A memory device (100) includes a user device information sector (122) in addition to normal sectors (124) of a memory array. The user device information sector includes a product identification field (240) and a restricted address list field (250), and optionally includes a customer identification number field (220) and a serial number field (230). The product identification field includes such information as the manufacturer ID, a part number ID, package/speed identification, temperature/voltage identification, and byte locations for special options. The device identification field is factory programmed using a high voltage enabling signal applied to a write control logic circuit (102) in the memory device in conjunction with a "Device Information Sector Program" instruction is applied to the SPI command and control logic (110). The device information sector is read from the application using a "Read Device Information" instruction. Inadvertent corruption of the device information sector is avoided since a high voltage typically is not available in the application, and the "Device Information Sector Program" instruction is not in the application command set.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to managing device information for digital memory devices, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for providing accessible user device information in digital memory devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Various types of digital memory devices have sectors that are formatted with user information useful for interfacing with the device. For example, the device information format provided in each sector of the NexFLASH NXS series serial memories available from Nexcom Technology, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., includes sector tag/sync bytes, a device optimization code pattern, a device identification field, and a restricted sector address list. In the serial memory product number NX26F080, for example, each of up to 2048 sectors are pre-programmed during manufacture with the same device information format. While the device information format is therefore available in every sector, the manufacturer recommends that the last two sectors be maintained by the user as read-only locations for use as device information sectors for such purposes as assuring that the optimization codes, device identification, and restricted sector addresses are available for in-system use. Detailed descriptions of the device information format and of how to work with sector tag/sync bytes, device optimization code patterns, device identification fields, and restricted sector address lists are provided in two documents by Nexcom Technology, Inc., the NX26F080 Data Sheet Version 1.6, March 1996, and the application note entitled Developing With the NX26F080, AN-1, April 1996, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. However, as the device user is responsible for ensuring that the device information sectors are not overwritten during use in the application, the device information sectors were sometimes inadvertently lost.
Another approach to storing user memory device information is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,903, issued May 29, 1984 to Jordan and entitled "Method and Device for Encoding Product and Programming Information in Semiconductors." The device described in the Jordan patent uses multiple voltage levels on one of the row access pins to carry out the dual functions of accessing a memory array and an information array at appropriate times. The information array stores product information in read-only memory ("ROM") cells preferably of the diffusion masked ROM type, which cannot be altered once the circuit has been manufactured. Although the use of EPROM and E2PROM cells in the information array is contemplated, ROM cells are preferred since the date stored in EPROM and E2PROM cells would be entered after fabrication of the chip and thus subject to the entry of human error. The ROM cells are juxtaposed on a semiconductor die with the circuitry which performs the primary function of the chip, which includes the memory array and associated decoders, gates and buffers. Information such as manufacturer, mask set and other manufacturer-related information, as well as key circuit parameters such as supply voltages, operating currents, programming voltages, programming pulse-widths, and the like is stored in the ROM cells. To ensure that access to the data stored in the information array does not interfere with the normal operation of the primary circuit on the chip, array access logic is provided as an interface between the row address pin and the row decoder and information array. The access logic determines whether a high voltage signal is present, and disables the information array to prevent interference and enables the row decoders if conventional levels are present, and conversely disables the row decoders to prevent interference and accesses the information array if a high voltage outside of the normal voltage range for the device is present.
While ROM cells are useful for storing information predetermined by design, they are not useful for storing user device information that cannot be obtained until the device has completed testing and preparation for shipment. An example of such information is the restricted address list, which is stored in the device information sector as shown in the previously mentioned NX26F080 documents. Restricted sector devices have a limited number of sectors that do not meet manufacturing programming criteria over the specified operating range. For such devices, a restricted sector list provides a means of identifying sectors in the main array that have been determined during the manufacturer's testing to be defective and therefore appropriately restricted from use. One way of using the restricted sector list is to write the first byte of a non-restricted sector with a Tag/Sync value to identify a fully functional sector. Restricted sectors that are listed in the restricted sector list would have their first byte written to a value other than the Tag/Sync value. This easily identifies the sector as restricted or not restricted, as the case may be. It will be appreciated that the method of working with the Sector Tag/Sync bytes to assemble the restricted sector address list cannot be performed prior to mask ROM programming and completion of device fabrication. This also applies for other test-related information such as voltage, speed, and temperature grade, as well as customer and serial number identification.
Unfortunately, providing user device information in sectors of main memory places the vital device information in danger of being overwritten and corrupted. While using a high voltage outside of the normal device operating range on a multiple purpose pin to access device information in the application avoids danger of corruption, the requirement for a high voltage supply is disadvantageous in some applications, and some types of memory devices, for example serial memory devices, do not have address pins for serving a dual function. Moreover, mask and fusible link ROM is not useful for storing device information for memory devices requiring device information that cannot be obtained until the device is completed.

Method and apparatus for providing accessible device information in digital memory devices


In a warp knitting machine at least one swingable guide bar is driven in a shogging direction. This displacement is achieved through a drive member via a hinged push rod in dependence upon a path time function. This path time function is formed by overlapping a ground function with a compensation function. The ground function is the targeted displacement movement of the guide bar for proper lapping. The compensation function compensates for an axial mislap and possible collision during the swing-through of the guide bar. The compensation occurs at least during that segment corresponding to the passage of the guides through the needle gaps. Preferably however, compensation occurs over the entire ground function. This compensation substantially reduces the danger of collision between the guides and the needles.

The present invention is directed to a warp knitting machine having at least one guide bar, which is: (a) swingable about an axis parallel to its own axis to achieve the swing-through of the guides through the needle gaps; (b) displaceable by a drive means in an axial direction to achieve the underlaps and overlaps, the drive means having a drive member that moves axially in accordance with a predetermined path time function, and (c) acted upon by means of a hinged push rod.
Such warp knitting machines are generally commercially available (see Terminology of Warp Knitting, 1980, page 21). A useful drive member is an axially led rod, the so-called flyer or rocking lever, which is displaced by a pattern or cam disc in accordance with the desired lapping pattern. This axial movement is transferred, by means of a push rod, onto the guide bar, whereby hinge points are required at both ends of the push rod so that the transfer of the movement is possible despite the swinging of guide bars.
The relative position of the guide bar with respect to the needle bar must be set very precisely so that during the swing-through, the guides do not touch the needles, because touching could lead to damage of both the thread and the needles. It is thus known to provide, between the pattern plate and the push rod, an arrangement for changing the length of the transfer system either in the form of a screw element (see Wheatley, Raschel Lace Manufacture, 1972, page 20) or as a temperature sensitive setting member (DE PS 38 23 757). Regrettably, this only serves to solve the problem to a certain extent, in particular when dealing with small needle spaces and high machine speeds.

Warp knitting machine with a compensated guide bar


Internal combustion (I.C.) systems and methods provided herein substantially eliminate incomplete combustion, unburned hydrocarbon emission, and hydrocarbon, CO, NOx, and SOx emissions. A method of one embodiment includes the steps of providing a fuel stream containing acetylene, providing an I.C. engine, and introducing the fuel stream to the engine's intake port. A method of another embodiment includes the steps of providing a fuel source selected from the group consisting of acetylene and hydrogen, providing an I.C. engine, and introducing the fuel source to the engine's intake port. Still another embodiment's method includes the steps of providing a fuel stream that doesn't include gasoline, diesel fuel, or an alcohol selected from the group consisting of C1–C20 alcohols, providing an I.C. engine, and introducing the fuel stream to the engine's intake port. In an embodiment, an I.C. system is provided, including an I.C. engine and a fuel stream containing acetylene.

