Polymer-ceramic composite materials for use in the formation of capacitors, which materials exhibit very low changes in temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) in response to changes in temperature within the range of from about −55° C. to about 125° C. Specifically, these capacitor materials have a change in TCC ranging from about −5% to about +5%, in response to changes in temperature within the desired temperature range. The inventive composite materials comprise a blend of a polymer component and ferroelectric ceramic particles, wherein the polymer component includes at least one epoxy-containing polymer, and at least one polymer having epoxy-reactive groups. The inventive polymer-ceramic composite materials have excellent mechanical properties such as improved peel strength and lack of brittleness, electrical properties such as high dielectric constant, and improved processing characteristics.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of capacitors and printed circuit boards. In particular, it relates to polymer-ceramic composite materials for use in the formation of capacitors and printed circuit boards. The inventive composite materials exhibit a low change in temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) in response to temperature changes, as well as other desirable properties.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the circuitry design of central processing units (CPU) seeks to achieve increased operational speed, the performance of integrated circuits becomes ever more important. The circuitry design of printed circuit boards, which mount these integrated circuits, is also very important.
Capacitors are common elements of printed circuit boards and other microelectronic devices. They are used to steady the operational power supply of such devices. Capacitance is a measure of the energy storage ability of a capacitor. A capacitor introduces capacitance into a circuit and functions primarily to store electrical energy, block the flow of direct current, or permit the flow of alternating current. Typically, capacitors comprise a dielectric material sandwiched between two electrically conductive metal layers, such as copper foils. In general, the dielectric material is coupled to the electrically conductive metal layers via an adhesive layer, by lamination, or by vapor deposition.
Heretofore, capacitors arranged on the surface of printed circuit boards have been common. In recent efforts to miniaturize capacitors, it has been known to either use a dielectric ceramic material with a high dielectric constant, or to decrease the thickness of dielectric ceramic layers. The capacitance depends primarily on the shape and size of the capacitor layers and the dielectric constant of the insulating material. In one known arrangement, "embedded" capacitors comprising thin, double-sided copper clad laminates have been formed within multilayered circuit board layers, producing excellent characteristics. Printed circuit boards having such embedded capacitors are able to maximize the surface area of the circuit board for other purposes, and achieve increased signal transmission speed.
Capacitors with high capacitance density are particularly desirable. The capacitance density of dielectric materials can be increased by the addition of ceramic materials. However, the high loading of ceramic filler materials into a dielectric material often results in a composite which is brittle, and which has very low mechanical and processing properties. Such high capacitance density materials are also known to exhibit large changes in capacitance due to changes in temperature. Additionally, materials having high dielectric constants are also known to be sensitive to temperature changes. Materials with such temperature dependencies of capacitance are known to have a high "temperature coefficient of capacitance" or TCC. A material's TCC indicates its maximum change in capacitance over a specified temperature range. Conventional dielectric composite capacitor materials have been developed which have a change in TCC of from as low as ±15% to as low as ±10% over a temperature range of from about −55° C. to about 125° C. However, a need exists in the field of printed circuit boards to develop capacitor materials, and particularly embedded capacitor materials having a very low change in TCC in the range of from about −5% to about +5%, and preferably as low as from about −0.5% to about +0.5%, in response to changes in temperature within the range of from about −55° C. to about 125° C. The present invention provides a unique polymer-ceramic composite material which achieves this goal. The inventive composite materials additionally have excellent mechanical properties such as good peel strength and lack of brittleness, electrical properties such as high dielectric constant, and processing characteristics such as ease of mixing.

