate the implanted dopant, for example, as disclosed in M. Kase, et al. "FEOL Technologies for Fabricating High Performance Logic and System LSI of 100 nm node, 12th International Conference on Ion Implantation Technology Proceedings, 1998, p.91.
The technologies that have been proposed to address these issues include oxynitride gate dielectric, SiGe gate electrode material, and metal gate electrode materials. The oxynitride gate dielectric is useful for the reduction of the boron penetration through the gate oxide, but does not help with the gate depletion effect. The SiGe gate material also reduces boron diffusion and thus helps with gate penetration while increasing the effective doping concentration, which also helps with the gate depletion. The problem is that the SiGe gate material degrades the NMOS characteristics and thus requires complex selective technologies to achieve a full CMOS solution. The metal gate approach solves the boron penetration problem (no boron to diffuse) and the gate depletion issue (near infinite charge concentration) but makes setting the threshold voltage for NMOS and PMOS simultaneously very difficult. The metal gate approach also has significant challenges in process integration; since the metal layers are not physically stable at the high temperatures of the heat treatments required for implant activation, such as required by the source and drain regions.
The conventional device faces other limiting factors as technology scales. With continued scaling, for example <0.1 um technology, the conventional device suffers from the need to provide sufficient gate overlap of the drain extension region to ensure high performance operation. In particular, the extrinsic series resistance becomes a limiting factor as the overlap regions are scaled. A recent analysis, as reported by Ghani et al, Symposium VLSI Technology, pages 17-18, 2001, has shown that an asymmetric structure has the potential to allow further scaling while maintaining high performance device characteristics. However, the process used by Ghani, et al in the demonstration devices is very constraining relative to large-scale production requirements: the structure requires a tilt implant selectively on the source side and not the drain side. To manufacture devices with such a structure would require limiting the layout so that all sources are to one side and all drains to the other, making the circuit very large.
There is also a trend to form shallow semiconductor junctions. The requirement for shallow junctions is a direct result of the continued scaling of semiconductor technology wherein there is a constant progression to smaller devices. As the devices are made smaller, there are many features of the fabrication process that must be modified, or "scaled" in order to maintain proper functionality of the transistor and other circuit elements required. The impact on junction formation technology is that it is expected that the junction depth would scale as technology scales, that is, the junctions become shallower as the gate length becomes shorter. In this way, the transistor functionality is preserved.
There are difficulties with continuing the historical methods of scaling the junction depth. In particular, the conventional method of formation of such junctions is the use of ion implantation to introduce the dopant into the semiconductor substrate, followed by a heat treatment step to make the dopant atoms electrically active. To achieve shallower junctions, the ion implantation must be performed with lower energy, so that the atoms do not penetrate into the semiconductor substrate as far. In general, shallow junctions require an ion implant energy of less than 5 keV, while ultra-shallow junctions require ion implant energy of less than 1 keV (for boron implants). These implants have low productivity on a conventional implanter because they are in the regime where Child's Law applies; implants with energy of less than 10 keV. In this regime, the implanter's beam current is limited by space charge effects, with a maximum current that is proportional to the extraction voltage to the 3/2 power. The conventional means of increasing the productivity in this regime is to implement an acceleration/deceleration configuration for the implanter: the beam is extracted at high energy to avoid the space charge limit imposed by Childs Law, and then decelerated before the wafers to implant with the correct energy. While this method is able to increase productivity by around 2×, the deceleration beam has issues with energetic contamination and nonuniformity of implant results.
