A water profiling apparatus having a streamlined body with a traction drive capable of repeatedly profiling along a moored or suspended cable or wire, for transporting sensing and sampling equipment through a body of water, such as an ocean, lake or river. The water profiling apparatus is able to operate unattended on a pre-programmed schedule over long periods of time, profiling to full ocean depth, with the option of changing its schedule depending on the observations it makes or operating situations encountered.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to techniques for observing properties of bodies of water at a fixed location, particularly observations in regions of great depth over a period of time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Measurements of physical and chemical attributes of water bodies are commonly made by lowering instruments from a surface boat to the bottom of an ocean, lake or river. Water depths can range from a few meters to nearly ten thousand meters. The location from which the data is taken is commonly referred to as a hydrographic station. The water properties can change substantially over time. Therefore, the frequency of measurement needs to be commensurate with the rate of change of the water properties.
The frequency that these measurements can be made is governed by the logistics of re-occupying the observation locations or stations. It is now recognized that a number of important ocean circulation and limnological phenomena occur episodically, and that there are short and long-term changes in water properties. More frequent sampling, or sampling initiated by a measured change in the environment, is important and is needed to elucidate ocean or lake behavior.
While such frequent measurements have been extremely difficult to obtain, the limited number of studies that have re-occupied the same site many times over time have proven to be extremely valuable. For example, an investigation by J. R. Lazier in 1980 of the Labrador Sea documented the effect of low-salinity surface water on deep water convection. Undoubtedly, many other important discoveries concerning ocean water circulation await the ability to obtain long term profiles of water properties.
Long-term measurements at fixed locations are generally made using moored instrument systems. At a limited number of preselected depths, an instrument package is affixed to the mooring cable which is anchored to the sea floor. While this is preferable to single observations, the profile over time is severely constrained by a limited number of sampling depths. Since each preselected depth requires its own complete instrument package, the cost to obtain the data increases proportionately to the number of sites selected. Maintaining calibration of many instrument packages is time consuming and expensive.
It has been recognized that a single sensor platform that can move up and down the mooring cable provides distinct advantages by eliminating the need for multiple sensors and multiple tethering systems. It also provides the advantages of a single calibration applicable to all of the measurements. This is particularly important in long term measurements where sensor drift over time may be large compared to the ocean variability.
One such device is made by Brooke Ocean Technology, Ltd. of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. This apparatus utilizes surface wave motion as an energy source to power a three-mode microprocessor controlled ratchet system. The apparatus can be locked in place, set to free fall, or engaged to climb down the mooring cable. The apparatus requires wave heights of at least 15 cm at a 2 second period to operate. The descent rate is much slower than the climb rate, and the cycle time differs considerably from one cycle to another. This device has a limited depth range over which it can operate, and requires attachment to a surface buoy rather than a subsurface float. This requirement results in reliability problems due to the dynamic forces created by waves.
Detailed sampling of the ocean's vertical property variations is also commonly accomplished by using expendable bathythermographs such as manufactured by the Sippican Corporation of Marion, Mass. and as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,205, issued to Francis and U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,518, issued to Whalen. This sonde has a streamline-shape so that it will free fall at a constant and predictable rate. The instrument package within the device is connected by thin insulated copper wire which unspools as the device drops, thus providing a profile of water conditions as the sensors within the device send back data. These devices are capable of depths to one kilometer, that is, only the upper portion of the ocean which has an average depth of 31/2 kilometers. This type of device is poorly suited for time series measurements since it requires that a ship stay at the station in order to collect the data. Also, since the device is expendable, the cost of sampling becomes prohibitive for studies that require frequent sampling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,698, issued to Echert et al. on May 15, 1990, discloses an ocean profiler that is designed to be used under pack ice via a tether connected to a stationary surface buoy. The apparatus moves up and down its tether via a variable pitch hydrofoil "wing". The "wing" flies up or down in response to the ocean currents. As with the previously described device, a constant rate of movement up or down or a constant cycle period is not possible since the ocean currents are as changeable as wave height. Use of this device is limited to areas with significant current shear. Depths to 300 meters were typical in the Echert disclosure.
Other approaches to ocean profiling have been attempted. One approach has been the use of a device that adjusts its buoyancy to provide movement up or down along the mooring line via compressed gas. Representative of this genre is the CYCLESONDE invented by J. W. Van Leer et al, as described in Deep Sea Research., vol. 21, pp. 385-400, 1974. Another example is the Webb Research Corp.'s "SLOCUM" is an example of a freely drifting vehicle which can ascend and descend by changing buoyancy.
A buoyancy variant using a pump to move a working fluid into and out of the device is the profiler that was described by Eriksen et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 87, No. C10, pp. 7879-7902, Sept. 20, 1982. This device, referred to as a profiling current meter has its buoyancy adjusted by computer control. The design is said to decouple the instrument from the vertical motions of the mooring induced by surface waves. Its depth range is limited to a few hundred meters.
There is not found in the prior art an apparatus that moves at a constant speed along its mooring cable, either up or down, that has a cycle time, i.e., from top to bottom and back, which corresponds to the spectrum of changes in the water body being measured, that can profile over the full depth of the ocean, that can profile 1,000,000 meters on a single internal battery, that can control its motion completely, that orients into the current, and has the reliability and energy requirements suitable for making measurements over a long period of time while unattended.


An iontophoresis method for delivenng an active substance or drug to a target tissue which includes the step of sandwiching the target tissue between a donor electrode and receptor electrode which are each electrically connnected to a power source wherein a current path between the donor electrode and the receptor electrode is maintained at a minimum value to enhance delivery of the active substance to the target tissue.

The skin is the major barrier to the entry of foreign solutes from the environment into the body as well to the loss of heat and moisture from the body. The outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum, is normally assumed to be the major barrier to drug absorption through the skin. It has also been assumed that the drugs penetrating the epidermis are then removed by the dermal blood supply.
Drugs will not penetrate into deeper tissues after topical application if the stratum corneum barrier is not overcome. Complete removal of this barrier should yield tissue levels equivalent to those observed after dermal application. Singh et al., (1993) referred to in the list of references hereinafter, observed that iontophoresis also yielded tissue concentrations of lignocaine and salicylic acid in vivo, similar to those observed for dermal application.
Iontophoresis is a process which involves the transport of charged substances into body tissue, such as skin, by the passage of an electric current. Transport of solutes by iontophoresis is dependent on many factors, including solute physio chemical factors which includes (ionic charges [Gangarosa et al., 1980; Pikal, 1990; Srinivasan and Higuchi, 1990; Kasting and Keister, 1989; Phipps et al., 1989; Burnette and Ongpipattanakul, 1987; DeNuzzio and Berner, 1990], the presence of extraneous ions [Bellatone et al., 1986], pH of the donor solution [Siddiqui et al., 1985b and 1989; Burnette and Marrero, 1986; Wearley et al., 1989], ionic strength [Lelawongs et al, 100-; Wearley et al., 1989], solute concentration [O'Malley and Oester, 1955; Bellatone et al, 1986; Wearley et al., 1989], buffer constituents, chemical structure of the solute inclusive of conductivity [Siddiqui et al., 1989]); physiological factors (skin region--density of appendages [Roberts et al., 1982; Feldman et al., 1967], age, sex, race, hydration of the skin [Potts et al., 1984], delipidization--ethanol pretreatment [Srinivasan et al., 1989], fluidisation of lipids and permeability of skin [Tregear, 1966; Phipps et al., 1989]) and electrical factors inclusive of current density [Bellatone et al., 1986; DelTerzo et al., 1989], nature of electrodes [Bellatone et al., 1986, Masada et al., 1989], duration of treatment, nature of current [Okabe et al., 1986; Yamamoto and Yamamoto, 1976 and 1978; Chien et al., 1989; Bagniefski and Burnette, 1990; Pikal and Shah, 1991]).
Hitherto there has been described methods and compositions for enhanced skin concentration of iontophoretically delivered active agents. During iontophoresis, charged compounds pass from a reservoir attached to the skin of a person into the tissue underneath. The process is one wherein the rate of delivery is a function of current, active agent concentration and presence of other ions. It is a generally held belief that higher concentrations of active agent, higher levels of current and lower concentrations of other ions result in greater delivery of the active compound. Generally, iontophoretic devices comprise at least two electrodes--both on the surface, an electrical energy source, such as a battery, and at least one reservoir which contains the active agent to be delivered.
Mention can be made to prior art which describes methods and devices involving the internal placement of iontophoretic electrodes into body cavities. Stephen et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,936) describe a method and apparatus specifically for the placement of an iontophoretic electrode in the form of a tubular catheter into hollow body cavities containing ion-rich physiological fluids, such as the bladder and vagina. The purpose of their invention was to introduce a technique whereby the selection of the active electrode material and drug counterion would be such as to produce ionic species which interact with one another to minimise or reduce the number or water hydrolysis products produced by electrode decay as a result of the iontophoretic process.
Reference can also be made to German Patents 3809814 and 3844518 which describe electrodes designed for implantation into fluid containing hollow body cavities, specifically the bladder, for the local treatment of bladder cancer by iontophoresis. In these specifications, the receptor electrode was enclosed in a type of girdle worn around the lower part of the body and connected to the electrode placed in the bladder. The electrode placed in the bladder comprised a tubular rigid probe having a peripheral wall and opposed rows of delivery apertures in the peripheral wall. The inserted end of the probe was sealed and a conductor passed down the hollow interior of the probe and was connected to a source of current at an outer end.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,648 also refers to electrode placement in the bladder to prevent infection. In this case, both donor and receptor electrodes in the form of rigid metal probes were inserted into the bladder and the surrounding bladder contents were sterilised by the ions generated by the decomposition of the electrode when the current was passed. All of the abovementioned references rely upon the presence of a fluid environment around their donor electrodes for the passage of drug solution or generation of heavy metal ions and were specifically concerned with delivery of the drug solution to the relevant body cavity.
Reference may be made to other prior art concerning location of one electrode on the skin of a subject and the location of another electrode such as a probe or needle electrode in a body cavity or body tissue which is described in International Publication WO94/05369. This specification describes a probe type electrode which may have a needle or trocar attached thereto which has a selectively permeable membrane through which a drug may be driven by a voltage gradient to deliver a drug to a target area of an internal body tissue. The iontophoresis apparatus described in this reference may be utilised to deliver a drug to a tumour. International Publication WO91/16945, International Publication WO94/05361 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,755 describe similar iontophoresis apparatus.
Reference may also be made to EP 0438078 which describes a probe electrode or catheter having an internal cavity in which is located an internal wire electrode and a plurality of holes or apertures in a side wall of the cavity to allow for passage of a drug from an internal cavity to a body cavity or organ. A counter-electrode may be placed on the outside of the body on the skin as close as possible to the organ subjected to the iontophoretic treatment.
FR 2516388 describes a similar probe electrode or catheter to that described in EP 0438078 which may be fitted with a needle in the catheter for iontophoresis injection into physiological joints. The catheter may be provided with internal electrodes spaced from each other and located in a side wall of the catheter and flush with an internal surface of the side wall.
Reference also may be made to EP 0378132 which refers to iontophoresis needle electrodes.
In summary of the abovementioned prior art, it will be appreciated that the donor or active electrode which was responsible for drug delivery and the receptor or inactive electrode has been utilised in a variety of situations which include:
(i) adjacent each other in topical applications such as the epidermis; PA1 (ii) the active electrode being inserted in a body cavity while the inactive electrode was placed on the skin; or PA1 (iii) where both electrodes were inserted in the same or different body cavities.
However, it has now been discovered that an iontophoresis technique may be applied for effective administration of a drug to sensitive tissues such as the eye, ear inclusive of the eardrum, nose or throat in a non-invasive manner to avoid the use of invasive administration techniques such as direct injection of the drug into the sensitive tissue which is often painful or traumatic and is also risky because, if not administered satisfactorily, may result in serious injury.