Polymer-ceramic composites with excellent TCC


The present invention relates to intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM-3) which is involved in the process through which lymphocytes recognize and migrate to sites of inflammation as well as attach to cellular substrates during inflammation. The invention is directed toward such molecules, screening assays for identifying such molecules and antibodies capable of binding such molecules. The invention also includes therapeutic and diagnostic uses for adhesion molecules and for the antibodies that are capable of binding them.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the discovery of a new intercellular adhesion molecule, designated ICAM-3 which is involved in the process through which populations of leukocytes recognize and adhere to cellular substrates. ICAM-3 mediates cellular interactions with other lymphocytes, macrophages and neutrophils at the sites of inflammation and sites of immune responses.
The present invention further relates to the use of ICAM-3, alone or in combination with ICAM-1 and/or ICAM-2, to inhibit intercellular adhesion of cells of granulocyte, lymphocyte, or macrophage lineage. The use of such molecules provides a method for the treatment of specific and non-specific inflammation.
The invention also relates to therapeutic and prophylactic methods for suppressing the infection of leukocytes with HIV, and particularly with HIV-1, in an individual who is exposed to HIV or infected by HIV through the administration of ICAM-3, alone or in combination with ICAM-1 and/or ICAM-2. It therefore provides a therapy for diseases, such as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) which are caused by the HIV virus.
The invention also relates to a therapeutic method for suppressing the migration of HIV-1 infected cells from the circulatory system using ICAM-3, alone or in combination with ICAM-1 and/or ICAM-2. It therefore provides a therapy for diseases, such as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) which are caused by the HIV-1 virus.
The invention also relates to a therapeutic method for suppressing T-cell death and "syncytia" formation in an individual infected with HIV using ICAM-3, alone or in combination with ICAM-1 and/or ICAM-2. It therefore provides a therapy for diseases, such as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) which are caused by the HIV-1 virus.
The present invention relates to the use of ICAM-3, alone or in combination with ICAM-1 and/or ICAM-2, in the treatment of asthma.
The present invention additionally relates to molecules capable of binding to ICAM-3 (hereinafter anti-ICAM-3). The binding of an anti-ICAM-3 molecule to ICAM-3 is intended to modulate the biological functions associated with ICAM-3. The binding molecules of the present invention can be an antibody, a peptide, or a carbohydrate which is capable of binding to ICAM-3. Such binding molecules are useful in modulating the biological functions of ICAM-3.
The present invention also relates to the use of a anti-ICAM-3, alone or in combination with anti-ICAM-1 and/or anti-ICAM-2, to inhibit intercellular adhesion of cells of granulocyte, lymphocyte, or macrophage lineage. The use of such molecules provides a method for the treatment of specific and non-specific inflammation.
The invention also relates to therapeutic and prophylactic methods for suppressing the infection of leukocytes with HIV, and particularly with HIV-1, in an individual who is exposed to HIV or infected with HIV through the administration of a anti-ICAM-3, alone or in combination with anti-ICAM-1 and/or anti-ICAM-2. It therefore provides a therapy for diseases, such as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) which are caused by the HIV virus.
The invention also relates to a therapeutic method for suppressing the migration of HIV-1 infected cells from the circulatory system using an anti-ICAM-3 agent, alone or in combination with anti-ICAM-1 and/or anti-ICAM-2 agent. It therefore provides a therapy for diseases, such as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) which are caused by the HIV-1 virus.
The present invention further relates to the use of an anti-ICAM-3 agent, alone or in combination with anti-ICAM-1 and/or anti-ICAM-2, in the treatment of asthma.
2. Description of the Related Art
A. Leukocyte Attachment and Functions
Leukocytes must be able to attach to cellular substrates in order to properly defend the host against foreign invaders such as bacteria or viruses, see Eisen, H. W., (In: Microbiology, 3rd Ed., Harper & Row, Philadelphia, Pa. (1980), pp. 290-295 and 381-418) for a review of these functions. Leukocytes must be able to attach to endothelial cells so that they can migrate from the circulatory system to sites of inflammation. Furthermore, they must attach to antigen-presenting cells so that a normal specific immune response can occur, and finally, they must attach to appropriate target cells so that lysis of virally-infected or tumor cells can occur.
Recently, leukocyte surface molecules involved in mediating the above attachment mediated functions were identified using hybridoma technology. Briefly, monoclonal antibodies directed against human T-cells (Davignon, D. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78:4535-4539 (1981)) and mouse spleen cells (Springer, T. et al. Eur. J. Immunol. 9:301-306 (1979)) were identified which bound to leukocyte surfaces and inhibited the attachment related functions described above (Springer, T. et al., Fed. Proc. 44:2660-2663 (1985)). The molecules identified by those antibodies were called Mac-1 and Lymphocyte Function-associated Antigen-1 (LFA-1). Mac-1 is a heterodimer found on macrophages, granulocytes and large granular lymphocytes. LFA-1 is a heterodimer found on most lymphocytes (Springer, T. A. et al. Immunol. Rev. 68:111-135 (1982)). These two molecules, plus a third molecule, p150,95 (which has a tissue distribution similar to Mac-1) play a role in cellular adhesion (Keizer, G. et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 15:1142-1147 (1985)).
The above-described leukocyte molecules were found to be members of a related family of glycoproteins (Sanchez-Madrid, F. et al., J. Exper. Med. 158:1785-1803 (1983); Keizer, G. D. et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 15:1142-1147 (1985)), termed the "CD-18 family" of glycoproteins. This glycoprotein family is composed of heterodimers having one alpha chain and one beta chain. Although the alpha chain of each of the antigens differed from one another, the beta chain was found to be highly conserved (Sanchez-Madrid, F. et al., J. Exper. Med. 158:1785-1803 (1983)). The beta chain of the glycoprotein family (sometimes referred to as "CD18") was found to have a molecular weight of 95 kd whereas the alpha chains were found to vary from 150 kd to 180 kd (Springer, T., Fed. Proc. 44:2660-2663 (1985)). Although the alpha subunits of the membrane proteins do not share the extensive homology shared by the beta subunits, close analysis of the alpha subunits of the glycoproteins has revealed that there are substantial similarities between them. Reviews of the similarities between the alpha and beta subunits of the LFA-1 related glycoproteins are provided by Sanchez-Madrid, F. et al., (J. Exper. Med. 158:586-602 (1983); J. Exper. Med. 158:1785-1803 (1983)).
A group of individuals has been identified who are unable to express normal amounts of any member of this adhesion protein family on their leukocyte cell surface (Anderson, D. C. et al., Fed. Proc. 44:2671-2677 (1985); Anderson, D. C. et al., J. Infect. Dis. 152:668-689 (1985)). Such individuals are said to suffer from "leukocyte adherence deficiency disease" ("LAD") (Anderson, D. C., et al., Fed. Proc. 44:2671-2677 (1985); Anderson, D. C., et al., J. Infect. Dis. 152:668-689 (1985)). Characteristic features of LAD patients include necrotic soft tissue lesions, impaired pus formation and wound healing, as well as abnormalities of adhesion-dependent leukocyte functions in vitro, and susceptibility to chronic and recurring bacterial infections. Granulocytes from these LAD patients behave in the same defective manner in vitro as do their normal counterparts in the presence of anti-CD18 monoclonal antibody. That is, they are unable to perform adhesion related functions such as aggregation or attachment to endothelial cells. More importantly, however, is the observation that these patients are unable to mount a normal inflammatory response because of the inability of their granulocytes to attach to cellular substrates. Most remarkable is the observation that granulocytes from these LAD patients are unable to get to sites of inflammation such as skin infections due to their inability to attach to the endothelial cells in the blood vessels near the inflammation lesions. Such attachment is a necessary step for extravasation.
Lymphocytes from these patients displayed in vitro defects similar to normal counterparts whose CD-18 family of molecules had been antagonized by antibodies. Furthermore, these individuals were unable to mount a normal immune response due to an inability of their cells to adhere to cellular substrates (Anderson, D. C. et al., Fed. Proc. 44:2671-2677 (1985); Anderson, D. C. et al., J. Infect. Dis. 152:668-689 (1985)). These data show that immune reactions are mitigated when lymphocytes are unable to adhere in a normal fashion due to the lack of functional adhesion molecules of the CD-18 family.
Thus, in summary, the ability of leukocytes to maintain the health and viability of an animal requires that they be capable of adhering to other cells (such as endothelial cells). This adherence has been found to require cell-cell contact which involves specific receptor molecules present on the cell surface of the leukocytes. These receptors enable a leukocyte to adhere to other leukocytes, to endothelial cells, and other non-vascular cells. The cell surface receptor molecules, LFA-1, Mac-1 and p150,95, have been found to be highly related to one another. Humans whose leukocytes lack these cell surface receptor molecules exhibit chronic and recurring infections, as well as other clinical symptoms including defective antibody responses.
Additionally, since leukocyte adhesion is involved in the process through which foreign tissue is identified and rejected, an understanding of this process is of significant value in the fields of solid organ transplantation such as kidney, non-solid organ transplantation such as bone marrow, tissue grafting, allergy and oncology.
B. Infection with HIV
HIV infection is the cause of AIDS. Many variants of HIV have been described: the major two are HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is prevalent in North America and Europe and HIV-2 is prevalent only in Africa. The viruses have similar structures and encode proteins having similar function. HIV infection is believed to occur via the binding of a viral protein (termed "gp120") to a receptor molecule (termed "CD4") present on the surface of T4 ("T helper") lymphocytes (Schnittman, S. M. et al., J. Immunol. 141:4181-4186 (1988), which reference is incorporated herein by reference). After binding this receptor, the virus enters the cell and replicates, and in the process, kills the T cell. The destruction of an individual's T4 population is thus a direct result of HIV infection.
The destruction of the T cells results in an impairment in the ability of the infected patient to combat opportunistic infections. Although individuals afflicted with AIDS often develop cancers, the relationship between these cancers and HIV infection is, in most cases, uncertain.
Although the mere replication of the HIV virus is lethal to infected cells, such replication is typically detected in only a small fraction of the T4 cells of an infected individual. Recent results suggest more viremia occurs than had been previously estimated, and the T-cell infection frequency can be as high as 1%.
Several lines of research have elucidated other mechanisms through which the HIV virus mediates the destruction of the T4 population.
Apart from HIV replication, HIV infected cells can be destroyed through the action of cytotoxic, killer cells. Killer cells are normally present in humans, and serve to monitor the host and destroy any foreign cells (such as in mismatched blood transfusions or organ transplants, etc.) which may be encountered. Upon infection with HIV, T4 cells display the gp120 molecule on their cell surfaces. Killer cells recognize such T4 cells as foreign (rather than native cells), and accordingly, mediate their destruction.
HIV infection can also lead to the destruction of non-infected healthy cells. Infected cells can secrete the gp120 protein into the blood system. The free gp120 molecules can then bind to the CD4 receptors of healthy, uninfected cells. Such binding causes the cells to take on the appearance of HIV infected cells. Cytotoxic, killer cells recognize the gp120 bound to the uninfected T4 cells, conclude that the cell is foreign, and mediate the destruction of the cell.
An additional mechanism, and one of special interest to the present invention, with which HIV can cause T4 cell death is through the formation of "syncytia." A "syncytium" is a multinucleated giant cell, formed from the fusion of as many as several hundred T4 cells. Infection with HIV causes the infected cell to gain the ability to fuse with other T4 cells, either HIV infected, or uninfected healthy cells. The syncytium cannot function and soon dies. Its death accomplishes the destruction of both HIV infected and HIV uninfected T4 cells. This process is of special interest to the present invention since it entails the direct cell-cell contact of T4 cells. The ability of HIV-infected cells to form syncytia indicates that such cells acquire a means for fusing with healthy cells.
HIV infection, and especially HIV-1 infection, appears to influence cell surface expression of the leukocyte integrins and cellular adherence reactions mediated by these heterodimers (Petit, A. J., et al., J. Clin. Invest. 79:188 (1987); Hildreth, J. E. K., et al., Science 244:1075 (1989); Valentin, A., et al., J. Immunology 144:934-937 (1990); Rossen, R. D., et al., Trans. Assoc. American Physicians 102:117-130 (1989), all of which references are incorporated herein by reference). Following infection with HIV-1, homotypic aggregation of U937 cells is increased, as is cell surface expression of CD18 and CD11b (Petit, A. J., et al., J. Clin. Invest. 79:188 (1987)). HIV-1 infected U937 cells adhere to IL-1 stimulated endothelium in greater frequency than uninfected U937 cells; this behavior can be suppressed by treating the infected cells with anti-CD18 or anti-CD11a monoclonal antibodies or by treating endothelial substrates with anti-ICAM-1 antibodies (Rossen, R. D., et al., Trans. Assoc. American Physicians 102:117-130 (1989)). Monoclonal antibodies to CD18 or CD11a have also been found to be able to inhibit formation of syncytia involving phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated lymphoblastoid cells and constitutively infected, CD4-negative T cells (Hildreth, J. E. K., et al., Science 244:1075 (1989)). Treatment of only the virus infected cells with anti-CD18, or anti-CD11a monoclonal antibodies was found to have little effect on syncytium formation, suggesting that these antibodies principally protect uninfected target cells from infection (Hildreth, J. E. K., et al., Science 244:1075 (1989); Valentin, A., et al., J. Immunology 144:934-937 (1990)). Valentin et al. (Valentin, A., et al., J. Immunology 144:934-937 (1990)) have recently confirmed these observations by demonstrating that monoclonal antibodies specific for CD18 inhibit syncytia formed when continuous T cell lines are co-cultured with HIV-1 infected U937 cells.
Although the mechanism through which monoclonal antibodies specific for CD18 or CD11a protect susceptible cells from fusing with HIV infected cells remains unknown, and is not necessary to an appreciation of the present invention, studies with radiolabeled gp120 suggest that heterodimers containing CD18 do not provide a binding site for the virus (Valentin, A., et al., J. Immunology 144:934-937 (1990)). Thus, HIV infection involves cell-cell interactions, and/or viral-cell interactions which mimic such cell-cell interactions. The cell-cell interactions may result in the transport of cell-free virus or the transport of virus infected cells across endothelial barriers. Viral-cell interactions which mimic the cell-cell interactions may facilitate or enable free virus to attach to and/or infect healthy cells.
The present invention thus derives, in part, from the observation that HIV infection, and particularly HIV-1 infection, results in increased expression of the CD11a/CD18 heterodimer and its binding ligand. This increased expression is significant in that it enhances the ability of HIV-infected T cells to adhere or aggregate with one another (i.e. to undergo "homotypic aggregation"). Since such homotypic aggregation is not observed to occur among quiescent normal leukocytes, this discovery indicates that the expression of the CD11/CD18 receptors and/or ligands, such as ICAM-1, is required for such aggregation. LFA-1 must bind to ICAM-1 in order for homotypic aggregation to occur. As disclosed herein, ICAM-3 is the only member of the ICAM family of molecules which is expressed at a high level on resting T-cells. Only anti-ICAM-3 antibodies are capable of blocking the adhesion of T-cells to LFA-1 unless the T-cells are "activated". Therefore anti-ICAM-3 antibodies can be used to suppress aggregation of T-cells.
Additionally, anti-ICAM-3 antibodies may be used to block the adhesion processes of infected T-cells which permits HIV-1 to be transmitted from an infected cell to a healthy cell of an individual, and also permits or facilitates infection of healthy cells with free virus.
C. Migration of HIV Infected Cells
The migration and dissemination of leukocytes is important in protecting an individual from the consequences of infection. These processes, however, are also responsible for the migration and dissemination of viral-infected leukocytes. Of particular concern is the migration and dissemination of leukocytes infected with HIV. The migration of such cells results in the formation of extravascular foci, and may cause tumors and other abnormalities.
Histologic examination of affected organs reveals focal extravascular mononuclear cell infiltrates. Attempts to identify virus-infected cells in such infiltrates in the central nervous system have revealed the presence of HIV-1 infected cells. These studies have shown that the HIV-1 virus resides primarily in monocytes and macrophages, and other cells of this lineage (R. T. Johnson, et al. FASEB J. 2:2970 (1988); M. H. Stoler et al., J. Amer. Med. Assn. 256:2360 (1986); S. Gartner et al. Science 233:215 (1986)).
The mechanisms which stimulate formation of extravascular infiltrates of HIV-1-infected monocytoid cells have not previously been well defined. The mechanisms may involve either the transport of cell-free virus or the transport of virus across endothelial barriers within the cytoplasm of infected mononuclear cells.
Since infection with HIV-1 stimulates cell surface expression of molecules which facilitate adherence of leukocytes to vascular endothelial cells and the translocation of leukocytes from the blood to extravascular tissue sites (C. W. Smith et al., J. Clin. Invest. 82:1746 (1988), herein incorporated by reference) it has been proposed to use antibodies which inhibit cellular migration to prevent the dissemination of HIV infected cells (WO 90/13316).
D. Asthma: Clinical Characteristics
Asthma is a heterogeneous family of diseases. It is characterized by a hyper-responsiveness of the tracheobronchi to stimuli (Kay, A. B., Allergy and Inflammation, Academic Press, NY (1987); which reference is incorporated herein by reference). Clinically, asthma is manifested by the extensive narrowing of the tracheobronchi, by thick tenacious secretions, by paroxysms of dyspnea, coughing, and wheezing. Although the relative contribution of each of these conditions is unknown, the net result is an increase in airway resistance, hyperinflation of the lungs and thorax and abnormal distribution of ventilation and pulmonary blood flow. The disease is manifested in episodic periods of acute symptoms interspersed between symptom-free periods. The acute episodes result in hypoxia, and can be fatal. Approximately 3% of the general world population suffers from asthma.
Two types of asthma have been described: allergic asthma and idiosyncratic asthma. Allergic asthma is usually associated with a heritable allergic disease, such as rhinitis, urticaria, eczema, etc. The condition is characterized by positive wheal-and-flare reactions to intradermal injections of airborne antigens (such as pollen, environmental or occupational pollutants, etc.), and increased serum levels of IgE. The development of allergic asthma appears to be causally related to the presence of IgE antibodies in many patients. Asthma patients who do not exhibit the above-described characteristics are considered to have idiosyncratic asthma.
Allergic asthma is believed to be dependent upon an IgE response controlled by T and B lymphocytes and activated by the interaction of airborne antigen with mast cell-bound pre-formed IgE molecules. The antigenic encounter must occur at concentrations sufficient to lead to IgE production for a prolonged period of time in order to sensitize an individual. Once sensitized, an asthma patient may exhibit symptoms in response to extremely low levels of antigen.
Asthma symptoms may be exacerbated by the presence and amount of the triggering antigen, environmental factors, occupational factors, physical exertion, and emotional stress.
Asthma may be treated with methylxanthines (such as theophylline), beta-adrenergic agonists (such as catecholamines, resorcinols, saligenins, and ephedrine), glucocorticoids (such as hydrocortisone), inhibitors of mast cell degranulation (i.e. chromones such as cromolyn sodium) and anticholinergics (such as atropine).
Asthma is believed to involve an influx of eosinophils ("eosinophilia") into the tissues of the lung (Frigas, E. et al., J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 77:527-537 (1986), which reference is incorporated herein by reference).
Insight into the immunological basis of asthma has been gained from bronchoalveolar lavage studies (Godard, P. et al., J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 70:88 (1982)), and studies of respiratory smooth muscle tissue denuded of epithelium (Flavahan, N. A. et al., J. Appl. Physiol. 58:834 (1985); Barnes, P. J. et al., Br. J. Pharmacol. 86:685 (1985)). Although these studies have not led to the elucidation of the mechanism underlying the immunology of asthma, they have led to the development of a generally accepted hypothesis concerning the immunological etiology of the disease (see, Frigas, E. et al., J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 77:527-537 (1986)).
The hallmarks of the pathology of asthma are a massive infiltration of the lung parenchyma by eosinophils and the destruction of mucociliary capacity. The "eosinophil hypothesis" suggests that eosinophils are attracted to the bronchus in order to neutralize harmful mediators released by the mast cells of the lung. According to the hypothesis eosinophils are attracted to the bronchi where they degranulate to release cytotoxic molecules. Upon degranulation, eosinophils release enzymes such as histaminase, arylsulfatase and phospholipase D which enzymatically neutralize the harmful mediators of the mast cell. However, these molecules also promote the destruction of the mucociliary apparatus, thus preventing the clearing of the bronchial secretions, and contributing to the lung damage characteristic of asthma.
Since asthma involves the migration of cells, it has been proposed to use antibodies which inhibit this migration to mitigate the effects of allergens in a subject (WO 90/10453).