The present invention relates to an internal combustion system using alternative fuels, and more particularly to an internal combustion system utilizing acetylene or hydrogen.
Acetylene is conventionally produced by reacting calcium carbide with water. The reaction is spontaneously occurring and can be conducted without any sophisticated equipment or apparatus. Such produced acetylene has been utilized for lighting in mine areas, by street vendors, etc. People often call such lighting sources "carbide lights" or "carbide lamps". Industrial uses of acetylene as a fuel for motors or lighting sources, however, has been nearly nonexistent. In modern times, the use of acetylene as a fuel has been largely limited to acetylene torches for welding or welding-related applications. In most such applications, acetylene is generally handled in solution form, such as acetylene dissolved in acetone, for example.
The clean burning nature of acetylene is self-evident from the stoichiometric equation:C2H2+2.5O2→2CO2+H2O
The reaction proceeds spontaneously at any temperature and pressure conditions and easily goes to completion without leaving any residues other than the desired combustion products, namely carbon dioxide and water. Further, the reaction ideally takes place in a gaseous phase without any need for catalytic assistance. The gas-phase reaction has several advantages over heterogeneous reactions such as gas-liquid, gas-solid, and solid-liquid reactions. For example, the gas-phase reaction does not require much effort for mixing necessary ingredients, assuring proper ratios, or handling by-products of combustion. Such advantages become very significant in fuel applications for combustion engines where liquid fuels such as gasoline have been conventionally used, and gasoline (liquid-phase) and air (gas-phase) interact in an engine for combustion reaction purposes.
Gas-phase reaction, however, involves different measures, controls, and safety precautions. If acetylene is used either in pure form or in concentrated form, there is a strong tendency for detonation, which directly contributes to the difficulty in preventing undesirable spontaneous chemical reaction.
Combustion reactions occurring at relatively low temperature conditions could provide several advantages, including the following:                1) Atmospheric nitrogen requires a relatively high temperature (T>1200° C.) to react with atmospheric oxygen in order to form nitrogen oxides (NOx) to any significant amount, the family of nitrogen oxides generally include N2O, NO, N2O3, NO2, and N2O5. Even at lower temperatures (T=900° C.), small amounts of nitrogen oxides can be formed but only over extended periods of time. However, at such low temperatures, formation of NOx from reactions between nitrogen and oxygen are negligible or nonexistent.        2) Low engine temperature alleviates any need for special emission control equipment commonly used in motor vehicles, such as an emission gas recirculation ("EGR") valve, for example. One of the primary functions of an EGR system in modern motor vehicles is to reduce the combustion temperature by recirculating a portion of exhaust gas into the intake manifold, thus achieving a reduction in NOx formation in the combustion chamber. Such a requirement is not needed in an engine operating under relatively low temperature conditions.        3) Low engine temperatures significantly reduce any substantial requirement for motor cooling. Cooling for an engine operating under relatively low temperature conditions can be readily accomplished either by air-cooling or by water cooling (including with ethylene glycol-water mixtures, propylene glycol-water mixtures, and the like,) but with less stringent capacities than with engines operating at relatively high temperatures.        4) Low motor temperature and clean burning help and boost the fuel efficiency, since the combustion energy generated goes far less toward the maintenance of the engine temperature. In other words, the power produced per BTU generated by the fuel is greater in the case of acetylene than for other conventional fuels under the circumstances.        5) Low temperature combustion permits simpler and cheaper exhaust system design, such as shorter length, for example, particularly when the combustion products consist only of carbon dioxide and water. In addition, the hardware for such an exhaust system could be physically smaller in size.
It has been suggested that acetylene as a single fuel cannot be burned in an IC engine without severe knock and early ignition in the intake port and the cylinder, causing engine stopping and damage. For example, the results obtained from a computer model used to estimate the performance of a spark ignition engine when acetylene was used as a fuel was reported in "Computational Estimation of the Performance of a S. I. Engine with Various Fuels," Nippon Kikai Gakkai Ronbunshu, B Hen., v. 56, n. 523, March 1990, pp. 830–835, by Katsumi Kataoka. Those calculations disclosed that when acetylene is used as a fuel, the flame temperatures rise high enough to cause the deterioration of the efficiency because of thermal dissociation, resulting in fairly high emissions of NO, especially with lean mixtures. In other words, these results appear to teach away from the use of acetylene as a fuel for IC engines.
As discussed in my U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,287,351 and 6,076,487, acetylene may be used with a secondary fuel such as C1–C12 alcohols for IC engines. However, the use of a secondary fuel requires a somewhat complicated engine design to ensure the correct fuel is introduced at the correct time.
It would be advantageous to have a system and method that utilizes acetylene as a fuel source for IC engines without requiring a secondary fuel. Further, it would be desirable to be able to substitute hydrogen for acetylene as a fuel source for an IC engine, as hydrogen is an abundant and clean-burning fuel.

Internal combustion system and method of operation


The invention describes a method for treating near-wellbore zones involving the steps of injecting a magnesium metal with a catalyst into the desired area of the formation to be treated. Subsequently, combustive-oxidizing solution (COS) is injected into the zone of the formation to be treated. The COS initially reacts with the magnesium, which in turn initiates a vigorous oxidation reaction of the COS. The reaction gases and heat produced by the COS oxidation reaction are harnessed to enhance the productivity of the well by creating fractures in the treatment zone and by melting of paraffin and resin deposits in the treatment zone. As a final step, acid is injected into the formation to react with the formation thereby further enhancing the porosity of the fractures. In one embodiment, the COS uses ammonium nitrate as the oxidizer, and in another, urea or ethylene glycol may be added as a reaction fuel.

1. Field of Use
The invention is associated with the oil and gas industry, in particular with the methods of near-wellbore treatment of a reservoir to enhance fluid production. The proposed reservoir treatment creates secondary multidirectional fractures in treated intervals. This increases the permeability of the near-wellbore zone of the reservoir and its productivity in the extraction of oil, gas, gas-condensate, injection thermal and other mineral waters.
2. Background Technology
Various means of treating the near-wellbore zone of the reservoir using the technology of thermo-acidic treatment of the near-wellbore zone of the reservoir are known.
For example, existing technology is using thermal energy created through the interaction of solutions of HCl and metal magnesium (Mishchenko. I. T. Well production. Oil and Gas. 2007, UDC 622.276.5 p. 253-256). This technology reaction between magnesium and hydrochloric acid occurs in a well bore with the release of thermal energy. Temperature increase of the hydrochloric acid and the reservoir promote melting of the paraffin and resin deposits and their removal from the near well bore zone.
After dissolving paraffin-resin deposits through an increase in effective temperature, the residual, partially spent acid solution, that is left from the reaction with magnesium, continues to dissolve soluble formation material. This will effectively increase the size of existing channels. However, this method has a number of significant disadvantages:                (1) Low temperature and the washing abilities of acid, which are insufficient to create channels and fractures in the reservoir;        (2) The acid concentration in solution decreases after the reaction with magnesium;        (3) Reduction of acid concentration lowers its effectiveness in dissolving near wellbore formation;        (4) The acidic solution has relatively low washing abilities necessary to change the wettability and to remove the paraffin-resinous rock deposits; and        (5) Acid impacts only channels and fractures existent at the time of treatment.
The closest in the technical sense to the claimed technology is the method of thermochemical treatment of the near well bore formation zone by pumping a suspension of granulated magnesium and ammonium nitrate in an oil-based fluid into this zone, with the subsequent injection of hydrochloric acid solution into the reservoir such as taught in USSR Patent No. SU640023 to Abdulin et al., 1978-12-30. As described in SU640023, the hydrochloric acid reacts with magnesium, thus increasing the temperature of the acid and initiating the decomposition of ammonium nitrate. The main sources of heat in the this technology are: the reaction of magnesium with hydrochloric acid, the decomposition of ammonium nitrate and the final stage of processing where combustion of hydrogen and nitric oxide is possible. The disadvantages of the method in SU640023 are:                (1) The acidic component reacts with magnesium, thus lowering the concentration of hydrochloric acid, and hence the activity in interaction with the formation;        (2) High temperature is required for the decomposition of ammonium nitrate. Therefore, increasing the temperature will require a large consumption of acid and there is a high probability of failure to heat ammonium nitrate until decomposition; and        (3) The final stage of the process involves the explosion of a gas mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, which could adversely affect the condition of the cement isolation and casing of the treated intervals.
Therefore, it is a technical objective of the present invention to provide a method that will improve the effect of the near-wellbore zone treatment, while ensuring the safety of the process.

Method of treating the near-wellbore zone of the reservoir


A distilled water fountain which is capable of supplying the users with purified icy, warm and hot drinking water and composed of a pre-heating exchanger, a condensing-and-heating exchanger, a distilled water tank, a steam generator, and an electronic chilling device. Running water flows into the pre-heating exchanger through water intake pipe, and further flows through the condensing-and-heating exchange into a steam generator wherein the water is vaporized and then condensed into distilled water for storage in the distilled water tank. The distilled water may be made available directly in warm water condition, or may be cooled into icy water through electronic chilling device, or heated into hot water through steam generator for drinking by users.

In this civilized society, economic prosperity have resulted in harmful pollution to the environment in general, especially the pollution in the quality of water which has been getting worse and worse day after day to the extent of seriously threatening the sources of water needed by human beings and substantially affecting the health of human beings. Although a variety of types of water filters and water fountains are available on the markets, they are different in functions, and none of them can satisfy all the requirements in differently polluted environments. In addition, due to the consumers' lack of common knowledge of maintenance, such devices would, in most times, eventually become the hot-bed of bacteria and useless. In view of these discrepancies, the design of this purifying and energy-saving water fountain capable of supplying icy, warm and hot distilled water (hereinafter referred to as "Purified and Distilled Water Fountain") is created to meet actual requirements.
Presently, "distilled water" is the purest water generally recognized by the peoples around the world. The drinking water to be supplied by the "Purified and Distilled Water Fountain" of this invention is the very distilled water needed by human beings and free from pollutants. Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to develop a novel distilled water fountain to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings.

Purifying and energy-saving water fountain capable of supplying icy, warm and hot distilled water

1F, No. 16, Alley 3, Lane 80, Sec. 4, Min-Sheng E. Rd.


The invention relates to a circuit with a variable rotational speed to be used particularly in a wind power plant, comprising a double fed asynchronous generator (DASM), a crow-bar, an additional resistor (R15) and a converter. In order to meet the requirements of the network provider, whereby a particularly permanent coupling to the network should be ensured so that the wind power plant can start up and stabilize the network during and after medium voltage short circuit in the network, the additional resistor can be regulated with the aid of a fast switch in such a way that the converter can be provisionally disconnected at least partly in case of a short circuit in the network. The rotor current is momentarily assumed by the additional resistor and disconnected after the rotor short circuit current dies out so that the converter can be subsequently connected once again and so that it can supply the desired active short circuit current to the network.