Weather-resistant protein supplement feeds for animals and methods of making same are disclosed. A trace mineral premix in the form of free-flowing granules is produced in a series of steps comprising (1) mixing a liquid binder with a relatively coarse granular feed ingredient to provide damp binder-coated cores, (2) while damp, the binder-coated cores are mixed with a trace mineral base mix, (3) the cores with their outer layers of trace minerals are mixed with substances which impart water-resistant sheaths thereto, and (4) dusting powder is applied to complete the formation of trace mineral premix granules. The premix granules are mixed with coarse granular macromineral feed ingredients, iron oxide, liquids including a water-resistant coating solution, and one or more of a proteinaceous ingredient to form weather-resistant protein supplement feed granules. In a preferred embodiment, the water-resistant sheathes are formed by mixing the product of step (2) with a fatty acid and depositing thereon a metal oxide with which it reacts.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to innovations and improvements in water-resistant or weatherized mineral and protein supplement feeds for animals. Such feeds are consumed by animals in pastures, on the range or in feedlots where they are to at least some extent, if not entirely, exposed to the weather.
2. Related Art
Weather-resistant mineral feeds for animals, often referred to as "weatherized minerals" have been available for a number of years. For many years, mineral feed products have been weatherized to reduce losses from wind and rain by application of petrolatum to the minerals and the inclusion of molasses to increase palatability. Ingredients in a typical mineral feed can be categorized in three groups: macrominerals, trace minerals (microminerals) and other functional materials. Macrominerals range in size from fine to coarse granules while trace minerals are usually fine granules or powders. Due to their small size, the major losses from rain leaching or wind erosion occur in the trace minerals.
In the prior procedures for producing weatherized mineral feeds, the first step in the process has been to mix the macro ingredients, micro ingredients, salt, and functional materials. Thereafter, petrolatum and molasses are added to the mixture followed by a period of mixing so as to uniformly distribute the molasses and petrolatum throughout the mix. Heretofore, iron oxide has been included in the formula in order to impart a red color to the final product.
While weatherized or water-resistant mineral feeds formulated and produced in accordance with the prior art have been consumed in large quantities over the years, the finer fraction of such feeds which includes primarily the trace minerals and water soluble components has been susceptible to appreciable rain leaching and wind erosion.
Protein supplementation of range cattle is necessary during periods when the forage available to the animals provides inadequate levels of protein to maintain body weight and performance. Winter is often the time of year when supplementation is most needed. Drought or other poor growing conditions can affect the nutritional composition of forages at other times of the year, leading to the need for protein supplementation.
Most free-choice protein supplements available on the market today are in the form of pressed blocks or tubs. In the pressed block process, dry ingredients are batched and mixed. Molasses and other liquid binders are added and the resultant mixture pressed under high pressure (approx 1500 to 2500 psi). Final moisture content of the product is generally 13% or lower. Standard size of pressed blocks is 33-1/3 lbs.
Most tub products use molasses as the starting material. For these products, two different processes are used to achieve a final solid product. In one process, the molasses is heated to remove water to achieve a moisture content of approximately 3%. Limited quantities of dry ingredients can be blended with the cooked molasses prior to cooling to provide additional minerals, vitamins, protein, or energy (U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,081).
In the other process, highly reactive materials are added to create a chemical reaction that hardens the product. Limited quantities of dry ingredients can be added to provide additional minerals, vitamins, protein, or energy. In this process, limited quantities of moisture are removed in the process (see e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,171,385; 4,234,608 and 4,265,916).
Another process has been developed by Harvest Fuel, Inc. for producing a tub based on condensed distillers solubles (CDS) instead of molasses. In this process, the CDS is mixed with the dry ingredients to form a mixture at approximately 24% moisture which is then pressed under low pressure to form the final product. Higher levels of dry ingredients can be added to enhance the protein, mineral, and vitamin composition of the product over the molasses-based products (U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,089).
Free-choice tub products are generally 200 to 250 lbs in size, with some as large as 500 lbs. Due to their size, they are more convenient to handle and feed than the smaller pressed blocks. The tub products are generally unaffected by weather, while the pressed blocks tend to fall apart if they get wet.
In some instances, a free-choice protein supplement is desired in meal form. To address this segment of the market, MoorMan's Inc. developed a high-protein supplement called Roughage Buster. Protein contents of 60, 80 and 100% are currently available with the high protein levels achieved through the inclusion of biuret, along with other protein sources.
In the production of Roughage Buster, the dry ingredients are added to the mixer, followed by the addition of molasses and petrolatum. The resultant mixture is a non-dusty product containing a wide range of particle sizes. Distribution of nutrients, particularly the trace minerals, is non-uniform leading to inconsistent mineral intake should segregation of the product occur during handling and feeding. It is also more subject to losses due to wind and water.

Weather-resistant protein supplement feeds, and methods of making same


A simple, low cost ultrasound beamforming system uses an analog random access memory (RAM) element for each beamforming channel. The system includes a processor and an ultrasonic transducer array. The ultrasonic transducer array includes a plurality of transducer elements, each transducer element associated with one of a plurality of channels. The system also includes a beamformer adapted to receive an output signal from each of the plurality of transducer elements, and a delay element located in the beamformer and associated with each of the channels, where the delay element comprises an analog random access memory element.