Methods of using intercellular adhesion molecule-3 (ICAM-3), antibodies thereto, and soluble fragments thereof


An imaging apparatus includes an image data generating unit, an authentication data generating unit, a receiving unit and an authentication unit. The image data generating unit generates first image data. The authentication data generating unit generates first authentication data from the first image data. The receiving unit receives second image data and second authentication data from an external device, wherein both the second image data and the second authentication data are generated by a second imaging apparatus, and the second authentication data is generated from the second image data. The authentication unit has (a) a first authentication mode where the authentication unit authenticates, using the first authentication data, whether the first image data has been altered, and (b) a second authentication mode where the authentication unit authenticates, using the second authentication data, whether the second image data has been altered.

Some imaging apparatuses such as a digital camera and the like have a function of generating authentication data, which is used to authenticate if image data has not been altered, together with that image data.
However, in a conventional imaging apparatus with that function, it cannot be authenticated if image data generated by the self apparatus or the other apparatus has not been altered, unless a special apparatus is prepared.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problem, and has as its object to authenticate if image data generated by the self apparatus or the other apparatus has not been altered, without preparing for any special apparatus.


Disclosed herein is a method of making a semiconductor device. According to the method, a flowable oxide (FOX) is deposited over a semiconductor substrate, and a local active region is exposed to grow an active region, by a silicon epitaxial growth (SEG) method, to prevent generation of a void when a device isolation structure is formed by a Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) method, and to prevent formation of stress between the semiconductor substrate and the FOX.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more specifically, to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device that includes depositing a flowable oxide (FOX) dielectric material over a semiconductor substrate, and exposing a local active region to grow an active region by a Silicon Epitaxial Growth (SEG) method to prevent generation of a void when a device isolation structure is formed and to prevent stress between the semiconductor substrate and the FOX dielectric material.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Due to high-integration of semiconductor devices, a critical dimension CD of a gate becomes smaller, and a channel length is reduced, which causes a short channel effect (SCE) to degrade an electric characteristic of a field effect transistor (FET).
To prevent the SCE, a Multi-channel Field Effect Transistor (McFET) having a multi channel gate, such as a recessed gate, has been used. The recessed gate is obtained by etching a given depth of an active region of a semiconductor substrate to increase a channel length.
The high-integration of semiconductor devices reduces a process margin for forming an active region and a device isolation structure.
Because a gap between device isolation structures that define an active region becomes smaller, a dielectric material which is a flowable oxide (FOX) for filling a trench of a device isolation structure formed by a Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) method is used in a current single High Density Plasma (HDP), and a Spin On Dielectric (SOD), a HDP Bi layer or other materials are filled.
A trench for forming a device isolation structure is narrow to generate a void when the trench is filled with a dielectric material. A transistor characteristic is degraded by a stress of the dielectric material.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device