There are further issues with the conventional implant process for the formation of ultrashallow junctions in that the implant creates defect structures within the silicon implanted layer that pose more of an issue as the energy is reduced and the layer becomes shallower. First, the density of created defects increases quickly because the implanted volume of the substrate material is reduced as the implant is made shallow. Since the doses are either the same or increasing, the reduction of implant depth corresponds to an increase in both the density of implanted dopant and the implant defects. As the defect density increases, the probability of interaction increases dramatically, with the problem that combinations of defects make more complex defect structures which are very difficult to anneal. It may be noted that the high density of implanted dopant, boron for example, also increases the probability that dopant complex structures will form. This is particularly an issue when the dopant concentration exceeds the solid solubility, since the supersaturated dopant tends to precipitate into undesirable structures. For example, supersaturated boron tends to precipitate into silicon boride (SiB4), a structure which binds the boron into electrically inactive position, rendering that component of the boron implant completely ineffective. As the energy is reduced, more of the implanted dose resides in a region where the concentration is above the solubility, so the effectiveness of the implant decreases with energy.
The conventional process also places extreme constraints on the heat treatment, or anneal, used to make the implanted dopant electrically active. There is a strong conflict between the need to heat the substrate to high temperatures to effectively activate the implanted dopant versus the need to limit the temperature and time of the anneal to prevent diffusion. This conflict has lead to the development of a process called the spike anneal, where the temperature is ramped quickly to a peak temperature, and then immediately ramped down, such that the residence time at the maximum temperature approaches zero. Such an anneal is necessary for the formation of ultrashallow boron junctions to minimize the diffusion of boron.
It has been proposed to address some of these issues with the formation of ultrashallow junctions by implanting into a surface oxide layer and then diffusing through the oxide into the substrate to form the junction, for example, as discussed in Schmitz, et al, "Ultra-Shallow Junction Formation by Outdiffusion from Implanted Oxide" IEEE-IEDM '98, p1009; and Schmitz, et al, "Shallow Junction Fabrication by Rapid Thermal Outdiffusion from Implanted Oxides" Proceedings of Advances in Rapid Thermal Processing, Electrochemical Society, Seattle Wash., 1999, p.187. This approach has the advantage of reducing or eliminating the defect formation in the semiconductor substrate by placing most of the implant damage into the oxide layer. The method also relaxes the constraints on annealing because most of the diffusion is now through the oxide layer. The method has the disadvantage, though, that diffusion through oxide is generally slower than through silicon, for example, as discussed in Fair, "Physical Models of Boron Diffusion in Ultrathin Gate Oxides" J. Electrochem. Soc, 144, 1997, p.708-717.
A further issue with the conventional process is the difficulty in avoiding implanting into an oxide while attempting to form an ultrashallow junction, for example, as discussed in Krull, et al, "The importance of the native oxide for sub-keV ion implants," Proc. 12th International Conference on Ion Implant Technology-1998, p1113, 1999. As technology scales and the implant energy is reduced, it becomes increasingly difficult to remove the surface oxide well enough that it does not interfere with the ion implant process. As discussed by Krull, et al, even a native oxide (oxide that forms on a silicon wafer just by exposure to air at room temperature) is thick enough that a boron implant with energy of 250 eV places most of the atoms into the oxide (1.5 mm) rather than into the silicon as intended. Since the native oxide forms at room temperature in air, extreme measures are required to implant into truly bare substrates, such as an in-situ oxide strip inside the vacuum system of the ion implanter. There are no production implanters with such capability. Absent the ability to implant into truly bare substrates, the production solution must involve controlling the thickness of oxide present and implanting into that oxide. Such a process will be required to provide production level repeatability.

