A method for testing a component configured to be installed in a plasma processing system. The method includes providing an ATAC (Automated Test and Characterization) fixture, which includes a system control software package ( SCS) that is representative of production system control software, a data manager module configured to obtain specification data from a database over a computer network, a test manager module configured to execute a set of tests designed to test the component, a SCS interface engine configured to provide the set of tests to the SCS, and a data analysis module configured to provide computer-implemented data analysis tool for analyzing test data obtained from the testing the component. The method also includes coupling the ATAC fixture to the component to enable the SCS in the ATAC fixture to test the component utilizing the set of tests and at least a portion of the specification data.

Advances in plasma processing have provided for growth in the semiconductor industry. Before a plasma processing system (such as a plasma cluster tool) is set up at a customer's site, a series of quality control tests may be performed. Data from these quality control tests may be collected and stored for future analysis.
Generally, a multitude of quality control tests may be performed on the plasma cluster tool and its various components before the plasma cluster tool is sent to a customer from a manufacturer. As discussed herein, a plasma cluster tool refers to a plasma processing system that may have a plurality of modules (e.g., processing module, transfer module, etc.) and may have a plurality of subsystems (e.g., RF match, gas box, TCP match, bias match, etc.). For ease of discussion, the term "component" will be used to refer to an atomic or a multi-part assembly in a plasma cluster tool. Thus, a component may be as simple as a gas line or may be as complex as the entire process module. A multi-part component (such as a process module) may be formed from other multi-part components (such as a vacuum system, a gas system, a power supply system, etc), which may in turn be formed from other multi-part or atomic components.
The various components of a plasma cluster tool may be manufactured by more than one party. For example, a manufacturer of plasma cluster tool, such as Lam Research Corporation of Fremont, Calif., typically utilizes components from a number of third-party suppliers in the manufacturing of a plasma cluster tool. In fact, such practice is standard in the semiconductor processing equipment field since it permits companies to focus on their strengths while delegating tasks outside of their fields of interest or expertise to other companies.
Currently, a standard testing framework for components does not exist. The tests may be performed by the manufacturer and/or by a third-party. Tests performed internally allow the manufacturer some control on the testing methodology. However, tests that may have been outsourced to a third-party give the manufacturer limited or no control over the tests that are being performed.
To facilitate discussion, FIG. 1A shows an example of a plasma cluster tool with a process module 102 and a transfer module 111. Within process module 102 are components 106 and 108 (e.g., gas box and RF match). Attached to process module 102 is a test fixture 112 (e.g., LamWorks), which may enable the entire process module 102 to be tested. Additional test fixtures (e.g., LamWorks-based test fixture 104 and Nyker Labview test fixture 110) are attached to components 106 and 108.
As discussed herein, a test fixture refers to hardware with a software interface that allows a component to be tested in a simulated processing environment. For example, a test fixture for an AC/DC box may enable the tester to test the wiring connection, the power components, etc. In some instances, a test fixture may not exist for a component. In FIG. 1A, a test fixture is not available for transfer module 111. Thus, testing transfer module 111 may have to be performed manually using paper procedures. With paper procedures, the quality of the test may be dependent upon a tester's skills and discretion. Furthermore, the procedures may be subjected to the tester's interpretation. In some cases, a tester may not always perform all steps completely. In other cases, a tester may fabricate data. Thus, test results may be inconsistent and lack integrity.
FIG. 1B shows a chart of the components in FIG. 1A and the testing architecture associated with these components. For process module 102, test fixture 112 (e.g., LamWorks) produced internally by the manufacturer is attached. Tests that are performed using test fixtures created by the manufacturer may allow the manufacturer some control of the testing methodology that may be used. In an example, the manufacturer may be able to determine the control logic that each test fixture may employ in testing the components. Further, since each test fixture may be able to log and store the data (e.g., in a SQL database) on the test fixture, the manufacturer may have access to the electronic version of the data that are gathered, thus enabling the manufacturer the ability to manipulate the data for analysis. However, the reporting, or access to the report, may be limited to an intranet or a paper printout.
In another example, test fixture 106 (e.g., LamWorks) attached to component 106 (e.g., RF Match) is internally created but may have been sent off-site to a third-party to test the component. Even though the manufacturer may provide the test fixtures, the manufacturer generally may have limited or no control over the tests that may be performed off-site by the third party. Further, the manufacturer may be unable to readily access the test data for tests performed off-site. Instead, the manufacturer may only receive paper printouts or image copies of the test data.
In some situations, testing may be performed utilizing test fixtures that may have been created by third-party suppliers. In an example, test fixture 110 (e.g., Nyker using LabView) attached to component 108 (e.g., gas box) may be created by a third-party. Since the test fixtures are created by a third party, the manufacturers may not have control over the control logic that may be employed for the test fixtures. In these situations, the manufacturers are usually dependent upon the testers using test fixtures created by third-party suppliers to perform good tests and collect relevant data on the components. Further, the manufacturers may usually have limited access to the test data performed off-site, especially if the data is provided to the manufacturer in a paper or image format. As a result, the manufacturer may experience difficulties manipulating the data for analysis.
Generally, the control system may employ different control logic during the testing and production environment. As a result, the test environment may be unable to replicate what may happen in the production environment. For example, it is not unusual for changes to be occurring in the control system as a plasma cluster tool is being manufactured. However, the changes may not always be propagated to all the testers. As a result, the testers may not have all the data to create an environment that resembles the production environment. Further, there may have been changes in the various components, but the manufacturer may not have been informed to accommodate the changes. As a result, changes may unnoticeable until the plasma cluster tool is in the field.
In some cases, a component, such as transfer module 111, may not have a test fixture associated with the component. In situations where there are no test fixtures, the tester may have to rely on paper procedures to perform tests on a component. The test methodology for this situation is usually dependent upon the skill and knowledge of the tester. Furthermore, the procedures may be subjected to interpretation by the tester. Also, the tester may not always perform all steps completely. Thus, the data collected may be dependent upon the discretion of the tester. For example, the tester may choose not to perform a thorough test (such as skipping some of the steps) or the tester may choose to bypass the test and fabricate the data. Thus, test results may be inconsistent and may lack integrity. Manufacturers may have difficulties validating the accuracy of the test data, especially since the test data may be stored on paper.
Since a wide range of test methodologies may be employed, manufacturers may be unable to provide their customers with the assurance that consistent quality has been employed in testing the plasma cluster tools and components. Given the lack of testing standards, the data that may be gathered may differ in substance and quality depending upon the testing methodology and the tester. Also, an integrated test is not possible since a tester is usually limited to the component he/she is testing. Further, the reports that are produced from the testing may vary by format and substance. In an example, manufacturers may have access to the electronic test data if the testing is done internally. In another example, manufacturers may only have access to paper copy or an image copy of the test data if the testing is done off-site.
Given that test data may not be in a format that can be easily manipulated for data analysis, manufacturers may not have the resources or time available to dedicate to analyzing test data. Thus, unless a problem is obvious, test data may not be analyzed unless a problem arises in the production environment. Even then, the lack of effective tools to analyze the data may make debugging a problem an overwhelming task and traceability a challenge.

Automated test and characterization data analysis methods and arrangement


A long composite which includes a long carrier film and a green ceramic layer continuously formed thereon along its longitudinal direction is prepared and continuously guided successively to a printing station, a drying station and a punching station while being maintained in the long configuration. A conductor film is printed on the green ceramic layer with conductive paste in the printing station, the printed conductor film is dried in the drying station, and the green ceramic layer provided with the conductor film is punched while being registered with the conductor film and separated from the carrier film in the punching station, whereby a ceramic green sheet for a laminated ceramic electronic component is extracted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for manufacturing a ceramic green sheet which is employed for a laminated ceramic electronic component.
2. Description of the Background Art
A laminated ceramic electronic component such as a laminated ceramic capacitor, a laminated inductor or a multilayer circuit board, for example, is obtained by stacking ceramic green sheets. A laminated ceramic capacitor, which is the most typical example of such a laminated ceramic electronic component, has generally been manufactured in the following manner:
(1) A mother sheet of green ceramic is punched into a rectangular form, to obtain a ceramic green sheet for stacking. PA1 (2) Internal electrodes are printed on the rectangular ceramic green sheet. PA1 (3) The printed internal electrodes are dried. PA1 (4) A plurality of such ceramic green sheets, which are provided with internal electrodes of a first pattern, are alternately stacked with those provided with internal electrodes of a second pattern, which is different from the first pattern. PA1 (5) The stacked green sheets are aligned on the basis of their outlines. PA1 (6) The formed laminate of the ceramic green sheets is introduced into a die assembly and pressurized. PA1 (7) The laminate is cut into chips for forming independent laminated ceramic capacitors. Then steps of firing the chips and forming external electrodes thereon are carried out to obtain a desired laminated ceramic capacitor.
In the aforementioned method of manufacturing a laminated ceramic capacitor, the internal electrodes are printed in the step (2) after the rectangular ceramic green sheet is obtained in the step (1). If misregistration internal electrodes with respect to the outsides of the chips will be occurs in the step of printing the internal electrodes, therefore, such misregistration of the carried over to the final product, since such ceramic green sheets are stacked on the basis of their outlines in the step (5). Thus, the laminated ceramic capacitors formed in this way are prone to have variations or statistical dispersion in their capacitance.
In the step (5), the stacked ceramic green sheets are registered by means of vibration or another known method so that the outlines thereof are aligned with each other. However, it is impossible to improve stacking accuracy since the ceramic green sheets are relatively inferior in mechanical strength. This also leads to dispersion of the acquired capacitances of the final chips, particularly in laminated ceramic capacitors.
Further, the capacitance acquired by each laminated ceramic capacitor is substantially determined at the step (2). In the step (2), the internal electrodes are printed on the ceramic green sheet which has already been punched into a rectangular outline, and such ceramic green sheets are aligned in the stacked state on the basis of the outlines in the step (5). Thus, it is impossible to arbitrarily change the capacitance acquired by the formed laminated ceramic capacitor, since the ceramic green sheets are provided with internal electrodes having the same types of patterns. In order to obtain a plurality of types of laminated ceramic capacitors having different capacitances, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of types of ceramic green sheets having different patterns of internal electrodes in the step (2).
While it is necessary to directly handle the ceramic green sheet in the steps (2) to (5), the difficulty of such handling is increased as the thickness of the ceramic green sheet is reduced.

