A ferroelectric memory device having a perovskite thin film of a rare earth manganate and processes for manufacturing the same. The perovskite thin film layer has properties consistent with high quality nonvolatile memory devices. The perovskite thin film layer can be applied by a MOCVD process, by a MOD process, or a liquid source delivery process, all of which are described.

Semiconductor devices such as a dynamic and nonvolatile random access memory ("DRAM") have decreased in size and increased in capacity dramatically over the last 20 years. As the capacity of memory cells has increased and the size has decreased, the design of the cells has become increasingly complex in order to preserve sufficient electrical capacitance to hold the electrical charge representing the stored data.
In the past silicon dioxide has been used as the dielectric in the capacitors of DRAM cells. However, silicon dioxide has a relatively low dielectric constant of about four. There has recently been experimentation with the use of other dielectric materials in order to increase the electrical capacitance in very small and complex cells. Some of this work has focused on the use of ferroelectric materials such as lead zirconate titanate ("PZT") as the dielectric in the capacitor for the production of a ferroelectric random access memory ("FRAM").
Ferroelectrics are dielectric in nature and exhibit spontaneous polarization which can be reversed by application of a suitable electric field. The polarization in these materials responds to an external electric field in a hysteresis fashion and thereby the materials exhibit bi-stable properties (two distinct states of polarization) which remain even after removal of the electric field. It is this hysteresis feature that makes ferroelectrics suitable for nonvolatile memory storage. The dielectric nature of ferroelectrics and their ability to display bistable properties can be used to make a ferroelectric capacitor which stores binary digital information based on the polarization state of the material. This opens up the possibilities of integrating a ferroelectric capacitor into the existing silicon and gallium arsenide VLSI technology to make a commercial nonvolatile random access memory. An example of a PZT device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,357 by Eaton.
Several problems need to be overcome before a commercially viable memory product is available. One of the foremost among these problems is the degradation properties of PZT ferroelectric devices. Degradation properties include fatigue, low voltage breakdown, and aging. A common source for these degradation properties is the interaction between defects in the materials and the ferroelectric-electrode interface/grain boundaries in the ferroelectric capacitor.
Considering the problem of fatigue, ferroelectrics are noted to lose some of their polarization as the polarization is reversed. This is known as fatigue degradation, and is one of the prime obstacles to forming high quality ferroelectric films. Fatigue occurs because of defect entrapment at the ferroelectric-electrode interface. Asymmetric electrode-ferroelectric interfaces and/or non-uniform domain distribution in the bulk can lead to asymmetric polarization on alternating polarity. This results in an internal field difference which can cause effective one-directional movement of defects like vacancies and mobile impurity ions. Since the electrode-ferroelectric interface is chemically unstable, it provides sites of lower potential energy to these defects relative to the bulk ferroelectric thereby causing defect entrapment at these interfaces (see Yoo, et al., "Fatigue Modeling of Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films", Jour. Material Sci. and Engineering). This entrapment will result in a loss in polarization in the ferroelectric.
To overcome this problem caused by defects, it is necessary to control the defect concentration, defect migration to the interface, defect entrapment at the interface, and the state of the interface itself. Lattice mismatch, poor adhesion, and large work function differences between the electrode and the ferroelectric causes the interface to be chemically unstable. Therefore, it is necessary to choose an appropriate electrode which can reduce the lattice mismatch, work function differences, and the adhesion problem at the interface. The existing, commonly-used, metal electrodes such as Pt, Au, etc., do not satisfy these criteria because of the large differences in crystal structures between the electrode (metal) and the ferroelectric (ceramic), and because of the work function differences. To control the defect migration and entrapment it is necessary to reduce the abrupt compositional gradient between the electrode and the ferroelectric.
Another obstacle to integrating PZT films into the existing semiconductor process is the high temperature post-deposition annealing needed to form the desirable perovskite phase. This annealing is required because most of the as-deposited films are amorphous, and they form an intermediate nonferroelectric pyrochlore phase before the formation of the perovskite phase. The transformation temperatures for initial perovskite formation and complete perovskite formation of the PZT films are functions of the compositions and the type of substrate used for deposition. Typical annealing temperatures for 53/47 films vary from 650.degree. C. to 750.degree. C. At these annealing temperatures, interdiffusion among the PZT films, the contact electrodes, and the underlying metallization becomes a concern; furthermore, thermal stress developed during the high temperature annealing may affect the long-term reliability of the device.
A variety of techniques have been used for the deposition of ferroelectric thin films. In general, the thin film deposition techniques can be divided into two major categories: (1) physical vapor deposition (PVD) and (2) chemical processes. Among the PVD techniques, the most common methods used for the deposition of ferroelectric thin films are electron beam evaporation, rf diode sputtering, rf magnetron sputtering, dc magnetron sputtering, ion beam sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), and laser albation. The chemical processes can be further divided into two subgroups, i.e., metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and wet chemical processes including sol-gel process and metalorganic composition (MOD). The third, newer process also used in the deposition of ferroelectric thin films is the liquid source delivery method.
The PVD techniques require a high vacuum, usually better than 10.sup.-5 torr, in order to obtain a sufficient flux of atoms or ions capable of depositing onto a substrate. The advantages of the PVD techniques are (1) dry processing, (2) high purity and cleanliness, and (3) compatibility with semiconductor integrated circuit processing. However, these are offset by disadvantages such as (1) low throughput, (2) low deposition rate, (3) difficult stoichiometry control, (4) high temperature post-deposition annealing, and (5) high equipment costs.
The advantages of the wet chemical process are (1) molecular homogeneity, (2) high deposition rate and high throughput, (3) excellent composition control, (4) easy introduction of dopants, and (5) low capital cost, since deposition can be done in ambient condition and so no vacuum processing is needed. The major problems due to this wet process are (1) film cracking during the post-annealing process and (2) possible contamination which results in difficulty in incorporating this technique into semiconductor processing. However, because it provides a fast and easy way to produce complex oxide thin films, this wet chemical process has a very important role in the investigation of the interrelationship among the processing, the microstructure, and the property of the films.
Of all the above mentioned techniques, the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique appears to be one of the most promising because it offers advantages of simplified apparatus, excellent film uniformity, composition control, high film densities, high deposition rates, excellent step coverage, and amenability to large scale processing. The excellent film step coverage that can be obtained by MOCVD cannot be equaled by any other technique. Purity, controllability, and precision that have been demonstrated by MOCVD are competitive with the MBE technique. More importantly, novel structures can be grown easily and precisely. MOCVD is capable of producing materials for an entire class of devices which utilize either ultra-thin layers or atomically sharp interfaces. In addition, different compositions can be fabricated using the same sources.
The first successful deposition of oxide-based ferroelectric thin films by CVD was reported by Nakagawa, et al. in "Preparation of PbTiO.sub.3 ferroelectric thin film by chemical vapor deposition", Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 21(1), L655 (1982). They deposited PbTiO.sub.3 films on Pt-coated silicon wafers by using TiCl.sub.4, PbCl.sub.2, O.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O as source materials. Several problems arose from their studies: (1) very high evaporation temperature (700.degree. C.) was required of PbCl.sub.2, (2) poor ferroelectric properties (P.sub.r =0.16 .mu.C/cm.sup.2 and E.sub.c =14.5 kV/cm), (3) poor composition uniformity in the bulk of PbTiO.sub.3 films, and (4) crystallographic imperfections due to water and/or chloride contamination. Obviously, chlorides are not ideal precursors for the CVD process. In general, metalorganic precursors have relatively high vapor pressures at lower temperatures. By carefully selecting the organic compounds, the undesirable contaminations in the films can be completely excluded. Metalorganic compounds are now used almost exclusively for the deposition of oxide thin films.