The present invention relates generally to ultrasound imaging systems and, more particularly, to a beamforming system using analog random access memory (RAM) elements for use in an ultrasound imaging system.
Ultrasound imaging systems have been available for quite some time and are commonly used in nondestructive testing and medical applications. Medical ultrasound imaging allows the internal structure of the human body to be viewed non-invasively in real time. The ultrasound imaging system may be capable of either two or three-dimensional imaging.
Ultrasound imaging systems include, among other elements, an ultrasonic probe (including an ultrasonic transducer array), processing and control electronics (including transmit and receive beamformers), a display, and cabling that connects the ultrasonic probe to the processing and control electronics. Ultrasonic transducers are typically configured in either one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrays. A one dimensional transducer array includes one row of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged longitudinally. A two dimensional ultrasonic transducer array typically includes ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in columns and rows.
Regardless of the transducer array arrangement, during transmit pulses, electrical energy is converted by the transducer element to acoustic energy and transmitted in the direction of a target. The acoustic energy reflects from the target and returns to the transducer element. The acoustic energy received by the transducer element is converted to an electrical signal and passed as a receive signal to the receive processing circuitry associated with the ultrasound imaging system. A typical two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array includes many hundreds or thousands of individual transducer elements. The electrical signal supplied by each transducer element is multiplexed to a smaller number of channels and then coupled to the processing circuitry.
When acoustic energy is received by each transducer element, it is often desirable to alter the characteristics of the signal to improve the ultrasonic image. One such manner for altering the signal is to delay the signal in one channel with respect to other channels. This is commonly referred to as beamforming. By using beamforming, components of the receive signal may be altered to improve the displayed ultrasound image. Conventional beamforming techniques typically use multiple beamforming elements that use complex digital processing circuitry for each receive channel. Unfortunately, this requires complicated processing components and tends to increase the cost of the ultrasound system.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a low cost and simple beamforming system for each channel in an ultrasound imaging system.
A simple, low cost ultrasound beamforming system uses an analog random access memory (RAM) element for each beamforming channel. The system includes a processor and an ultrasonic transducer array. The ultrasonic transducer array includes a plurality of transducer elements, each transducer element associated with one of a plurality of channels. The system also includes a beamformer adapted to receive an output signal from each of the plurality of transducer elements, and a delay element located in the beamformer and associated with each of the channels, where the delay element comprises an analog random access memory (RAM) element.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

Beamforming system using analog random access memory


A high conductance, multi-tray film precursor evaporation system coupled with a high conductance vapor delivery system is described for increasing the deposition rate by increasing exposed surface area of film precursor. The multi-tray film precursor evaporation system includes one or more trays. Each tray is configured to support and retain film precursor in, for example, solid powder form or solid tablet form. Additionally, each tray is configured to provide for a high conductance flow of carrier gas over the film precursor while the film precursor is heated. For example, the carrier gas flows inward over the film precursor, and vertically upward through a flow channel within the stackable trays and through an outlet in the solid precursor evaporation system.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a system for thin film deposition, and more particularly to a system for evaporating a film precursor and delivering the vapor to a deposition chamber.
2. Description of Related Art
The introduction of copper (Cu) metal into multilayer metallization schemes for manufacturing integrated circuits can necessitate the use of diffusion barriers/liners to promote adhesion and growth of the Cu layers and to prevent diffusion of Cu into the dielectric materials. Barriers/liners that are deposited onto dielectric materials can include refractive materials, such as tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), and tantalum (Ta), that are non-reactive and immiscible in Cu, and can offer low electrical resistivity. Current integration schemes that integrate Cu metallization and dielectric materials can require barrier/liner deposition processes at substrate temperatures between about 400 degrees C. and about 500 degrees C., or lower.
For example, Cu integration schemes for technology nodes less than or equal to 130 nm currently utilize a low dielectric constant (low-k) inter-level dielectric, followed by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) TaN layer and Ta barrier layer, followed by a PVD Cu seed layer, and an electrochemical deposition (ECD) Cu fill. Generally, Ta layers are chosen for their adhesion properties (i.e., their ability to adhere on low-k films), and Ta/TaN layers are generally chosen for their barrier properties (i.e., their ability to prevent Cu diffusion into the low-k film).
As described above, significant effort has been devoted to the study and implementation of thin transition metal layers as Cu diffusion barriers, these studies including such materials as chromium, tantalum, molybdenum and tungsten. Each of these materials exhibits low miscibility in Cu. More recently, other materials, such as ruthenium (Ru) and rhodium (Rh), have been identified as potential barrier layers since they are expected to behave similarly to conventional refractory metals.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Film precursor tray for use in a film precursor evaporation system and method of using


An array antenna with reflector(s) (AR) comprises i) an array (RS) of at least two feeds (S1-S5), including a central feed (S1), arranged and positioned so as to transmit and/or receive beams (F1-F5) in chosen directions, ii) beam-forming means responsible for controlling the amplitude and phase of each of the feeds by means of amplitude/phase laws applied to their ports and providing an appropriate amplification level, in order for each feed (S1-S5) to transmit a chosen radiation pattern (forming a beam and comprising a main lobe) intended to cover a chosen zone (Z1-Z5), and iii) at least one reflector (RC) provided with a surface (SU) specifically for reflecting the beams delivered by the feeds and/or intended for the latter, and shaped tree-dimensionally so as to reflect the beam delivered by each feed (S1-S5) by spreading its energy such that it covers the chosen associated zone, that the main lobe of the radiation pattern associated with the central feed (S1) defines a primary coverage (CP) fully including each active coverage zone (ZC1,ZC2) of the antenna (AR), of chosen shape and dimensions, and that the main lobe of the radiation pattern associated with each non-central feed (S2-S5) at least partially overlaps the primary cover (CP).

The term "array antenna with reflector(s)" should be understood here to mean an antenna consisting of a set of feeds (or radiating elements), defining an array, and one or more reflectors.
The abovementioned array antennas with reflector(s) are of particular interest because they make it possible to form and position one or more beams radiating towards one or more given coverages. This beam formation is done by controlling the amplitude and/or phase at the feeds.
The capacity to modify the position and the shape of the coverages in orbit (double reconfigurability) is of particular interest, particularly to take account of the changes in the traffic, to take over from a failed satellite, or on changes of position in the orbital arc with retention of the link budget over a given zone. In order to allow for a double reconfigurability, the three solutions described below are most commonly used.
A first solution consists in using an active array antenna with direct radiation (or DRA), in other words an antenna with no reflector. This type of array antenna offers a very good double reconfigurability capacity, but requires a large number of controls which often make its cost and its weight prohibitive. Furthermore, in transmission, the low efficiency of the amplifiers that are associated with each of the DRA controls induces an often prohibitive dissipation.
A second solution involves using an array of feeds in the focal plane or in the vicinity of the focal plane of a non-shaped parabolic reflector (or FAFR). This solution is described in particular in the document U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,587. In order to cover a given zone, the feed array is dimensioned in such a way that each of its feeds contributes to a part of the total coverage. The positioning of the feeds is directly linked to the zone to be covered. It is determined geometrically by applying the principle of reflection on the reflector. The amplitude/phase laws of the different controls must be optimized for the beams delivered by the feeds to combine and give a radiation pattern suited to each zone to be covered. If only one of the zones, provided initially, is to be covered, only a part of the corresponding array is used. The amplitude range applied to the radiating elements is large, which often makes it necessary, in transmission, to use a power balancing device between the amplifiers (called MPA).
The fact that each of the feeds is directly linked to a part of the coverage, on the one hand, imposes a redundancy on the amplifiers in order to avoid the loss of this zone in the event of a partial loss, and on the other hand, induces a number of feeds (and often of controls) that is directly linked to the size of the coverage. The beam-forming architecture is therefore particularly complex, induces additional losses linked to the presence of the MPA, and results in a fairly high volume and weight.
A third solution, a variant of the second, has been proposed in the US patent document 2004/0222932. It consists in placing a feed array in the focal plane of a reflector, the reflecting surface of which is shaped so as to spread the area covered by each beam having a "flat" radiation pattern in the main lobe delivered by an individual feed. The principle remains the same as that described above, each feed contributing only a part of the coverage. Because of the spreading of the individual beams introduced by the shaping of the reflector, the number of feeds needed to sample the coverage can then be reduced, which makes it possible to reduce the number of antenna controls.

Array antenna with shaped reflector(s), highly reconfigurable in orbit


One embodiment in accordance with the invention is a method. For example, the method includes storing movie content with a distribution station that can be subsequently purchased and/or rented. The movie content can be encrypted. A determination can be made as to whether a storage apparatus is coupled with the distribution station. Provided the storage apparatus has been coupled with the distribution station, a determination can be made as to whether the storage apparatus is authorized to receive the movie content. Provided the storage apparatus is authorized to receive the movie content, encrypted movie content can be downloaded to the storage apparatus from the distribution station. Note that the download of movie content to the authorized storage apparatus can be part of a purchase and/or rental transaction.

The Internet enables computer users to conveniently purchase items from the comfort of their homes, offices, or wherever a computer can be communicatively connected to the Internet. Items that can be purchased via the Internet can include airline tickets, books, compact discs (CDs), car rental, sporting equipment, DVDs, hotel room booking, concert tickets, to name a few. Additionally, when a computer is connected to the Internet, its user is capable of purchasing and downloading music to their computer where it can be stored for subsequent use and/or transfer to another device. It is noted that when the computer is connected to the Internet utilizing a 56 Kbps (kilobits per second) modem, the download of a single song can typically take up to 15 to 20 minutes. On the other hand, when the computer is connected to the Internet utilizing a broadband modem, the download of a single song can take less than a minute. Alternatively, when a computer is connected to the Internet, its user is capable of purchasing and downloading movies to the computer for subsequent use. However, there are disadvantages associated with acquiring movies in this manner.
For example, one of the disadvantages associated with downloading movies from the Internet is that it typically takes a much greater amount of time (even using a broadband modem) to transfer all of the data associated with a movie when compared with the transfer time of a single song. Additionally, the transfer time it takes to download a high-definition (HD) movie takes even longer than the transfer time of a typically formatted movie since a HD movie involves so much more data.
Another disadvantage associated with downloading movies from the Internet is that the communication equipment of Internet service providers (ISPs), that provide computers access to the Internet, can become bogged down from the continual data transfer that can be involved with downloading movie content to many computers. Therefore, it can be cumbersome and taxing to ISP communication equipment to support the downloading movie content from the Internet.
The invention may address one or more of the above issues.