Semiconductor device and method of fabricating a semiconductor device


This application provides a lighting accessory and a photographic lamp. The lighting accessory includes a light-transmission member, a light-shielding member and a connection assembly. The light-transmission member and the light-shielding member are both in a shape of a hollow cylinder. The light-transmission member includes a cylindrical first light-transmission surface and a flat second light-transmission surface blocked at one end of the first light-transmission surface. An inner cavity of the hollow cylinder of the light-transmission member is configured to accommodate a lamp body. The light-shielding member is arranged round an outer side of the first light-transmission surface and is spaced from the first light-transmission surface in a radial direction. The light-transmission member, the light-shielding member and the lamp body are connected through the connection assembly. The connection assembly also enables the light-emitting surface of the lamp body to be opposite to the first light-transmission surface.

In film-and-television, video, and advertisement shootings, professional lighting equipment is often required to illuminate and light a subject to be shot, to make the captured image more effective. Common lighting equipment may include a soft light, a flash light, etc. The soft light can convert rigid direct light into soft diffused light. Under a soft-light effect, the light will be soft without obvious shadows, and the highlight spots on an object to be photographed are eliminated, which makes the reflected shape and color of the object more natural, giving people a soft and delicate feeling. A soft-light lamp for photography includes a lamp body and related soft-light accessories (a diffuser, a soft-light box, etc.). The lamp body usually has a spot lamp body and a panel lamp body. Compared with the spot lamp body, the panel lamp body has a larger light-emitting surface, and can meet a wide range of lighting requirements. In an actual lighting process, different types of diffusers are often needed for different types of lamp bodies. For example, most of the spot lamps are suitable for semi-circular or lantern-type diffusers, while in terms of physically structure, it may be difficult to match a flat lamp body structure of the panel lamp with a semicircular or lantern-type diffuser. Thus, the existing soft-light accessories have poor adaptability and poor lighting effect of soft light.

Lighting accessory and photographic lamp


Disclosed is a mounting mechanism and method for accurately securing and uniformly bonding piezoelectric transducers (PZT's) to a dither spring. The dither spring includes a central hub, an outer toroidal rim, a plurality of flexible reeds and a plurality of lobes. The reeds extend between the hub and the rim, and one of the lobes is positioned between each pair of adjacent reeds. A mounting mechanism includes locating channels on the lobes sized to receive mounting inserts that hold the PZT's during assembly. The mounting mechanism accurately positions and provides a uniform bonding force to the PZT's to precisely and firmly secure the PZT's on the dither spring reeds.

This invention relates to inertial instrument sensors. In particular, the present invention is a ring laser gyroscope dither spring having a mounting mechanism and method for accurately securing piezoelectric transducers to the dither spring reeds.
A ring laser gyroscope (RLG) is commonly used to measure the angular rotation of a vehicle, such as an aircraft. Such a gyroscope has two counter-rotating laser light beams which move within a closed loop optical path or "ring" with the aid of successive reflections from multiple mirrors. The closed path is defined by an optical cavity which is interior to a gyroscope frame or "block". In one type of RLG, the block includes planar top and bottom surfaces that are bordered by six planar sides that form a hexagon shaped perimeter. Three planar non-adjacent sides of the block form the mirror mounting surfaces for three mirrors at the comers of the optical path which is triangular in shape.
Operationally, upon rotation of the RLG about its input axis (which is perpendicular to and at the center of the planar top and bottom surfaces of the block), the effective path length of each counter-rotating laser light beam changes and a frequency differential is produced between the beams that is nominally proportional to angular rate. This differential is then measured by signal processing electronics to determine the angular rotation of the vehicle.