Rare earth manganate films made by metalorganic decomposition or metalorganic chemical vapor deposition for nonvolatile memory devices

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University


A method of fabricating a recording head is disclosed in which a needle-type control electrode is formed integrally with the substrate. The method includes steps of forming on a substrate a first member layer having a pattern such that the substrate is partially exposed. Forming a second member layer spanning a portion of the exposed substrate and a portion of the first member layer. Then, a needle-type member is formed from the second member layer. Finally, the basic portion of the recording head is completed just by joining the substrate and an overhead plate. Thus, there is no need to join the needle-like control electrode with the substrate. There is no need to position members having critical dimensions with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording head of an electrostatic attraction type image recording apparatus used in printers, facsimiles, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a recording head of an electrostatic attraction type image recording apparatus that can be manufactured at low cost.
2. Description of the Background Art
Various image recording devices are known which use conventional recording head such as an ink jet printer. One such device uses a pressure chamber wall that mechanically deforms to reduce the volume of the pressure chamber and eject ink system of transferring ink for printing on a print medium. Also, a bubble jet type image recording apparatus is well known that utilizes vaporization of ink heated instantaneously with a heater to increase pressure in the pressure chamber to transfer ink.
A system for printing on a print medium, not by crating pressure change to transfer ink, but by drawing ink by electrostatic attraction induced by introducing charge into conductive ink is defined in Japanese Patent Publication No. 36-13768. According to this system, ink is not sprayed and instead is attracted onto a print medium (recording medium) for printing (recording) by an electrostatic force exerted on the ink by applying a voltage between a record (control) electrode and an opposite electrode.
An improvement of the above electrostatic attraction type recording apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-223317. This apparatus has a needle-like control electrode provided at the ink outlet as a record (control) electrode.
Although the diameter of an ink droplet from an ink jet printer that has ink transferred by a pressure change in the pressure chamber depends upon physical properties such as the surface tension of ink and the like, it is greater than the diameter of the orifice from which ink is ejected.
Since the transferred ink spreads 2-3 times the sprayed-out ink diameter on a recording medium such as a paper sheet, the diameter of the ink dot on the recording medium becomes considerably greater than the diameter of the orifice.
In a printer that uses a piezoelectric element as a pressure generation source, the head size cannot be reduced since it is difficult to miniaturize the piezoelectric element. The nozzle could not be provided at high integration, thus causing the problem that the print out speed is low.
In a bubble jet type printer, the temperature of the ink is altered suddenly and repeatedly. This has caused problem that the ink quality is degraded and the life time of the heater is not sufficient.
In an electrostatic attraction type image recording apparatus, the charge injected into conductive ink is attracted towards the opposite electrode by electrostatic force. The ink is pulled in a string-like manner to arrive at the printing face of a recording medium in a particle form or still in the string-like form. The droplet or string of ink can be adjusted to be as small as approximately 10 xcexcm in diameter, thereby enabling the highprint quality.
Furthermore, such an apparatus is basically implemented by electrodes for generating an electric field between the orifice and the recording medium. Therefore, the structure thereof is extremely simple.
However the ink cannot be stably provided in a string-like manner just by applying voltage between the electrodes. When voltage is applied across the electrodes, charge is injected into the conductive ink, whereby the charge is concentrated at the leading end of the ink. Since the surface of the ink is concave within the nozzle due to surface tension, the charge will be concentrated on the perimeter of the orifice. The ink could be drawn out from anywhere on the circumference. There is a possibility that a plurality of strings of ink will be generated from one orifice, thereby significantly degrading the quality of the printout.
In view of the foregoing, there are several electrostatic attraction systems as set forth in the following that has a convex meniscus formed to stably generate string-like ink.
One system forms a convex meniscus by setting the ink tank higher than the orifice, or by constantly applying static pressure from the backside of the pressure chamber. Another system forms a convex meniscus by generating a traveling wave in the ink or by applying pressure periodically to the pressure chamber by an actuator such as a piezoelectric element. Voltage is applied in synchronization thereof to generate ink in a string-like manner.
The former system is disadvantageous in that ink will leak out from the orifice when the balance between the static pressure and the ink surface tension is destroyed, since a convex meniscus is constantly formed. There is also a disadvantage that, when a foreign object such as a paper particle is attached at the neighborhood of the orifice, ink will leak out through the foreign object.
Also, there is a limit in recording at high frequency since there is some time period before the initial meniscus status is restored. The ink consumed by being transferred out is supplied again by hydrostatic pressure, whereby the initial meniscus status is restored. Furthermore, since the electrodes are provided in the neighborhood of the meniscus, there is a problem that charge injection is too slow in effecting high frequency drive.
The problem of ink leakage is not so serious in the latter system. However, the latter system further requires a device to form a convex meniscus in addition to the electrodes, and lacks the advantage of a simple structure of the electrostatic attraction system. Thus, such a design is inferior in regard to cost and size of the image recording apparatus.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-223317 discloses an image recording apparatus having a structure in which a needle-like member is provided at the ink outlet. Ink travels along the needle-like member by means of surface tension to promote refill of the meniscus. The needle-like member can also be used as an electrode to reduce the time required for introducing charge.