The invention relates to circuit arrangement which is intended in particular for use in a variable rotation speed wind energy installation, comprising a double-fed asynchronous generator, an additional resistor and a converter; and methods hereof.
Circuit arrangements such as these which are intended for use in variable speed wind energy installations are widely used in practice and are thus prior art by virtue of obvious prior use. However, it has been found to be disadvantageous when using double-fed asynchronous machines (DASM) that these are disconnected from the network in the event of a network short circuit at the medium-voltage level. This means that it is not possible to achieve the desired network stabilization by means of a wind power installation which is operated with a double-fed asynchronous machine.
In the past, the necessary network stabilization has thus been achieved by the network operators by means of conventional power stations. Owing to the rapidly increasing number of wind power installations and the rapidly rising power level associated with them, which has now reached the magnitude of conventional power stations, the requirements for wind power installations must, however, be matched to those of conventional power stations. In particular, permanent network coupling is being increasingly demanded in order that the wind energy installation can set up the network again, and can stabilize it, once a medium-voltage network short circuit has ended.

Circuit arrangement and methods for use in a wind energy installation


A three-dimensional memory module includes a plurality of semiconductor device units, every adjacent two of which are stack-connected via through-holes by a bump connecting method. Each of the plurality of semiconductor device units includes a carrier having a circuit pattern and the through-holes connected to the circuit pattern. The semiconductor device unit also includes at least one semiconductor memory chip mounted on the carrier such that the semiconductor memory chip is connected to the circuit pattern, and at least one chip select semiconductor chip mounted on the carrier to be connected to the circuit pattern such that the chip select semiconductor chip can select the semiconductor memory chip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional memory module and a semiconductor device which uses the same, and more particularly to a three-dimensional memory module which contains semiconductor memory chips and at least one chip selector chip and a semiconductor device which uses the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional three-dimensional integrated circuit device which contains a chip selector chip is described in Japanese Laid Open Patent Disclosure (JP-A-Heisei 5-121713). FIG. 1 shows the outline structure of the conventional three-dimensional integrated circuit device.
Referring to FIG. 1, the three-dimensional integrated circuit device has a lamination structure composed of a light sensor layer 41 as a first layer in which a plurality of amplification-type light elements are arranged in a matrix manner, an A/D converter layer as the second layer, and an arithmetic logic processing layer 43 as the third layer. The gate potential of each of the light elements in the light sensor layer 41 is kept at the hole accumulation potential which is accumulation potential due to holes accumulated as the result of the incidence of the light. Therefore, it is possible to read a signal without destroying a hole accumulation quantity, i.e., a data. By the addition of a selection circuit, the three-dimensional integrated circuit device of a full monolithic IC structure is accomplished. In the three-dimensional integrated circuit device, the amplification-type light elements are used to make random access possible such that a signal can be read from an arbitrarily designated one of the light elements arranged in the matrix array.
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the three-dimensional integrated circuit device shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the three-dimensional integrated circuit device is composed of a light receiving section 20, a horizontal and vertical scanning circuits 21 and 22, a voltage generating circuit 23, a buffer circuit 32, an analog digital converter (ADC) 33, a buffer register 34, a CPU 35, a memory 36, an I/O buffer 37, a timing controller 38, an address decoder 39 and a shutter controller 40.
Because the operation of the circuit device shown in FIG. 2 is not related to the present invention, the detailed operation is omitted.
As described above, the conventional three-dimensional integrated circuit device with a chip selector chip incorporated employs a full monolithic IC structure. Therefore, in order to fabricate the three-dimensional integrated circuit device which has a desired memory capacity, it is necessary to start from the design of the monolithic IC.
Also, when the memory needs to have a capacity more than a memory which is commercially available at the present time, it is necessary to develop a new process for the monolithic IC.
However, the advanced technique, the long development period and the huge resource are needed for the development of a monolithic IC and the development of a new process technique for the monolithic IC.

Stacked carrier three-dimensional memory module and semiconductor device using the same


An air damper includes: a piston adapted to reciprocate in a cylinder; an annular recessed portion formed along an outer periphery of the piston; a sealing member fitted in the recessed portion in a slidable manner, adapted to slidingly contact an inner peripheral surface of the cylinder, and forming air chambers on both sides of the piston, respectively, together with the piston; a communicating device allowing the air chambers formed on both sides of the piston to communicate with each other or not to communicate with each other depending on a stopping position of the sealing member; and a reduced-diameter portion formed by reducing a diameter of the cylinder on one end side thereof so as to gradually increase a frictional force between an inner periphery of the reduced-diameter portion and the sealing member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cylinder-type air damper in which air in air chambers formed in a cylinder is allowed to flow through an orifice as a piston moves relatively in the cylinder, so as to effect damping.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an air damper of this type, for example, one for use in a glove box of an automobile is known.
That is, an air damper is arranged such that an opening in a cylinder is closed by a cap, and a piston rod penetrates the cap and extends outside the cylinder. The piston is provided with an O-ring, and the O-ring is fitted in an annular recess provided on an outer periphery of the piston and abuts against the inner periphery of the cylinder. Two air chambers are respectively formed on both sides of the piston (a first air chamber is formed on the bottom side of the cylinder, and a second air chamber is formed on the opening side of the cylinder).
The piston is provided with an orifice allowing the first air chamber to communicate with the second air chamber.
The recess has such a width as to allow the O-ring to move along the moving direction of the piston. When the piston changes its moving direction from the bottom of the cylinder toward the opening, the O-ring is moved from a second position to a first position by the frictional force between the O-ring and the inner periphery of the cylinder. Conversely, when the piston changes its moving direction from the opening toward the bottom, the O-ring is moved from the first position to the second position by the aforementioned frictional force. A groove is formed in the bottom of the recess, and when the O-ring is at the second position, the first air chamber and the second air chamber communicate with each other through the groove, while when the O-ring is at the first position, the groove is blocked.
When the piston moves toward the opening side of the cylinder, the air flows by means of the orifice, and a damping force operates on the basis of the flow resistance at the orifice. On the other hand, when the piston moves toward the bottom of the cylinder, the air escapes via the groove, and the damping force is reduced
In a case where such an air damper is used in a glove box, the piston rod is connected to a lid of the glove box, and the cylinder is connected to the accommodating side of the glove box. When the lid is opened, the piston rod is drawn out through the cylinder, so that the piston moves from the bottom of the cylinder toward the opening. Consequently, when the lid is opened, the opening motion is made slow so as not to cause a shock. On the other hand, when the lid closed, the closing motion is becomes faster.
In a case where the lid of the glove box is opened from a vertical state toward a horizontal state, the load applied to the lid becomes gradually greater (the load changes) as the lid is opened, so that the lid-opening speed becomes faster. Accordingly, as the lid approaches the position of this opening limit, the damping force caused by the air damper becomes insufficient. At the position of the opening limit of the lid, the lid sometimes bounds, so that a smooth opening motion cannot be obtained.
Meanwhile, if the damping force of the air damper acts during an initial period of the opening motion of the lid, it is conceivable that the lid may possibly remain in the vertical state and may not open.


A vehicle headrest assembly includes a one-piece blow-molded hollow elongated plastic body having a channel formed therein with a mouth portion having a mouth width. A substantially U-shaped support rod includes a cross member extending between first and second support legs. The cross member is configured with a cross-sectional width slightly greater than the mouth width to facilitate a snap-fit relationship of the cross member within the channel as the cross member is inserted through the mouth portion.

Headrests of various designs and construction are used in automobiles and other motor vehicles for head support. Such headrests typically consist of a metal or plastic body surrounded by suitable padding and a cover, supported on a post extending upwardly from the motor vehicle seat back. The body provides a framework to support the padding and cover of the headrest assembly. Such headrests may be adjustable with respect to the seat back.
Previous motor vehicle headrests have utilized bodies made of metal or plastic, typically formed to provide, when covered with padding, a flat or convex finished surface adjacent the passenger's head. Typical post supports used in motor vehicle headrests have included one-piece inverted U-shaped posts and hollow metal tubes. Means for attaching the body to the support post have included welding and insert molding of the body around the post.
When the headrest body is made from blow-molded or injection molded plastic, the post may be joined integrally to the body by providing the post support as a mold insert. However, the use of mold inserts presents several potential disadvantages. The insertion of the post members into the mold during manufacture can be complicated and expensive.
In addition, the presence of metal insert elements in the molded part may also cause uneven cooling and dimensional distortion of the plastic armature. Additionally, removal of flash or other excess material from the finished assembly may be more difficult because of the protruding metal insert. Finally, should one or more of the component pieces shift during the molding process, it may be difficult to rework, repair or salvage the assembly or its components.
Other headrest assemblies generally require various fasteners, such as bolts and nuts for attaching the headrest body to the support rod, and require bushings to allow the pivoting of the headrest body with respect to the support rod. Such fastener and bushing components increase the part count for the headrest assembly and require significant handling, which adds cost to the manufacturing process.
Accordingly, a need has remained for an improved headrest armature design that may be produced reliably at reduced cost.
Another more recent requirement for certain vehicle headrest designs is that the headrest be pivotable between upright and stowed positions, particularly for use with removable or collapsible rear seat assemblies used in trucks and minivans. It is particularly desirable that the headrest be substantially self-locking in both the upright and stowed positions.