Because of backscatter radiation, which is created as the laser light beams are reflected at the mirror surfaces, and other factors, the frequency difference between the counter-rotating laser light beams disappears when the angular velocity of the RLG about its input axis has a value that is below a particular threshold. This phenomenon is called "lock-in", and the range of angular rotation over which lock-in occurs is the "deadband" of the RLG. This phenomenon is undesirable because, at low rotation rates, lock-in produces an indication that no rotation is occurring when in fact, there is low rate angular rotation. Therefore, any inability to accurately measure low angular rotation rates reduces the effectiveness of the RLG in vehicle navigation systems.
There are several known approaches to eliminating the lock-in phenomenon. One such approach involves using a drive motor for mechanically oscillating the RLG about its input axis so that the RLG is constantly sweeping through the deadband and is never locked therein. This mechanical oscillation of the RLG is called dithering.
Dithering is accomplished by mounting gyroscope block on a flexure device known as a "dither spring". The dither spring is generally composed of a central member or hub (which is centered on The RLG input axis) having a plurality of flexible radial members or reeds extending between the hub and a toroidal rim. Each reed has a pair of piezoelectric transducers (PZT's) mounted on opposite sides thereof via an adhesive. The combination of the dither spring and PZT's defines the drive motor for mechanically oscillating the RLG about its input axis.
Voltages are applied to the PZT's such that one PZT on each reed increases in length while the other PZT decreases in length. The effect of these length changes in the PZT's is transmitted to the reeds through the mounting of the PZT's thereon. Increasing the length of one side of each reed while shortening the other side causes the reeds to flex or bend so that each reed experiences a small rotation about the RLG input axis. The voltage is oscillatory so that the reeds are constantly vibrating in phase and the gyroscope block mounted to the toroidal rim rotates about the input axis. The amplitude of the dithering is generally carefully controlled and monitored to minimize the effects of lock-in. Since the dither oscillation angular velocity and displacement can be constantly monitored, they can be excluded from the output signal of the RLG.
To attain proper dither frequency so as to eliminate the effects of lock-in, and to minimize material stress of the dither spring due to the high frequency flexing of the reeds, the PZT's must be precisely mounted with respect to one another on the reeds of the dither spring. The adhesive bond between the PZT's and the dither spring reeds must exhibit high strength and uniformity across the PZT/reed interface in order to withstand the high mechanical stresses generated between the PZT's and dither spring during dithering. Presently, positioning of the PZT's on the dither spring reeds is accomplished by a person using a combination of sighting by eye and assembly tooling to achieve precise placement and bonding of the PZT's. However, since PZT positioning accuracy and bonding uniformity is largely dependent upon the skill of the person doing the assembling, precise placement and consistent uniform bonding of the PZT's on the dither spring reeds is not always achieved. If the accuracy of the PZT placement is not within acceptable parameters, and/or the adhesive bond across the PZT/reed interface not uniform, RLG performance is compromised and the dither spring and RLG must be rebuilt or scrapped. This increases the manufacturing cost of the dither spring as well as the RLG.
There is a need for an improved mounting mechanism and method for accurately securing and uniformly bonding the PZT's to the reeds of a dither spring of a RLG. In particular, there is a need for a PZT mounting mechanism and method that enables a person assembling the PZT's to the dither spring to consistently, precisely position and uniformly bond the PZT's on the dither spring reeds. In addition, the mounting mechanism and method should improve the consistency of PZT placement and the uniformity of the PZT/reed adhesive bond interface so as to reduce the number of dither springs needing to be rebuilt or scrapped. Lastly, the PZT mounting mechanism and method should be relatively easy and inexpensive to practice and should greatly facilitate automation of assembly.