The disadvantage of the image recording apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-223317 is as follows. According to the disclosed embodiment, the needle-like member is formed by providing a plurality of layers of a metal material by means of plating. The needle-like member has a diameter of 20 xcexcm and a length which is the sum of the portion protruding 30 xcexcm from the orifice, the thickness of the overhead plate, and the portion in the cavity. In a general structure, the length of the needle-like member is as long as 100 xcexcm and greater.
In order to provide plating of a small pattern such as several ten xcexcm in diameter, the portion which is not to be plated is covered with a resist film and the like by photolithography. Then, plating is carried out.
However, it is extremely difficult to achieve accurately a resist pattern of a high aspect ratio having 20 xcexcm in diameter and at least 100 xcexcm in height.
At the final stage of connecting the needle-like member and the overhead plate, there is a problem that the extremely fine needle-like member is damaged, thereby degrading the yield of the head fabrication cost and increasing. Furthermore, since the positioning of the connection cannot be carried out precisely, the needle-like member may deviate from the center and result in an asymmetrical meniscus configuration. This causes the problem that the spraying direction of the ink is not stable, thereby possibly degrading the print quality.
An object of the present invention is to provide a recording head that can have fabrication cost reduced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording head used in a recording apparatus suitable for high quality and high speed printout, and that can reliably prevent damage of a control electrode.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating a recording head that allows simplification of the fabrication process.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating a recording head that can easily produce a small projection of a high aspect ratio.
The above objects of the present invention can be achieved by a recording head used in a recording apparatus as set forth in the following.
A recording head used in a recording apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a recording head of a recording apparatus that has a control electrode and an opposite electrode facing each other for carrying out printing by applying a predetermined potential between the electrodes to transfer ink from the control electrode side to the opposite electrode side. A recording medium is connected to the opposite electrode. The recording head includes an opening located opposite to the opposite electrode, and an ink holding portion for holding ink.
The ink holding portion includes a substrate for holding the control electrode, and a cover plate joined to the substrate. The control electrode includes a needle-like portion protruding parallel to the substrate, and in a direction crossing the opening.
Since the control electrode is provided as described above, damage of the control electrode can be reliably prevented. Thus, a recording head used in a recording apparatus is provided that allows the fabrication cost to be reduced.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of fabricating a recording head includes the steps of forming, on a substrate, a first member layer having a pattern in which the substrate is partially exposed, forming a second member layer differing from the first member layer so as to span a portion of the exposed substrate and at least one portion of the first member layer, whereby a needle-like member is formed from the second member layer.
Since the needle-like member which functions as a needle-like control electrode is produced according to the above steps, the needle-like member is formed integrally with the substrate. Since the basic portion of the recording head is completed just by joining the substrate which is integral with the needle-like control electrode and the overhead plate, the fabrication step of joining the needle-like control electrode with the substrate can be eliminated. The difficult step of positioning the members of critical dimension with each other is not required. The fabrication process of the recording head is simplified to improve the productivity. Therefore, the fabrication cost can be reduced.
Furthermore, the relative position of the needle-like control electrode in the vertical direction to the ink outlet can easily be adjusted to a desired dimension ratio.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of fabricating a recording head includes the steps of preparing a substrate, joining, on the substrate, a wall unit having a cylindrical groove and a longitudinal groove provided continuous to the cylindrical groove, forming a needle-like control electrode on the substrate and within the cylindrical groove, and joining a plate on the wall unit and at a portion where the cylindrical groove is not provided.
A cylindrical groove serving as a nozzle of the recording head and a longitudinal groove serving as an ink path are formed as described above. Since the nozzle is formed of a member identical to that of the ink path, an orifice plate is not required. The length of the needle-like member can be made to correspond only to the thickness of the wall unit forming the nozzle.
According to the above-described fabrication steps, a recording head can be formed by just sequentially joining the wall unit and the like having a predetermined configuration. Therefore, the fabrication cost can be reduced.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Method of fabricating a recording head of electrostatic attraction type image recording apparatus


A separable inductive coupler for transferring electrical power across a dielectric medium using magnetic induction. Its coil geometry allows for easy disassembly of primary and secondary circuits. When primary and secondary coils are mated, an extremely low leakage inductance transformer is formed. This provides for good high frequency operation at high power density. The coupler allows electrical power transfer without metal-to-metal contact. The design allows easy removal of the primary or secondary coil from the transformer. The coil geometry has very low leakage inductance and very low high-frequency resistance which allows high frequency operation. The power transfer density is much higher than previously achieved with separable inductive couplers. Approximately 6000 watts has been transferred through a version of the present separable inductive coupler having a volume of 25.8 cubic inches, yielding a power density of 230 Watts/cubic inch. The coupler is adapted to provide a safe, convenient and weatherproof device for coupling power to a load, such as an electric vehicle to recharge its propulsion battery.