Method for manufacturing ceramic green sheet laminate for an electronic component


A fuel cell is formed by stacking membrane electrode assemblies and metal separators. The metal separator is formed by adhering and joining together an anode separator and a cathode separator. In the metal separator, a step is provided on an outer circumferential end of the cathode separator, the step being spaced from an outer circumferential end of the anode separator. An adhesive layer is formed on the step between the outer circumferential end of the cathode separator and the outer circumferential end of the anode separator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel cell formed by stacking membrane electrode assemblies and separators. Each of the membrane electrode assemblies includes a pair of electrodes and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the electrodes. Further, the present invention relates to an apparatus for producing such a fuel cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell employs a solid polymer electrolyte membrane. The solid polymer electrolyte membrane is a polymer ion exchange membrane. In the fuel cell, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane is interposed between an anode and a cathode to form a membrane electrode assembly (electrolyte electrode assembly) (MEA). The anode and the cathode each includes an electrolyte catalyst layer and porous carbon. The membrane electrode assembly is sandwiched between separators (bipolar plates) to form a unit cell. In use, generally, a predetermined number of unit cells are stacked together to form a fuel cell stack, which is mounted in a vehicle, for example.
The separators include an anode side separator having a fuel gas flow field facing the anode for allowing a fuel gas to flow along the anode, and a cathode side separator having an oxygen-containing gas flow field facing the cathode for allowing an oxygen-containing gas to flow along the cathode. The anode side separator and the cathode side separator overlap each other to form a coolant flow field for allowing a coolant to flow along the anode side separator and the cathode side separator.
Therefore, in particular, in the case of producing a fuel cell stack mounted in a vehicle, a considerably large number of membrane electrode assemblies, anode side separators, and cathode side separators need to be prepared individually. Thus, operations for handling such parts are complicated, assembly performance of the fuel cell stack is low, and the fuel cell stack cannot be produced efficiently.
In this regard, for example, a fuel cell disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-176490 is known. As shown in FIG. 13, such a fuel cell includes a first separator plate 2 and a second separator plate 4. The first separator plate 2, which is made of a porous material, has a fuel gas flow field 1 for supplying a fuel gas to a fuel electrode. The second separator plate 4, which also is made of a porous material, has an oxygen-containing gas flow field 3 for supplying an oxygen-containing gas to an oxygen-containing gas electrode.
The first separator plate 2 and the second separator plate 4 are attached together to form a coolant water flow field 5 between the first separator plate 2 and the second separator plate 4. An adhesive sheet 6 is attached to side surfaces of the first separator plate 2 and the second separator plate 4. An adhesive is not applied to surfaces where the first separator plate 2 and the second separator plate 4 are attached together.
Thus, according to the disclosure, when water in the coolant water flow field 5 moves from the fuel gas flow field 1 to the oxygen-containing gas flow field 3, a water repellent adhesive does not prevent movement of water.

Fuel cell and apparatus for producing fuel cell


A frictional weld joint couples first and second body portions of an article together. The frictional weld joint comprises a first bead extending from the first body portion of the article and a second bead extending from the second body portion of the article. The second bead has an interior stem and an exterior stem space from the interior stem defining a cavity therebetween. The first and second beads are placed in contact with each other with the centerline of the second bead offset from the centerline of the first bead. A force is applied to either the first or second body portions to generate friction between the first and second beads to plastically displace the first and second beads. The force is removed for fusing the first and second beads together to couple together the first and the second body portions of the article.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an article. More specifically, the invention relates to a frictional weld joint for an article, which comprises a thermoplastic material.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of frictional weld joints for coupling together first and second body portions of an article is known in the art. A typically frictional weld joint comprises a first bead extending from the first body portion and a second bead extending from the second body portion. Each of the first and second beads of the typically frictional weld joint has a contact surface. The contact surfaces of the first and second beads are placed into contact with each other and a force is applied to the first body portion to generate friction at the contact surface of the first and second beads. The first and second beads are made from a thermoplastic material and the friction results in an increased temperature of the thermoplastic material. As a result of the increased temperature of the thermoplastic material, the first and second beads nest with one another. Subsequently, the force is removed from the first body portion for allowing the thermoplastic material to cool, which results in the first and second beads fusing together.
However, as the force is being applied, small amounts of the thermoplastic material break off from the first and second beads as flash. Small amounts of flash may be beneficial as a way of clearing the contact surfaces of dirt and sediment that might interfere with the fusing of the first and second beads. However, large amounts of flash result in waste and therefore increase manufacturing cost. Additionally, large amounts of flash can also interfere with the frictional weld joint thereby decreasing a strength of the frictional weld joint. Additionally, the flash generated may become loose during the intended life of the article resulting in failure of the frictional weld joint and possibly other components. For example, in the case of air intake manifolds, the flash may become loose and can mix with an air-fuel mixture and eventually get into the engine system, which is undesirable. Furthermore, the generation of flash is an indication of heat losses during the nesting of the first and second beads, which can potentially have a negative impact on a desired total penetration to be achieved by the first and second beads and therefore should be minimized as a good manufacturing practice. Therefore, there remains a need to provide an improved frictional weld joint.

Frictional weld joint for an article comprising a thermoplastic material


A fluid (liquid or water) wash is used to clean the front surface of an ink jet printer cartridge. In addition, a nozzle plate that overlies the nozzle shields the nozzle array from the splatter of ink. In ink jet printers, ink droplets are propelled from an array of orifices in a nozzle plate in the printer head. During the ink droplet ejection, ink is sprayed or deposited around the orifices. The ink droplets are deposited on a paper web adjacent the nozzle and mist from the droplets drifts back to coat the face of the nozzle plate. Some ink seeps behind the nozzle plate onto the array of nozzle orifices. The ink coating attracts particles that tend to clog the nozzle orifices. The ink coating is washed away by fluid streams that flow over the nozzle surface and in some embodiments flow over the nozzle orifices themselves. The fluid may be water, ink or other liquid that is channelled across the nozzle surface, or the fluid may be an air stream that blows across the nozzle surface.