Mechanism and method for mounting piezoelectric transducers


A cover provided to partly enclose a pair of bonding rollers is supplied with a gas such as carbon dioxide having high solubility in an adhesive to be used and a sheet-like adhesive or an adhesive in a sheet form is bonded to a support film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for bonding with sheet-like adhesives, more particularly, to a method and an apparatus that enables the sheet-like adhesives to be bonded to various types of adherends without leaving voids at the interface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Adhesives having versatile functions and shapes are currently used in a wide range of industrial fields to achieve various purposes. These many adhesives are in most cases spread in thin layers on supports to take a sheet-like form. The resulting sheet-like adhesives are bonded to various adherends depending on the specific purpose of use.
Not only in the use of sheet-like adhesives but also in the manufacture of adhesive products, the bonding of sheet-like adhesives is a common practice in both consumer and industrial areas. For example, polyvinyl adhesive tapes which are the most common sheet-like adhesive are shipped in a roll form. Such adhesive tapes are usually manufactured by applying adhesive solutions onto sheets of soft polyvinyl chloride resins and drying the applied coasts and the resulting sheets (sheet-like adhesives) are rolled on themselves, with the adhesives being bonded to the back side of polyvinyl chloride resin sheets.
Forming adhesives on supports to make sheet-like adhesives which are then bonded to release bases, or first forming adhesives on release bases to make sheet-like adhesives which are then bonded to supports, is a common practice in the ordinary manufacturing process.
To give a further example, double-coated adhesive tapes are manufactured by bonding two sheet-like adhesives together, with paper being interposed as a support. Thus, it is a common and routine practice in the use and manufacture of adhesive products to bond sheet-like adhesives to various kinds of adherends.
FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of adhesive tape manufacture in an exemplary case of bonding a film-like support (support film) to a sheet-like adhesive having an adhesive formed on a release base. In a bonding apparatus generally indicated by D in FIG. 5, a roll of support film 2 is unwound and fed into the nip between a pair of bonding rollers 4 past a roller 5 under a specified tension. A sheet-like adhesive 1 having an adhesive formed on a release base is similarly fed into the nip between the same pair of bonding rollers 4 past a roller 3 under a specified tension. The thus fed support film 2 and sheet-like adhesive 1 are held between the bonding rollers 4 so that they are bonded together by a specified bonding force. The resulting adhesive tape 7 is past under two rollers 6 to be wound up in a roll form.
Should voids occur between the sheet-like adhesive and the support providing the adhered during the manufacturing process just described above, various inconveniences will result. For example, extensive formation of voids will induce lower adhesion strength, which eventually affects the anchoring force as exemplified by separation of the sheet-like adhesive from the support during use of the finished product.
The following additional examples may be mentioned: if voids occur when the adhesive tape is attached to a smooth surface, the back side of the tape will have asperities which give only an undesirable appearance to the tape; if voids occur between the tape and the surface of an electronic component to be fixed, the dimensional precision of the finished product will be lost; with a rough adherend, voids will turn into an infinite number of air bubbles, which again cause poor appearance.
The occurrence of voids at the interface between a sheet-like adhesive and the adherend is by no means exceptional but frequently observed in ordinary bonding procedures. Consider, for example, the case of bonding a cellophane adhesive tape onto a smooth glass plate; this would appear to be a comparatively simple job, but in reality it involves considerable difficulty in bonding the tape manually to ensure that no voids (air bubbles) will be entrapped between the glass surface and the adhesive side. If the bonding operation is performed mechanically, voids are less likely to occur than when it is performed manually but, depending on the operating conditions or the type of the adhesive used and the adherend to which it is applied, voids may occasionally occur as when excessive vibrations occur to the bonding rolls, used for continuous bonding, or when the bonding pressure is weak and not uniform or when the adherend is a rough surface.
If the occurrence of such voids is not tolerable, appropriate actions are taken depending on the specific cause of the trouble. If the cause is the vibration of bonding rollers and other components of the bonding machine, it is effective to increase the precision and strength of the machine; if the bonding pressure is unduly weak, setting it on the higher side is effective; if the adherend is a rough surface, it would be effective to set the bonding pressure at a higher level, set the bonding speed at a slower value or taking any other action to increase the chance of the adhesive of getting into the low spots of the irregularities of the adherend.
However, these conventional methods not only are limited in effectiveness but also economically disadvantageous as typified by high initial investment cost.
Particularly in the case of a rough adherend, it is difficult to eliminate all voids present by the aforementioned mechanical actions. In addition, if the rough adherend has a complex shape as in the case where it is formed of a fibrous material, it is extremely difficult to ensure that the voids which occur in the bonding operation are totally eliminated by the above-described mechanical treatments.