The present invention relates to inductive couplers, and more particularly to a separable inductive coupler that is adapted for use with electric automobile propulsion battery charging systems, and the like.
With the development of electric powered automobiles and the push towards their production for relatively widespread consumer use within the next ten years, there is a need for a means to easily charge the propulsion batteries contained therein. Conventional battery charging devices are not well suited for this purpose. Conventional battery chargers are not designed for frequent use by consumers and thus it is not easy to charge a propulsion battery on a regular basis using conventional chargers.
A separable inductive coupler was developed by Hughes Aircraft Company for sub-sea applications by the U.S. Navy. This coupler operated at 60 Hz and thus the design was not optimized for high frequency or high power operation. The power transfer density or this coupler is about 2 Watts per cubic inch, which is insufficient to quickly recharge an automobile propulsion battery. This design is not well-suited for automobile applications.
Consequently, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for a separable inductive coupler that is adapted for use in an automobile propulsion battery charging device, or the like, that is simple to use and is adapted to efficiently charge an automobile battery employed to propel an electrically powered automobile. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide for a separable inductive coupler that provides for good high frequency operation at a high power density (>200 Watts/cubic inch).


An optical information recording medium that can simultaneously achieve both a high transmittance and high signal quality of an information layer, improve the reliability of long-term conservation, and reduce the manufacturing cost, and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. In an optical information recording medium including at least one information layer on a substrate, at least one of the information layers has a recording layer and a dielectric layer, the recording layer contains Te, O, and M (M is one or a plurality of elements selected from Au, Pd, and Pt) as major components, the dielectric layer has a thermal conductivity of 0.01 W/K·cm or more, and the dielectric layer has an extinction coefficient of 0 through 1.0 inclusive.

I. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an optical information recording medium that makes it possible to record and reproduce an information signal by irradiating a thin film formed on a substrate with a high-energy light beam, such as a laser beam or the like, and a method for manufacturing the same.
II. Description of the Related Art
Phase-change type recording media are known as media that makes it possible to record and reproduce a large amount of information with high speed. In phase-change type recording media, recording is performed by utilizing a phenomenon that a recording material thereof is changed to an optically distinguishable state due to heat generated by locally irradiating the recording material with laser light. Phase-change type recording media enable random access as required and have excellent portability, and therefore, are becoming more and more important in recent years. For example, there is an increasing demand in various fields, such as recording or conservation of private data, video information, or the like via computers, the medical field, the academic field, replacement of home video tape recorders, and the like.
At present, larger capacity, higher density, and higher speed are required for phase-change type recording medium as the performance of applications and image information are improved.
Conventionally proposed medium types include rewritable media in which information can be written and erased many times, and write-once media that can be written once. In general, most write-once media includes a smaller number of layers than those of rewritable media, and therefore, are easy to manufacture, i.e., can be manufactured at a lower cost. Write-once media are also convenient when the user wants to write data that is not to be damaged, since they are not rewritable. Therefore, there is a large demand for write-once media, which provide long-life conservation and high reliability, in archival applications.
As a write-once recording material, several oxide materials have been proposed. For example, it has been disclosed that recording materials obtained by diffusing Te particles into oxide base materials, such as GeO2, TeO2, SiO2, Sb2O3, SnO2, and the like, provide high sensitivity and large signal amplitudes (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. S58-54338). For example, it is known that recording materials containing Te—O—Pd as a major component exhibit large signal amplitudes and considerably high reliability (see International Publication WO98/09823). These Te—O—Pd-based recording materials have a recording mechanism that is considered as follows. The Te—O—Pd film after formation is a composite material in which Te—Pd, Te, or Pd is uniformly diffused as fine particles in TeO2. After irradiation with laser light, melted Te, Te—Pd, or Pd is precipitated as large crystal particles, leading to a change in optical state. Such a change can be detected as a signal.
On the other hand, in recent years, as the amount of information increases, there is a demand for a further increase in recording density of optical information recording media. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a recording medium that can enable high-density recording using a shorter wavelength/higher NA optical system (particularly, blue-violet laser light).
Therefore, it has been proposed that a dielectric layer is additionally provided to a recording layer to increase a reflectance difference so as to use the above-described Te—O—Pd recording material in a blue-violet wavelength region (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-133712). Also, in general, a dielectric material is provided on both sides of the recording layer for the purpose of protecting the recording layer and increasing the reflectance difference, and a reflection layer is provided between a substrate and a dielectric layer that is located on a side opposite to the laser incident side of the recording layer for the purpose of effectively diffusing heat generated in the recording layer in the thickness direction to increase the reflectance.
Also, in order to further increase the recording density, there are multilayer media having a plurality of layers into which information is recorded. In such media, when data is recorded into an information layer that is located farther from the light incident surface, laser light needs to be transmitted through an information layer closer to the light incident surface. Therefore, the information layer closer to the light incident surface needs to secure satisfactory signal quality, while it maintains a high transmittance with respect to laser light. The material containing Te—O—Pd as a major component contains TeO2, which is substantially transparent, as a base material, so that it is easy to increase the transmittance of the film, and therefore, can be appropriately applied to multilayer optical information media in which information can be recorded onto multiple information layers from one side.
An example in which four information layers are fabricated using a Te—O—Pd recording material has been proposed (see International Publication WO2004/027770). In this case, a reflection layer is not used for three recording layers closer to the laser incident side, and each of the recording layers is sandwiched by dielectric layers, where the dielectric layer is made of ZnS—SiO2. In this case, however, the jitter of recorded signals is disadvantageously low. The reason is considered that heat generated in the recording layer is diffused in the in-plane direction because it can not be diffused in the thickness direction, so that the edges of recorded marks are blurred.
As described above, in phase-change type recording media, a large amount of heat is generated in the recording layer during recording. Therefore, thermal diffusion occurs in the in-plane direction of the recording layer, so that the edges of recorded marks become unclear.
A heat radiation layer is typically provided so as to diffuse such heat. The heat radiation layer is made of a metal that has a large level of light absorption with respect to laser light. On the other hand, in the case of media having multiple information layers, the transmittances of layers closer to the light incident surface need to be increased so as to secure appropriate reflectances of all of the layers. Therefore, it is difficult to select a material that is capable of reducing light absorption while securing heat radiation performance.
Also, in order to increase signal quality and reliability, an information layer typically includes multiple layers, i.e., a heat radiation layer, a dielectric layer, a recording layer, and a dielectric layer, so that the material cost and manufacturing cost of an optical information recording medium increase.
Further, typically, the heat radiation layer is made of an Ag alloy, and the dielectric layer is made of ZnS—SiO2. Accordingly, corrosion occurs due to a reaction of Ag and S. As a result, when an Ag alloy is used, there is a problem with reliability.
Therefore, there is a strong desire for a large-capacity optical information recording medium that has a high level of long-term conservation reliability and low manufacturing cost, and simultaneously achieves both high signal quality and a high transmittance.