A projector system using a screen comprised of either a plurality of miniature, reflective, and concave or convex curved surfaces that are arranged in a pattern to create a screen surface for front projection, or a plurality of miniature, transparent, and curved convex or concave lenses that are arranged in a pattern to create a screen surface for rear projection, and a projector system with the pixel capacity to control the color and brightness focused onto many different subsections of each curved surface. Each curved lens or curved mirror surface is small enough so that when viewed from the viewing area, the lit and unlit areas seen within each individual curved surface blend together so that only the average brightness and color of each curved surface can be seen by a viewer. By controlling the subsections of each curved surface with focused light from a high resolution projector, the system can control the image the viewer sees in their left eye separately from their right eye and the viewer can see stereographic images without the need to wear filtering glasses. With inclusion of an external head tracking system, the left/right images for each subsection can be switched as needed when one or multiple viewers move their head or seating position within the viewing area.

The Present invention relates to front projector and rear projector screens and high resolution projectors that together allow for large-screen stereographic viewing.
Viewing of large screen stereographic imagery generated from a front or rear projector source has been accomplished previously by employing different filtering techniques in order to separate the left eye's image from the right eye's image. Active shutter glasses have been used with polarized projector sources along with timed flashes on screen to separate the images for the left and right eye. Other methods include dual passive projection, anaglyph 3D, and separation of color spectrum. All of these methods require the viewer to wear glasses to view a large-screen projected image in stereo.


An occlusion implant device for small body lumens consisting of a micromachined monocrystalline silicon disk which has inherently spring loaded integral helical wings which when released by the insertion device anchors the implant in position. The device may be used for contraception vasco-occlusion for treatment of aneurysms and with an aperture therethrough may also be utilized as a stent. Alternatively, a micro mold of silicon may be formed and a metal or plastic disk produced by injection molding.

Endoscopic techniques for human medical use are becoming much more prevalent.
For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,600, endoluminal coils have been used both in the treatment of vascular aneurysms to occlude the site to thus act as a barrier to blood flow and also as an intrafallopian coil for contraceptive use. Such coils are generally composed of a wound resilient alloy wire having a dimension which is in the low millimeter range. This is much too large for the interior of the fallopian tube or other blood vessels which are significantly smaller. Thus there is a need for an occlusive implant device which is suitable for very small body lumen.

Silicon micro machined occlusion implant


The invention relates to protection from faults in a power transmission system having two or more transmission lines. Travelling waves are detected from a signal obtained with a measurement equipment associated with a bus of the power transmission system. Arrival times of a first peak of a first travelling wave, a second travelling wave and a third travelling wave, are detected from the signal. A value for line length is calculated from the arrival times and propagation velocity of the travelling wave in the corresponding transmission line. The calculated value is compared with an actual length of the corresponding transmission line, for determining if the fault is an internal fault or an external fault. According to the fault being one of the internal fault and the external fault, a signal for controlling a switching device associated with the corresponding transmission line is generated.

Distance relay is a widely adopted protection device that is designed to provide primary and backup protection in transmission lines. The distance relay can operate in zone-1 and zone-2, among others, to provide protection for the entire line distance. Zone-1 typically covers 80% of the line length, while zone-2 is set to be an intentional overreaching zone to cover the remaining 20% (of line length) of the protected line. In case of zone-1 faults, the relay operates instantaneously, while in case of zone-2 faults, the relay operates after a delay.
In zone-2 operation, the time delay is about 15-20 cycles (300-400 ms (milliseconds)). The main reason behind the delay in operation is the time required for coordination with other distance relays, which protect downstream transmission lines. As mentioned, a distance relay at one end of a transmission line protects 80% of the line with instantaneous operation. Considering fault resistance and other errors or system behavior, typically this percentage may reduce below 80% of the line length. For example, faults such as short circuit faults in a second half (or half section) of the line are cleared after the intentional delay, as they get recognized as zone-2. This latency has impact on power system stability, but at the same time it prevents fast auto-reclosing.
There are certain communication based protection methods that attempt to reduce the delay in case of zone-2 operation. These methods employ communication links for data exchange and decision-making. A communication link is also used in these methods to exchange the breaker status information from the remote bus. Accuracy of these methods depends on the reliability of the communication infrastructure. Moreover, these methods are not economical and may not always work, for example when there is a communication failure. Examples of some such protection schemes using communication are listed below:                Permissive Overreaching Transfer Trip (POTT)        Permissive Under reaching Transfer Trip (PUTT)        Directional Comparison Blocking (DCB)        Directional Comparison Unblocking (DCUB)        Direct Under reaching Transfer Trip (DUTT)        Direct Transfer Trip (DTT)
There are certain other methods that try to determine the status/operation information for the breaker at the remote end of the line. For example, one method is based on the principle of detecting the three-pole operation of the remote breaker, and makes use of this detection to accelerate the operation of the relay in case of zone-2 faults. This method is not suitable for a single-pole trip operation. Taking another example, another method is based on monitoring the imaginary part of impedance seen by distance relay, to detect three-pole tripping of the remote breaker following any unsymmetrical zone-2 fault. This method also is not suitable for single-pole trip, or for symmetrical faults. Taking yet another example, another method is based on the monitoring of the impedance trajectory characteristic associated with the remote breaker operation. This method is not sensitive for low resistance faults.
Thus, the known methods require communication between distance relays, or analyzing the operation status of the breaker at the remote end of the line. These methods have limitations such as requiring dedicated communication infrastructure, susceptible to communication failures, ability to detect only certain types of faults from specific breaker status/operation monitoring using phasor information, which may be difficult to calculate accurately during faults.
With rapid integration of renewable energy sources combined with recent advancements in power transmission technologies, a large amount of power is transferred across long distances. This brings challenges in secure and reliable operation of the power system. Integration of renewable energy (low inertia) systems to the grid is likely to impact the grid stability margin, and therefore necessitates faster fault clearing protection schemes. Moreover, faster fault clearing is very important to prevent equipment damage and improve transient stability of the power systems.
There is accordingly the need for a faster selective zone-2 protection scheme for transmission lines without requiring any communication between local and remote protection devices, and which can work for different types of fault scenarios.

Accelerated zone-2 protection for transmission lines


Disclosed is a quotation method executed by a computer, comprising: obtaining structure parameters and electrical parameters of a product (S101); constructing an external view of the product by using the structure parameters of the product, and performing similarity comparison on the external view of the product and the external view of a historical product to obtain an appearance similarity sorting (102); performing similarity comparison on the electrical parameters of the product and the electrical parameters of the historical product to obtain an electrical parameter similarity sorting (103); on the basis of the cost weights of a structural member and an electrical component and the appearance similarity sorting and the electrical parameter similarity sorting, obtaining a comprehensive sorting which is based on the structure parameters and the electrical parameters (S104); and determining, based on the comprehensive sorting, a bill of materials of the product, and calculating, based on the bill of the materials of the product, the product quotation (105).

At present, a general process for determining the price of B2B products (such as display products) is: at first, a customer puts forward requirements for appearance and electrical specifications of a product, and then a company's business personnel draws appearance pictures of the product with software tools according to the appearance and specifications of the product by analyzing the customer's requirements and confirming feasibility with research personnel. Finally, the business personnel, collaborated with the research personnel, select a similar historical product based on experience, calculate its BOM (Bill of Material) cost, and add other factors that affect the cost to determine the price for the product. However, the current method for determining product price not only depends too much on R&D engineers, but also is difficult to traverse all historical products by using such a selection manner, resulting in an excessively long determining cycle and causing inevitably an inaccurate product price.

Quotation method executed by computer, quotation device, electronic device and storage medium

Beijing BOE Technology Development Co., Ltd.


A file system is enabled to use a Metadata Partition instead of VAT for write-once discs, and is provided by a pseudo-overwrite method with a plurality of tracks especially for metadata and file data. On applying this invention to a drive apparatus that supports pseudo-overwrite media, the file system distinguishes data to overwrite from data to append (S1701). When the data is newly written to a logical sector, the drive apparatus writes the data to a physical sector to which the logical sector corresponds (S1703). When the data being overwritten is data stored in the logical sector, the data is written to the other unrecorded physical sector in the volume space (S1704), and remapping information is written (S1705). The remapping information specifies the original address of the physical sector, and the remapping address of the physical sector in which the data is written.