Drop-on-demand ink-jet and bubble-jet printers (collectively referred to as ink jet printers) propel fine ink droplets from nozzles onto a paper substrate adjacent the nozzle. Examples of these types of printers are the Cannon nozzles known as BCO1 and BCO2. By precisely controlling the trajectory and the time of ejection of the ink droplets, the ink jet nozzles print clear dots on paper. To achieve precise positioning of droplets of ink, ink jet nozzles must provide clear and clean orifices for the droplets to pass through as they fly from the nozzle to the surface of the paper. In a conventional drop-on-demand ink jet nozzle, there is an array of several orifices on the face of the nozzle from which the ink droplets are propelled. During printing, ink is ejected out of selected orifices in the array to form the desired images on the paper. The flight of the ink droplets and especially their impact on the paper surface creates a fine mist of ink that coats the surface of the nozzle. Also, during the ejection of the droplets, extraneous ink is sprayed and deposited on the nozzle face adjacent the orifices. This moist ink coating attracts paper fiber, dust, grit and other types of particles that can obstruct the nozzle orifices and block the ink droplets being sprayed from the nozzle. Also, the extraneous ink can build up such that it blocks the orifices. Accordingly, there is a need to regularly clean the nozzle plate of ink jet printers so that the array of orifices remains clear of ink and particles that would otherwise interfere with the printing of ink on the paper.
In the past, ink jet printers have been cleaned by wiper mechanisms that clean the nozzle plates and orifices. Between print jobs, the printer head moves away from the paper web to a cleaning station where is slides against a cleaning wiper. These wipers squeegee across the face of the nozzle plate and the openings of the orifices to remove particles that may be obstructing ink in the nozzles. Because the wipers themselves temporarily obstruct the nozzles, the wipers are used only when the ink jet printer is not printing. For example, a wiper may be positioned at the far edges of a carriage path, beyond the edges of the paper held adjacent the carriage path. An example of a wiping system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,765, entitled "Ink Jet Recording Apparatus Having Cleaning Means For Cleaning A Recording Head".
Wipers have proven generally acceptable for desk top printing applications where each individual print job is relatively short and the times between when the print nozzles are wiped clean are relatively brief. In a typical desk-top ink-jet printer the carriage with the ink jet printing head can be shifted to a cleaning station after each print operation. Thus, in the usual desk top application, the printing nozzles are cleaned frequently by conventional wipers and tend not to clog with particles.
With continuous web-feed printing, the print nozzle is required to constantly print for many hours. This is unlike typical desk-top printing applications in which each printing operation is conducted in a relatively short period of time. Shifting the print head to a cleaning station away from the paper to be printed necessarily interrupts the printing operation of a continuous printer. While these interruptions do not substantially interfere with typical desk top print jobs, they do interfere with commercial printing of continuous webs. In this regard, conventional ink jet print heads have been found to require cleaning for every 30 to 60 minutes of continuous printing. Remote cleaning stations for ink jet printers are undesirable for commercial continuous printers because the print operation must be interrupted every one-half hour to one hour to clean the nozzles. Accordingly, there is a long-felt need for an apparatus and method for cleaning an ink jet nozzle without interrupting a print job.
Other prior art techniques for cleaning the nozzle face of an ink printer are to blow air at or around the ink nozzles to blow particles off the nozzle face or prevent particles from adhering to the nozzle face. Some of these techniques have included using ionized air to neutralize the static charges on dust particles that attract the dust to the nozzles. These techniques have achieved only partial success as is reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,706, entitled "Method And Apparatus For Eliminating Dust From Ink Jet Printers." While blowing air at the nozzles can be accomplished as the nozzles are spraying ink, the turbulent air flow caused by the prior art blowers disrupts the trajectory of the ink droplets to the paper. Given that the prior systems for cleaning ink jet nozzles have been less than satisfactory, there has been a long felt-need for a technique for effectively cleaning the nozzles. That need was not fully satisfied until the current invention.
The current invention relates to a technique for cleaning an ink jet nozzle with a fluid, such as water or air, that flows across the face of the printing nozzle and entrains the dust and paper particles that adhere to the face of the nozzle. Once caught in the fluid, the particles are removed from the nozzles by the flow of the fluid.
In one embodiment of the invention a fluid stream flows across the face of the nozzle of an ink jet printer to clean the printer. This stream is located proximate to the nozzle array from which the ink droplets are propelled. Oust and paper particles that would otherwise clog the nozzle array are entrained in the fluid stream before they obstruct the orifices of the nozzle. A fluid source, drain supply fluid and network of fluid channels on the nozzle create a fluid stream path adapted to remove the particles and dust in the vicinity of the nozzle array. By continuously flowing fluid across the nozzle face, ink, grit and paper particles are continuously captured and removed from the nozzle array. In some embodiments, the fluid stream does not disrupt the projection of ink droplets from the nozzle array and, thus, does not interfere with printing.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the cleaning fluid is confined to channels adjacent the nozzle orifices. The orifices are not flushed with fluid. Accordingly, the ink jet nozzle can print while the cleaning fluid is flowing because the fluid flow does not obstruct or interfere with the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles to the paper. Accordingly, the first embodiment of the current invention provides a technique and apparatus for continually removing particles from an ink jet printer face while printing continues.
In a second embodiment of the invention, cleaning fluid flows directly over the print nozzle orifices to wash the orifices and nozzle in general. Printing is interrupted while the orifices are washed using the second embodiment. This orifice wash embodiment of the invention flushes out any ink residue, dust or paper fibers clogging the orifices. Thus, the second embodiment provides a more thorough cleaning of the print nozzle than does the first embodiment. The second embodiment of the invention may be used in conjunction with the first embodiment.
In a third embodiment of the invention, the array of nozzle orifices is shielded from ink spray and splatter by a nozzle plate. The nozzle plate is positioned in front of the orifices and includes a narrow slit through which ink droplets fly. The nozzle plate is separated by a small gap from the array of nozzle orifices and excess ink drains through this gap away from the nozzle orifices. This third embodiment may be used in conjunction with the first and second embodiments of the invention.
An object of the current invention is to clean the nozzle array of an ink jet printer and prevent ink, dirt and paper particles from obstructing the orifices of the nozzle array. It is a further object of the invention to continually capture and remove ink and particles from the nozzle array while the nozzles are printing and to wash the nozzles completely at other times. A further object of the invention is to extend the period of maintenance free printing for ink jet printers and to reduce the frequency of off-print cleaning occurrences required for ink jet printers. Moreover, another objective of the invention is to enhance the print quality of ink jet printers by overcoming many of the problems caused by extraneous, girt and paper particles that have clogged prior ink jet printers. These and other objectives are achieved by the invention that is shown and described in detail below.

Cleaning fluid apparatus and method for continuous printing ink-jet nozzle


In order to be able to utilize polycarbonate sheet material as a structural (i.e., stress-bearing) component in an assembly comprising polycarbonate and metal components, as, for example, in a monocoque air cargo container wherein the polycarbonate sheet material is used as the "skin" of the structure, an attachment assembly is utilized to provide a rigid, stress-bearing joint without inducing crack-inducing high levels of localized stress on the polycarbonate sheet. The attachment assembly comprises a significant area of overlap between the polycarbonate and metal components, and an attachment strip which substantially covers the attachment area. Rivets or bolts are inserted through oversized holes in the metal, polycarbonate, attachment strip assembly and then torqued. The compressive forces exerted thereby create the rigid joint (even in an environment where the joint is subject to 180.degree. F..+-. temperature cycling such that the different coefficients for thermal expansion for the polycarbonate vs. the metal become significant) but are spread over a sufficiently large area so as to avoid high, localized stress levels which would induce the polycarbonate to crack.