Snap-on, pivotable vehicle headrest assembly


For reducing IR detectability of an armored vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine, the exhaust system includes a muffler connected to the internal combustion engine and an exhaust line connected to the muffler and opening into the atmosphere. The exhaust line branches into a first line and a second line whereby the first line has at least one opening within the bottom of the vehicle and the second line has an opening within one of the outer surfaces of the vehicle other than the bottom of the vehicle. A first flap closes the at least one opening within the bottom of the vehicle. A second flap closes the opening within one of the outer surfaces of the vehicle other than the bottom of the vehicle. In extreme situations, for example, when touching the ground surface, an undesirable increase of the exhaust gas counter pressure and thus an output reduction of the internal combustion engine is prevented by exhausting the gases through the second line, thereby partially loosing the IR detectability protection provided by the system.

The present invention relates to an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine of armored vehicles for reducing IR detectability.
It is known from German Offenlegungsschrift 39 11 142 for armored vehicles with exhaust gas outlets arranged at the longitudinal sides of the armored vehicle to mix the hot exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine with the waste air of the cooling device in order to reduce the temperature of the exhaust gases.
However, since the temperature of the waste air of the cooling device is already substantially higher than the surrounding atmospheric temperature the mixing of the hot exhaust gases with the waste air of the cooling device always results in an increase of the temperature within the area of the exhaust gas outlets and thus in temperature differentials which allow IR detectability.
This holds also true for the exhaust system of an armored vehicle according to German Offenlegungsschrift 21 30 757 in which a mixing of the hot exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine with the waste air of the cooling device takes place outside of the vehicle at the rear, whereby the hot exhaust gases guided in the transverse direction of the vehicle are mixed with the waste air of the cooling device that exits in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
In order to reduce the IR detectability of armored vehicles operated with internal combustion engines, it is desirable to prevent direct visibility from the sides or the top of exhaust gas outlets at the vehicle shell that are hot during operation. This is, for example achieved by guiding the exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine in a downward direction through the bottom of the vehicle shell.
Exhausting exhaust gases of internal combustion engines through openings at the bottom of the vehicle shell of an armored vehicle is already known from German patent 32 21 378. The hot exhaust gases mixed with the warm air to be removed from the enclosed engine compartment is guided into the atmosphere through an exhaust gas channel covering a great portion of the bottom of the vehicle shell and through a plurality of openings provided at the bottom of the vehicle shell and covered with grates.
This known exhaust system has the disadvantage that the exhaust gas channel covering a great portion of the bottom with its corresponding vertical extrusion substantially reduces the size of the passenger compartment when considering substantially equal ground clearance and vehicle height. It is furthermore disadvantageous that the passenger compartment is heated from the bottom by the hot exhaust gases. This requires the application of heat insulating materials at the bottom portion which also further reduces the size of the passenger compartment. Also, the mounting of the long torsion bars of the tread roller springs is impeded by the exhaust channel which extends over the greater portion of the bottom. It is also possible that, when the bottom portion of the vehicle touches the ground surface in sandy or muddy terrain, the exhaust outlets arranged at the bottom are completely or partially plugged, and the power output of the internal combustion engine is reduced by the increasing exhaust gas counter pressure within the exhaust system, or, in extreme situations, may be blocked.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an exhaust system for armored vehicles of the aforementioned kind which only minimally reduces the size of the passenger compartment and which, under extreme driving situations, such as contact of the bottom portion of the vehicle with sandy or muddy terrain, prevents an increase of the exhaust gas counter pressure that would otherwise reduce the power output of the internal combustion engine.


An apparatus for affixing a printed circuit board within a monitor case assembly includes a first guide mechanism integrally formed on opposing side walls of a front case section, a second guide mechanism integrally formed on two side walls of a second case section and at least one coupling device formed on the front case bottom side wall and aligned with the first guide mechanism. The planes of the components are aligned with each other so that a printed circuit board is securely engaged within grooves formed in the guide mechanisms and locked in position by the coupling device.

The present invention relates to a structure for affixing a printed circuit board within a monitor case, and more particularly, to a fixing apparatus that affixes a printed circuit board (PCB) to the monitor case in a stable manner. Such a fixing apparatus makes it easier to assemble and disassemble the PCB from the monitor case.
The PCB, one of the important components of a monitor, generally is installed in the monitor case under a cathode ray tube, and is protected by the case from the exterior environment. The PCB is firmly attached to a molded frame so as to remain affixed within the monitor case. In a prior art structure which utilizes screws to affix the PCB to the molded frame chassis, several printed circuit boards which mount different electronic components, such as, the main power supply and video generator, are individually mounted on the chassis.
As monitors are designed with more and more improved features, the number of electronic components mounted on the PCB increases, which in turn increases the number of fastening structures. This increase in components and fastening structures causes a number of problems.
For instance, mounting of electronic components on separate PCBs decreases operational function of individual components and thereby reduces product reliability. Among the drawbacks of the prior art structures are a decrease in production yield caused by complicated or inconvenient assembly steps, resulting in increased production costs. In addition, the above-described structure makes the assembly process time consuming and inefficient, and is not amenable to easy disassembly for repair which thus increases the cost of maintenance.

Apparatus for affixing a printed circuit board in a monitor case


A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor layer stacked body, and a source electrode and a drain electrode formed on the semiconductor layer stacked body. The semiconductor layer stacked body includes a first nitride semiconductor layer formed on the substrate, and a second nitride semiconductor layer formed on the first nitride semiconductor layer. The semiconductor device further includes a third nitride semiconductor layer formed on the second nitride semiconductor layer and disposed between the source electrode and the drain electrode, and a gate electrode formed on the third nitride semiconductor layer. The semiconductor device includes a first magnesium-containing region having a magnesium concentration of 1×1018 cm−3 or more that is provided right under the third nitride semiconductor layer, from an upper surface of the second nitride semiconductor layer to a position lower than an interface between the first nitride semiconductor layer and the second nitride semiconductor layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device applicable to a power switching element which is used in an inverter or a power supply circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as a power switching element, an FET (field effect transistor) composed of a nitride semiconductor material represented by gallium nitride (GaN) has been enthusiastically studied. More specifically, GaN has a bandgap about three times wider than silicon (Si), and its breakdown field intensity is ten times higher than that of Si. Furthermore, compared with Si, GaN has higher saturation electron speed, so that GaN has excellent material characteristics that a device can be operated at high speed. At present, as a power switching element, a MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) and an IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) composed of Si are used, but when Si is replaced with GaN in the FET, it is expected that the element can be made smaller and lighter, and a power loss can be reduced.
In order to reduce the power loss, an ON-resistance needs to be low in the power switching element. In addition, in view of safety purposes, a normally-OFF operation in which a current is cut off in a zero-biased state is indispensable. As a technique realizing both of the normally-OFF operation and the low ON-resistance in the FET composed of GaN, there is an example in which a p-type nitride semiconductor layer is used in a gate portion, and a gate recess is formed under the p-type nitride semiconductor layer (in the first exemplary embodiment of Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-200395). With this structure, a two-dimensional electron gas concentration can be reduced right under a gate electrode, so that both of the normally-OFF operation and the low ON-resistance can be achieved.
Furthermore, as another background technique, there is an example in which a diffusion layer of a p-type impurity is formed under a p-type nitride semiconductor layer in a gate portion (in the second exemplary embodiment in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-200395). In this example also, similar to the above example, a two-dimensional electron gas concentration can be reduced right under a gate electrode.

Semiconductor device having a semiconductor layer stacked body

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An ambulatory medical device including a plurality of sensing electrodes and one or more processors operably coupled to the plurality of sensing electrodes is provided. Each sensing electrodes is configured to be coupled eternally to a patient and to detect one or more ECG signals. The one or more processors are configured to receive at least one electrode-specific digital signal for each of the plurality of sensing electrodes, determine a noise component for each of the electrode-specific digital signals, analyze each of the noise components for each of the plurality of sensing electrodes, generate electrode matching information for each sensing electrode of the plurality of sensing electrodes based upon analysis of each of the noise components, determine one or more sensing electrode pairs based upon the electrode matching information, and monitor each of the one or more sensing electrode pairs for ECG activity of the patient.