Method and apparatus for bonding sheet-like adhesive


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: forming a circuit element on a semiconductor substrate; forming a first insulation film on top to cover the circuit element; forming a first electrode on top; forming a ferroelectric film on the first electrode; forming a second electrode on the ferroelectric film; forming a mask film on the second electrode; etching the second electrode with the semiconductor substrate or a mounting electrode set to a first temperature using the mask film as a mask; etching the ferroelectric film with the semiconductor substrate or the mounting electrode set to a second temperature using the mask film as a mask, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature; and etching the first electrode with the semiconductor substrate or the mounting electrode set to a third temperature using the mask film as a mask, the third and first temperatures being approximately the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device that includes a ferroelectric capacitor.
2. Background Information
Conventional semiconductor memories that use ferroelectrics as capacity insulators of capacitors are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H05-299610, especially pp. 8-10, FIGS. 20 and 83 (hereinafter reference 1), Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H09-266200, especially pp. 3-4, FIG. 1 (hereinafter reference 2), and Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H09-251983, especially pp. 2-3, FIGS. 1 and 2 (hereinafter reference 3), for instance. Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Nos. H05-299610, H09-266200, and H09-251983 are hereby incorporated by reference.
The reference 1 discloses an etching method of a laminated structure film that is provided with a plug electrode, a lower electrode, a ferroelectric film, and an upper electrode. The plug electrode, the lower electrode, the ferroelectric film, and the upper electrode are sequentially formed and then dry-etched in the block using a resist as a mask. Here, the plug electrode is made of a titanium nitride (TiN) film that is formed on a surface of an insulation film while also being embedded in an aperture formed in the insulation film. The lower electrode is made of platinum (Pt), the ferroelectric film is made of a PZT (lead titanate-lead zirconate:PbTiO3—PbZrO3). Further, the upper electrode is made of Pt, TiN, tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), or the like. In this method, by embedding the TiN film in the aperture of the insulation film while also forming the TiN film on the surface of the insulation film, the lower electrode, the ferroelectric film, and the upper electrode can be made flat. Thereby, the interval between the upper electrode and the lower electrode can be maintained at a predetermined distance, due to which flowing of leak current between the upper electrode and the lower electrode can be prevented.
The reference 2 discloses an etching method of a laminated structure film that is provided with an under layer Pt electrode, a ferroelectric film, an upper layer Pt electrode, and a titanium (Ti) film. The under layer Pt electrode, the ferroelectric film, the upper layer Pt electrode, and the Ti film are sequentially formed, and the Ti film is patterned into a predetermined pattern. Then, using the patterned Ti film as a mask, the under layer Pt electrode, the ferroelectric film, the upper layer Pt electrode, and the Ti film are continuously dry-etched in the block by a dry etching method that uses a plasma of mixed gas including Cl2 and O2. In etching the laminated structure film, by using the Ti film, which can be easily oxidized, as the etching mask, the etching rate becomes slow due to the oxidization of the Ti film. On the other hand, the etching rate with respect to the etching subject films (i.e. the under layer platinum electrode, the ferroelectric film, and the upper layer platinum film) can be sufficiently secured, and thereby, the selection ratio between the etching subject films and the etching mask can be enlarged. By this arrangement, processing accuracy can be improved.
The reference 3 discloses an etching method of a laminated structure film that is provided with a lower electrode made of an Ir/IrO2 film, a PZT film and an upper electrode made of an Ir/IrO2 film. In this etching method, the PZT film is dry-etched using mixed gas including BCl3 and Cl2. By this arrangement, it is possible to prevent possible removal of a desired substance from the etching surface. Moreover, for the dry etching of Ir/IrO2, by using the mixed gas of BCl3 and Cl2 where fluoride is being added, it is possible to prevent Ir from being reattached to a side wall of a resist.
However, with regards to the etching methods of the references 1 and 2, in a method of manufacturing a capacitor by processing a laminated structure film made of an upper electrode, a ferroelectric film, and a lower electrode in the block, a damaged layer may be formed in the ferroelectric film. This damaged layer is formed by Cl2 having a reducing nature when the ferroelectric film and/or the lower electrode are dry-etched. The damaged layer is formed in a way that advances inside the ferroelectric film from the side of the ferroelectric film that is exposed after the processing. In the damaged layer, the original dielectric polarization property of the ferroelectric film can be lost, or the damaged layer can turn to a path that allows current leak from the upper electrode to the lower electrode. As a result, there is a possibility that effective polarization properties may not be acquired with respect to the capacitor area. Even with a capacitor of small area or a capacitor of large area, a damaged layer is formed approximately in the same size. Therefore, especially when the area of the capacitor becomes smaller, the rate of the area occupied with the damaged layer becomes larger with respect to the effective area of the capacitor, and this allows characteristic degradation such as degradation of dielectric polarization properties, increase in current leaks, etc. to occur easily. Therefore, when it comes to a ferroelectric capacitor that is miniaturized for high integration, the rate of the area occupied with the damaged layer with respect to the effective area of the capacitor will become much larger, and it is considered that the problems of degradation of dielectric polarization properties and increases in current leaks will become more apparent.
Incidently, the reference 3 does not mention any problem that can be caused by dry-etching the laminated structure film in the block in forming the ferroelectric capacitor.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device