Optical information recording medium and method for manufacturing the same


Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments may enable geolocation information for a computing device to be indicated in Internet Protocol (IP) packets. Various embodiments may provide IP packets, such as IP version 6 (IPv6) packets, etc., including one or more location attributes in an IP packet header. For example, one or more location attributes may be included in a geolocation (GLO) option of a destination options header. In various embodiments, the one or more location attributes may include country indications, region indications, city indications, and/or postal code indications associated with a computing device that generated the IP packet.

In conventional system, servers hosting Internet based applications often check locality information of the computing device originating an Internet Protocol (IP) packet. By checking such locality information the server may aide the operation of the Internet based applications that are provided to the computing device originating an Internet Protocol (IP) packet. As examples, locality information of incoming IP traffic is often checked in conventional systems to assist in the selection of the closest serving locations for directing IP traffic, to prevent online fraud, and to infer likely native language for use in Internet based applications.
However, in conventional systems the dissemination of accurate geolocation data is complicated by the lack of centralized coordination and communication of geolocation data. Updating geolocation information in conventional systems is typically achieved via updates to IP block location information on an IP block website of a geolocation service, via email bulk transfer of IP block location information, and via geolocation feeds. Updates in geolocation information in conventional systems can take weeks to even months and the updates can be sporadic and inaccurate in conventional systems. The delay and uneven distribution of location updates in conventional systems negatively impacts the provisioning of Internet based applications in conventional systems and can result in customer complaints to Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Geolocation for internet protocol packets


A system and method for storing received real-time media streams into a multimedia container file. Media content is recorded into a file according to a file format that provides instructions for constructing the media packets. At least one received media packet is represented in the file using the instructions for constructing media packets. The at least one received media packet in the file is also associated with an indication that it may contain errors.