1. Field of Art
This invention pertains to a method and apparatus by which a metal structural element and a polycarbonate sheet are attached together under torque by means of an attachment strip. It is believed that the invention will find at least a first primary use in air cargo containers wherein polycarbonate sheets are used as the siding or "skin" of the containers and must withstand handling stresses, significant temperature cycling, and, in the event of rapid acceleration or deceleration of the aircraft, shifting cargo which can be thrown under great force against the sides of the container.
2. Prior Art
One of the oldest tasks known to man is how best to transport his possessions from one place to another. From the very first crude bags made of animal hide to the space shuttle, man has been engaged in a continuous attempt to develop means to transport cargo farther, faster, safer, cheaper and easier.
A relative newcomer in this millennia of transportation is the aircraft, and although relatively new, it is now a major player in transporting the property of man. More than any other form of transportation, however, air cargo transport demands that its componentry be not only strong, but lightweight, as additional poundage is more costly with air travel. Additionally, safety has its highest priority in the air, as flight is, even more than ocean travel, intolerant of man's foolishness.
Therefore, the transportation of cargo by air requires, like no other, that the often elusive goals of strength, light weight and safety be accomplished in a single structure. For the transportation of cargo by air, the industry has come to rely almost exclusively on the all-aluminum cargo container, which is first loaded with cargo and is then itself loaded onto the aircraft. This modern air cargo container is a monocoque structure, comprising a rigid frame to which a sheet material, generally referred to as the "skin", is attached to the "bones" of the frame. In these monocoque structures, the skin is load-carrying, sharing the stresses with the frame structure. The loads go from the frame to the skin or from the skin to the frame via their attachment means, which can be rivets, bolts, etc. In construction and at rest, the skin is usually stressed in shear (meaning along the plane of the sheet rather than perpendicular to it), as are the attachment means. At the attachment points the holes in the sheets and frame are formed as close to the diameter of the fasteners as is practical to make the structure as rigid as possible. Clearance between the holes and the fasteners creates "slop" between the parts and therefore reduces the rigidity of the structure as relative movement between the sheet and frame create a "loose," and therefore weak, assembly. The ideal fasteners completely fill the holes in the parts they bring together without "slop", as that creates a structure in which the sheets are stressed in shear when the frames are stressed as a single unit, and is therefore stronger.
In use, however, the air cargo container will also be subjected to hoop tension or stress (i.e., perpendicular to its plane) as when the skins must restrain moving cargo. This is, of course, one of the most important if not the most important function of an air cargo container--to keep its cargo from breaking through its skin and becoming a missile in the event of crash-generating deceleration forces on the aircraft or in the event of turbulence inducing either severe acceleration or deceleration forces. In those flight-threatening events during which accelerations or decelerations occur, the cargo moves against the skins of the container which are thusly stressed in hoop tension which is transferred to the frame, then to the floor locks, then to the floor of the aircraft and eventually to the airplane itself. Hence, the skin material of the container must be able to withstand both significant shear stress and hoop tension.
For obvious reasons, the ideal air cargo container is light in weight, low in cost and capable of withstanding not only the stress encountered inflight, but also the day-today rigors of service--i.e., cargo crates being thrown against the walls, being bumped and jostled--all without being damaged. The best prior art devices used aluminum frames and skins with the sections being riveted together to form a rigid assembly. Rivets were preferably used to eliminate the "slop" between rivet shanks and the holes formed for the rivets, as rivets are "holefilling" (i.e., expand to fill the hole). Containers so made give good useful service, as the structures are rigid, are reasonably light in weight and low in cost.
The main problems these all-aluminum devices encountered in service were with the aluminum skins as they are subject to denting and tearing. Rough use and sharp-cornered boxes take their toll on the skins and often produce tears and dents. When torn, the containers are not serviceable as they are no longer "airworthy" and must be taken out of service and patched before they can be used again. Furthermore, torn skins present a hazard to loading crews and the cargo as the sharp edges cut indiscriminately. The aluminum skins can be made more resistant to such damage by making them thicker and more resistant to tearing, but then weight increases and the cost of flying dead weight (i.e., other than the weight of the transported cargo) makes such use less desirable and eventually not acceptable beyond a certain level. Using higher strength aluminum to solve the problem is actually counterproductive, as the stronger alloys are more brittle and more readily damaged by tearing. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved skin material for air cargo containers.
Polycarbonate sheet has many unique qualities making its use desirable in many industrial applications. It is transparent. It can be struck heavily without being dented, torn or broken. This is because of the material's very low modulus of elasticity; the energy from a potentially damage-inducing blow is absorbed by the sheet without damage as though it were a rubber diaphragm. Hence, polycarbonate plastic sheet would theoretically be an ideal replacement for the aluminum skins. Its transparency would allow the contents of the container to be viewed. It is light in weight, only slightly more costly than the aluminum alloys used and capable of accepting the rough rigors of service without being dented or torn, as it is much more resistant to tearing or denting than is aluminum of comparable thickness and weight. The polycarbonate has substantial drawbacks to its use, however, which until now rendered it not feasible for use as a structural element and certainly not as the skin in a monocoque structure such as an air cargo container.
One such drawback is its very high coefficient of thermal expansion, 0.000037 inches per inch per degree Fahrenheit. This compares to 0.000013 for aluminum or 0.0000063 for steel. If the monocoque structure, the air cargo container for example, must operate in the temperature range of -40.degree. F. to +140.degree. F., as occurs in the air cargo container's service environment (at 30,000 feet versus in the plane's fuselage, on the tarmac, in the hot, desert sun), a typical air cargo-sized panel which is 120 inches between rivet centers when the panel was manufactured at an ambient temperature of 50.degree. F. will be 120.4 inches in length (120 inches.times.90.degree. F. temperature differential.times.0.000037 coefficient) when the temperature is 140.degree. F. and 119.6 inches in length when the temperature is -40.degree. F. In contrast, the distance between rivet centers of the aluminum structure will be 120.14 inches at 140.degree. F. and 119.86 at -40.degree. F. as the coefficient of linear expansion for aluminum is far less. Thus, conventional wisdom has in the past dictated that in order for the polycarbonate sheet to be compatible within this type environment the holes would have to be oversized in diameter (or slotted) by 0.26 inches (120.4-120.14+119.86-119.6) on each side of the panel, allowing for a differential expansion between the polycarbonate sheet and the aluminum frame of 0.52 inches total.
The resultant structure would, however, be at a severe disadvantage compared to its all-aluminum counterpart. The looseness or "slop" of the fasteners in the holes would prevent the sheet and the frame from acting as a load-sharing single unit. Therefore air cargo containers using polycarbonate sheets and conventional attachment means would have to bear the shear loads in the frame alone, which would have to be made larger in order to be stronger, and would therefore be excessively heavy.
Another disadvantage of the polycarbonate which has heretofore prevented its use in air cargo containers is its very low bearing strength, 12,500 psi compared to 100,000 psi for the aluminum alloys used for air cargo container sheets. In other words, the polycarbonate is one-eighth as strong in bearing. To compensate, the polycarbonate skin would have to be attached to the frame at many more locations than is necessary with aluminum skins. This would mean higher costs for the fasteners and the labor for installation, in addition to the heavy, costly frame structures. The resultant structure would be too heavy and costly to compete with the all-aluminum container.
There has heretofore been yet another disadvantage to the polycarbonate's use on air cargo containers; namely, its susceptibility to stress-induced and crazing agent-induced cracking or crazing. When there are residual stresses in polycarbonate, the material is subject to cracking, particularly in the presence of "crazing agents". These include a variety of materials including hydrocarbons, jet fuel cleaning materials, etc., many of which are used near the air cargo containers. A cracked polycarbonate sheet is non-serviceworthy as once cracked, the cracks spread very easily. One crack and the part must be taken out of service. If the residual operational stresses are kept low, for example, under 2000 psi, and the materials are kept free of "crazing agents," the material is relatively free of this incipient cracking problem. As explained above, however, this creates a classic "Catch-22" situation in that an unstressed sheet would require such a heavy frame that the resultant container would be unuseable, whereas riveting the sheet to the frame so that the overall container is unitarily stressed creates a crack-inducing environment, as high stresses are created under the head of the rivet and against the inside of the hole by the expanding rivet shank.
Because of these disadvantages, the use of polycarbonate has heretofore been restricted to applications where it "floats" in its frame, as in signs and aircraft windows, and has not been used as a genuine structural component. For example, in the reference book published by the principal manufacturer of polycarbonate sheets, the means and methods displayed for attaching the sheets specify loosely torqued bolts in oversized holes with a silicone cushion. Certainly, polycarbonate sheet material has not heretofore proven to be an acceptable substitute for the aluminum "skin" on a monocoque airline cargo structure because no acceptable means for attaching the polycarbonate to the aluminum frame was known. Accordingly, there has existed a need in the art for a means for rigidly attaching polycarbonate sheet material to a metal structural element in a way to allow the polycarbonate to act as a structural component, while at the same eliminating or substantially alleviating the material's tendency to crack or craze under stress.


An electronic device module comprises:                A. At least one electronic device, e.g., a solar cell, and        B. A polymeric material in intimate contact with at least one surface of the electronic device, the polymeric material comprising an ethylene multi-block copolymer.Typically, the polyolefin material is an ethylene multi-block copolymer with a density of less than about 0.90 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc). The polymeric material can fully encapsulate the electronic device, or it can be laminated to one face surface of the device. Optionally, the polymeric material can further comprise a scorch inhibitor, and the copolymer can remain uncrosslinked or it can be crosslinked.

Polymeric materials are commonly used in the manufacture of modules comprising one or more electronic devices including, but not limited to, solar cells (also known as photovoltaic cells), liquid crystal panels, electro-luminescent devices and plasma display units. The modules often comprise an electronic device in combination with one or more substrates, e.g., one or more glass cover sheets, often positioned between two substrates in which one or both of the substrates comprise glass, metal, plastic, rubber or another material. The polymeric materials are typically used as the encapsulant or sealant for the module or depending upon the design of the module, as a skin layer component of the module, e.g., a backskin in a solar cell module. Typical polymeric materials for these purposes include silicone resins, epoxy resins, polyvinyl butyral resins, cellulose acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and ionomers.
United States Patent Application Publication 2001/0045229 A1 identifies a number of properties desirable in any polymeric material that is intended for use in the construction of an electronic device module. These properties include (i) protecting the device from exposure to the outside environment, e.g., moisture and air, particularly over long periods of time (ii) protecting against mechanical shock, (iii) strong adhesion to the electronic device and substrates, (iv) easy processing, including sealing, (v) good transparency, particularly in applications in which light or other electromagnetic radiation is important, e.g., solar cell modules, (vi) short cure times with protection of the electronic device from mechanical stress resulting from polymer shrinkage during cure, (vii) high electrical resistance with little, if any, electrical conductance, and (viii) low cost. No one polymeric material delivers maximum performance on all of these properties in any particular application, and usually trade-offs are made to maximize the performance of properties most important to a particular application, e.g., transparency and protection against the environment, at the expense of properties secondary in importance to the application, e.g., cure time and cost. Combinations of polymeric materials are also employed, either as a blend or as separate components of the module.
EVA copolymers with a high content (28 to 35 wt %) of units derived from the vinyl acetate monomer are commonly used to make encapsulant film for use in photovoltaic (PV) modules. See, for example, WO 95/22844, 99/04971, 99/05206 and 2004/055908. EVA resins are typically stabilized with ultra-violet (UV) light additives, and they are typically crosslinked during the solar cell lamination process using peroxides to improve heat and creep resistance to a temperature between about 80 and 90 C. However, EVA resins are less than ideal PV cell encapsulating film material for several reasons. For example, EVA film progressively darkens in intense sunlight due to the EVA resin chemically degrading under the influence of UV light. This discoloration can result in a greater than 30% loss in power output of the solar module after as little as four years of exposure to the environment. EVA resins also absorb moisture and are subject to decomposition.
Moreover and as noted above, EVA resins are typically stabilized with UV additives and crosslinked during the solar cell lamination and/or encapsulation process using peroxides to improve heat resistance and creep at high temperature, e.g., 80 to 90° C. However, because of the C═O bonds in the EVA molecular structure that absorbs UV radiation and the presence of residual peroxide crosslinking agent in the system after curing, an additive package is used to stabilize the EVA against UV-induced degradation. The residual peroxide is believed to be the primary oxidizing reagent responsible for the generation of chromophores (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,757). Additives such as antioxidants, UV-stabilizers, UV-absorbers and others are can stabilize the EVA, but at the same time the additive package can also block UV-wavelengths below 360 nanometers (nm).
Photovoltaic module efficiency depends on photovoltaic cell efficiency and the sun light wavelength passing through the encapsulant. One of the most fundamental limitations on the efficiency of a solar cell is the band gap of its semi-conducting material, i.e., the energy required to boost an electron from the bound valence band into the mobile conduction band. Photons with less energy than the band gap pass through the module without being absorbed. Photons with energy higher than the band gap are absorbed, but their excess energy is wasted (dissipated as heat). In order to increase the photovoltaic cell efficiency, "tandem" cells or multi-junction cells are used to broaden the wavelength range for energy conversion. In addition, in many of the thin film technologies such as amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, or copper indium gallium selenide, the band gap of the semi-conductive materials is different than that of mono-crystalline silicon. These photovoltaic cells will convert light into electricity for wavelength below 360 nm. For these photovoltaic cells, an encapsulant that can absorb wavelengths below 360 nm is needed to maintain the PV module efficiency.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,320,116 and 6,586,271 teach another important property of these polymeric materials, particularly those materials used in the construction of solar cell modules. This property is thermal creep resistance, i.e., resistance to the permanent deformation of a polymer over a period of time as a result of temperature. Thermal creep resistance, generally, is directly proportional to the melting temperature of a polymer. Solar cell modules designed for use in architectural application often need to show excellent resistance to thermal creep at temperatures of 90 C or higher. For materials with low melting temperatures, e.g., EVA, crosslinking the polymeric material is often necessary to give it higher thermal creep resistance.
Crosslinking, particularly chemical crosslinking, while addressing one problem, e.g., thermal creep, can create other problems. For example, EVA, a common polymeric material used in the construction of solar cell modules and which has a rather low melting point, is often crosslinked using an organic peroxide initiator. While this addresses the thermal creep problem, it creates a corrosion problem, i.e., total crosslinking is seldom, if ever, fully achieved and this leaves residual peroxide in the EVA. This remaining peroxide can promote oxidation and degradation of the EVA polymer and/or electronic device, e.g., through the release of acetic acid over the life of the electronic device module. Moreover, the addition of organic peroxide to EVA requires careful temperature control to avoid premature crosslinking.
Another potential problem with peroxide-initiated crosslinking is the buildup of crosslinked material on the metal surfaces of the process equipment. During extrusion runs, high residence time is experienced at all metal flow surfaces. Over longer periods of extrusion time, crosslinked material can form at the metal surfaces and require cleaning of the equipment. The current practice to minimize gel formation, i.e., this crosslinking of polymer on the metal surfaces of the processing equipment, is to use low processing temperatures which, in turn, reduces the production rate of the extruded product.
One other property that can be important in the selection of a polymeric material for use in the manufacture of an electronic device module is thermoplasticity, i.e., the ability to be softened, molded and formed. For example, if the polymeric material is to be used as a backskin layer in a frameless module, then it should exhibit thermoplasticity during lamination as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,370. This thermoplasticity, however, must not be obtained at the expense of effective thermal creep resistance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Electronic device module comprising an ethylene multi-block copolymer