File systems for optical discs have made advances through various activities to develop UDF (Universal Disk Format®) specifications published from OSTA (Optical Storage Technology Association).
For write-once discs, the recording method has improved from multi-session recording to file-by-file recording using VAT (Virtual Allocation Table).
On the other hand, for rewritable discs, a volume and file structure has improved from the structure using non-sequential recording defined in ECMA 167, which is the international standard, to the structure using Metadata Partition specified in UDF Revision 2.5 (hereinafter UDF 2.5). Merits to using Metadata Partition include a performance improvement in retrieving metadata, such as file entries/directories, and an increase in the robustness from media damage.
However, Metadata Partition cannot be used for data appending usage on a write-once disc. This is because it is not allowed in UDF 2.5 to use Metadata Partition with VAT, due to the difficulty in implementing this combination.
Typically, it is also difficult to develop a new recording method for a write-once disc. This is because the physical characteristics of the write-once disc do not allow the data which is written at once to be overwritten. As the new recording method needs to be compatible with computer architecture, and needs to be implemented in a drive apparatus, and also considering the resources available of consumer appliances, the study of the new recording method was studied from several aspects.
The present invention has been made in view of the above subjects and includes an objective of providing the merits of Metadata Partition to the data recording usage on a write-once disc.

Data recording/reproduction for write-once discs


Demand ventilation protocols can address the issue of sensor failure while still providing desirable levels of energy conservation. An occupancy indicator such as a sensor can be monitored. If the sensor reading is determined to be incorrect, unexpected or otherwise erroneous, the ventilation system can provide an amount of fresh air sufficient for adequate ventilation without over-ventilating the building.

Many buildings are designed to be as airtight as possible in order to save energy that would otherwise be expended on heating and cooling. It has been discovered, however, that such buildings can suffer from an excessive build up of indoor air contaminants from a variety of sources. A possible solution to indoor air quality issues is to ventilate.
A number of studies have indicated that buildings should be ventilated with specific amounts of outside air to counter this potential build up of indoor air contaminants. Consequently, the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has established indoor air standards that have been adopted by many building codes and design engineers. In particular, ASHRAE standards dictate that buildings should be ventilated with differing amounts of outside air based on a number of factors such as potential pollutant levels and occupancy levels.
A number of strategies have previously been provided in answering the need for ventilation. One solution is a fixed air strategy in which a building's HVAC system permits a fixed amount of outside air to enter the building at all times through either passive or active ventilation. While this solution can provide ample fresh air, energy may be wasted heating or cooling fresh air during times when the building is unoccupied or only lightly occupied.
Another strategy is to base ventilation rates on estimated, or projected, occupancy. In particular, unnecessary ventilation may be reduced by estimating or guessing times when a building or a portion of a building such as a room will be less heavily occupied and therefore providing a reduced level of ventilation at such times. This strategy may require manual adjustments of ventilation levels in response to varying occupancy estimates and furthermore may result in incorrect levels of ventilation when occupancy estimates are in error.
Many HVAC systems now include energy recovery ventilators, or air-to-air heat exchangers, in order to capture some of the thermal energy that would otherwise be lost due to exchange of stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air. For example, during a cooling system, the exiting stale (but still cool) air is used to remove at least some heat from the incoming fresh (but relatively warmer) air. During a heating season, the exiting (but still warm) air is used to add at least some thermal energy to the incoming fresh (but relatively colder) air. In some instances, these energy recovery ventilators operate constantly and therefore add load to the HVAC system by over ventilating when ventilation needs are reduced.
A useful strategy is known as demand ventilation, in which the amount of fresh air provided to a building or a portion of a building is varied to accommodate actual demand. While this strategy can address many of the shortcomings of other ventilation schemes such as those discussed above, the strategy inherently relies upon some reliable indication of building occupancy levels.
In some cases, building occupancy levels can be indicated by a variety of different sensors. Unfortunately, sensors can fail. In some systems, a failed sensor or a reading that indicates a failed sensor causes the ventilation system to default to a full ventilation mode in which the ventilation damper or dampers revert to a fully open position.
While this strategy ensures at least adequate ventilation, this can result in excessive ventilation, thereby wasting energy that has been used to heat or cool the air within the building. A need remains, therefore, for demand ventilation protocols that address the issue of sensor failure while still providing for desirable levels of energy conservation.

Demand control ventilation sensor failure


An improved traveling wave amplifier is disclosed. The improvements to the traveling wave amplifier disclosed include designing the drain-to-drain and gate-to-gate transmission lines as coupled pairs thereby coupling energy back to the input from the output. The result is increased bandwidth without an increase in device count or resorting to a cascade configuration.

The present invention is directed to an improvement of the Traveling Wave Amplifier (TWA) (a/k/a Distributed Amplifier) shown in FIG. 1. Typically there are several FET devices (1) where the gates and drains of the FETs are connected with transmission lines, (3) and (2) respectively. The gate-to-gate transmission lines are designed to cancel reflections due to the capacitances of the FET gates, and incrementally absorb the energy from the input signal. Similarly, the drain-to-drain transmission lines are designed to cancel reflections due to capacitances of the FET drains and also to sum the amplified signal with the correct delay from each FET. The result, for a well-designed amplifier, is flat gain response and low input and output reflection over a wide band. Termination networks (4) and (5) provide low-frequency match at the input and output respectively. The bandwidth of the amplifier is determined by the capacitances of each individual FET as well as the realized gain per FET of the amplifier. For any particular device, in order to increase the bandwidth, one must either design for lower gain, or use additional devices. Recently it has become common practice to obtain additional bandwidth by replacing each FET device in the amplifier with a Cascode pair (1) and (2) as shown in FIG. 2. This practice improves bandwidth by reducing the effect of the so-called "Miller Capacitance" of each device. But this practice also increases the device count by a factor of 2, requires a more complicated bias network, and can be difficult to stabilize.

Traveling wave amplifier with distributed regenerative feedback between drain-to-drain transmission lines and gate-to-gate transmission lines for enhanced high frequency bandwidth


An electronic fuse structure is disclosed for integrated circuits that is programmable with low voltage and incorporates a differential sensing scheme. The programming step is performed at about 1.5 times Vdd while the sense operation is performed at Vdd, which limits the resistance variation through the electronic fuse caused by the sense operation. During the sense operation a gating transistor emulates the voltage drop across a fuse select transistor for the case of an intact fuse. A circuit and method for characterizing the resistance of the electronic fuse is also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the application of electronically programmable fuses (eFuse) in integrated circuits. An electronically programmable fuse is disclosed with a low voltage programming capability and differential sensing scheme.
2. Background of Invention
With continued scaling in semiconductor technologies to increasingly smaller geometries, on-chip eFuse implementations provide an attractive alternative to conventional fusing schemes for integrated circuits. In terms of area efficiency and performance impact eFuse technology presents a significant improvement over fuse technologies with optical based programming.
Programmable devices for integrated circuits require a dependable methodology for customizing a device in a repeatable and reliable manner. Fusing of programmable connections in microprocessors, FPGAs and other VLSI designs is a common technique to achieve the flexibility of programmability.
The eFuse device fabricated in silicon based integrated circuits is typically programmed using a large voltage, relative to the operating voltage of the integrated circuit, to melt and separate the fuse body material. This process changes the fuse material from a low resistance to a high resistance, which may be measured by "sensing" circuitry to determine whether or not the eFuse has been programmed.
As process technology for integrated circuits has progressed, maximum operating voltages have scaled commensurately downward with physical geometry, making it difficult to provide sufficient voltage to program the eFuse without damaging logic circuitry associated with the fuse bank. In addition, the current density requirements for metal interconnect layers used to supply eFuse programming currents are typically much greater than for signal interconnect lines. As such, fuse programming buses must be implemented with wide metal wires that consume a disproportionate amount of interconnect resources. Furthermore, eFuse devices may require multiple programming pulses to ensure adequate resistance levels for the eFuse device, thereby increasing programming and test time cycles. However, repeated programming may also lead to an unfused condition in the programmed fuse if a sufficiently high voltage is applied. In that instance, the heating associated with re-programming may cause the fuse material to rejoin thereby further degrading fuse related yield.
Common applications for e-Fuse technology include memory array redundancy, package identification coding and post-manufacture programming of logical functions. Since each eFuse is a single primitive device, additional logic and circuitry are necessary to facilitate programming and sensing.
The eFuse programming operation involves sending a large current through the fuse (e.g., 15 mA) for a sufficient time to dramatically change the fuse resistance from an unprogrammed resistance of about 150 Ω to a resistance of about 50 KΩ. Existing schemes require a high voltage (e.g., 3.3V) to achieve adequate fuse programming current such that all fuses are guaranteed to have a high post-programming resistance. Insufficient programming current may result in a number of fuses exhibiting much lower resistance (e.g., 1 KΩ), and the "yield" following the programming step will be limited by the "tail" of the Gaussian distribution of resulting fuse resistances. In addition, a high programming voltage requires thick-oxide transistors, which, in turn, require extra processing steps to implement. Programming the fuses with a low voltage would eliminate the need for thick-oxide transistors, however, the programming current achievable at low programming voltage limits the maximum post-programming resistance and often requires multiple programming pulses to achieve the desired post fuse programming resistance. In addition, a significant number of low post-programming resistance values can result, which significantly impacts post fuse-programming yield.
Further, the 3.3V supply requires a dedicated package pin and tester channel (for programming at the tester). The routing of the 3.3V signal must be wide, low-resistance metal. This 3.3V supply is on during programming, but off during sensing. Therefore the 3.3V supply must be switchable to support the fuse programming function after final packaging of the integrated circuit in a chip carrier module.
A "sense" circuit is required to discriminate between pre-programming and post-programming resistance, and to provide digital "0" or "1" outputs respectively. Single-ended sensing schemes are known, but they are limited to the minimum resistance they can sense. Consequently, these circuits are not viable if any fuse has a low post-programming resistance. The single-ended scheme also requires an analog current-source-control voltage to be generated and routed to each individual sense circuit. Finally, this technique exhibits very poor noise rejection properties for sensing in the field and high switching activity causes additional noise on the power supply distribution network of the integrated circuit.
For example, FIG. 1 depicts a prior art single-ended eFuse sense scheme. A reference circuit VrefGen 10 creates a voltage VRef to control individual sense-current transistors mPi, with one for each of many fuses Fi. The input of inverter I0 is shorted to the output, establishing a voltage Vm equal to the "trip point" of a latch that would be made of two inverters identical to I0 feeding each other; OpAmp A drives an inverting stage consisting of mPRef and RRef such that Vp has the same voltage as Vm. The OpAmp output voltage VRef then feeds sense-current transistors mPi (one for each fuse Fi), and each fuse presents voltage Vi=Ri IRef to its own sense latch, which consists of two cross coupled inverters identical to I0 feeding each other that are not shown.
As future technologies continue to scale downward in feature size, a potential drawback to the prior art approach is that random manufacturing process variations may cause each transistor mPi to have a unique threshold voltage, such that the sense current will differ from fuse to fuse (VRef is a low-overdrive analog signal). Another related concern is that gate leakage from the VRef signal through the gates of individual transistors mPi will limit how many fuses can share one large VrefGen circuit.
Differential sense schemes are known, and they are better able to handle the tail of the resistance value distribution, however, prior differential sensing techniques employ two fuses to achieve a single programmed value, and also require one large differential amplifier per programmed value, thereby increasing the overall area requirement for fuse programming and sensing operations.
Accordingly, a need exists for an eFuse capable of being programmed by a single low voltage pulse, which incorporates a sensing scheme less susceptible to noise and requires fewer circuit resources then conventional designs.