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
The multimedia container file format is an important element in the chain of multimedia content production, manipulation, transmission and consumption. In this context, the coding format (i.e., the elementary stream format) relates to the action of a specific coding algorithm that codes the content information into a bitstream. The container file format comprises mechanisms for organizing the generated bitstream in such a way that it can be accessed for local decoding and playback, transferring as a file, or streaming, all utilizing a variety of storage and transport architectures. The container file format can also facilitate the interchanging and editing of the media, as well as the recording of received real-time streams to a file. As such, there are substantial differences between the coding format and the container file format.
The hierarchy of multimedia file formats is depicted generally at 1000 in FIG. 1. The elementary stream format 1100 represents an independent, single stream. Audio files such as .amr and .aac files are constructed according to the elementary stream format. The container file format 1200 is a format which may contain both audio and video streams in a single file. An example of a family of container file formats 1200 is based on the ISO base media file format. Just below the container file format 1200 in the hierarchy 1000 is the multiplexing format 1300. The multiplexing format 1300 is typically less flexible and more tightly packed than an audio/video (AV) file constructed according to the container file format 1200. Files constructed according to the multiplexing format 1300 are typically used for playback purposes only. A Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-2 program stream is an example of a stream constructed according to the multiplexing format 1300. The presentation language format 1400 is used for purposes such as layout, interactivity, the synchronization of AV and discrete media, etc. Synchronized multimedia integration language (SMIL) and scalable video graphics (SVG), both specified by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), are examples of a presentation language format 1400. The presentation file format 1500 is characterized by having all parts of a presentation in the same file. Examples of objects constructed according to a presentation file format are PowerPoint files and files conforming to the extended presentation profile of the 3GP file format.
Available media and container file format standards include the ISO base media file format (ISO/IEC 14496-12), the MPEG-4 file format (ISO/IEC 14496-14, also known as the MP4 format), Advanced Video Coding (AVC) file format (ISO/IEC 14496-15) and the 3GPP file format (3GPP TS 26.244, also known as the 3GP format). There is also a project in MPEG for development of the scalable video coding (SVC) file format, which will become an amendment to advanced video coding (AVC) file format. In a parallel effort, MPEG is defining a hint track format for file delivery over unidirectional transport (FLUTE) and asynchronous layered coding (ALC) sessions, which will become an amendment to the ISO base media file format.
The Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) organization is currently in the process of specifying the DVB file format. The primary purpose of defining the DVB file format is to ease content interoperability between implementations of DVB technologies, such as set-top boxes according to current (DVT-T, DVB-C, DVB-S) and future DVB standards, Internet Protocol (IP) television receivers, and mobile television receivers according to DVB-Handheld (DVB-H) and its future evolutions. The DVB file format will allow the exchange of recorded (read-only) media between devices from different manufacturers, the exchange of content using USB mass memories or similar read/write devices, and shared access to common disk storage on a home network, as well as other functionalities. The ISO base media file format is currently the strongest candidate as the basis for the development of the DVB file format. The ISO file format is the basis for the derivation of all the above-referenced container file formats (excluding the ISO file format itself). These file formats (including the ISO file format itself) are referred to as the ISO family of file formats.
The basic building block in the ISO base media file format is called a box. Each box includes a header and a payload. The box header indicates the type of the box and the size of the box in terms of bytes. A box may enclose other boxes, and the ISO file format specifies which box types are allowed within a box of a certain type. Furthermore, some boxes are mandatorily present in each file, while other boxes are simply optional. Moreover, for some box types, there can be more than one box present in a file. Therefore, the ISO base media file format essentially specifies a hierarchical structure of boxes.
FIG. 2 shows a simplified file structure according to the ISO base media file format. According to the ISO family of file formats, a file 200 includes media data and metadata that are enclosed in separate boxes, the media data (mdat) box 210 and the movie (moov) box 220, respectively. For a file to be operable, both of these boxes must be present. The media data box 210 contains video and audio frames, which may be interleaved and time-ordered. The movie box 220 may contain one or more tracks, and each track resides in one track box 240. For the presentation of one media type, typically one track is selected.
It should be noted that the ISO base media file format does not limit a presentation to be contained in only one file. In fact, a presentation may be contained in several files. In this scenario, one file contains the metadata for the whole presentation. This file may also contain all of the media data, in which case the presentation is self-contained. The other files, if used, are not required to be formatted according to the ISO base media file format. The other files are used to contain media data, and they may also contain unused media data or other information. The ISO base media file format is concerned with only the structure of the file containing the metadata. The format of the media-data files is constrained by the ISO base media file format or its derivative formats only in that the media-data in the media files must be formatted as specified in the ISO base media file format or its derivative formats.
In addition to timed tracks, ISO files can contain any non-timed binary objects in a meta box. The meta box can reside at the top level of the file, within a movie box 220, and within a track box 240, but at most one meta box may occur at each of the file level, the movie level, or the track level. The meta box is required to contain a 'hdlr' box, indicating the structure or format of the 'meta' box contents. The meta box may contain any number of binary items that can be referred, and each one of the binary items can be associated with a file name.
A file may be compatible with more than one format in the ISO family of file formats, and it is therefore not always possible to speak in terms of a single "type" or "brand" for the file. All ISO files contain a file type box indicating which file format specifies the "best use" of the file and also a set of other specifications with which the file complies. The format that is the "best use" of the file is referred to as the major brand of the file, while the other compatible formats are referred to as compatible brands.
The presence of a brand in the list of the compatible brands of the file type box constitutes both a claim and a permission. The presence is a claim in that the file conforms to all the requirements of that brand, and the presence also represents a permission to a reader implementing potentially only that brand to read the file. In general, readers are required to implement all features documented for a brand unless one of the following applies:
1. The media the readers are using do not use or require a feature. For example, I-frame video does not require a sync sample table, and if composition re-ordering is not used, then no composition time offset table is needed. Similarly, if content protection is not needed, then support for the structures of content protection is not required.
2. Another specification with which the file is conformant forbids the use of a feature. For example, some derived specifications explicitly forbid the use of movie fragments.
3. The context in which the product operates means that some structures are not relevant. For example, hint track structures are only relevant to products preparing content for, or performing, file delivery (such as streaming) for the protocol in the hint track.
File readers implementing a certain brand should attempt to read files that are marked as compatible with that brand.
A hint track is a special track which usually does not contain media data. Instead, a hint track contains instructions for packaging one or more tracks for delivery over a certain communication protocol. The process of sending packets is time-based, substantially identical to the display of time-based data, and is therefore suitably described by a track. Due to the presence of hint tracks, the operational load of a sender can be reduced, and the implementation of a sender can be simply compared to a sender constructing protocol data units from media samples without any hints.
The ISO base media file format contains the hint track definition for Real-Time Protocol (RTP) and Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol (SRTP) protocols, and an upcoming Amendment 2 of the ISO base media file format will contain the hint track definition for FLUTE and ALC protocols. A hint track format for MPEG-2 transport stream (TS) may also be specified, e.g., as part of the DVB File Format.
The mdat box depicted in FIG. 2 contains samples for the tracks. In non-hint tracks, a sample is an individual frame of video, a time-contiguous series of video frames, or a time-contiguous compressed section of audio. In hint tracks, a sample defines the formation of one or more packets formatted according to the communication protocol identified in the header of the hint track.