A method, in a base station subsystem (10), of allocating radio resources to mobile stations (20) in a wireless communication system (1) involves the base station subsystem (10) assigning a respective Temporary Block Flow (TBF) to each mobile station (20) in a cell (40) in the communication system (1), and then assigning to each TBF a Temporary Flow Identity (TFI), at least one Packet Data Channel (PDCH), and an Uplink State Flag (USF) if the TBF is an uplink TBF. The base station subsystem (10) then selects different training sequences from a plurality of available training sequences and assigns a respective different selected training sequence to two or more TBFs wherein these two or more TBFs share the same assigned Temporary Flow Identity (TFI), the same assigned Packet Data Channel (PDCH), and/or the same assigned Uplink State Flag (USF) if the TBF is an uplink TBF.

So far, the traffic generated in mobile networks such as e.g. GERAN (GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) Radio Access Network) and UTRAN (UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Terrestrial Radio Access Network) has mostly been dominated by services that require human interaction, such as e.g. regular speech calls, web surfing, sending MMS, doing video-chats etc, and the same traffic pattern is also anticipated for E-UTRAN (Evolved-UTRAN). As a natural consequence, these mobile networks are designed and optimized primarily for these "Human Type Communication" (HTC) services.
There is, however, an increasing market segment for Machine Type Communication (MTC) services, which do not necessarily need human interaction. MTC services include a very diverse flora of applications, ranging from e.g. vehicle applications (such as automatic emergency calls, remote diagnostics and telematics, vehicle tracking etc.) to gas and power meter readings, and also network surveillance and cameras, to just give a few examples. The demands that MTC services put on the mobile network, e.g. in terms of the number of communication devices to be served in the network, will without any doubt significantly differ from what is provided by today's HTC-optimized mobile networks. Thus, in order for mobile networks such as GERAN and UTRAN to be competitive for these mass market MTC applications and devices, it is important to optimize the support of such networks for MTC communication.
One of the critical issues in e.g. GERAN is how to distinguish and properly address a vast number of devices for the case of simultaneous data transfer on shared radio resources, since the available addressing spaces may not be sufficient. One of the identifiers that may be a bottleneck in this respect is the so-called Temporary Flow Identity (TFI) which is assigned by the GERAN network to each Temporary Block Flow (TBF) for the purpose of e.g. identifying a particular TBF and the transmitted Radio Link Control/Medium Access Control (RLC/MAC) blocks associated with that TBF.
In GSM data is sent and received in a time division manner; one Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frame is divided into eight timeslots. These timeslots can be used for either voice, data or signaling. To transfer data, a Temporary Block Flow (TBF) needs to be set up on one or more timeslots, and it is identified by a Temporary Flow Identity (TFI). Each TBF is assigned a TFI value by the mobile network. The addressing of the mobile station in GPRS/EDGE transfer mode is handled by the TA. The uplink and downlink TFI value is unique per TBF and assigned Packet Data Channel (PDCH, a timeslot reserved for the packet switched domain). This limits the number of concurrent TBFs and thus the number of devices that may share the same radio resources.
In the header of an RLC/MAC block for data transfer, the TFI identifies the TBF to which the RLC data block belongs. For the downlink and uplink TFI, the TFI itself is a 5-bit field encoded as a binary number in the range 0 to 31, which is typically provided to the mobile station (MS) by the GERAN network upon assignment of the TBF. This means that, for example, every time an MS receives a downlink data or control block, it will use the included TFI field to determine if this block belongs to any (there can be more than one) of the TBFs associated with that very MS. If so, the block is obviously intended for this MS, whereupon the corresponding payload is decoded and delivered to upper layers, and is discarded otherwise. In the uplink direction the behavior is similar, i.e. the mobile network uses the TFI value to identify blocks that belong to the same TBF.
To multiplex mobile stations on the uplink an Uplink State Flag (USF) is available for each PDCH. The USF field is sent in all downlink RLC/MAC blocks. When a mobile station reads its own USF value on a PDCH it is assigned with, it knows that it is allowed to transmit on that timeslot in the next radio block period. The USF field is 3 bits in length and 8 different USF values can be assigned. One USF value normally needs to be reserved for uplink blocks scheduled by other means than USF, leaving 7 USF values that can be used for scheduling of UL TBFs.
The numbers of possible TFI values are limited by the available 5 bits, which thus allows for 32 individual values. This may appear sufficient, and has until now provided no significant limitation. There are however a number of indicators that the TFI addressing space may be a limiter in the future.
If a TBF is assigned to be used on more than one PDCH (which is most often the case) the number of usable TFIs per PDCH drastically decreases. Assume e.g. that all TBFs are used on all 8 PDCHs. This means that the average number of TFIs per PDCH will be 32/8=4, as compared to the 32 TFIs per PDCH that would be the case otherwise. In most situations it is desirable to spread a TBF over as many PDCHs as possible in order to improve the statistical multiplexing gain and flexibility, but this has the drawback of reducing the potential number of TBFs that can be supported on any given set of PDCHs.
With recent additions to the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standards which allow the use of multiple TBFs associated with one and the same MS by means of Multiple TBF procedures and/or Enhanced Multiplexing of a Single TBF (EMST), the number of TBFs associated with any given MS will no longer be limited to one per direction. One particular MS could now e.g. in the downlink have one TBF for a web-surfing session, another for an ongoing voice call and finally a third for a messaging service such as MSN. The benefit on splitting these particular services over different TBFs is of course that they all have different service requirements, but an obvious drawback is that more TFIs are needed.
The amount of Packet Switched (PS) traffic in a typical GERAN network is continuously and rapidly increasing already today, with the usage of classical HTC services as described above. Bearing in mind the anticipated vast increase in the number of HTC+MTC devices in the near future, it is more than likely that the PS traffic volume in GERAN, and implicitly the number of TBFs per transmitter, will increase manifold. It is not at all an unlikely situation that for these kinds of services, it would be beneficial to multiplex perhaps dozens or more users of the same uplink PDCH.
There is therefore a need for a solution for allocating radio resources for communication devices in a wireless communication network, such as GERAN, that will increase the number of communication devices that can be used simultaneously in the communication network.