A thermally actuatable auxiliary switch (10, 10', 100) used with a refrigerator compressor system (60) has a generally U-shaped bimetallic element (12) mounted at one end on a base plate (16, 16', 102) and with a movable contact (28) mounted on the high expansion side (12a) of the bimetallic element in alignment with a stationary contact (32) mounted on a stationary contact support (18, 18', 116). A thermal generator (34) in the form of a PTC pill (36) wire-wound resistor (28), or other electrically energizable heater or in the form of a discharge tube (60e) of a compressor, provides heat to the bimetallic element (12) causing it to deflect after the solid state starter (50) has switched to its high resistance state to switch out the solid state starter while the compressor motor remains energized.

It is conventional to use solid state motor starting devices to start split phase electric motors. Such devices comprise a positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTC) element serially connected to the start winding of the motor. The PTC element has a low level of resistance upon energization allowing an inrush of current through the start winding. As the motor approaches running speed in approximately 0.5 to 1.0 second, the resistance of the PTC element greatly increases effectively de-energizing the start winding. The PTC element remains in the high resistance, energized state maintaining the start winding off until the motor is de-energized. Although this is effective in starting the motor, it results in a continuous expenditure of energy in keeping the PTC element energized. For example, when used with refrigerator compressor motors approximately 2-2.2 watts of energy are consumed whenever the compressor motor is running. This energy consumption is undesirable and considered to be wasted.

Thermally actuatable auxiliary electrical switch apparatus


A method and apparatus used for actuation is provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises an actuation body having a gradually tapered wider end received at one end by an expandable member and at an opposing end by a drive shell. The actuation body being movable from a first position to a second position by means of the drive shell such that this movement causes a looser or tighter fit at the wider end with respect to the expandable member.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus an actuation mechanism and more particularly to a method and apparatus for an actuation mechanism used to form rigid attachments between two surfaces in a computing system environment.
2. Description of Background
Large computing system environments, such as servers computer systems, often are comprised of a number of assemblies. These assemblies can include a variety electronic components, such as daughter cards, logic elements and related elements that support logic entities, and mid-plane boards amongst others. The assemblies are designed such that they can be then inserted into a support rack or support frame.
The support rack or frame often has a cage like structure, with a plurality of vertically extending supports connecting to two or more horizontal rails to one another. Side and rear and/or front structural surfaces can also be optionally added to enhance structural rigidity or to accommodate the thermal interface subassemblies used to cool the computing system environment.
In order to insert the assemblies containing electronic components, the frame is often provided with mating interconnects that receive these assemblies. After they are plugged into their mating interconnects, the assemblies are then fixed, latched or mounted into a position using a number mounting devices to prevent relative movement. Operational vibration and shock as some examples, make it a necessity that these assemblies are mounted to avoid a number of issues such as potential functional problems such as intermittent due to connection wear.
The ability to rigidly attach these assemblies once they are plugged or placed into their mating interconnects, becomes a function of the substructures assembly tolerance as well as the tolerance of the frame and the ability to rigidly span that tolerance with a sufficiently rigid member.
It is undesirable to design mounting means that delivers loading or stresses to the interconnect system as it not only affect the structural integrity of the computing environment but it may potentially lead to performance problems. Similarly, any design does not address unbalanced loading of the frame and substructure is also undesirable for similar reasons.
A number of solutions are provided in the prior art to provide such mounting means. These include a variety of designs implementing springs and other elastic means as part of their incorporated solution. In instances when component mass and insertion forces are small, springs and other elastic mechanism have been successfully implemented by the prior art. Unfortunately, however, when the components and insertion forces are large and the packaging is tight, and the amount of spring deflection is large in order to accommodate the tolerance traditional approaches fall short and problems occur.
The challenge is to rigidly attach large components (such as those over 100 lbs), across large assembly tolerances (such as those that are over 2 mm) with sufficient clamping force and structural integrity to maintain the relative position of the components during exposure to routine shock and vibration testing to avoid any connection wear mechanism or relative motion between the two mating surfaces. Since prior art does not provide a solution, it is consequently desirable to provide a design that provide a solution to the problem.