A shoe press belt for the shoe press of a paper making machine includes first and second resin layers and a base layer. Resin is coated and cured on the polished surface of a cylindrical mandrel to form the first resin layer endlessly. An inner layer of the base layer is formed by spirally winding a relatively narrower belt shaped mesh with warp threads running in the major direction of the belt and weft threads running perpendicular thereto, with the weft threads against the outer surface of the first resin layer, and without overlapping the end edges of the belt-shaped mesh. An outer layer of the base layer is formed by inserting the mandrel, with the first resin layer and the belt-shaped mesh layer applied, into a tubular mesh, and pulling the ends of the tubular mesh apart, so as to reduce its diameter and press it radially against the belt-shaped mesh layer. A second resin layer is then applied over the base layer and impregnates the base layer down to the outer surface of the first resin layer, so that the base layer is included within the second resin layer when the second resin layer is cured.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shoe press belt for manufacturing paper, and more particularly to a closed type shoe press belt and a manufacturing method therefor.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Shoe presses, which are used in the pressing unit of a paper making machine, are typically of two types: an open type and a closed type. Of these types, the closed type shoe press is mainly used in recent years because the open type shoe press requires a larger installation space and potentially harmful oil diffusion has been associated with it.
FIG. 7 shows a closed type shoe press. Referring to FIG. 7, numeral 11 denotes a press roll, numeral 12 denotes a shoe, and numeral 13 denotes a shoe press belt. The shoe press belt 13 is formed endlessly, and travels together with a top felt 15, a wet (paper) web 14 and a bottom felt 15' so that the wet web is wrung dry by pressurization between the press roll 11 and the shoe 12.
The shoe press belt 13 is driven through the felt 15, the wet web 14 and the felt 15' by the press roll 11 as the driving source. More specifically, when the shoe press belt 13 travels in the leftward direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8, a pressurized portion (the cross-hatched portion) and a non-pressurized portion (the portions which are not cross-hatched) occur at both ends of the shoe 12 in the CMD direction (FIG. 1) at the boundary between the pressurized and un-pressurized portions. A driving force is exerted on the pressurized portion, while both end portions, which are not pressurized, lag. Therefore, the shoe press belt 13 is subjected to stress S in an oblique direction (in the bias direction indicated by the arrows S in FIG. 8) in the end portions of the belt, causing distortion which results in cracks.
Moreover, since the conditions of use are severe owing to a short length of circumference (dimension) of the shoe press belt, durability of the belt is highly desirable, and various measures are taken to make it durable in its structure and method of manufacture.
Typical such measures are described in Japanese Patent Publication No.3-57236, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.64-45889, Japanese Translation of Unexamined PCT appln. No.1-503315, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.1-298292 and Japanese Translation of Unexamined PCT appln. 5-505428.
According to the Japanese Patent Publication No.3-57236, however, the base fabric of the shoe press belt is installed around a mandrel and resin is poured onto the fabric. This is performed by using the so-called die forming method, which to its merit that uniform thickness and surface smoothness can be obtained, but has a problem that it is difficult to uniformly set the position of the base fabric in the width (i.e., CMD) direction.
According to the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.64-45889, after an uncured resin sheet is installed around a mandrel, the mandrel is covered with base fabric on top of the resin sheet, is further wound with a second uncured resin sheet, and is finally wound with a ribbon consisting of heat-shrinkable resin to be thermally shrunken. In this case, since the base consists of fabric, it is difficult to dimensionally match circumferentially, which may possibly cause pinholes.
According to the Japanese Translation of Unexamined PCT appln. No. 1-503315, no fabric is used as the base, but thread is stretched over the overall circumference at predetermined intervals in the axial direction (CMD direction) of the mandrel, on top of which thread is spirally wound in the circumferential direction (MD direction), and resin is supplied for formation of the belt. This method has to its merit that the change in dimension due to tension in the CMD direction is small, but has a difficulty in that it takes time to manufacture.
Further, according to the Japanese Translation of Unexamined PCT appln. No. 1-298292, a mat-shaped fibrous belt is impregnated with uncured resin, and is spirally wound around the mandrel to be heated and cured. This shoe press belt has a problem with dimensional stability in both the MD direction and the CMD direction, and in addition, it peels.
Further, according to the Japanese Translation of Unexamined PCT appln. No.5-505428, fabric made of thread with a low elasticity modulus is used in the MD direction and thread with a higher elasticity modulus than the MD directed thread is used in the CMD direction. The fabric is impregnated with uncured resin, and is spirally wound around the mandrel to be cured. This shoe press belt is subject to peeling when a stress is applied to the overlapped portion of the wound fabric.

Shoe press belt and manufacturing method therefor


A system for verifying a tool for use in a surgical procedure includes a mechanical interface configured to be affixed to a portion of a patient's anatomy, wherein the mechanical interface comprises at least a first portion having a first diameter and a second portion having a second diameter. The system further includes a probe configured to be inserted into the mechanical interface to establish a checkpoint location, and a computing system configured to determine a location of a portion of the probe when the probe is inserted a maximum distance into the mechanical interface, wherein the location of the portion of the probe establishes the checkpoint location. The computing system is further configured to verify a surgical tool by comparing the checkpoint location to a location of a portion of the surgical tool when the surgical tool is inserted a maximum distance into the mechanical interface.

The invention relates to a surgical system and method and, more particularly, to a surgical system and method for verifying calibration of a surgical device.
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is the performance of surgery through incisions that are considerably smaller than incisions used in traditional surgical approaches. For example, in an orthopedic application such as total knee replacement surgery, an MIS incision length may be in a range of about 4 to 6 inches whereas an incision length in traditional total knee surgery is typically in a range of about 6 to 12 inches. As a result of the smaller incision length, MIS procedures are generally less invasive than traditional surgical approaches, which minimizes trauma to soft tissue, reduces post-operative pain, promotes earlier mobilization, shortens hospital stays, and speeds rehabilitation.
One drawback of MIS is that the small incision size reduces a surgeon's ability to view and access the anatomy. For example, in minimally invasive orthopedic joint replacement, limited visibility and limited access to the joint increase the complexity of assessing proper implant position and of reshaping bone. As a result, accurate placement of implants may be more difficult. Conventional techniques for counteracting these problems include, for example, surgical navigation, positioning the leg for optimal joint exposure, and employing specially designed, downsized instrumentation and complex surgical techniques. Such techniques, however, typically require a large amount of specialized instrumentation, a lengthy training process, and a high degree of skill. Moreover, operative results for a single surgeon and among various surgeons are not sufficiently predictable, repeatable, and/or accurate. As a result, implant performance and longevity varies among patients.
In orthopedic applications, one drawback of both MIS and traditional surgical approaches is that healthy as well as diseased bone is removed when the bone is prepared to receive the implant. For example, a total knee replacement can require removal of up to ½ inch of bone on each of three compartments of the knee.
Another drawback of both MIS and traditional orthopedic surgical approaches is that such approaches do not enhance the surgeon's inherent surgical skill in a cooperative manner. For example, some conventional techniques for joint replacement include autonomous robotic systems to aid the surgeon. Such systems, however, typically serve primarily to enhance bone machining by performing autonomous cutting with a high speed burr or by moving a drill guide into place and holding the position of the drill guide while the surgeon inserts cutting tools through the guide. Although such systems enable precise bone resections for improved implant fit and placement, they act autonomously (rather than cooperatively with the surgeon) and thus require the surgeon to cede a degree of control to the robot. Additional drawbacks of autonomous systems include the large size of the robot, poor ergonomics, the need to rigidly clamp the bone during registration and cutting, increased incision length for adequate robot access, and limited acceptance by surgeons and regulatory agencies due to the autonomous nature of the system.
Other conventional robotic systems include robots that cooperatively interact with the surgeon. One drawback of conventional interactive robotic systems is that such systems lack the ability to adapt surgical planning and navigation in real-time to a dynamic intraoperative environment. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/470,314 (Pub. No. US 2004/0128026), which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses an interactive robotic system programmed with a three-dimensional virtual region of constraint that is registered to a patient. The robotic system includes a three degree of freedom (3-DOF) arm having a handle that incorporates force sensors. The surgeon utilizes the handle to manipulate the arm to move the cutting tool. Moving the arm via the handle is required so that the force sensors can measure the force being applied to the handle by the surgeon. The measured force is then used in controlling motors to assist or resist movement of the cutting tool. For example, during a knee replacement operation, the femur and tibia of the patient are fixed in position relative to the robotic system. As the surgeon applies force to the handle to move the cutting tool, the interactive robotic system may apply an increasing degree of resistance to resist movement of the cutting tool as the cutting tool approaches a boundary of the virtual region of constraint. In this manner, the robotic system guides the surgeon in preparing the bone by maintaining the cutting tool within the virtual region of constraint. As with the above-described autonomous systems, however, the interactive robotic system functions primarily to enhance bone machining. The interactive robotic system also requires the relevant anatomy to be rigidly restrained and the robotic system to be fixed in a gross position and thus lacks real-time adaptability to the intraoperative scene. Moreover, the 3-DOF configuration of the arm and the requirement that the surgeon manipulate the arm using the force handle results in limited flexibility and dexterity, making the robotic system unsuitable for certain MIS applications.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists for a surgical system that can replace direct visualization in minimally invasive surgery, spare healthy bone in orthopedic joint replacement applications, enable intraoperative adaptability and surgical planning, and produce operative results that are sufficiently predictable, repeatable, and/or accurate regardless of surgical skill level. A surgical system need not necessarily meet all or any of these needs to be an advance, though a system meeting these needs would me more desirable.
Furthermore, there is a need for a surgical system and method that can accurately verify the calibration of a surgical device. By verifying the calibration of a surgical device, the surgical system can accurately provide positional information to a user of the surgical device, thus enabling the user to locate the surgical device relative to the anatomy of a patient, despite the size of an incision used for MIS, and to minimize the amount of bone removed during a surgical procedure.