Hint tracks inherit all of the features of regular media tracks, such as timing of the samples and indication of synchronization samples. Hint samples contain instructions to assist a sender to compose packets for transmission. These instructions may contain immediate data to send (e.g., header information) or reference segments of the media data. In other words, the media samples in media tracks do not need to be copied into the samples of the hint tracks, but rather the hint samples point to the samples of the media tracks. Therefore, the media data itself does not need to be reformatted in any way. This approach is more space-efficient than an approach that requires media information to be partitioned into the actual data units that will be transmitted for a given transport and media format. Under such an approach, local playback requires either re-assembling the media from the packets or having two copies of the media—one for local playback and one for transport. Similarly, the transmission of such media over multiple protocols using this approach requires multiple copies of the media data for each delivery protocol. This is inefficient with space unless the media data has been heavily transformed for transport (e.g., by the application of error-correcting coding techniques or by encryption).
If an ISO file contains hint tracks, the media tracks that reference the media data from which the hints were built remain in the file, even if the data within them is not directly referenced by the hint tracks. After deleting all hint tracks, the entire un-hinted presentation remains.
FIG. 3 is a representation of a general video communications system. Due to the fact that uncompressed video requires a huge bandwidth, input video 300 is compressed by a source coder 305 to a desired bit rate. The source coder 305 can be divided into two components—a waveform coder 310 and an entropy coder 315. The waveform coder 310 performs lossy video signal compression, while the entropy coder 315 converts the output of the waveform coder 310 into a binary sequence losslessly. A transport coder 320 encapsulates the compressed video according to the transport protocols in use by interleaving and modulating the data, for example. The data is transmitted to the receiver side via a transmission channel 325. The receiver performs inverse operations to obtain reconstructed video signal for display. The inverse operations include the use of a transport decoder 330 and a source decoder 335 which can be divided into an entropy decoder 340 and a waveform decoder 345, ultimately resulting in output video 350.
Most real-world channels are susceptible to transmission errors. Transmission errors can be roughly classified into two categories—bit errors and erasure errors. Bit errors are caused by physical events occurring in the transmission channel, such as noise and interference. Protocol stacks for real-time media transport typically provide mechanisms such as cyclic redundancy check (CRC) codes for detecting bit errors. It is a common practice to discard erroneous protocol payloads in the transport decoder. The challenges in decoding of erroneous video data lie in the likelihood of bursty bit errors, the exact detection of the position of the error, and variable length coding (VLC) used by the entropy coder. Due to the burstiness of bit errors, it is likely that a large portion of a protocol payload would be non-decodable anyways, and therefore discarding the entire protocol payload does not cause very much unnecessary data exclusion. The error detection mechanisms provided by the communication protocols are typically able to yield a binary conclusion—either the packet is corrupted or it is correct. It is therefore up to source coding layer mechanisms to determine the exact location of errors. Even though there are methods based on syntactic and semantic violations and unnatural texture disruptions for detecting the location of errors, the false detection of bit errors may lead to subjectively annoying video. Due to variable length coding, a single bit error is likely to change the interpretation of the codeword in which it occurs and cause a loss of synchronization of subsequent codewords. Even if codeword synchronization were re-established, it might not be possible to determine the spatial or temporal location of decoded data.
In terms of erasure errors, there are two primary sources of such errors. First, queue overflows in congested network elements, such as routers, cause packet losses. Second, the transport decoder typically processes bit errors by removing the entire packets in which the bit errors occurred.
In general, introduced transmission errors should first be detected and then corrected or concealed by the receiver. As explained above, bit errors are typically detected using CRC or similar codes and corrupted packets are discarded. Communication protocols for real-time media transport typically attach a sequence number that is incremented by one for each transmitted packet, and therefore packet losses can be detected from a gap in the sequence number values of consecutive packets. Error correction refers to the capability to recover the erroneous data perfectly as if no errors would have been introduced in the first place. Error concealment refers to the capability to conceal the impacts of transmission errors so that they should be hardly visible in the reconstructed video. Typically, some amount of redundancy is added to source or transport coding in order to help in error detection, correction and concealment.
Error correction and concealment techniques can be roughly classified into three categories—forward error concealment, error concealment by postprocessing and interactive error concealment. Forward error concealment refers to those techniques in which the transmitter side adds such redundancies to the transmitted data so that the receiver can easily recover the transmitted data even if there were transmission errors. Error concealment by postprocessing is totally receiver-oriented. These methods attempt to estimate the correct representation of erroneously received data. The transmitter and the receiver may also co-operate in order to minimize the effect of transmission errors. These methods utilize heavily the feedback information given by the receiver. Error concealment by postprocessing is also referred to as passive error concealment, while the other two categories represent forms of active error concealment.
An orthogonal classification of error correction and concealment algorithms, compared to the categorization introduced above, is based on the protocol stack layer in which the algorithm in question operates. Methods in the physical layer may, for example, use modulation intelligently or interleave data bits to be transmitted. In the link layer, erroneously received data blocks may by selectively retransmitted, for instance. In general, the methods involving the source coder or the source decoder are referred to as media-aware error correction and concealment algorithms, while methods that operate solely in the transport coder and decoder are media-independent. Methods requiring the interoperation of several protocol stack layers fall into the category of cross-layer optimization algorithms. The term "joint source-channel coding" is used when source and transport coding operate seamlessly to tackle transmission errors as a joint effort.
For many real-time multimedia communication applications, it is desirable to not have a multimedia file transmitted as a file, but instead have the media data encapsulated into packets of a communication protocol. Furthermore, it is desirable for existing media players to be capable of parsing, decoding, and playing any multimedia file that is generated from received media streams. If any recorded multimedia file can be played by existing media players, the media players do not have to be updated or changed.
Most, if not all, container file formats are targeted for the playing of error-free files that are reliably transferred to the playing device and/or for providing media content for transmission in streaming servers or other sending devices. Consequently, the container file formats do not provide mechanisms for indicating transmission errors, and it is not guaranteed that existing players would be able to cope with erroneous media streams gracefully. Instead, such players may crash or behave otherwise in unexpected ways. It would therefore be desirable that files generated from received media streams be played with existing media players and would be compatible with existing file formats. Furthermore, it would be desirable for sophisticated players and decoders to include mechanisms for efficiently concealing transmission errors from received streams that are recorded to a file.
There have been a number of conventional approaches for addressing at least some of the issues identified above. In a first approach, the received transport stream is included as such in the file, or the transport stream is stored in a separate file, and the separate file is referred to from the presentation file (i.e., the file containing the metadata). In this arrangement, the transport stream refers to the lowest protocol stack layer that is considered relevant in the application. For RTP-based media transmission, the transport stream typically refers to a stream of RTP packets. When elementary media streams are encapsulated to an MPEG-2 transport stream (as in DVB-T, DVB-C, and DVB-S), the transport stream refers to the MPEG-2 transport stream. In the ISO base media file format structure, the transport stream can be included as a single sample into the media track. This is how MPEG-2 transport streams are included in QuickTime files. Metadata specific to the transport stream may be stored in a new structure of the file format; in the ISO base media file format, the structure may reside in the meta box.
In a second approach, the received transport stream is converted to elementary data tracks. Metadata specific to the transport stream is stored in a new structure of the file format; in the ISO base media file format, the structure resides in the metabox.
In a third approach, received transport packets of a stream are written as such to a hint track of the file that is recorded. However, the use of a hint track is not a valid solution logically, as hint tracks provide packetization instructions for a server or, more generally, for a sender. Moreover, a recorded hint track may not provide a valid stream to be re-sent. For example, RTP sequence numbers are required to be continuous in a transmitted stream, but in a recorded stream a missing packet causes a discontinuity in RTP sequence numbers.
The fact that the moov box can be completed only after all of the media data is received makes continuous recording to a single file impossible in the second and third approaches discussed above. This problem can be avoided when the movie fragment feature is used to segment the recorded file as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/292,786, filed Dec. 1, 2005. Alternatively, the media data of the received streams can be recorded to separate files compared to the meta data. However, if simultaneous time-shifted playback of the file being recorded is desired, then movie fragments as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/292,786 should be used.