The present disclosure is directed to an ambulatory medical device including a digital front-end having, for example, sensing electrodes configured to output a digital signal.
A wide variety of electronic and mechanical devices can be prescribed for monitoring and treating patients' medical conditions, such as cardiac arrhythmias. One of the deadliest cardiac arrhythmias is ventricular fibrillation (VF), which occurs when normal, regular electrical impulses are replaced by irregular and rapid impulses, causing the heart muscle to stop normal contractions. Normal blood flow ceases, and organ damage or death can result in minutes if normal heart contractions are not restored. Because the victim has no perceptible warning of the impending fibrillation, death often occurs before the necessary medical assistance can arrive. Other cardiac arrhythmias can include excessively slow heart rates known as bradycardia or excessively fast heart rates known as tachycardia. Cardiac arrest can occur when a patient in which various arrhythmias of the heart, such as VF, ventricular tachycardia (VT), pulseless electrical activity (PEA), and asystole result in the heart providing insufficient levels of blood flow to the brain and other vital organs for the support of life.
Cardiac arrest and other cardiac health ailments are a major cause of death worldwide. Various resuscitation efforts aim to maintain the body's circulatory and respiratory systems during cardiac arrest in an attempt to save the life of the patient. The sooner these resuscitation efforts begin, the better the patient's chances of survival. Implantable cardioverter/defibrillators (ICDs) or external defibrillators (such as manual defibrillators or automated external defibrillators (AEDs)) have significantly improved the ability to treat these otherwise life-threatening conditions. Such devices operate by applying corrective electrical pulses directly to the patient's heart. VF or VT can be treated by an external defibrillator, for example, by providing a therapeutic shock to the heart in an attempt to restore normal rhythm. To treat conditions such as bradycardia, an implanted or external pacing device can provide pacing stimuli to the patient's heart until intrinsic cardiac electrical activity returns.
A patient at high risk of a cardiac arrhythmia may be prescribed an ambulatory monitoring and treatment device such as the ZOLL LifeVest® wearable cardioverter defibrillator available from ZOLL Medical Corporation. The device includes one or more microprocessors that operate on digitized physiological data to assess the patient's health in accordance with predetermined criteria. For example, such physiological data can include electrocardiogram (ECG) data derived from multiple sensing electrodes in contact with the patient's skin.

Ambulatory medical device including a digital front-end


The present invention provides optical fiber bundles that can be configured to yield beams of radiation having tailored polarization and/or intensity properties. According to one embodiment of the invention, an optical fiber bundle includes a plurality of polarization-maintaining optical fibers, each of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers having an input end, an output end, an interior portion connecting the input end to the output end, and a polarization axis, wherein the input ends of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers are grouped in a first arrangement, and the output ends of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers are grouped in a second arrangement, and wherein the relative orientations of the polarization axes in the first arrangement is different than the relative orientation of the polarization axes in the second arrangement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the transportation of radiation, and more specifically to the use of optical fiber bundles in the transportation of radiation.
2. Technical Background
Ultraviolet radiation finds wide application a diverse array of technologies. For example, the semiconductor industry uses ultraviolet radiation in photolithographic processes to define the conductive paths in integrated circuits. The lower limit of feature size is directly related to the wavelength of the radiation; hence, to form smaller features, it is desirable to use shorter wavelength radiation. Likewise, in metrology applications it is desirable to use radiation having as short a wavelength as possible to maximize resolution. Ultraviolet radiation also finds use in medical and industrial applications.
While ultraviolet radiation is extremely useful, there exist few workable methods to transport it from one location (i.e. the source) to another (i.e. an instrument or a workpiece). Lenses and mirrors may be used to reflect and focus the radiation; such apparati are difficult to align, sensitive to vibrations, require highly specialized and expensive materials, and may cause exposure of personnel to the radiation. Better methods for transporting ultraviolet radiation are needed in the art.
In ultraviolet photolithography applications, the polarization of the beam as it strikes the wafer can have an effect on the image contrast and the smallest obtainable feature size. Desirably, the ultraviolet radiation strikes the wafer with its electric field vector parallel to the wafer surface so that interference occurs in the plane of the wafer. In low-NA imaging applications, the polarization of the beam is relatively unimportant; because the beam strikes the wafer at substantially normal incidence, any beam polarization will have its electric field vector parallel to the wafer. In high-NA imaging applications, such as are used in state-of-the-art microlithography systems used to make microelectronic devices, radiation can strike the wafer at a relatively oblique angle. At higher angles, the polarization of the ultraviolet radiation becomes important. See, for example, B. W. Smith et al., "Benefiting from polarization—effects on high NA imaging," Proc. SPIE, vol. 5377, pp 68-79, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As such, a desirable device would provide ultraviolet radiation with a tailorable polarization distribution. Further, the excimer lasers often used in ultraviolet photolithography, while having high power at low wavelengths, tend to produce an asymmetric beam with many 'hot spots.' A desirable device would also provide ultraviolet radiation having a tailorable intensity distribution.

Optical fiber bundles and devices including them


A process to enhance the performance of plastic optical fiber to operate with a high data rate (e.g., at least 1 gigabit per second) at high temperature (e.g., 100 degrees Celsius) for airplane avionic systems. Gigabit plastic optical fiber has a core including a dopant that enables data transmission at gigabit rates. The enhancement process uses rapid thermal cooling of the gigabit plastic optical fiber to stabilize the polymer matrix of the fiber. This rapid cooling treatment blocks dopant diffusion in a high-temperature environment, thereby avoiding degradation of the fiber's bandwidth and optical loss characteristic. Such degradation typically occurs in gigabit plastic optical fiber having core and cladding made of transparent carbon-hydrogen bond-free perfluorinated polymer.

The technology disclosed herein generally relates to fiber optical networks that enable communication between electrical components.
An optical fiber is a cylindrical dielectric waveguide that transmits light along its axis. The fiber consists of a transparent core surrounded by a transparent cladding layer (hereinafter "cladding"), both of which are made of dielectric materials. Light is kept in the core by the phenomenon of total internal reflection. To confine the optical signal in the core, the refractive index of the core is greater than that of the cladding. The boundary between the core and cladding may either be abrupt, as in step-index fiber, or gradual, as in graded-index fiber. Optical fibers can be made of glass or plastic.
A plastic optical fiber capable of transmitting data at rates faster than 1 gigabits per second will be referred to herein as a "gigabit plastic optical fiber" (GbPOF). Gigabit plastic optical fiber has a core and cladding made of transparent carbon-hydrogen bond-free perfluorinated polymer. The perfluorinated polymer is ductile and does not break during tight cable bending. Commercially available examples of GbPOF have core diameters of 50±5, 62.5±5 and 120±5 microns and a cladding diameter of 490±10 microns. In contrast to a pure silica GOF core, a multi-mode GbPOF with the same core diameter is more imperfect with long random polymer chains in spaghetti shapes. These polymer chains create strong forward mode coupling and result in less reflected light that can interfere with the laser source. The strong mode coupling in a GbPOF core also reduces the coherency of the laser source and results in minimal modal interference along the fiber length.
For the next generation of commercial airplanes, the avionics systems will include robust GbPOF for high-data-rate networks. But existing commercially available GbPOF can operate only up to 70 degrees Celsius, which is not suitable for use in avionics systems which operate at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius.
One existing solution is to use multi-mode glass optical fiber. The drawbacks of using multi-mode glass optical fiber include the following:
(1) As compared to GbPOF, multi-mode glass optical fiber has the problem that of modal noise in an optical link that uses a gigabit transceiver with high-spectral-purity distributed feedback lasers. The GbPOF has a long chain of polymer in the fiber structure which homogenizes the propagation modes of the high-speed optical signal, eliminating the modal noise concern with the optical signal from distributed feedback lasers.
(2) Multi-mode glass optical fiber has a smaller diameter (about 125 microns) as compare to GbPOF which has a 500-micron diameter. Thus, the multi-mode glass optical fiber is more fragile and easy to be damaged during installation. Glass optical fiber breakage has been a well-known problem that gives rise to high maintenance and installation costs in airplane production.
Another existing solution is to develop customized high-temperature GbPOF. The drawbacks of customized high-temperature GbPOF are the following:
(1) There is no proven polymer fabrication process that has made commercially available GbPOF capable of transmitting data at a high rate at an operating temperature of 100 degrees Celsius (hereinafter "100° C.").
(2) The current commercial fiber optic market's economy of scale is not supporting an infrastructure for a viable supplier of high-temperature GbPOF. As a result, the customized GbPOF is not a solution to the problem of having a reliable supply of high-temperature GbPOF for future high-data-rate avionics systems.
A process capable of extending the operating temperature range of existing commercially available GbPOF would be useful in the manufacture of high-data-rate fiber optical networks.

Process for extending operating temperature range of gigabit plastic optical fiber


Some pin elements may have a substantially circular cross section, forming a circumference-shaped edge. Other pin elements may have a substantially rhomboidal cross section, forming a symmetric rhombus-shaped edge with respect to a radial direction and a circumferential direction orthogonal to this radial direction. Yet other pin elements may have a substantially circular cross section, forming a circumference-shaped edge.