Low voltage programmable eFuse with differential sensing scheme

International Business Machines Corporation


Hydride phase vapor epitaxy (HVPE) growth apparatus, methods and materials and structures grown thereby. A HVPE growth apparatus includes generation, accumulation and growth zones. A first reactive gas reacts with an indium source inside the generation zone to produce a first gas product having an indium-containing compound. The first gas product is transported to the accumulation zone where it cools and condenses into a source material having an indium-containing compound. The source material is collected in the accumulation zone and evaporated. Vapor or gas resulting from evaporation of the source material forms reacts with a second reactive gas in the growth zone for growth of ternary and quaternary materials including indium gallium nitride, indium aluminum nitride, and indium gallium aluminum nitride.

Group III-N nitride compounds and their alloys have been developed for various optoelectronic and electronic applications. For example, GaN, AlN, AlGaN, InN, InGaN, InAlN and InGaAlN have physical and electronic properties that make them ideal candidates for various electronic and opto-electronic devices. These materials exhibit a direct band gap structure, high electric breakdown field, and high thermal conductivity, which make them suitable for devices including high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs) with high internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and have a variety of important applications.
Additionally, ternary alloy compounds or materials such as InxAl1-xN and InxGa1-xN can be used to cover a wide range of band gap energies from about 0.7 eV (where x equals 1) to 6.2 eV (where x equals 0) and from about 0.7 to 3.4 eV, respectively. Quaternary compounds or materials, such as InxGayAl1-x-yN, are also of interest as certain compositions can provide lattice matched pairs for GaN and other binary and ternary nitride compounds for reducing defect densities in nitride based hetero-structures.
One method of growing such materials is metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) techniques. With MOCVD, group III-V compounds are grown from the vapor phase using metal organic compounds as sources of the Group III metals. Trimethylindium (TMI) is typically used as an indium source material, trimethylaluminum (TMA) is used as an aluminum source material and trimethylgallium (TMG) is used as a gallium source material. Ammonia gas is typically used as a nitrogen source. Materials are supplied to a MOCVD reactor from external source tanks Inside the MOCVD reactor, a metal organic material source reacts with ammonia resulting in deposition of an epitaxial layer of a nitride material on a substrate. In order to control the electrical conductivity of grown materials, electrically active impurities are introduced into the reaction chamber during material growth. Undoped III-V compounds normally exhibit n-type conductivity. Donor impurities such as silicon or germanium are used to control n-type conductivity. Magnesium impurities are usually used in the form of metal organic compounds to control p-type conductivity.
MOCVD has been used to fabricate p-type III-N materials, and a variety of semiconductor devices employing both p-n and p-i-n junctions have been demonstrated including light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs), photo-detectors, and transistors. High brightness LEDs and blue and ultraviolet (UV) lasers have been demonstrated based on group III nitride multi layer epitaxial structures including single or multiple quantum wells and quantum dots.
In many of these devices, indium-containing alloy materials including InGaN and InGaAlN are the main components of the active regions. For example, light emitting regions of high brightness blue LEDs and LDs are typically made from InGaN alloys, in particular, InGaN quantum well structures. Parameters of the devices can be controlled by changing alloy compositions. For example, for blue LEDs, the InN content in the InGaN light emitting region may be about 15 mol. %, whereas InN content of about 25 mol. % is required for green LEDs.
MOCVD has also been used to produce technology capable of producing multi-layer hetero-structures that are used for electronic or optoelectronic devices. Typical structures include AlGaN/GaN hetero-structures for high frequency transistors and AlGaN/InGaN/GaN pn hetero-structures for light emitting devices. An important elements of these structures are quantum well structures, which are hetero-structures having thicknesses of separate layers of several nanometers. In such structures, light emitting efficiency may be increased due to quantum effects taking place in nanometer thick epitaxial layers comprising hetero-junctions.
Although MOCVD has been used in the past, this fabrication method has a number of limitations. Significantly, grown materials suffer from high defect densities, poor conductivity or doping control, and non-uniformity. For example, green LEDs based on InGaN alloy materials with relatively high InN content (more than 20 mol. %) fabricated by MOCVD show low efficiency and output power, and nitride-based yellow and red LEDs require even higher InN content and currently are not commercially available due to poor performance. Such poor material characteristics limit the applicability of such materials, and the resulting structures may not be suitable for applications such as high speed communication THz electronics, solar sells, and advanced sensors. Further, success in controlling p-type conductivity in nitride materials is limited to use of GaN and to some extent, AlGaN and InGaN alloys with low AlN and InN content, respectively. Other limitations of MOCVD include high fabrication costs resulting from high costs source materials, low deposition rates and complicated growth procedures and apparatuses. MOCVD requires operations in a high vacuum environment and the associated pumping processes and machinery. Further, deposition rates achieved by MOCVD typically do not exceed one or two microns per hour, thus limiting the thickness of deposited materials and rendering MOCVD unsuitable for bulk growth.
It is also known to grow such materials using Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE). MBE, however, suffers many of the same shortcomings as MOCVD. For example, MBE involves high fabrication costs and operation in a vacuum environment. Further, MBE techniques also suffer from slow deposition rates, which limit the thicknesses of materials grown by MOCVD and limit or prohibit effective bulk growth.
Hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) has also been investigated for the fabrication of III-V nitride materials. With HVPE, gallium and aluminum metals are typically used as source materials for GaN and AlN HVPE growth, respectively. HVPE can be performed at atmospheric pressure, thus eliminating the need for vacuum processes and equipment of other systems. HVPE is also convenient for mass production of semiconductor materials and devices due to its low cost, excellent material characteristics, flexibility of growth conditions, and good reproducibility.
HVPE also offers advantages in material quality (low defect density), growth rate, controllable doping, process and equipment simplicity, and low fabrication cost. High deposition rates of about 200 microns per hour are characteristic for bulk growth of GaN and AlN materials with high crystalline quality. It is known that for nitride materials grown on foreign substrates (e.g. sapphire), defect densities rapidly decrease with layer thickness. The ability to deposit from 10 to 100 microns thick layers and subsequently reduce defect densities by orders of magnitude provides significant advantages over MOCVD and MBE.
Published results on HVPE growth of InGaN materials are limited, and limited data on HVPE growth of InGaAlN is available. InGaN layers grown using HVPE were demonstrated in 1997 by Takahashi et al. In this study, growth was performed from InCl3 and GaCl3 as initial group III materials sources and ammonia as the nitrogen source. All of the source materials were pre-synthesized outside of the reactor and placed inside the reactor without reaction with a reactive gas, such as HCl gas. Optical or structural properties of grown material were not reported.
In another study by Sato et al., HVPE growth of InGaN layers was performed using indium and gallium metals that were placed in a source zone in the same HCl flow channel. The gas resulting from the reaction of indium and gallium metals in the source zone was provided directly to a growth zone, and growth was carried out using ammonia. Growth temperatures ranged from 520° to 1010° C. Growth rates up to 1.5 microns/hour were observed. Grown InGaN layers had weak and broad photo luminescence (PL). A weak PL peak was observed at around 430-440 nm.
While growth of InGaN has been performed in the past, growth of device quality indium-containing alloy materials such as InGaN alloys has not been successfully demonstrated, e.g., due to impurities in externally generated or pre-synthesized source materials. For example, in one study, the smallest value of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of x-ray rocking curves using prior HVPE methods is about 1482 arc seconds for the (00.2) InN peak. X-ray rocking curve data for the (10.2) InN reflection, which can be measured only for high crystal quality materials, was not reported.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have HVPE reactors and growth methods capable of growing high quality, low defect density indium-containing nitride materials and structures, such as InGaN and InGaAlN. Further, it would be desirable to be able to grow such materials and structures throughout their composition ranges. Additionally, it would be desirable to grow high quality materials and structures with greater thicknesses than known systems. It would also be desirable to be able to generate and collect source materials inside a HVPE reactor so that source material properties are defined by initial materials in order to reduce or prevent source material contaminants resulting from generation in and/or introduction of source materials from an external environment.