System and method for verifying calibration of a surgical device


A padded strap is attached to both sides of a child car seat using two sets of hook and loop type fasteners, and alternatively, through use of two rotating discs. A child car seat head support system is thereby provided, which holds a baby's head in a comfortable, upright position while sleeping in a forward facing car seat. Stabilized support is accomplished using the padded strap to gently hold the child's head in an upright position against the back of the child's car seat. The support mechanism prevents the child's head from falling forward or “rolling” to the left or right side while the child is asleep. In an alternative embodiment, the padded strap is attached at both free ends to a tension strap with two sets of fasteners, respectively; thereby forming a single, circular strap, operable for placement over the top of the car seat. The circular strap is held in position by the tension force applied by the elastic material of the padded strap, and the resulting friction applied between the circular strap and the outside of the car seat. The circumference of the circular strap may be adjusted with the two sets of fasteners, preferably hook and loop type, to accommodate various car seats, strollers, booster seats, and the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of child car seats, strollers, booster seats, and the like; and more particularly to a baby head sleeping support system for the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Restful sleep is important for human beings, and even more so for young children and babies. Many times the motions experienced while riding in a vehicle promote the desire to fall asleep; this is especially evident with babies. Some parents even deliberately employ this phenomena to encourage their children to fall asleep, by placing their child in a car seat and driving around until the child falls asleep. Indeed, when babies are riding in a vehicle car seat, they typically spend a lot of hours sleeping. During sleep, however, the muscles in the neck and back of the human body that normally support the head do not function. This is magnified in babies as their neck and back muscles are not as strong as those of an adult. The result is that when babies are asleep in a car seat, their head will fall forward or "roll" to the left or right, placing strain on the baby's neck and spine and causing discomfort that diminishes the quality of sleep that the child enjoys. While driving in and around city streets, the forces associated with vehicle acceleration, braking, and sharp turns, respectively, further magnify the harmful effects on the neck and spine caused by the child's head not being supported.
Head supports for adults and children are known in the art. However, the prior art lacks the salient features and advantages of the present invention as described herein. Moreover, many of the prior art patents disclose apparatus specifically designed for adult seats. Others require several parts, involve intricate installation, are incapable of being readily adjusted to accommodate for various size heads, and are bulky in terms of their size and weight. The following is a summary of the relevant prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,267,103 to Ireland discloses a head support for various types of vehicles employed for the transportation of persons. The head support is especially adaptable for use by persons who are traveling for long distances and desire to relax and rest. The '103 patent teaches an apparatus intended for an adult seat. No disclosure is contained therein concerning a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,582,571 to Thoma discloses a headrest comprising a pair of cushions which are arranged in spaced-apart relation with one another for the reception of a person's head therebetween. The cushions are mounted on a band that is designed to encircle the back of a seat in a bus, train, or the like. The band may be adjusted with respect to the back so that the cushions will embrace opposite sides of the person's head and cover the latter's ears. The '571 patent teaches an apparatus intended for an adult seat. Furthermore, the '571 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips, such that the support strap completely surrounds the child's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,726,714 to McAndrews discloses an infant restraining means for automobile use. The '714 patent comprises a strap which fits around the back of an automobile seat and a belt mounted on the strap, the belt being adjustable to fit around the abdomen of an infant. The '714 patent does not teach an apparatus that is used with a modern forward-facing child car seat. Furthermore, the '714 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips, such that the support strap covers the child's forehead.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,885 to Lund discloses an infant holder of a preformed unitary plastic body by which an infant can be supported either in a relatively fixed supine position or in a suspended upright position for the making of an X-ray or other treatment or operation, and which not only will not interfere with the X-ray but will stand sterilization. The '885 patent does not disclose an apparatus that can be used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '885 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,861 to Vincent discloses a spinal support, particularly for use in first aid treatment of victims of spinal injuries. The support is of the type of an inflatable bag to which the victim is secured to immobilize his or her spine during transportation to a hospital or the like. Fixedly secured to the sides of the head portion are head straps arranged for securing the victim's head to the support. The straps are secured to the head portion by welding or the like in proximity to the peripheral seam. The '861 patent does not disclose an apparatus that is used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '861 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,151 to Riggs discloses a head restraint for supporting the user's head while seated in a chair. The head restraint comprises a strap adapted to be wrapped around the back of a chair and an adjustable headband secured to a central forward portion of the strap. The head restraint is preferably made of paper and is readily disposable after use. The '151 patent does not disclose an apparatus that is used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '151 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a durable support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,885 to del Fierro discloses a head-restraining device for preventing possibly injurious forward and lateral motion of the head of a child seated in a child's seat. The device comprises a rigid U-shaped restraining member which surrounds the forward and lateral portions of the child's head, and is of a size to be separated therefrom by a slight air gap so as to not be uncomfortable, yet be capable of being engaged by the child's head and restraining such from any more than minimal forward and lateral motion. The device disclosed by the '885 patent is bulky in size and is not easily adjusted to accommodate for various sized heads of children. The head restraint is not flexible and does not tightly secure the child's head, since the apparatus in the '885 patent is designed to be installed such that a gap exists between the child's head and the support system. The '885 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein an elastic support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,031 to Meistrell discloses a head support for a traveler sitting in a chair having a headrest, and which includes a first band adapted to be fitted in adjustably wrapped condition closely about the user's head and at eye or forehead level, a band retention structure associated with the band for retaining the band in said wrapped condition, and a head restraint structure coupled to the band and adapted to be coupled to the headrest for restraining the user's head against lateral side-to-side movement relative to the headrest. Installation of the '031 requires several steps, and the apparatus contains several parts. In addition, the '031 patent does not allow for adjustments to accommodate various size heads because the band placed over the front of the car seat does not use a hook and loop type fastener to attach to the car seat, but instead uses snaps. The '031 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein an elastic support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,264 to Lonardo et al. discloses a medical appliance, having a thick foam core received within a cover made of fleece, for simultaneously treating spinal, shoulder girdle, head, neck and related conditions. The appliance includes a seat cushion surrounded on three sides by a three-sided vest having a back wall and a pair of forwardly extending sidewalls. The '264 patent teaches a medical appliance and is not an apparatus that can be used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '264 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips, such that the support strap completely surrounds the child's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,393 to Garth et al. discloses a dual adhesive strap which is designed to lay across and adhere to the patient's forehead and have each of its ends adhere to a spine board for securing a patient's head in a head immobilizer. The strap has a bottom side comprising a central region which comprises skin contact adhesive flanked by two regions which comprise a board contact adhesive. The '393 patent teaches a medical appliance and is not an apparatus that can be used with a modem forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '393 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips, such that the cotton head pad rests on the child's forehead, but is not adhered to same.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,042 to Daneshvar discloses a device which is adapted to support the head of a seated user relative to a generally upstanding portion of a seat, stroller, or the like, and has a strap adapted to encircle the head of the user and the generally upstanding portion. The strap contains a plurality of inflatable balloons having generally flat rear surfaces and expandable frontal surfaces, whereby upon inflation the generally flat rear surfaces of the balloons remain flat, and the frontal surfaces bulge outwardly from the rear surfaces to contact and support the user's head. Such balloons may require manual inflation and are generally not reliable for long term use. The '042 patent does not teach an apparatus that can be used with a modem forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '393 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,395,158 and 5,511,854 to Cordia disclose a head support and feeding aid for a wheelchair patient whose head slumps forwardly when seated. A headband is attached to a frame on the wheelchair seat back by adjustable cords. By progressively adjusting the length of the cords, the head band progressively lifts the patient's head to a more and more upright position. The length of the cords is adjusted by releasable cord clamps behind the frame. The '158 and '854 patents teach a medical appliance and not an apparatus that can be used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '158 and '854 patents do not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,959 to Meye discloses a headrest to be used in vehicles and provided with fastening means for a headband to be positioned around the head of a passenger above the eyes and ears. The fastening means comprise a ring suitable for the headband to be passed through. The fastening means comprise a band attached in the interior of the headrest, which extends through an opening in the upholstery, and the ring is fastened to the band at the exterior of the headrest. The '959 patent teaches a headrest for use with an adult seat and not with a modern forward-facing child car seat. Furthermore, the '959 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,825 to Floyd discloses a traveler's head support sleeping and resting mechanism for a seated person. The seat and/or chair being used may include a headrest. The '825 patent discloses a harness comprised from a band of a two strap assembly arrangement with highly adhesive contact surfaces which may be a hook and loop mechanism, whereby the two lengths of strap are contacted to form one length only. The seat harness and the head harness are preferably made of non-resilient material such as nylon-type webbing. The '825 patent does not disclose a head support having an elastic support band which is inserted through a tubular head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips. The elastic nature of a support band will act to absorb any forces on the child's head encountered during vehicle operation; an elastic support band is easy to secure about the child's forehead, and is comfortable for the child.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,716 to Ross discloses a head support assembly to facilitate the care of a physically disabled individual. The head support assembly includes a headpiece and an attachment cord attached to the headpiece which is adapted to be attached to a chair. The attachment cord and headpiece provide resilient support for an individual's head to facilitate the care of the individual. The '716 patent teaches a medical appliance and not an apparatus that can be used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '716 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,245 to Scher discloses a head restraint for supporting a user's head with respect to the headrest portion of a seat. The head restraint has a headband strap for placing over the head across the forehead of the user. An anchor band is secured around the headrest portion of the seat. A right-hand securement strap is affixed between the strap placed over the head of the user and the anchor band. Similarly, a left-hand strap is affixed between the strap placed over the head of the user and the anchor band. The '245 patent requires three separate straps, which increases the cost of the product, and make it more difficult to install than a device with a single support strap. The '716 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a single support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat.
U.S. Pat. Des. 339,428 to Swinea et al. discloses an ornamental design for a head restraint strap. The '428 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a single support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
There remains a need in the art for a baby head sleeping support system comprising an apparatus having a padded strap that is attached to both sides of the car seat with two hook and loop type fasteners. Also needed is a baby head sleeping support system wherein the padded strap has a circular configuration that facilitates its operation with a wide variety of car seats. Such a device is found in the present invention which solves the problems associated with the lack of support of a baby's head while sleeping in a vehicle's child car seat. The baby head sleeping support system of the present invention provides a safe, comfortable, simple, compact and reliable apparatus for properly securing a child's head against the rear of a child car seat when the child is asleep.