As known, the discs for disc brakes comprise a bell, from which an annular portion extends, referred to as a braking band intended to cooperate with pads of a caliper. In the case of discs of the ventilated type, the braking band is made by means of two plates, facing and connected to each other by means of connecting elements, e.g. in the form of pins or pillars and/or of elongated elements or fins. The other surfaces of the two plates define opposite braking surfaces, while the inner surfaces delimit, together with the pins or the fins, a ventilation channel for cooling the disc, being crossed by the air according to a centrifugal direction during the rotation motion of the disc itself.
It is known that the braking action provided by the pads against the braking surfaces of the disc generate heat, therefore an increase of temperature to the extent of making the disc itself incandescent in the case of particularly demanding performance. Due to the high temperature reached by the disc during braking, the disc is deformed and the contact between the pads and the braking surfaces deteriorates. Furthermore, the friction material of the pads undergoes a sort of vitrification and pollution by the disc material.
Furthermore, it has been found that the highest temperature is reached in a central annular portion of the braking surfaces, i.e. in a central annular portion of the outer surface of the respective plates. During the life of the disc, such a zone is easily subject to the formation of breakages, referred to as cracks.
In order to avoid the drawbacks presented above, the need is thus particularly felt in the sector to increase the efficiency of the heat dispersion generated by the braking, so as to contain the temperatures reached by the disc during and after braking.
For example, solutions are known from documents U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,167, DE4210449, EP0989321, EP0318687, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,152,270, 5,542,503, US2004207108, WO2006105131, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,899,054, 4,928,798, EP0077433, DE3527577, DE4210448, DE2505205, DE3241549, DE2822379, U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,079, EP0082786, FR2620499, EP0109035, U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,214, US2015021128, US2014151167, US2012255821, WO2011058594, US2008302615, WO2007117624, U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,636.
However, these known solutions attempt to solve different needs and do not provide geometries capable of effectively cooling the braking band and of avoiding excessive weakening of the structure of the disc which could imply the onset of cracks. Particularly, the known solutions do not provide improved cooling efficacy and an optimal resistance to the onset of cracks at the same time, the overall mass of the braking face being equal.
The problem underlying the present invention is that of suggesting a braking band of a disc for disc brake of the ventilated type which has such structural and functional features so as to meet the aforesaid while avoiding the drawbacks shown above with reference to the prior art.
The aforesaid needs can be met by virtue of the embodiments of the claimed braking band. In particular, it is possible to have an effective cooling of the braking band with respect to the embodiments of the prior art (e.g. shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) while avoiding the onset of cracks.
By virtue of the embodiments which will be described below, the heat exchange surface is increased (e.g. by 6.7% more than a solution as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) and the heat transfer coefficient is increased (e.g. by 15% more than a solution as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) in the ventilation pipe of the braking band.
By virtue of the embodiments which will be described below, the maximum peaks of the working temperatures of the braking band are reduced, the conditions of use being equal with respect to the solutions of the prior art (e.g. as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10).
By virtue of the embodiments which will be described below, the dissipated thermal power can be increased by 22.7% with respect to a solution of the prior art, as shown for example in FIGS. 9 and 10.
By virtue of the embodiments which will be described below, the aforesaid effects are obtained, the weight of the braking band being equal, e.g. the weight of a braking band as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 being equal.
The known solutions can be applied to different types of braking bands and discs having braking bands made in one piece separate from the bell or in one piece with the bell, such as for road vehicles, off-road vehicles or commercial vehicles.

Braking band of a disc for disc brake of ventilated type


The invention relates to methods for treating and diagnosing hematologic malignancies, Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma in particular, using PD-1 ligands (PD-L1, PD-L2, or anti-PD-1 antibodies).

Hematologic Malignancies
With respect to pathological conditions which involve the immune system, the diversity in the lineages and differentiation stages of hematopoietic cells results in a large number of distinct and heterogeneous tumors generally referred to as hematologic malignancies. Thus, hematologic malignancies or hematologic neoplasia affect cells and tissues of the immune and hematopoietic system, including blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes. Hematologic malignancies include both leukemias and lymphomas.
The term leukemia has generally been used to define hematologic malignancies of the blood or bone marrow characterized by abnormal proliferation of leukocytes. The principal subtypes of leukemia are identified on the basis of malignancy involving lymphoid (e.g. T or B lymphocytic lineage) or myeloid (e.g. granulocytic, erythroid or megakaryocytic lineage) cells, and whether the disease is acute or chronic in onset (Freireich, E. J. et al., 1991).
The term lymphoma covers a heterogeneous group of neoplasms of lymphoid tissue. Lymphomas are broadly categorized under Hodgkin lymphoma, and T-cell (T-NHL) and B-cell (B-NHL) non-Hodgkin lymphomas. A World Health Organization (WHO) classification has recently been published and diagnostic guidelines have been established based on this classification (Jaffe, E. S. et al., 2004; see Tables 2 and 3 hereinafter).
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is a form of lymphocytic leukemia characterized by slow but progressive accumulation of lymphocytes in the bone marrow and blood. Depending on the stage of the disease, lymph node and spleen enlargement occur commonly. Although CLL may be of T cell or B cell origin, over 85% of the cases are of B-cell origin. Current understanding suggests that CLL is a heterogeneous disease originating from B lymphocytes that differ in their activation and maturation states and cellular subgroup (see Kuppers, R., 2005). The disease may result both from decreased apoptosis as well as increased proliferation of the leukemic B cells. CLL cells are usually clonal in origin, and express the following cell surface markers: CD19, CD20, CD21, and CD24. In addition, they express CD5 which is more typically found on T cells (see Chiorazzi, N, et al. 2005) CLL is considered a subgroup of "non-Hodgkin's lymphoma" (NHL) and together with the closely related disease "small lymphocytic lymphoma" (SLL) which presents primarily in the lymph nodes, corresponds to around 20% of all NHL cases.
CLL is the most common leukemia in adults in the US and most of Western Europe. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimate for the incidence of CLL is about 10,000 new cases in the US per year. Clinical manifestations of CLL occur predominantly after the age of 55. The incidence rate for men is higher than for women, with men almost twice as likely to acquire the disease as women.
CLL represents an unmet medical need as there are limited options for treatment.
The most common treatments for NHL are chemotherapy, in particular a combination regimen called CHOP (for Cytoxan, Hydroxyrubicin [Adriamycin], Oncovin [Vincristine], Prednisone), and radiation therapy. In some cases, surgery and bone marrow transplantation have also been used. More recently, there has been an increase in the use of biopharmaceutical agents, especially monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab and alemtuzumab. Other combination approaches include the use of biopharmaceuticals such as rituximab with chemotherapy. Although these treatments have significantly improved the management of B-lymphoid malignancies, among their deficiencies include non-responsiveness of many patients to these regimens (some patients become refractory to some or all these approaches), and the side effects and complications which result from the use of these treatments. Among the most common side effects of chemotherapy are nausea and vomiting (which is generally managed with the use of antiemetics), alopecia (which is generally reversed over time after completion of treatment), and leukopenia, especially neutropenia. Neutropenia generally develops in the second week. During this period, many clinicians recommend prophylactic use of ciprofloxacin. If a fever develops in the neutropenic period, urgent medical assessment is required for neutropenic sepsis, as infections in patients with low neutrophil counts may progress rapidly. With respect to rituximab, first infusion reaction, lymphopenia, infectious complications such as viral reactivation including Hepatitis B and Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), mucocutaneous reactions, and renal complications have been reported. In the case of alemtuzumab, serious hematologic toxicities can occur, including pancytopenia, bone marrow hypoplasia, autoimmune idiopathic thrombocytopenia, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. In some cases, these toxicities can accelerate morbidity and mortality rates.

Method for treating and diagnosing hematologic malignancies


An etching method forms an opening with a substantially vertical profile extending to a stopper layer by performing an etching with a plasma of an etching gas acting on an object to be processed loaded in an evacuable processing vessel, wherein the object has a mask layer of a predetermined pattern, a silicon layer to be etched formed below the mask layer and the stopper layer formed below the silicon layer. The etching method includes a first etching process for forming an opening with a tapered wall surface in the silicon layer by using a first etching gas including a fluorine-containing gas and O2 but not HBr; and a second etching process for etching the opening by using a second etching gas including a fluorine-containing gas, O2 and HBr.

A device of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure is expected to be applicable to micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) as well as various semiconductor devices such as ultra large scale integrated circuits (LSI), for the device is capable of reducing power consumption, while realizing a high speed operation. In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device having an SOI structure, a hole or a trench is formed while a silicon (Si) layer formed on a buried oxide (BOX) layer being etched. At this time, a gaseous mixture of SF6+O2, SF6+O2+SiF4, SF6+C4F8 or the like is used as an etching gas, and the Si layer is etched until the BOX layer with the SOI structure is exposed.
However, when the etching is progressed down to near the BOX layer, there occurs a notching phenomenon, i.e., the etching of the silicon layer progresses in a horizontal direction at an interface between the Si layer and the hard BOX layer. It is believed that this notching phenomenon is caused because a balance in inflow of positive ions and electrons is broken at a bottom portion of a hole or a trench with a high aspect ratio, thereby resulting in an excessive presence of the ions. The excessive inflow of the positive ions makes the BOX layer be positively charged, which in turn causes the path of the positive ions among the incident plasma to be bent, resulting in the etching of the sidewall of the silicon layer or a protective film therefor.
Moreover, in general, etching rate at a central portion of a substrate to be processed is different from that at an edge portion thereof. Thus, when etching a silicon layer of a substrate having an SOI structure by using the above mentioned gas system, if the etching is performed until the etching on a lower etching rate portion of the silicon layer is completed, a higher etching rate portion thereof will be kept being etched even after the BOX layer is exposed, resulting in an overetching on that portion. As a result, notching is further likely to occur.
As a technique to prevent notching, there is proposed an etching method for performing an etching by mixing an etching gas with an additive gas such as silicon tetrachloride containing an element identical to that constituting a thin film to be etched (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. H8-213368, e.g., claim 1: Reference 1).
Further, there is also proposed an etching method which employs SF6+HBr+O2 as a first etchant and HBr+O2 as a second etchant to prevent notching (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,391,788, e.g., claim 1: Reference 2).
In general, in the aspect of improving a throughput, a higher etching rate is preferable and, in case of performing an etching on a substrate to be processed with an SOI structure, it is necessary to conduct the processing at a high etching rate. However, both the above-described conventional etching methods aim at avoiding notching at the expense of the etching rate. For example, in Reference 1, though prevention of notching is attempted by forming a protective film through an addition of silicon tetrachloride, the etching rate decreases inevitably due to the presence of the protective film. Further, in the method disclosed in Reference 2, since a gas containing HBr, which forms deposits readily, is used as a first etchant, its etching rate may be in a range between 2 and 4 μm/min at the most, and an etching rate of a second etchant is also as low as 6000 to 8000 Å/min. Accordingly, although the conventional methods for avoiding notching succeed in preventing notching, they have difficulty in finding practical applications, because their etching rates are excessively low.