Method for increasing the address space for mobile terminals in a wireless network


A structure of a semiconductor chip with substrate via holes and metal bumps and a fabrication method thereof. The structure comprises a substrate, at least one backside metal layer, at least one first metal layer, at least one electronic device, and at least one metal bump. The substrate has at least one substrate via hole penetrating through the substrate. The at least one first metal layer and electronic device are formed on the front side of the substrate. The at least one metal bump is formed on the at least one first metal layer. The at least one backside metal layer is formed on the backside of the substrate covering the inner surface of the substrate via hole and at least part of the backside of the substrate and connected to the first metal layer on the top of the substrate via hole.

In the fabrication process of a semiconductor device, in order to reduce the surface area of the semiconductor device, the flip-chip bonded stacked chips technology is developed, which uses copper bumps or solder bumps as bonding points between the bonded chips for signal transmission. FIG. 1A is a schematic showing the cross-sectional view of a semiconductor chip with copper bumps in a prior art, which comprises a substrate 101, a metal layer 103, a metal bump 105, and an electronic device 113. The electronic device 113 is formed on the front side of the substrate 101. The metal layer 103 is formed on the front side of the substrate 101 and connected to the electronic device 113. The metal bump 105 is formed on the metal layer 103. FIG. 1B is a schematic showing the cross-sectional view of flip-chip bonded stacked chips with copper bumps in a prior art, which is similar to the structure shown in FIG. 1A, except that an upper chip 135 is stacked on the metal bumps 105. The metal bumps 105 are connected to the upper chip 135. The electric signal from the electronic device 113 on the substrate 101 can be transmitted through the metal bumps 105 to the upper chip 135. A module substrate 133 is disposed under the substrate 101, and at least one bonding wire 137 is disposed on the module substrate 133. The electric signal from the electronic device 113 can be further transmitted through the bonding wire 137 to the module substrate 133.
Although the abovementioned design can form flip-chip bonded stacked chips, the density of the integration of the devices are limited, and thus the reduction of the chip size is restricted. The signal transmission speed can not be significantly increased, and therefore the electric power consumption of the circuit remains high.
To solve the abovementioned problems, the present invention provide a structure of a semiconductor chip with substrate via holes and metal bumps and a fabrication method thereof to achieve heterogeneous integration, to improve the integration of the devices, to reduce the chip size, to increase the signal transmission speed, to lower the electric power consumption, and to reduce the material cost.

Structure of a semiconductor chip with substrate via holes and metal bumps and a fabrication method thereof


Disclosed is a dry etching method for etching a metal film on a substrate with the use of an etching gas, wherein the etching gas contains a β-diketone and first and second additive gases; wherein the metal film contains a metal element capable of forming a complex with the β-diketone; wherein the first additive gas is at least one kind of gas selected from the group consisting of NO, NO2, O2 and O3; wherein the second additive gas is at least one kind of gas selected from the group consisting of H2O and H2O2; wherein the amount of the β-diketone contained is 10 vol % to 90 vol % relative to the etching gas; and wherein the amount of the second additive gas contained is 0.1 vol % to 15 vol % relative to the etching gas. The etching rate of the metal film is increased by this etching method.

The manufacturing process of semiconductor devices sometimes includes etching metal films formed on substrates to be used as wiring materials, metal gate materials, electrode materials or magnetic materials.
With the fine processing of semiconductor devices, there has been a demand to highly control the etching of metal films for the purpose of etching the metal films into a fine structures. More specifically, researches have been made to etch the metal film with etching depth variations of 1 nm or less in the wafer plane, to control the surface roughness of the metal film after the etching, to selectively etch the metal film, and the like. It is however difficult to perform such high etching control by a wet etching method in which a metal film is etched with a chemical solution. A dry etching method in which a metal film is etched with a gas is being studied for high etching control.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an etching method which includes an etching step of etching a thin film on a substrate with an etching gas containing a β-diketone with at least one of water and alcohol, under a condition that the temperature of the substrate is 300° C. or higher, preferably 450° C. or higher, thereby exposing a surface of the substrate. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an etching method for etching a metal film by using an etching gas containing a β-diketone and 1 to 20 vol % of water or hydrogen peroxide and forming a complex of the β-diketone and the metal element of the metal film in a temperature range of 100° C. to 350° C. In Patent Document 2, zinc, cobalt, hafnium, iron, manganese, vanadium and the like are described as examples of the metal element of the metal film. It is reported in Patent Document 2 that the etching rate of the metal film becomes higher with the addition of water or hydrogen peroxide than with the use of oxygen.
The use of β-diketones has also been proposed, not for fine etching of metal films formed on substrates, but for dry cleaning of metal films deposited in film-forming apparatuses in semiconductor manufacturing process.
For example, Patent Document 3 discloses a dry cleaning method for removing a metal film deposited in a film-forming apparatus by reacting the metal film with a cleaning gas containing a β-diketone and NOx (either one of NO and N2O) in a temperature range of 200 to 400° C., preferably 250 to 370° C. In Patent Document 3, nickel, manganese, iron, cobalt and the like are described as examples of the constituent metal element of the metal film in Patent Document 3. It is reported in Patent Document 3 that the temperature range in which the metal film can be etched and removed becomes wider with the use of NOx than with the use of oxygen.


A branch line branching from midway of a hydraulic conduit or each of actuator side oil passages to connect a bottom side oil chamber of a hoist cylinder to a tank is provided to the hydraulic conduit or each of the actuator side oil passages. A manual operation valve for variably adjusting the flow rate in accordance with the operation of a lever handle is provided in the branch line. Maintenance work is performed with an engine stopped in this state. Subsequently, when a vessel is lowered onto a vehicle body, hydraulic oil can be discharged through the branch line from the bottom side oil chamber of the hoist cylinder to the tank by opening the manual operation valve, so that the hoist cylinder can be automatically contracted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transporter vehicle such as a dump truck which is suitably used in transporting crushed stones excavated from such as an open-pit stope, a stone quarry, a mine, or dug earth and sand or the like.
2. Description of Prior Art
In general, a large-size transporter vehicle called a dump truck has a liftable vessel (loading platform) on a frame of a vehicle body, and carries and transports objects to be transported such as crushed stones or earth and sand or the like to an unloading site or a cargo collection site of, for instance, an exit port in a state in which the objects to be transported are loaded in a large quantity on the vessel (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-268646, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-62697).
A transporter vehicle of this type according to the prior art is comprised of a vehicle body capable of self traveling; a loading platform which is provided on the vehicle body in such a manner as to be capable of being moved vertically (tilted) and on which the objects to be transported are loaded; a hoist cylinder which is telescopically provided between the loading platform and the vehicle body and in which a rod is extended at the time of discharging the objects to be transported from the loading platform so as to raise the loading platform diagonally backward with respect to the vehicle body; and a control valve unit which is provided between the hoist cylinder and a hydraulic power source to extend or contract the rod of the hoist cylinder, and which controls the supply and discharge of pressure oil to the hoist cylinder.
Further, the control valve unit used in such a transporter vehicle has a total of four changeover positions, including a raising position for raising the loading platform by extending the hoist cylinder by supplying and discharging the pressure oil from the hydraulic power source in one direction; a lowering position for lowering the loading platform downward by contracting the hoist cylinder by supplying and discharging the pressure oil in the other direction; a floating position for allowing the self-weight fall of the loading platform by contracting the hoist cylinder by the self-weight of the loading platform side; and a neutral position for stopping the movement of the hoist cylinder by stopping the supply and discharge of the pressure oil.
Here, the control valve unit is selectively changed over to one changeover position among the total of four changeover positions by manually performing the tilting operation of a remote control means such as an operating lever. Further, after the transporter vehicle traveled by itself to the cargo collection site in the state in which the earth and sand or crushed stones or the like are loaded on the loading platform, the rod of the hoist cylinder is extended to raise the loading platform diagonally backward. Through this raising operation, the earth and sand or crushed stones or the like are discharged to the cargo collection site along the tilting direction of the loading platform.
By the way, in the above-described transporter vehicle according to the prior art, the control valve unit can be changed over to one of the four changeover positions in accordance with the remote control of the operating lever or the like by driving a main hydraulic pump, a pilot pump and the like by an engine serving as a prime mover, thereby making it possible to control the extending or contracting motion of the hoist cylinder for moving the loading platform on the vehicle body.
In contrast, when the engine is stopped, since the hydraulic pump, the pilot pump, and the like are also stopped, the control valve unit cannot be changed over by the remote control. However, at the time of performing maintenance, inspection, and the like of the transporter vehicle, there are cases where, for example, by stopping the engine with the loading platform kept raised diagonally backward, maintenance work is hence performed in the state in which the noise due to the engine sound is eliminated while ensuring the safety of the operator.
For this reason, according to the prior art, the engine is started again upon completion of the maintenance work, and in this state, the hoist cylinder is contracted by the self-weight on the loading platform side by changing over the control valve unit to, for example, the floating position, and the engine is stopped when the loading platform is seated onto the vehicle body.
However, there are problems in that the temporary operation of the engine for the sole purpose of lowering the loading platform is wasteful from the viewpoint of energy saving, and it also constitutes an extra burden on the operator.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


With the method for generating a slide show in harmony with music, the user is able to compose an attractive and interesting slide show by a convenient and simple method. The steps of the method comprises: analyzing audio data to obtain reference points, wherein the reference points include at least one beat point of said audio data; obtaining image effects for images; selecting at least one first level point and at least one second level point from the reference points; and composing a slide show of the images with the image effects in association with the audio data, wherein the image effects are controlled according to the first level point and the displaying of the images is controlled according to the second level point.