Baby head sleeping support system for car seat


Methods of encoding and decoding media, for example video, using conditional reconstruction refinement are described. The encoding and decoding relies upon predictions that are based on previously encoded and decoded samples. Prediction information identifies the previously reconstructed samples upon which a prediction is to be based and is available to both the encoder and decoder. On the basis that a previously-reconstructed sample is going to be used as source data for a prediction, the encoder refines that reconstructed sample, uses the refined reconstructed sample for the prediction, and encodes refinement data to enable the decoder to also refine the previously-reconstructed sample during decoding. In some cases, a reconstructed sample may be refined more than once. Various flags or bits may be used to signal when refinement is enabled or disabled and may be signaled at various hierarchical points in the coding structure.

Data compression occurs in a number of contexts. It is very commonly used in communications and computer networking to store, transmit, and reproduce information efficiently. It finds particular application in the encoding of images, audio and video. Video presents a significant challenge to data compression because of the large amount of data required for each video frame and the speed with which encoding and decoding often needs to occur. Among the standards used for video encoding and decoding is the ITU-T H.264/AVC video coding standard. The next-generation video encoding standard that is currently being finalized through a joint initiative of MPEG-ITU termed High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) or H.265.
H.264/AVC and HEVC/H.265, like many data compression processes, rely on predictive coding so as to compress data by exploiting redundancies in the data. Some predictions are spatial, meaning that data within an image/frame/picture is used as the basis for predicting data elsewhere within the image/frame/picture. This predictive operation exploits uniformity in the image or picture. Some predictions, at least in the case of video, are temporal, meaning that data in one frame/picture is used as the basis for predicting data in a temporally nearby frame/picture. This predictive operation exploits similarities in a sequence of pictures or images. Predictive coding is also used in many image and audio coding processes.
In a predictive encoding process a prediction generator creates a prediction for current source data based on previously-reconstructed data; that is, previous source data that has been encoded and then decoded. The prediction is subtracted from the original source data and, because the prediction may not exactly match the original source data, a residual may result. The bitstream of encoded data contains the encoded residual and some additional information. The additional information may include prediction information that ensures that the encoder and decoder arrive at the same prediction. In many coding processes, at least some portion of the encoding process is lossy, meaning that the residual data reconstructed at the decoder may contain distortion. The reconstructed data is generated by adding the reconstructed residual data to the prediction, thereby incorporating the distortion into the reconstructed data.
Many coding schemes try to improve the distortion by using processes or analysis that results in a more optimal trade-off between rate and distortion. Some coding schemes try to improve the distortion by applying post-processing techniques, like deblocking or smoothing filters, although these techniques are outside the coding loop.
Distortion in many coding schemes, such as H.264/AVC or HEVC/H.265, results from quantization. This quantization affects the pixels that are reconstructed from the data that has been quantized and inverse quantized. However, because of the prediction loop, when reconstructed pixels are used as the source for a prediction they tend to result in larger (or more non-zero) residuals, which in turn means additional data that is quantized, thereby propagating the distortion.
It would be advantageous to realize encoding and decoding processes that mitigate the propagation of distortion error.
Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures to denote similar components.

Lossy data compression with conditional reconstruction refinement


A trocar which is particularly suited for use as a thoracic trocar. The trocar includes a number of arms at the distal end which are movable from a closed position, which is used for inserting the trocar into the patient, to a second position, which is used for locking the trocar to the patient. The arms may be naturally biased to the open position or may be moved by mechanical actuation.

Trocars are generally used as access devices for introduction of other surgical instruments into a patient. A conventional thoracic trocar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,575 to Sugarbaker. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,575 the trocar has a pair of flukes which are pivotally coupled to the body with pins. The trocar also includes a rigid clamp which is slidably on the outer tube for securing the trocar to a body wall. The inner tube slides longitudinally relative to the outer tube for moving the flukes to the open position. A distal end of the inner tube engages a camming surface on each of the flukes for camming the flukes outward.
The trocar disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,575 suffers from a number of drawbacks. First, the clamp is relatively stiff and does not conform to the shape of the patient. As such, the trocar may be difficult to tilt at a desired angle when passing between adjacent ribs. Another drawback of the trocar is that the hinges create a relatively large profile since the hinges extend beyond the outer, cylindrical surface of the tube. The relatively large profile increases trauma to the patient which is particularly problematic when the trocar is rotated or otherwise displaced after initial placement. Yet another drawback of U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,575 is that the clamp is mounted to a third tube which slides over the outer tube. The three tube configuration also increases the profile of the device and trauma to the patient.

Trocar with expandable members for retaining the trocar


Systems and methods for projecting a color onto a surface are provided. The method includes selecting, using an application on a mobile electronic device, a color from a list of one or more colors, identifying a color of a surface onto which the selected color is to be projected, and determining, using a processor, a color of light to be projected onto the surface such that the color of light, in conjunction with the color of the surface, produces the selected color. The method further includes projecting, using a projector, the color of light onto the surface.

Determining a correct color and texture of paint for a wall or a room can be a time consuming and tedious task. Having to look through lengthy and unwieldy books and/or containers of hundreds or thousands of paint samples is not an easy task, particularly due to the physical labor required to consistently walk back and forth, placing new paint samples against the wall and then having to put the paint samples back with the other samples. Furthermore, such a task often requires multiple people to complete since one person must hold the paint samples against the wall while the other person looks at the sample from a distance.
A system and method of easily projecting paint samples onto a surface that eliminates much of the hassles and unwieldy materials associated with selecting a color and texture of paint for a surface is thus needed.
Examples of related art are described below:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,130 generally describes a picture projecting device which projects a clear picture even in a bright environment by cutting out the influence of outer light, regardless of the kind of projector used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,294 generally describes an apparatus for measuring a characteristic of an object, wherein the apparatus includes a light projector which projects light to an object, a photosensor which senses light which has been projected by the light projector and reflected from the object, a calculator which calculates a characteristic of the object based on an output of the photosensor, an angle detector which detects respective angles of the light projector and the photosensor with respect to the object, an adjustment mechanism which adjusts the respective angles of the light projector and the photosensor, and a controller which controls the adjustment mechanism based on a detection result of the angle detector so that the light projector and the photosensor come into their respective desired angles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,543 generally describes latent effects projection systems that allow a latent effects projector to be used in connection with various materials, such as wall pieces, floor tiles, signage, hangings, and the like; use reflective polarizers having various looks and/or which allow for the development of different color palettes; which are relatively insensitive to heat; and/or use plural retarders to generate relatively more saturated colors and/or latent colors that are substantially repeatable.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,256,900 generally describes a system and method for projecting an image with predetermined characteristics, which includes a projector configured to project light on a surface, and a photo sensor configured to analyze light reflected from the surface. A controller is configured to compare the reflected light with a selected characteristic. The controller is configured to control the projector to adjust the projected light such that the reflected light substantially matches the selected characteristic to make the surface appear to be of the selected characteristic.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0018535 generally describes a method and apparatus for duplicating a target color and changing a color of an object to match the target color. A first color sensor measures the target color. A color projection mechanism selectively changes the color of the object. A color matching mechanism is coupled to the first color sensor for receiving the target color. Based on the target color, the color matching mechanism controls the color projection mechanism to change the color of the object to match the target color.
None of the art described above addresses all of the issues that the present invention does.