Etching method and computer-readable storage medium


The door actuator generally has a receiving structure having a door carriage path; a first coil assembly and a second coil assembly both being mounted to the receiving structure along a common coil assembly plane and being longitudinally spaced from one another along the door carriage path by a spacing distance; and a door carriage being slidingly received by the receiving structure, the door carriage having a plurality of alternate-pole magnets provided along a magnet plane being parallel and spaced apart from the coil assembly plane, the first and second coil assemblies being operable to move the door carriage back and forth between the two ends of the rail.

Transit vehicles are generally provided with a door rail system being actuated by an actuator for opening and closing a door.
The door rail system is mounted to a car body of the transit vehicle adjacent the actuator. An example of a conventional actuator includes an endless screw assembly which can rotate about a rotation axis thereof. This conventional actuator converts rotary motion into linear motion using a carriage threadingly mounted to the endless screw assembly. By mechanically connecting the carriage of the conventional actuator with the door rail system, the linear motion can cause the door to move. In selecting an actuator system, one typically takes into consideration the factors of costs, durability, weight, volume (footprint), maintenance and power consumption.
Although the conventional use of the door rail system and of the actuator has been satisfactory to a certain degree, there remained room for improvement.

Door actuators, integrated door actuator and method of operating a door actuator of a transit vehicle


A method for plating tin or a tin alloy on a substrate such that whiskers are prevented form forming or the number of whickers is reduced in number as well as size.

The present invention is directed to an improved tin and tin alloy plating method that inhibits whisker formation. More specifically, the method of the present invention is directed to an improved tin and tin alloy plating method that inhibits whisker formation by an etching method and employing a copper metal coating.
Metal filaments, usually called whiskers, sometimes grow spontaneously from tin, zinc, or cadmium coatings within a period after production that may vary from days to years at a rate, which may reach 1 mm/month but is usually much less. Commonly, the growths are in the form of straight or kinked single crystals of 1-2 microns (μm) in diameter and grow from their bases, but other forms have been observed.
The growths do not affect the protective quality of the coatings, however, experience has shown that whiskers are fully capable of producing damaging short circuits in electronic equipment. Although most whiskers have diameters of only 1 to 2 μm, some have been found to carry a current of 10 mA (milliamperes) before burning out. The number of instances of trouble reported or suspected has increased over the years. More knowledge observation now identifies whiskers as a cause of failure when previously their presence might not have been suspected, but causes for a real increase are closer spacings between conductors and increased use of bright tin coatings.
Early reports of failures of electronic equipment were concerned mainly with internal faults in components such as relays but instances now occur of bridging the gaps on printed circuit and wiring boards, sometimes by whiskers falling from components but also by growths from the circuit itself. This trouble has often been associated with bright deposits but growth from chemical replacement coating of tin has also been reported; their limited thickness probably makes them vulnerable. Experience has not pointed to any environmental factors as especially influential although whiskers are seen more often on components that are sealed up and undisturbed, including those kept in storage, probably because there is a lesser chance of their removal by mechanical detachment.
An example of one such electronic component that has been subject to whisker formation is the lead frame. Devices such as integrated circuits are mechanically and electrically connected to larger assemblies via lead frames. The integrated circuit or other device is mechanically mounted on the lead frame, and the device is then electrically connected to the leads on the lead frame. The lead frame is then electrically and mechanically connected to a larger assembly. After the device is mounted on the lead frame, the device is encapsulated for protection. The process for mounting and electrically interconnecting the device to the lead frame and connecting the lead frame to a larger assembly includes steps for device attachment, cure, wirebonding, encapsulation, trim-and-forming, and soldering. Some of these steps subject the metal lead frame to mechanical stress and strain, which is believed to result in the undesirable formation of whiskers. For example, when the leads of the lead frame are formed according to the industrial standard, the forming angle is from 82 to 90 degrees and the forming radius is 250 μm.
Lead frames have been formed from a variety of materials. Lead frame materials are selected for their mechanical strength, conductivity, machinability, formability, corrosion resistance, wirebondability, solderability, and thermal expansion. Although gold and palladium have the desired characteristics, the cost of these materials makes their use prohibitive for many applications. Copper and copper alloys also have many advantageous properties that make them suited for this application. A number of different copper alloys may be used including alloy 151 (99.9 wt. % copper/0.1 wt. % zirconium); alloy 194 (97.5 wt. % copper/2.35 wt. % iron/0.03 wt. % phosphorous/0.12 wt. % zinc); and alloy 7025 (96.2 wt. % copper/3.0 wt. % nickel/0.65 wt. % silicon/0.15 wt. % magnesium). However, corrosion of copper in air and the difficulty of forming suitable soldered connections to copper create a need to use coated copper lead frames. Coating of lead frames provides corrosion protection and provides suitable solderable surfaces. An example of another suitable metal alloy for a lead frame is an iron-nickel alloy such as alloy 42 (58 wt. % iron and 42 wt. % nickel). However, corrosion of this metal alloy in air also precludes the use of the uncoated alloy as a lead frame.
A suitable coating for such metal lead frames is tin or a tin alloy. However, tin or a tin alloy plated on the lead frame may form whiskers. Whisker formation is especially noticeable at points of stress and strain in the lead frames. Early literature (see S. C. Britton, Trans. Inst. Metal Finishings, 52, 95 (1974)) alleged that copper undercoats may reduce tin whiskering, however, recent studies (see Keith Whitlaw & Jeff Crosby, Proceedings—AESF SUR/FIN Annual International Technical conference, (2002) have clearly shown that copper undercoats may accelerate whisker growth substantially. In some cases tin or tin alloy deposits, which exhibit low tendency to formation of whiskers in the absence of copper undercoat, may rapidly produce high population densities of long tin whiskers when a copper undercoat is applied to a substrate. Workers in the art attribute whisker formation due to copper underlayers to copper crystal orientation of predominantly 111 (Miller Index). Predominantly means that 60% or greater of the copper crystal orientation at the deposit surface has a Miller Index of 111. Accordingly, there is a need for a method to prevent or at least reduce whisker formation on tin or tin alloy coated substrates.


The present invention relates to a medicament which is useful for neurodegenerative diseases, which comprises about 1 to about 5 equivalents of a basic metal ion based on 1 equivalent of (2R)-2-propyloctanoic acid or a salt thereof, which is supplied from a metal salt of weak acid or a metal hydroxide, and optionally further comprises an additive. The medicament of the present invention is a medicament which a pH of suitable for intravenous administration, is resistant to fluctuations of the pH and is not clouded when it is dissolved in an infusion, and an injection and the like can be prepared therefrom by using any dissolving liquid and/or dilution liquid.

Patients with cerebral stroke in general are often taken to hospitals only after they fall unconscious due to cerebral infarction or cerebral hemorrhage, and such a patient with cerebral stroke receives treatment unavoidably while remaining unconscious. Therefore, a medicament administered for the treatment of such a disease is preferably a preparation suitable for parenteral administration such as an injection. Particularly, in an expectation of rapid expression of the effect, it is preferably an injection for intravenous administration. At present, Radicut (edaravone) and t-PA, which are used as agents for treating cerebral infarction, are all injections for intravenous administration.
Meanwhile, it is well known that the most important factor for a medicament is stability, since such a product is necessarily subjected to a long-term stability test lasting for several months in the development stage. Generally, a chemical substance is more stable in the solid state rather than the liquid state and as a solution in a high concentration rather than that in a low concentration. Thus, even for certain medicaments that should be administered to patients as dilute solutions, many of them are supplied in a more stable form, which can be administered to a patient only after being subjected to the operation of dissolution or dilution at the time of use by means of direct manipulation of a person involved in medical services such as a doctor or a nurse. An injection, in particular, can be stored for longer periods of time and can have more stable quality when it is supplied in the form of a liquid in a high concentration such as an enriched injection or a concentrated injection, or in the solid form such as a lyophilized preparation.
Meanwhile, as examples of an injection comprising (2R)-2-propyloctanoic acid or a salt thereof, which is useful as an agent for treating or preventing various cerebral nerve diseases including cerebral stroke, the injections described in the following have been reported.
A pentanoic acid derivative which is useful as an agent for cerebral function improvement is known to be used as an injection, upon mixing with at least one inert aqueous diluting agent (distilled water for injection, saline, etc.) or at least one inert non-aqueous diluting agent (propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, etc.) (see, for example, the specifications of EP 0632008 and EP 1174131). These publications describe that an injection can further comprise auxiliaries such as a preservative, a wetting agent, an emulsifier, a dispersing agent, a stabilizing agent and a solubilizing aid.
However, there is not available any known literature that specifically discloses an injection comprising (2R)-2-propyloctanoic acid or a salt thereof, or any report on a medicament comprising (2R)-2-propyloctanoic acid or a salt thereof in a high concentration for the formulation of an injection.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Drug containing (2R)-2-propyloctanoic acid as the active ingredient