With the progress of digital image technology, the digital cameras have been more and more popular, and gradually the conventional cameras become outmoded. The pictures could be stored in digital forms as image files, so the user may view the photos through a computer or any other digital device, such as cellular phone, PDA, or even a digital camera. The image data captured by the digital camera is generally transferred to a personal computer and other data processing devices for being further processed, stored, or printed. Therefore, by the digitized function of the digital camera and the data processing ability of the personal computer, the applications of the digital image are more and more popular in the daily life. Moreover, the photographs stored in a personal computer can be processed or added with multimedia effect. Although taken by a conventional camera, the pictures may still be stored as image files through a scanner. Hence, almost all pictures could be treated as digital files. The user therefore could utilize the device with the ability of simple image processing to review the occasions and scenery of the pictures. However, the picture could only capture and preserve still image. Comparing with the video, the picture is boring and dull. Everyone in the picture is still and frozen. Especially there are many friends or relatives in that occasion.
Since viewing still pictures one by one is somewhat boring, and therefore unattractive, there are more and more techniques provided for composing the slide show of plural images. The conventional slide show merely displays the selected images or pictures one by one in an elaborate sequence or just random order. However, the images are "still images" all the same.
Recently, the generation of slide show further introduces the image effects to make the slide show vivid. The main purpose of such slide show is to simulate the movies. However, the movies have progressed from the silent film for quite a long time. The audience would never be satisfied with the movies or the slide show without splendid sound effect. Therefore, what is desired is to apply the audio analysis in the process of composing the slide show.

Method for generating a slide show with audio analysis


An apparatus for amplifying differential signals is provided. The apparatus comprises a differential amplifier, a first impedance component, a second impedance component, a voltage source and a high-pass filter. The differential amplifier receives an input differential signal with a first terminal and a second terminal. The differential amplifier also drains currents from the voltage source into a third terminal and a fourth terminal via the first and the second impedance components respectively. The high-pass filter receives the input differential signal and outputs a control differential signal to control the first and the second impedance components so that the impedance of the first and the second impedance components vary inversely in response to the voltages at the first and the second terminals respectively when the state of the input differential signal changes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for amplifying signals, more particularly, to an apparatus for amplifying differential signals.
2. Description of Related Art
In most conditions, the designer of a differential amplifier is eager to increase the frequency bandwidth of the differential amplifier. To increase the bandwidth, a few conventional techniques have been provided. One of the techniques is adding a zero point of the circuit, thereby canceling the original pole. However, the addition of a new zero will generate a new pole so that the design of the circuit becomes more complicated.
Another method is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,937,054. In this method, the conductive characteristic of a capacitor device at high frequency is used so that two sets of differential amplifiers are connected in parallel at high frequency to increase the high frequency gain and hence increases the bandwidth. Yet, this method has a number of defects. Because only one set of differential amplifier is in operation at a low frequency, the low frequency gain is sacrificed. Since two sets of amplifiers are connected in parallel at a high frequency, a bigger current is drawn and the capacitor loading at the output terminal is also heavier, which results in limited voltage headroom and considerable capacitive loading. Moreover, due to the parallel connection between two sets of amplifiers and the impedance components connected to either side of one of the amplifiers, overall swing of the output signal is limited.
In the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,847, inductance is used to cancel the capacitance and increase the bandwidth. One major defect of this method is that the inductor occupies an area far greater than that of the transistor. Another defect of this method is that controlling the characteristic of the inductor remains difficult at the present technological level so that using an inductor requires a longer developing time and a higher production cost.

Apparatus for amplifying differential signal

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing windows in a foreground and a background in a data processing system. A buffer is monitored for user input in response to receiving a request to present a pop-up window in a foreground. A determination is made as to whether the application in the foreground is an interruptible application. The pop-up window is presented in the foreground if user input is absent and if the identified application is an interruptible application.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an improved data processing system, and in particular to a method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing windows in a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing the movement of windows between a background mode and a foreground mode.
2. Description of Related Art
Instant messaging is an online chat medium, allowing users to communicate with each other and collaborate in real-time over a network data processing system. Instant messaging is commonly used over the Internet. Instant messaging applications monitor and report the status of users that have established each other as online contacts. This information is typically presented to a user in a window. Instant messaging applications also are often used by users conducting business. By utilizing instant messaging, business users can view each other's availability and initiate a text conversation with colleagues or customers when a desired contact becomes available.
Typically, with instant messaging applications, communications between users are initiated by users selecting the name of the person with which they desire to communicate. Then, the users type messages in the dialog box and press "send". These messages appear instantly on the other selected recipient's computer.
Until now, instant messaging has been developed largely for home users, but used by home and business users alike. Instant messaging allows an organization to deploy and utilize this "need-to-have" technology in a business setting.
Although instant messaging is a useful tool, having windows pop up with messages while a user is working on other documents can be distracting and frustrating. For example, if a user is typing in a document using a word processor application and an instant message is received, a pop-up window changes the focus of the desktop. In other words, the word processing document moves from the foreground to the background, while the pop-up window moves to the foreground. If the user is typing information, this input is often redirected into the pop-up window, rather than the document. Currently, a user may set a "do not disturb" or "away" preference to avoid this type of distraction. This mechanism, however, requires user interaction to activate.
Further, such a change in focus also may occur for different pop-up windows representing different contacts in the instant messaging application. As a result, the user may type an incorrect message and send it to an unintended contact. The use of a "do not disturb" or "away" preference is ineffective because once the user begins sending a message to a contact, this status is changed and no longer prevents pop-up windows from being presented in the foreground. A change in focus also may occur with respect to other windowing applications. Thus, the change in focus may occur for any application that pushes a window to the foreground. As a result, similar problems may result from other windowing applications in addition to instant messaging applications.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing windows, such as pop-up windows, in a data processing system.

Method and apparatus for managing windows

International Business Machines Corporation


A fuel pump system with automated transaction processing enables a purchaser to define a plurality of fuel pump transactions by selecting various transaction parameters that define the transaction and store the predefined transactions on a storage medium (e.g. on an identification card bearing a magnetic strip). Then, at a fuel pump, the purchaser can pass the identification card through a magnetic card reader that reads the stored transaction information and a controller can cause the stored transaction(s) to be displayed so that a purchaser can select a transaction for execution. The purchaser may enter a single input to select a transaction, thereby simplifying and further expediting the transaction and automated processing thereof. The transaction parameters may include one or more of the form of payment (debit card, credit card, etc.), where the transaction is to be executed (e.g. at the pump or "inside"), the type and grade of fuel to be purchased (e.g. regular unleaded, premium unleaded, diesel etc.), the amount of fuel to be purchased (e.g. dollar amount, number of gallons, or fill-up) and whether or not a receipt should be printed upon completion of the transaction.

Some fuel pumps are provided with a magnetic card reader for enabling automatic payment processing at the pump upon completion of a sale. This reduces the number of employees needed at a service station to process payments and reduces the time necessary for a purchaser to consummate a transaction. Thus, existing fuel pump systems having this feature help the speed and efficiency of processing fuel purchase transactions. However, various drawbacks exist.
For example, with existing systems, a number of preliminary steps usually must be performed by the purchaser before the purchaser can begin pumping fuel. Typically the purchaser must select a form of payment (credit card, debit card, cash, etc.) by pressing a key of a keypad associated with the fuel pump. In some systems, this includes choosing whether to "pay-at-the-pump" or to pay inside (via an attendant). If the purchaser selects the pay-at-the-pump option, then the purchaser typically must next pass a debit or credit card through a magnetic card reader. After the card has been read, the purchaser may be required to press another key to select the type of fuel to be purchased, usually by pressing a button on the fuel pump or sometimes just by lifting the nozzle for the desired type of fuel. The purchaser also is typically prompted to elect whether or not a receipt should be printed upon completion of the transaction. Sometimes this is done after the desired amount of fuel has been pumped. Then, the purchaser pumps the fuel, manually stopping the pump at the desired amount or waiting for automatic cut-off (e.g. if the fuel tank is to be filled-up). When the desired amount of fuel has been pumped, the purchaser replaces the nozzle and the transaction processor determines the amount of the sale and processes the transaction in a known manner. If a receipt is to be printed, the processor prints a receipt and the transaction is completed. Communication links between the processor and one or more central controllers are typically used to process payment information in a known manner. Various inefficiencies exist with these types of fuel pump transaction processing systems.
By way of example, each time a purchaser desires to purchase fuel, a number of selections and inputs must be made by the purchaser. Thus, existing automated transaction processing systems require the purchaser to select the transaction parameters each time fuel is purchased. This is inefficient, especially in cases where a purchaser typically uses the same or at least some of the same parameters from one transaction to the next. For example, many purchasers either want a receipt or they do not. For many people, at least some, if not all, of these choice does not vary from one transaction to the next. For example, many people purchase the same type of fuel each time and often pay for the purchase in the same way each time (e.g., using a particular credit card). In some cases, a purchaser may have a preference for the amount of fuel purchased or may routinely fill-up. In situations such as these, where a purchaser often repeats at least some parameters from one transaction to the next, it is inefficient to require the purchaser to select these repeated parameters for each transaction. Other drawbacks also exist.