HVPE apparatus and methods for growth of indium containing materials and materials and structures grown thereby

Technologies and Devices International, Inc.


The present invention relates to various methods and apparatus for obtaining a parameter J.sub.0 that is used in modular computations using the Montgomery method. The parameter J.sub.0 is defined by the formula (J.sub.0 *N.sub.0 +1)mod 2.sup.Bt =0, Bt being the working base in which the Montgomery method is carried out, and N.sub.0 being the Bt least significant bits of a modulo N used in the Montgomery method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the production of a computation parameter that is used in the implementation of modular operations according to the Montgomery method, enabling the performance of modular computations in a finite field denoted GF(2.sup.n), namely a Galois field with 2n elements, without carrying out any division.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Conventionally, modular operations on GF(2.sup.n) are used in cryptography for applications such as the authentication of messages, the identification of a user and the exchange of keys. Such exemplary applications are described for example in the French patent application published under No. 2 679 054.
There are commercially available integrated circuits dedicated to such applications. These include, for example, the product referenced ST16CF54 manufactured by SGS-THOMSON MICROELECTRONICS S.A., built around a combination of devices including a central processing unit and an arithmetic coprocessor dedicated to the performance of modular computations. The coprocessor enables the processing of operations of modular multiplication by using the Montgomery method. The coprocessor is the object of a European patent application filed under the reference No. 0 601 907 A2, and illustrated in FIG. 2 of the present application (FIG. 2 of the present application corresponds to FIG. 2 of the aforementioned European patent application).
The Montgomery method enables the computation of a basic operation, called a p.sub.field operation. This basic operation consists of the production, on the basis of three binary data elements, A (multiplicand), B (multiplier) and N (modulo) encoded on a whole number of bits n, of a binary data element denoted P.sub.field (A, B).sub.N encoded on n bits, such that P.sub.field (A, B).sub.N =A*B*I mod N, with I=2.sup.-n mod N.
Conventionally, n is equal to 256, 512, and in the very near future it will be equal to 1024. To resolve the operation P.sub.field, a working base is used, namely some of the computations needed for the resolution are done on Bt bits instead of n bits, for example Bt=32. It is noted that there is an integer k such that k*Bt.gtoreq.n>(k-1)*Bt. The use of a working base makes it possible to reduce the surface area of the computation circuits, especially the multiplier circuits, while at the same time maintaining a good processing speed.
To resolve the operation P.sub.field (A, B).sub.N =S, a much used algorithm uses the following variables:
A as an integer encoded on n bits and split up into k words of Bt bits denoted A.sub.0 to A.sub.k-1, PA1 B as an integer encoded on n bits and represented on one word of (k*Bt) bits, PA1 N as an odd-parity integer encoded on n bits and represented on one word of (k*Bt) bits. The reference N.sub.0 denotes the word of Bt bits corresponding to the Bt least significant bits of N, PA1 S(i) as an integer encoded on (k*Bt)+1 bits representing an updated value of the result S for one iteration i, PA1 X and Z as two integers encoded on ((k+1)*Bt)+1 bits, PA1 Y.sub.0 as an integer encoded on Bt bits, PA1 J.sub.0 as an integer encoded on Bt bits and such that ((J.sub.0 *N.sub.0)+1) mod 2.sup.Bt =0. PA1 zero-setting of S(0), PA1 the implementation of a loop indexed i, with i varying from 1 to k: PA1 B1: computation of X=S(i-1)+(B*A.sub.i-1), PA1 B2: computation of Y=(X*J.sub.0) mod 2.sup.Bt, where the operation mod 2.sup.Bt corresponds only to a truncation, PA1 B3: computation of Z=X+(Y*N), PA1 B4: computation of S(i)=Z.backslash.2.sup.Bt, where the symbol .backslash. represents an integer division, PA1 B5: if S(i) is greater than N then N is subtracted from S(i), PA1 and it is possible to recover the result S=S(k)=P.sub.field (A, B)N. PA1 E1: the loading of an information element N.sub.0 encoded on Bt bits, the least significant bit of N.sub.0 being equal to 1, in a first and third register of Bt bits, PA1 E2: the loading of a 1 into the most significant bit of a second register of Bt bits, PA1 E3: the implementation of a loop, indexed by i, i varying from 1 to Bt-1, each iteration comprising the following steps: PA1 E1: the loading of the number 1 represented on Bt bits into a first register of Bt bits, PA1 E2: the loading of an information element No encoded on Bt bits, the least significant bit of N.sub.0 being equal to 1, in a third register of Bt bits, PA1 E3: the implementation of a loop, indexed by i, i varying from 1 to Bt, each iteration comprising the following steps: PA1 E4: the second register contains the desired parameter J.sub.0.
The mathematical algorithm that can be transposed both to an integrated circuit and to a software processing operation is the following:
In cryptography, during the encoding (or decoding) of a message, this type of operation is used many times. It is therefore highly worthwhile to perform this algorithm at the highest possible speed. Furthermore, the time it takes to compute the parameter J.sub.0 is a factor in the overall computation time. At present, there are several known methods of theoretical computation for computing this parameter. For example there is an extended Euclidean algorithm and also an extended Stein algorithm. There is also a method using modular exponentiation and another method using a modular division. These methods are not directly realizable on integrated circuits and the computation of this parameter J.sub.0 is done conventionally by software means using an arithmetic coprocessor.

Method for the production of a parameter J.sub.o associated with the implementation of a modular operation according to the Montgomery method


A glass substrate for magnetic disks, obtained by chemical strengthening treatment of a glass consisting essentially of from 50 to 65 wt % of SiO.sub.2, from 5 to 15 wt % of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, from 2 to 7 wt % of Na.sub.2 O, from 4 to 9 wt % of K.sub.2 O, from 7 to 14 wt % of Na.sub.2 O+K.sub.2 O, from 12 to 25 wt % of MgO+CaO+SrO+BaO, and from 1 to 6 wt % of ZrO.sub.2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glass substrate for magnetic disks.
2. Discussion of the Background
A magnetic disk has a magnetic layer and a protective layer formed on a substrate by various processes including sputtering, plating, vapor deposition or the likes Generally, a glass is noteworthy as a magnetic disk substrate material suitable for highly densifying since it has an excellent surface smoothness, a satisfactory hardness and a high flow stress (resistance to deformation) and its surface defect is very few.
When a relatively cheap alkali-containing glass such as soda-lime silica glass is used as a glass substrate, it is known to corrode or discolor a magnetic film since an alkali ion is precipitated from a pinhole or peripheral part of a magnetic film or a glass-exposed part, particularly when it is under high moisture circumstances or it is subjected to aging treatment.
In order to avoid this problem, it may be proposed to use a glass of extremely low alkali content such as a non-alkali glass.
However, it is difficult to obtain a strength satisfactory for practical use when a non-alkali glass is used. It is because an ion exchange-strengthening treatment can not be carried out. Examples of strengthening treatments applied to a glass in order to obtain a strength satisfactory for practical use, include strengthening by air-cooling, ion exchange-strengthening, and the like, but in order to maintain a satisfactory flatness of a thin glass substrate for a disk, it is necessary to employ the ion exchange-strengthening treatment which can be conducted at a low temperature. The ion exchange-strengthening treatment is a treatment of exchanging an Na.sup.+ ion in an Na-containing glass with a K.sup.+ ion having a larger ion radius at a temperature not higher than the transition temperature of the Na-containing glass.
As mentioned above, it is an alkali content contained in a glass that is ion exchanged in the ion exchange-strengthening treatment, and therefore a non-alkali glass can not be subjected to the ion exchange-strengthening treatment. Thus, a substrate glass must be an alkali-containing glass in order to be subjected to the ion exchange-strengthening treatment at a low temperature.
As mentioned above, such properties of (1) not causing degradation of a magnetic layer under high moisture circumstances or during aging and (2) having a strength satisfactory for practical use, as demanded for a glass substrate for magnetic disks, are opposite properties, and it is difficult to satisfy the two properties at the same time.