A semiconductor device disclosed herein comprises: a first base region which is of a first conductivity type; a second base region which is of a second conductivity type and which is selectively formed on a major surface of the first base region; a stopper region which is of a first conductivity type and which is formed on the major surface of the first base region, the stopper region being a predetermined distance away from the second base region and surrounding the second base region; and a ring region which is of a second conductivity type which is formed on the major surface of the first base region between the second base region and the stopper region, the ring region being spirally around the second base region and electrically connected to the second base region and the stopper region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a junction termination structure of a semiconductor device such as a diode, a MOSFET, an IGBT, a thyristor, and a transistor.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 11 is a plane diagram showing the structure of a related semiconductor device, taking a power diode having high-breakdown voltage as an example. FIG. 12 is a cross sectional diagram taken along the A–A′ line in the plane diagram in FIG. 11. As is seen in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, this semiconductor device includes an N-type base region 1, a P-type base region 2, an N-type cathode region 3, an anode electrode 4, a cathode electrode 5, P-type ring regions 8, and an N-type stopper region 6. A stopper electrode 7 is further formed on a major surface of the stopper region 6. An insulation film 10 is formed on a major surface of the base region 1 between the stopper electrode 7 and the anode electrode 4. This insulation film 10 is not formed on the ring regions 8, but gaps are formed on the ring regions 8, and ring electrodes 9 are formed to fill these gaps.
The N-type base region 1, the P-type base region 2, the N-type cathode region 3, the anode electrode 4, and the cathode electrode 5 constitute a diode portion, and the P-type ring regions 8 and the N-type stopper region 6 constitute a junction termination relaxing portion. Note that FIG. 11 shows the plane diagram in which the anode electrode 4, the ring electrode 9, the insulation film 10, and the stopper electrode 7 are omitted.
Further, as a semiconductor device of a high-breakdown-voltage planar P-i-N diode, the structure shown in FIG. 21 is well known. As shown in FIG. 21, the semiconductor device includes an N− base region 101, an N+ cathode region 102, a P anode region 103, a guard ring 104, field limiting rings 105, a channel stopper 106, a cathode electrode 107, and an anode electrode 108. Further, an insulation film 211 is formed on a termination region 110 surrounding the guard ring 104, and an electrode 109 is formed on the channel stopper 106.
When a voltage is applied between the anode electrode 108 and the cathode electrode 107 so as to reverse-bias a pn-junction formed by the N− base region 101 and the P anode region 103, a depletion region expands in the N− base region 101 from this pn-junction toward the cathode electrode 107. The depletion region also expands from the guard ring 104 at the same time, but when the depletion region reaches the field limiting ring 105a, a potential of the field limiting ring 105a is fixed at a value at this instant, and the depletion region starts to expand from the field limiting ring 105a. Thus, potentials of the field limiting rings 105 are subsequently fixed and the depletion region expands from the field limiting rings 105, thereby relaxing an electric field strength in an edge portion of the guard ring 104, so that a high breakdown voltage is obtainable. Therefore, with the increase in breakdown voltage, the number of the field limiting rings 105 needs to be increased.
FIG. 22 shows the electric field right under the insulation film 211 when the pn-junction formed by the N− base region 101 and the P anode region 103 is reverse-biased. The sum of areas of the portions indicated by hatching in FIG. 22 is a reverse bias voltage.
In the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, a high break down voltage is obtained by the optimum design (layout) of the P-type ring regions 8, but in this method, as an applied voltage becomes higher, the number of the P-type ring regions 8 also needs to be increased, which has posed a problem of difficulty in optimum design. Generally, the potentials of the P-type ring regions 8 are not fixed, and when a high voltage is applied, the design for uniformly dispersing the electric field, namely, the design of the number of the P-type ring regions 8 and the intervals therebetween is more difficult for a higher-breakdown-voltage product. For example, when 1000 V is applied to the stopper electrode 7 and the cathode electrode 5 and 0 V is applied to the anode electrode 4, this 1000 V voltage is divided among the P-type ring regions 8 in order to maintain the breakdown voltage between the stopper electrode 7 and the anode electrode 4, but it is difficult to specify a numerical value of the voltage of each of the P-type ring regions 8, which makes the design of the breakdown voltage extremely difficult.
In addition, even when appropriate design is achieved, there still remains such a problem that, if an interface state due to heavy metal contamination and so on is generated on an interface between the surface insulation film 10 and the N-type base region 1, the optimum conditions are not satisfied. Therefore, such a semiconductor device also confronts a problem of being susceptible to a disturbance in a fabrication process.
Further, the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 21 has such a problem that, as is seen from FIG. 22, the electric field is not generated in the field limiting rings 105 since they themselves are not depleted, which necessitates increasing the length of a termination region (termination length) in order to attain a predetermined breakdown voltage. Therefore, the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 21 has such a problem that, since the number of the field limiting rings 105 has to be increased in order to attain a high breakdown voltage, a termination length L becomes longer as the breakdown voltage becomes higher, so that the area of the P anode region 103 serving as an actual current path becomes smaller even with the same chip area, which worsens a on-state characteristic.


An optical fiber interconnect system wherein the adapter is connected to and released from the holder and the connector is connected to and released from adapter through two push-release connection and release mechanisms. The connector is engaged with the adapter by applying an insertion force to the connector. The connector is released by applying a releasing force to the connection mechanism on the adapter. The system of the invention includes a holder for attachment of the adapter to a front panel. A release opening is provided on the holder for the release of the adapter from the holder from the front of the panel so as to provide access to the back connector.

Optical fibers are used for high speed communications and data transmission. Optical fiber connectors are used to provide means for quickly coupling and uncoupling the ends of the fibers in a quick-release fashion. Optical fiber connectors are interconnected by adapters which not only interconnect a pair of opposing optical fiber connectors, but also align the optical fibers to prevent transmission losses at the interconnecting interface.
In the fiber optics field, the need frequently arises to transfer light from one fiber to another either permanently or temporarily. Optical connector plugs or connectors are one of the solutions used for this purpose. Fibers terminated with optical connector plugs can be coupled together and disconnected when necessary, either to end the connection or to route the light to a different fiber. Optical connector plugs can be of the single or multiple fiber variety. Single fiber connector plugs (simplex connector plugs) provide the connection of only one fiber to another single fiber. In multiple fiber connector plugs, several fibers are simultaneously coupled with another set of similar fibers. The invention here disclosed applies primarily to multi-fiber applications.
Traditionally, in multi-fiber connectors, the connection is achieved by the use of MT-type ferrules. The ferrules, which may be manufactured mostly from plastic, have a number of channels of a diameter slightly larger than the optical fiber. It is appreciated that the ferrules may be manufactured from materials other than plastic including, but not limited to ceramics, metal and glass and not depart from the scope of the present invention. In use, the optical fibers are inserted into the channels and maintained fixed therein by the use of adhesives such as, but not limited to, epoxy, or mechanical clamping. The ends of the fibers are preferably made to be flush or protrude slightly from the end surfaces of the ferrule and are then terminated, generally by a polishing procedure or other means that provides a very smooth surface of optical quality.
Two connectors may be mated using an adapter. Each connector preferably comprises the ferrule and a ferrule holder. One of the two mated connectors usually has a ferrule with a pair of alignment pins, while the other connector has a ferrule with a pair of alignment holes. Modern fiber optic connectors usually have a spring mechanism that pushes the ferrules towards one another with a controlled force in order to achieve physical contact of both of the ferrules' ends, thereby improving the optical performance of the connection.
Keeping fiber optic connector plugs free from contaminants such as dirt or dust is very important. Dirt or dust on fiber ends can scatter or absorb light, causing excessive loss of signal and corresponding poor system performance. Presence of contaminants inside the connector plug could cause axial misalignment with similar consequences. Likewise, because of the intensity of the light being transferred, it is important to shelter users from unintended viewing thereof, so as to prevent eye injury.
There is also a continuously increasing demand for higher density interconnect systems in fiber optics applications. The introduction by the present invention of a multi-fiber connector with the standard MT type ferrule has resulted in a small multi-fiber connector/adapter system with a push-release mechanism that allows for very high density configurations.
The push-release interconnect system of this invention is so small that it cannot be operated by using the user's fingers when used in crowded panels. Instead, a stylus-like object, like the end of a paper clip or end of a ball point can be used. While the examples described herein shown are based on an MT-type ferrule, the push-release mechanism of the present invention includes and can be used with single channel systems with ceramic ferrules as well as for duplex and multi-channel designs. It can likewise be used in single, duplex and custom configurations. The present invention is directed to providing a unique optical fiber interconnect system including a push-release mechanism associated with the adapter and connector.

High density fiber optic interconnect system with push-release mechanism and method for using same