A portable RF telephone for use in a vehicle may be coupled to an external antenna to overcome the shielding effects of the metallic enclosure of the automobile. While coupled to the external antenna, the portable RF telephone increases the amount of power used to transmit an RF signal. Preferably, the transmit power increases to a maximum level allowed within a defined power classification. Increasing the transmit power overcomes cabling and connector losses associated with using an external antenna and further increases the effective transmitting power without exceeding power levels defined by the telephones power classification.

The present invention relates generally to radio telephones and, more particularly, to enhancing the gain of a portable radio telephone during hands-free operation.
Radio frequency (RF) telephones, commonly and hereinafter referred to as cellular telephones, have come into wide use in recent years. As cellular telephone technology advanced, the cellular telephone became much smaller and more portable. Instead of mounting the cellular telephone permanently in a vehicle or within a pouch resembling a small briefcase, cellular telephones are carried on the person and easily slip into a pocket of an article of clothing or a purse. Given the enhanced portability of these cellular telephones, various types of docking adapters, commonly referred to as cradles, are available for the portable telephone to rest in for hands-free operation and storage in an automobile.
Generally, the cradles interface with the portable cellular telephones to recharge the telephone's batteries and connect to an antenna mounted on the car's exterior, among other functions. A primary concern in the present invention is providing a portable cellular telephone capable of interfacing with a cradle for hands-free operation while driving. Automobile cradles providing hands-free operation preferably include, or are associated with, an external speaker and microphone. Hands-free headsets having a microphone and speaker are also available.
Currently, portable cellular telephones are given an EIA Station Class Mark which corresponds directly to various class levels. Each class level represents the maximum amount of output power allowed when transmitting radio frequencies for a particular type of cellular telephone. For example, Class 1 telephones include car telephones having a maximum output power up to 4 watts and Class 3 telephones include hand-held portable telephones having a maximum output power up to 1.2 watts. Class 3 telephones typically operate at approximately 0.6 watts while typical Class 1 operating power is 3 watts.
When using Class 3 portable cellular telephones with currently available automotive cradles, several RF problems affect efficient communications in the up-link to the cellular base station and the down-link to the portable cellular telephone. Most notable of these problems is that the metal body and frame of the automobile acts as an RF shield, and therefore, attenuates transmission of RF signals to and from the portable cellular telephone when operated from within the vehicle. This problem is typically overcome by using an external antenna mounted on the outside of the automobile and associated with the automobile cradle through a series of RF cables and connectors. An internal RF switch which switches from the telephone's internal antenna to the external antenna associated with the cradle when the telephone is placed within the automotive cradle is included in most portable cellular telephones.
When placed in a cradle coupled to an external antenna, the portable cellular telephone is able to avoid the substantial RF losses associated with the automobile shielding. The additional cabling and connectors associated with the external antenna introduce smaller, yet significant, RF losses, thus precluding the full benefit of using an external antenna.
Prior to the present invention, cellular telephone and cradle manufacturers overcame the problems outlined above in various ways. Most portable cellular telephones use a direct connection or a reactive coupling to provide an RF interface with the external antennas. These interfaces allow for the use of external power boosters placed in series between the portable telephone's RF interface and the external antenna to increase the RF up-link transmission power from Class 3 to Class 1. The boosters increase the power up to 3 watts, which is significantly above the Class 3 maximum of 1.2 watts and well within Class 1 operating parameters. Some currently available boosters provide a low noise amplifier in the down-link receiving path to enhance receiver sensitivity and path matching. Path matching generally refers to providing substantially the same effective power for the up-link and down-link transmission paths between the telephone and a base station.
Another technique for overcoming the above mentioned problems is disclosed in the Motorola patent by Mitzlaff, U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,741. Mitzlaff discloses an approach which changes a Class 3 portable cellular telephone to a Class 1 telephone when using an automotive cradle. In particular, Mitzlaff uses a telephone with a power amplifier which operates at two different power levels. The first set of power levels is used during portable operation of the cellular telephone while apart from the cradle. The second set of higher power levels is used when the portable cellular telephone interfaces the cradle and uses an external power source having a higher voltage than the telephone's internal battery. Mitzlaff requires changing the portable cellular telephone Station Class Mark from Class 3 to Class 1 when an external power source or cradle is detected.
These solutions have significant drawbacks. Both solutions increase the Station Class Mark and add substantial expense to the telephone, cradle or both. Both external boosters and Mitzlaffs amplifier configuration amplify the transmit signal from the Class 3 rating of 0.6 watts to a Class 1 rating of 3 watts. In most situations, an increase of this magnitude is not necessary to maintain a call when traveling between cells. During normal operations, the base station will signal the cellular telephone to step up or down the telephone's transmitting power to increase or lower transmission power to an acceptable minimum level. Thus, the command from the base station nullifies the booster's or internal amplifier's additional power amplification. In most situations, adding an amount of amplification to compensate for the RF losses of the RF cable and connectors extending between the cradle and the external antenna is all that is necessary to maintain a call. Quintupling the transmitting power and changing Station Class Mark ratings is economically impractical and operational overkill.
Thus, there remains a need for a portable cellular telephone capable of interfacing with a cradle and overcoming RF losses associated with the use of an external antenna during hands-free operation without requiring specialized high-output internal power amplifier circuitry or external boosters. Furthermore, there is a need to overcome the RF losses associated with the external antenna without requiring a change in the portable cellular telephone's Station Class Mark.

RF gain enhancement for cellular telephone


A part specifying unit causes a web browser to display a part specification GUI that enables to specify settings relating to a display mode of a part constituting a web page, and accepts specification of settings relating to a display mode through the part specification GUI. Moreover, an action specifying unit causes the web browser to display an action specification GUI that enables to specify settings relating to an action of a part constituting a web page, and accepts specification of settings relating to an action through the action specification GUI. An expanding unit expands the web page based on the settings relating to the display mode accepted by the part specifying unit, and on the settings relating to the action accepted by the action specifying unit, and displays the expanded web page on the web browser.

In system development, works such as definition of requirements, design, coding, and test are necessary, and often requires a great amount of development cost and time for the respective works. For this, a technique of performing the respective works particularly relating to expansion of a user interface (UI) easily has conventionally been known.
For example, an integrated development environment (IDE) that enables to perform configuration and implementation relating to a display mode of the UI visually has been known. Moreover, for example, a method of describing an expansion rule in JSON format or JavaScript (registered trademark) language that is enabled to be edited by using a text editor or the like has been known (for example, refer to Non Patent Literature 1).

Terminal device, UI expansion method, and UI expansion program

NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION


A method for mixing propellant charge powder rods utilizes a flexible band (1) which is suspended freely in a loop between two paraxial, radially spaced drums (2,3) and is movable back and forth between the drums (2,3) by drive motors (6,7). The band (1) is finite or endless and movable in reciprocation between two winding drums (4,5) each adapted to be driven in either direction of rotation by the drive motors (6,7). The propellant charge powder rods (30) are placed in the suspended loop of the flexible band (1)--transversely of the longitudinal direction of the band--and are mixed together by moving the band (1) back and forth. The length of the loop is increased and decreased periodically during this process.

The invention relates to an apparatus for mixing and a method of mixing propellant charge powder rods.
It is conventional to produce propellant charge powders in individual batches. To a certain extent the properties of the propellant charge powder vary from batch to batch because the manufacturing conditions prevailing during production of a batch are not precisely reproducible for another batch. Therefore, different batches of any one type of powder are mixed together in order to minimize the spread of the propellant charge powder characteristics around a given medium value, thus obtaining uniform quality in the long run.
Where the propellant charge powder is available in the form of sticks or rods, the mixing so far is carried out manually, with strict observance of mixing rules, for example by exchanging certain proportions of batches of propellant charge powder rods positioned side by side on a mixing table. Although attempts have been made in the past to mechanize the mixing process by the use of mixing drums, they did not meet with success since the propellant charge powder rods assumed oblique positions in the mixing drum, becoming jammed with one another, and impeding the further movement of the rods so that mixing no longer took place. Another disadvantage of the mixing drum method became evident in emptying the mixing drums: Prior to being able to pass on the unaligned, crisscross heap of rods to further steps in the production, they had to be fed to a vibrating or sorting device for proper alignment.
It is the object of the instant invention to indicate an apparatus and a method by which to mix propellant charge powder rods mechanically.