A method for producing a hydrocarbon material from a C5 raffinate which is obtained as an extracted residual oil after separating at least part of the isoprene by extraction distillation from a C5 fraction which is produced as a byproduct when thermally cracking naphtha to produce ethylene and has C5 organic compounds as main ingredients comprising, a gas-phase thermal cracking step of gasifying the C5 raffinate to thermally crack at least part of the C10 diolefins which are contained in the gasified C5 raffinate, a desulfurization step, after the gas-phase thermal cracking step, of removing at least part of the sulfur-containing ingredients which are contained in the gasified C5 raffinate after the gas-phase thermal cracking step in the gas-phase state, and a hydrogen addition step, after the desulfurization step, of hydrogenating at least part of the carbon-carbon double bonds of at least one selected from diolefins and olefins which are contained in the gasified C5 raffinate after the desulfurization step in the gas-phase state, so as to obtain a hydrocarbon material with a total concentration of diolefins and olefins of 0.5 wt % or less is provided.

An isoprene which is a main material of a synthetic rubber etc. is usually obtained by extraction distillation of isoprene contained in a C5 fraction which is extracted by an ethylene cracker of an ethylene center.
In the process of extraction distillation of the isoprene contained in a C5 fraction, by removing the cyclopentadiene from the C5 fraction by dimerization (forming dicyclopentadiene), then each removing light fractions such as pentanes and pentenes and heavy fractions such as pentadienes (including dicyclopentadiene and 1,3-pentadiene) and acetylenes by two distillation towers, and further removing diolefins (including 1,3-pentadiene) and remaining acetylenes by a next extraction distillation tower, then distilling the residue, it is possible to efficiently obtain isoprene from the tower bottom.
At this time, C5 raffinate which is the extracted residual oil is obtained, but it is possible to return the C5 raffinate to the ethylene center and mainly utilize it as a gasoline base material or raw material of the ethylene cracker. Further, the removed dicyclopentadiene, 1,3-pentadiene, etc. may be utilized as a raw material of a resin etc.
In this regard, each a concentration of the isoprene, dicyclopentadiene, 1,3-pentadiene, etc. in the C5 fraction is generally constant, so demand for products using each as a raw material does not necessarily match each a ratio of concentration. Accordingly, sometimes the remainder is returned to the C5 raffinate. Therefore, the concentration of diolefins in the C5 raffinate which is returned to the ethylene center sometimes fluctuates at the level of several tens of percent.
Further, the C5 fraction contains sulfur-containing ingredients in a concentration of several weight ppm to several hundred weight ppm. Therefore, the C5 raffinate which is the extracted residual oil also contains sulfur-containing ingredients in several weight ppm to several hundred weight ppm.
Therefore, when using a C5 raffinate as the raw material of an ethylene cracker, there are the problems that if the C5 raffinate contains large amounts of sulfur-containing ingredients and diolefins as explained above, the catalyst in the diene removing tower which is installed at the refining section of the ethylene plant at the ethylene center remarkably deteriorates, the amount of consumption of hydrogen at the refining section greatly increases, and the profitability of the ethylene plant ends up deteriorating. Further, most of diolefins are high in polymerizability and their polymers easily form initiating substances causing fouling in the cooling pipes, so if diolefins are included in large amounts, there is also the problem that an increase in the frequency of cleaning of the cooling pipes is invited. Further, the catalyst in the diene removing tower end up being poisoned by the sulfur-containing ingredients, so if the sulfur-containing ingredients are included in large amounts, there is also the problem that a need arises for regenerating or replacing the poisoned catalyst and the running costs of the catalyst deteriorates.
For this reason, a C5 raffinate which contains diolefins and sulfur-containing ingredients in large amounts has problems in terms of both quality and cost, so at the present time cannot be utilized as a hydrocarbon material, in particular a hydrocarbon material of an ethylene cracker, and is being burned as fuel.
On the other hand, due to the recent rising interest in environmental issues, the increase in carbon dioxide has become a concern. The need for effective utilization of crude oil has been rising. Therefore, it is desirable to utilize the C5 raffinate as a hydrocarbon material rather than burning it.
For this reason, to use a C5 raffinate which contains diolefins at a concentration of several tens of percent and contains sulfur-containing ingredients in an amount of several weight ppm to several hundred weight ppm as a hydrocarbon material for, in particular, an ethylene cracker, it is necessary to remove the sulfur-containing ingredients as much as possible and hydrogenate double bonds of the diolefins and olefins etc. as much as possible.
As opposed to this, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose a method of selective hydrogenation of thermally cracked gasoline which uses a reaction tube packed with solid metal catalysts for selective hydrogenation by a first stage catalyst comprised of a palladium-based catalyst and a second stage catalyst comprised of a cobalt-molybdenum-based catalyst.
However, with the method described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, there are the problems that the hydrogenation is performed under a high pressure and the productivity is inferior. Further, the Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 do not describe anything about the effect of desulfurization. Further, they do not describe anything regarding the lifetimes of the catalysts which are used at the time of selective hydrogenation.

Method for producing hydrocarbon material


The invention relates to a target arrangement having an essentially rectangular carrier frame for receiving a control unit and at least one drive for at least one target. In this arrangement, the carrier frame bears a rollover bar, which is connected releasably to the latter, the rollover bar having two bar parts, which are spaced apart by transverse struts, and being connected realeasably to the carrier frame, at least on that side of the latter which is remote from the target, via a plugin connection, with the result that the rollover bar can be plugged onto the carrier frame in order to extend the carrier frame.

The invention relates to a target arrangement.
Target arrangements which comprise a carrier frame which receives a drive, arranged in a drive housing, and a control unit arranged in a control housing, allowing a target borne by a target-retainer to be pivoted in a manner controlled by the control unit, by means of the drive, out of a neutral position into a target position, are known. Target arrangements of this type are generally relatively large and heavy, in order to have a corresponding stability for positioning on outdoor terrain, and are frequently subjected to harsh treatment when being unloaded from transporting vehicles, as a result of which damage can be caused.


A component for a vehicle wash system includes a frame and a hub portion rotatably secured to the frame. The hub portion includes an axis of rotation and an outer surface. A plurality of media elements are secured to the hub portion. The media elements include a flexible, self-supporting material such that the plurality of media elements can retain substantially the same shape when the hub portion is rotating at both high and low RPMs. The plurality of media elements are secured to the hub portion in a plurality of spaced apart rows that extend in a direction of the axis of rotation. Each of the plurality of spaced apart rows extending in a generally arcuate path along at least a portion of the hub portion.

Known rotary vehicle wash components are rotated at speeds from about 60 RPM to 110 RPM when washing a vehicle. Much of this rotational speed is needed to extend the flexible washing elements that make up the brush to their working length. This enables the otherwise limp washing elements to reach the surface of a vehicle to be washed, and help maintain a safe working distance between the vehicle surface and the rotary car wash brush's rigid central hub. Unfortunately, as the rotational speeds of these vehicle wash brushes are increased to provide a necessary working diameter, other problems are created.
One known problem with conventional brushes that rotate at high speeds is that the higher the speed at which the prior media elements contact the vehicle surface increases, the possibility of damaging the exterior surface of the vehicle also increases. While these prior media elements are soft, fine hazing and micro-scratching of a painted vehicle surface can occur as a result of the velocity at which the media elements impact the vehicle surface. This is particularly true if the media elements are carrying dirt particles or the like when they contact the vehicle exterior. Rotating these brushes at high speeds can also cause damage to the vehicle through the media elements lassoing wipers, mirrors, antennas or the like and potentially tearing them off.
Still another problem with the high speeds at which current vehicle wash brushes are rotated is that they create significant noise during the vehicle washing process. The high volume of noise is known to dissuade some customers from choosing to use friction car washes as it can cause an unpleasant washing experience for vehicle occupants. Indeed, many persons, particularly young children, can become uncomfortable by the experience of riding through a car wash filled with noisy, rotating, and undulating mechanical elements which have been characteristic of commercial car washes for decades. Still other consumers are dissuaded from using friction car washes due to the perception that the high speed at which prior brushes rotate creates an unsafe environment.
Still another problem with rotating these brushes at high speeds is that substantial energy is required to maintain their operation. In addition to increased energy costs, the vehicle wash equipment can wear prematurely due to the aggressive nature in which they are operated, which also increases the cost of operation. Additionally, rapidly rotating brush elements tend to sling water and dirt over long distances, giving rise to substantial maintenance tasks for the owner or operator of a commercial car wash.
Moreover, conventional rotary car wash brushes employ washing elements affixed in a plurality of rows, with each row being generally parallel to the brush's axis of rotation. This causes the washing elements in each row to contact the vehicle surface all at once, producing a correspondingly high level of noise. Because the wash elements always contact the vehicle parallel to the vehicle's direction of travel, they agitate soils on the vehicle surface and attempt to "flick" the soils away from the surface. These wash elements, however, do not actively channel or move soils away from the vehicle surface. Also, because the wash elements always contact the vehicle surface in rows parallel to the vehicle's direction of travel, it is possible for gaps to exist between the wash elements, resulting in alternating stripes on the vehicle surface of clean and unclean areas, known in the trade as "zebra striping".
It would thus be desirable to provide a vehicle wash component that addresses these issues.

Hub for a vehicle wash component having an arcuate pattern of media elements