Fuel pump system with automated transaction processing


An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of forming a memory cell. The method includes etching a trench in a substrate and filling the trench with an oxide to form a shallow trench isolation (STI) region. A portion of an active region of the substrate that comes in contact with the STI region forms a bitline-STI edge. The method further includes forming a gate structure over the active region of the substrate and over the STI region. The gate structure has a first width substantially over the center of the active region of the substrate and a second width substantially over the bitline-STI edge, and the second width is greater than the first width.

Due to the inevitable requirements to further shrink design rules while still maintaining sufficient oxide thickness for isolation, there is a trend in the semiconductor field away from Local Oxidation of Silicon (LOCOS) and toward Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) because STI has superior scalability. However, STI is not without its disadvantages.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional flash memory structure 100 using STI. Flash memory structure 100 has a plurality of bitlines 110 and a wordlines 120. A memory cell is formed by the intersection of a bitline and a wordline. In between the bitlines 110 are the STI trenches. Due to damage caused at the bitline-STI edge during manufacturing, current variations are seen at the bitline-STI edge. In other words, the current through the a bitline 110 has both a center current component 130 and an edge current component 140. The edge current component 140 is much slower than the center current component 130. The presence of the slower edge currents 140 causes increased programming time, thus limiting the programming speed of the memory cell. Consequently, conventional memory cells using STI technology achieve less than optimal programming speeds.


A fiber blending system includes an apparatus and method of forming a mat of cellulosic fibers and synthetic fibers, as well as a mat thereby formed. The method includes the steps of fiberizing cellulosic material into cellulosic fibers in a fiberizer, volumetrically metering a metered amount of synthetic fibers, and injecting the metered amount of synthetic fibers into the cellulosic fibers. The cellulosic fibers are blended with the metered amount of synthetic fibers in a blending chamber to form a fiber blend. The fiber blend is dispersed through a fiber disperser having apertures of a preselected size and shape to provide a dispersed fiber blend. A third type of fiber may also be mixed with the dispersed fiber blend. The dispersed fiber blend is collected as a mat on a fiber collector to provide a mat of blended cellulosic and synthetic fibers. The mat may be thermobonded by a thermobonder and sandwiched between a facing sheet and a backing sheet. By varying the aperture preselection, as well as the size and type of fibers, a bonded mat having desired mat characteristics is formed.

The present invention relates generally to a method of making articles containing cellulosic fibers, such as wood pulp, and synthetic fibers. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of continuously feeding and blending cellulosic and synthetic fibers in a metered fashion to create a homogeneous blend which may be air-layed and thermobonded, as well as to an article formed in this manner.
Although methods of blending cellulosic and synthetic fibers and other fibers are known, these prior methods, and articles produced by such methods, suffer from a number of disadvantages. Uncontrolled blending of synthetic fibers with cellulosic fibers results in an inconsistent blend producing variances in the properties of a given article, as well as variances between articles. For example, stratification of the air-layed blend, where the cellulosic fibers are layered separately from the synthetic fibers, may result in nonuniform heat bonding of a core formed by the cellulosic and synthetic fibers. Therefore, strict quality control and product uniformity in such areas as basis weight, and strength are hampered by these earlier known methods.
Furthermore, the known methods of blending fibers suffer from problems associated with producing a wide variety of closely controlled blend ratios of cellulosic to synthetic fibers. Moreover, these methods experience problems when simultaneously blending several fibers of different lengths, deniers or superabsorbent polymers (SAP). Additionally, earlier methods of blending known to the inventors cannot be effectively controlled so as to provide a resulting article with either high X-Y tensile strength, high Z-tensile strength, or a combination thereof.
Two known earlier fiber blending systems are known as a Dan Web Former and a M & J Web Former. The Dan and M & J Web Formers are modifications of an earlier system, known as the Kroyer Process, which dealt with a method of air-laying dry cellulose fibers.
The Dan Web Former has a pulp preparation line preparing wood pulp fibers, and a synthetic fiber preparation line preparing synthetic fibers, with the wood pulp fibers and synthetic fibers being mixed within a distribution head drum. The pulp preparation line includes a hammermill which receives and fiberizes wood pulp sheets in a fiberizing chamber. The hammermill has a fiberization screen at the exit of the fiberization chamber for determining the degree of wood pulp fiberization, that is the size of the wood pulp fibers. The wood pulp fibers are delivered through a blower from the hammermill to the interior of the distribution head drum.
The Dan Web Former synthetic fiber preparation line has a fiber opening system which receives and opens synthetic fiber bales. The opened synthetic fibers are metered by weight, not volume, and then are forced with another blower to the interior of the distribution head drum. The distribution head drum has a plurality of apertures extending through the drum wall. The drum is rotated about its longitudinal axis, and has several cylindrical combers in the drum which aid in mixing the fibers and pushing them through the holes in the drum wall. The drum is supported from below by at least two rollers, which serve to rotate the drum. The drum is surrounded by a shroud and a foraminous conveyer belt passes through the shroud beneath the drum. A vacuum may be pulled within the shroud to draw the fibers onto the foraminous conveyer belt.
The Dan Web Former distribution head drum serves as a tumble mixer and a sifter, with the synthetic and wood pulp fibers eventually sifting through the holes in the drum wall. In commercial practice, with drum wall holes 1/4 inch in diameter, the length of fibers which fall through the distribution head are not longer than 1/4 inch. If the drum wall holes are enlarged, the fibers fall through before substantial mixing has taken place, resulting in a nonuniform blend of synthetic and pulp fibers. Furthermore, the resulting mat has a nonuniform mat thickness.
The M & J Web Former has a pulp preparation line and a synthetic fiber preparation line similar to that discussed above for the Dan Web Former. For mixing the wood pulp and synthetic fibers, the M & J Web Former has an enclosed housing with a plurality of rotary props mounted therein. The enclosed housing has a foraminous conveyer belt running therethrough, with a vacuum being drawn beneath the foraminous conveyer. The synthetic fibers and pulp fibers are blown into an upper region of the housing. The rotary propellers or props are suspended from an upper housing wall, and rotate to create turbulence within the housing. This turbulence mixes the incoming synthetic and wood pulp fibers, which are then drawn by the vacuum onto the foraminous belt.
These two known web formers suffer several disadvantages. For example, the Dan Web and M & i Web Formers experience difficulty in producing a mat having a homogeneous blend of synthetic and wood pulp fibers. Furthermore, the Dan web and M & J Web Formers are not known to enhance the Z tensile strength of the resulting mat. Additionally, the mats produced by these methods are very stiff and have extremely poor drape characteristics. These mats also have an uneven upper surface, resulting in a nonuniform mat thickness. Furthermore, the Dan Web and M & J Web Formers are not understood to vary the hydrophobicity of a mat thereby produced. Also, the Dan Web and M & J Formers have relatively slow mat production line speeds.
A variety of other methods of making limited life pads and other articles are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,377 to Redford et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference as to the teachings therein.
Therefore, although other methods and devices have been used for blending cellulosic and synthetic fibers, and other articles have been produced using such methods and devices, a need exists for an improved method, apparatus and article which are directed toward overcoming, and not susceptible to, the above and other limitations and disadvantages.


A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, provide a simplification of the fabricating process by removing a step of forming an oxide film, and vapor depositing a nitride film, after forming a gate. The method of fabricating the semiconductor device includes the steps of forming a trench, a gate insulating film, and a poly gate on a substrate; forming a nitride film on the substrate; forming an LDD region by ion implantation using the gate as a mask; forming an oxide film on the substrate; forming a sidewall by etching the oxide film; forming a source/drain by ion implantation using the gate and the sidewall as masks; vapor depositing PMD over the substrate, and then planarizing the substrate; forming a contact hole by etching the PMD; and vapor depositing a barrier metal on the PMD, treating with heat, and filling up the contact hole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, for simplifying a semiconductor fabricating process by changing such a process of removing a step of forming a vapor deposited poly oxide film by depositing a vapor deposited nitride film instead of a poly oxide film.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A conventional method of fabricating a semiconductor includes the steps of forming a gate, creating an oxide film for protecting the gate, carrying out a Lightly Doped Drain (hereinafter called as LDD) ion implantation step, vapor depositing a cap oxide film and a nitride film, forming a side wall by etching the oxide film and nitride film, and forming the semiconductor device by implanting source/drain impurities therein. Later processes include the steps of carrying out dry etching and HF cleaning to remove the oxide film from a substrate, forming silicide by vapor depositing Ti or Co and carrying out heat treatment, and vapor depositing an insulating film to form a contact line.
The method of fabricating the related art semiconductor device has problems such as a contact margin becoming smaller as the integration of semiconductor device technology progresses, generating a contact spike in a trench insulating film developing a shortage owing to a reduced design margin, as well as many other problems.

Method of fabricating semiconductor device