Method and apparatus for achieving rigid attachments for computer components

International Business Machines Corporation


A frame guard system comprises forward and backward guard circuits respectively having different guard stage numbers. A time after output of a frame alignment signal until first arrival of a pseudo out-of-frame signal is measured and the guard stage number of the forward guard circuit is switched in accordance with the measured time; whereas, a time after stoppage of the output of the frame alignment signal until first arrival of a pseudo synchronization signal is measured and the guard stage number of the backward guard circuit is switched in accordance with the measured time. In this way, since the respective guard stage numbers of the forward and backward guard circuits can be changed depending on a situation, the out-of-frame state after the determination of the synchronization can be prevented and thus a stable communication can be realized at all times.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a frame guard system for preventing a failure of framing or an out-of-frame state occurring after the framing takes place.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in such a frame guard system in a receiver of a mobile telephone, the number of frame guard stages has been fixed. The frame guard is divided into a forward guard and a backward guard. When the guard stage number in the backward guard is small, the framing is quickly done but easy to be in the out-of-frame state after the framing takes place. When the guard stage number in the backward guard is large, the framing by a pseudo frame synchronization signal does not occur but the framing tends to be delayed.
When the forward guard stage number is small, the presence of a small number of the out-of-frame bits causes the signal to tend to be out-of-frame, with a result that the communication becomes unstable. When the forward guard stage number is large, the frame is prevented from being out-of-frame for even a small number of the out-of-frame bits, but a frame alignment signal tends not to be stopped even in the out-of-frame state. In this case, the frame alignment signal refers to a signal that a frame guard system is to externally output as its final guard result.
In particular, when such a moving object as a mobile telephone moves into a tunnel or the shade of a mountain where the moving object can weakly receive an electromagnetic wave signal, a level in its received signal is abruptly decreased, which leads to the fact that the out-of-frame state is unfavorably caused immediately after the framing takes place.
In other words, the prior art frame guard system has had such a disadvantage that, since the respective guard stage numbers of the forward guard and the backward guard are fixed, the framing is deteriorated or the out-of-frame is unfavorably caused immediately after the framing is carried out, depending on a situation.
As explained above, the prior art frame guard system has such a problem that, since the frame guard stage number of the frame guard system used in a receiver of a mobile telephone is fixed, the frame synchronization tends to be easily in the out-of-frame state, which results in that the communication becomes unstable and thus a stable communication cannot be realized at all times.


‘TAS300’ is a distinctive variety of Dianella tasmanica, which is characterized by its combination of presence of leaf variegation, medium-tall plant height, broad leaf blade and stability and uniformity of traits through successive cycles of asexual propagation.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of evergreen perennial Dianella tasmanica, which has been named 'TAS300'. Dianella are a genus of ornamental grass-like plants. In general, Dianella tasmanica has flax-like leaves.
An application for plant breeders' rights for 'TAS300' has been lodged with the Australian Plant Breeders Rights Office, and was received on 16 Mar. 2007 (under Application No. 2007/097).
Parentage: The cultivar 'TAS300' was discovered in 1998 at a nursery in Smiths Gully, Victoria, Australia, during a seedling selection of open pollinated, unnamed Dianella tasmanica (unpatented). The parent is characterized by an absence of leaf variegation. Selection criteria for 'TAS300' was presence of leaf variegation.
Asexual reproduction. The new variety 'TAS300' was first asexually propagated by vegetative division in the state of Victoria, Australia in 1999 and has been asexually propagated since that time by division and micropropagation. The distinctive characteristics of cultivar 'TAS300' have remained stable and true to type through successive cycles of asexual propagation.