Method of mixing propellant charge powder rods


The operation mechanism for electric apparatus is provided. An operation mechanism includes a switch element mounted on a circuit board, an upper housing formed with an opening and covering the circuit board, and an operation grip that has an operation shaft hanging therefrom and which is rotatably supported by the upper housing. When the operation grip is oscillatingly operated, the operation shaft drives actuators of the switch element.

1. Field
An operation mechanism for a variety of electric apparatuses is provided.
2. Related Art
In a power window apparatus for a vehicle, for example, an operation mechanism which oscillatingly operates an operation grip provided inside a vehicle door to turn on a switch element provided below the operation grip has been widely used. Conventionally, a operation mechanism of this type (see Japanese Patent No. 2630315, for example) has an opening formed on a housing that covers a circuit board mounted with a switch element such that the switch element protrudes from the opening. An operation shaft of an operation grip is inserted into the opening to be engaged with actuators of the switch element, and in which the operation grip is axially and oscillatably supported by the housing near the opening.
The operation shaft protrudes downward from an operation portion of the operation grip, which is provided to cover and close the opening. When the operation portion is oscillatingly operated, the operation shaft is tilted below the opening and drives the actuators of the switch element. A predetermined electrical signal can be output from the switch element in accordance with a tilt direction of the operation shaft. The above configuration has a self-return mechanism in which the switch element causes the actuators to automatically return to an initial position through a return spring. If oscillating operational force applied to the operation portion of the operation grip is removed, the operation shaft in a tilted posture is pressed back to an original position due to resilience of the return spring.
In assembling the conventional operation mechanism configured as summarized above, the circuit board mounted with the switch element is positioned and installed in a pair of the upper housing and a lower housing. The operation shaft of the operation grip is inserted from above into the opening formed on the upper housing, and a leading end portion of the operation shaft is engaged with the actuators of the switch element. A rotation fulcrum of the operation grip is snap-joined to the upper housing. Thereby, the operation grip is axially supported by the housing.
In installing the operation grip to the housing in the operation mechanism of this type, when the operation shaft of the operation grip has been inserted into the opening of the housing by a predetermined length, the operation shaft needs to be accurately located at an engagement position with the actuators of the switch element (i.e., an electric component).
When the inserting operation of the operation shaft is started, the inside of the opening formed on the housing cannot be visually observed as being interrupted by the operation portion of the operation grip. A special positioning jig is required for accurately positioning the operation shaft with respect to the actuators. As a result, an assembler has to perform a complicated operation of installing the operation grip while using the positioning jig. Such operation also requires skill, and thus the installing operation of the operation grip forms a factor deteriorating the work efficiency of the assembly operation of the entire operation mechanism.
When a plurality of the operation grips are provided in a line, as in the case of the operation mechanism used in such apparatuses as the power window apparatus for a vehicle, the installing operation of the operation grip using the positioning jig needs to be performed more than once. Therefore, the work efficiency of the assembly operation is substantially deteriorated.

Operation mechanism for electric apparatus


Methods and systems have been provided for removing dead Access Control Entries (ACEs) in an Access Control List (ACL). In one embodiment, the dead ACEs can be detected for an egress as well as an ingress ACL. The ACEs that have a hit count above a user-specified hit count are checked for their validity. The validity of the ACE is checked, using the information based on a Forwarding Information Base (FIB). If an ACE is found to be invalid, it is considered dead. The dead ACEs are referred as candidates for removal from the ACL. If the ACE is found to be a candidate for removal, a system administrator can either warn the network administrator about the candidate for removal or delete the ACE from the ACL after a pre-defined time limit.

1. Field of Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate, in general, to digital networks. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for identifying dead Access Control Entries (ACEs) in an ACL.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a network, a router receives data packets from a source and forwards these data packets to a destination. However, the data packets have to meet certain criteria in order to be forwarded by the router. The specified criteria in an Access Control List (ACL) are included in the router. The ACL includes Access Control Entries (ACEs). These ACEs are statements specifying denials and permissions for forwarding data packets through the router. For example, the ACE can deny the forwarding of a data packet from a certain source through the router. Further, the ACE can deny the forwarding of a data packet through the router to a certain destination. In some cases, the ACE can permit or deny the forwarding of the data packet through the router, irrespective of the source and the destination of the data packet.
The number of ACEs in the ACL varies. For example, data packets with the same source and destination may require only one ACE to specify the denial or the permission. Therefore, the number of ACEs in the ACL may increase with the increase in the traffic through the router or with modifications in the network, such as addition of a network device. However, with time, some ACEs may no longer be valid. For example, an ACE may include a statement of permission or denial to a network that does not exist any more. Such invalid ACEs are considered as dead and unnecessarily occupy space in the ACL. Eliminating dead ACEs can save processing time and increase the speed of a network device because a network device uses high frequency while checking an ACL.

Method and system for removing dead access control entries (ACEs)


In ion implantation apparatus, a pair of electrodes is positioned about the ion beam near the place where ions strike the target in which they are implanted. One electrode has a positive potential applied to it, and the electron current collected at this electrode is measured. The other electrode has a negative potential applied to it, and the positive ion current collected at this electrode is separately measured. The magnitude of the two currents are added together and used as a signal to compensate for reduction in beam current collected caused by charge exchange phenomena.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ion implantation apparatus for use in manufacturing semiconductors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In ion implantation apparatus for use in manufacturing semiconductors, the impurities which are introduced into the silicon or gallium arsenide target are ionized in an ion source, extracted in the form of a beam, accelerated to a certain energy, and implanted into the target. At this time the concentration of impurity which is introduced into the target can be established exactly by measuring the current of the ion beam using a Faraday cup, and seeking, as the dose amount, the total number of particles of ions shown by the total of this current. In FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown, by way of example, a method of measuring ion beam current which is widely used at the present time in ion implantation apparatus. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the substrate (which may be a wafer) 1 is placed at the bottom of a Faraday cup 4, and the current in the incident ion beam 2 is measured by the current meter 5 which is connected to the Faraday cup 4. At this time a secondary electron suppressor 3, to which a negative voltage is applied from a suitable negative voltage power supply 6, is provided at the entrance of the Faraday cup 4 and prevents escape from the inside of the cup of the secondary electrons produced within the cup, thereby resulting in a tool which greatly reduces measurement errors. The example shown in FIG. 2 is a method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,797, wherein the substrates (or wafers) 12 are mounted on a disk 11 rotating at high speed. When the ion beam 13 passes through a slit 18 provided in this disk 11, the current is measured by a Faraday cup 15 provided behind the disk 11. As in the case of the example shown in FIG. 1, a current meter 16 is connected to the Faraday cup 15, and a secondary electron suppressor 14, to which a negative voltage is applied from a suitable negative voltage power supply 17, is provided at the entrance of the Faraday cup 15.
However, on substrates used in manufacturing semiconductor devices used in actual ion implantation apparatus, there are many cases in which photoresist is applied as a mask material. When the ions being implanted pass through this photoresist mask, part of the energy of the ions strikes the polymer forming the photoresist material, the molecular bonds thereof are broken, and hydrogen molecules (H.sub.2), nitrogen molecules (N.sub.2), carbon monoxide (CO), water (H.sub.2 O), carbon (C), nitrogen (N) etc. are released into the process chamber as outgases. The amount of gas released varies, depending upon the type of photoresist material, film thickness, energy and current of the ion beam, etc., but in the case of apparatus furnished with usual pumping speed, the vacuum in the process chamber can be 10.sup.-4 -10.sup.-3 Torr, which is even 2-3 orders of magnitude worse than normal vacuum. In this manner, in cases where the vacuum has become very much worse, the ions of the incident ion beam collide with these residual gases, some are neutralized, some lose electrons, and their charge state is changed, and the disadvantage results that the dosage amount can no longer be monitored exactly. Moreover, together with this disadvantage, large size, multi-unit vacuum pumps are introduced to increase pumping speed, and the increased size of the apparatus, and greater cost, invite further disadvantages. Again, if one compensates the beam current based upon the vacuum of the process chamber as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,217, it is necessary to carry out vast numbers of preliminary tests concerning all related ion species, energy, gas species, and vacuum; and even if one does these tests provisionally, in actual fact the photoresist structure during ion implantation may be changed by radiation of the ions from time to time and moment by moment, and the vacuum in the process chamber, as well as the structure of the residual gases, may also change from time to time and moment by moment, so that it is very difficult to compensate exactly. This invention has the objective of overcoming these defects, and to provide a method of monitoring ion beam current which is practical and successful.

Method of monitoring ion beam current in ion implantation apparatus for use in manufacturing semiconductors