Media stream recording into a reception hint track of a multimedia container file


A process for removing helium and other impurities from a mixture containing deuterium and tritium, which process comprises the steps of: separating from the mixture isotopes of hydrogen in any of their diatomic combined forms; oxidizing the separated isotopes to their corresponding oxides; separating tritium oxide and deuterium-tritium oxide from the oxides thus formed; and electrolyzing the separated oxides to deuterium and tritium.. Preferably the impure mixture of deuterium and tritium is a waste product of a fusion reactor, and the purified deuterium/tritium mixture is recycled to the reactor.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for removing helium and other impurities from a mixture containing deuterium and tritium, and a deuterium/tritium mixture when purified in accordance with such a process, and, more particularly, to a process for the processing of spent plasma removed from a fusion reactor.
The process of this invention is applicable to a plasma formed by mixtures of deuterium and tritium contaminated by the helium produced by the following fusion reaction: EQU D+T.fwdarw.He.sup.4 +neutron
Other impurities are probably present in the plasma such as CO, CO.sub.2, N.sub.2, NO, NO.sub.2, N(D,T).sub.3, C(D,T).sub.4, C.sub.2 (D,T).sub.6 having a very small concentration of about 2-3%. Even protium is expected to be present at a concentration of less than 1%.
All these impurities originate from many factors, of which the major ones are material degassing phenomena and the air infiltration even if in microquantities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is replete with disclosures relating to the treatment of deuterium and tritium containing the above-mentioned impurities which are expected to accumulate in a real fusion burn. In the known processing design for such a fuel cycle, it is assumed to make recourse to extremely costly and very advanced procedures such as selective impurities cryogenic separation and hydrogen isotopes cryogenic distillation.
The overall dimension of these units and the other ones related to the process require a large facility for their containment.
Moreover for safety rules it is a compulsory requirement to have an emergency tritium clean-up system, in case of accident.
For this reaction, large investments and high running costs are demanded in order to maintain tritium release into the atmosphere below the present levels which are becoming more and more strict.

Process for removing helium and other impurities from a mixture containing deuterium and tritium, and a deuterium/tritium mixture when purified in accordance with such a process

European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)


An optical scanning device comprising: a light source that emits a laser beam; and a driving unit connected to the light source and configured to drive the light source; the driving unit comprising: a first storage unit that stores in advance therein a setting value for controlling output of the laser beam; a second storage unit that stores temporally therein the setting value stored in the first storage unit; a storage controller connected to the first storage unit and the second storage unit; and a voltage detector connected to the storage controller and configured to detect a voltage value supplied to the driving unit, wherein the storage controller, upon the voltage detector detecting that the voltage supply is resumed, transfers the setting value stored in the first storage unit to the second storage unit automatically.

1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments relate to an optical scanning device and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a semiconductor laser is used to expose photoreceptors in an image forming apparatus. To control the semiconductor laser, a light-intensity adjustment value is stored in a memory and a control unit that controls the semiconductor laser adjusts the intensity of emitted light based on the adjustment value stored in the memory. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2011-98494 discloses an image forming apparatus, in which a gain adjustment value and a bias adjustment value used for feedback control on the semiconductor laser are stored in a nonvolatile memory and an integrated circuit performs the feedback control by using the stored setting values. The data stored in the nonvolatile memory is stored into a register corresponding to the integrated circuit, and each integrated circuit drives the semiconductor laser based on the control information stored in the corresponding register.
However, in the above-described system in which the control data stored in the nonvolatile memory is stored into the register, if an image forming apparatus is opened to remove a sheet of paper jammed in the image forming apparatus or if the image forming apparatus enters a power saving mode, power supply to the integrated circuit that drives the semiconductor laser is interrupted. Therefore, when the power supply is resumed, it is necessary to store the data again from the nonvolatile memory to the register, which makes it difficult to promptly resume the operation.
Therefore, there is a need for an optical scanning device capable of simplifying a process for causing a control unit of a light source to resume from a power-off state when a setting value for controlling the light source is stored in a nonvolatile memory.

Optical scanning device and method for operating the same and image forming apparatus


Copolymers of alpha-methylstyrene-type monomers and conjugated diene monomers are prepared by polymerizing an alpha-methylstyrene monomer using a first polar activator, adding a small amount of a conjugated diene monomer to cap the block of alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer polymer, and further adding a conjugated diene monomer and polymerizing with a second polar activator effective for copolymerization of residual alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer. The resulting copolymer can be coupled to form linear or radial block copolymers.

Alpha-methylstyrene-type monomers have been polymerized using solution polymerization procedures employing monofunctional anionic initiators such as the organolithium initiators. Polar additives have been employed to improve the rate of polymerization of such as alpha-methylstyrene. Subsequently, butadiene has been added to form a block of such as polybutadiene. The resulting product can be coupled, if desired. This generalized procedure is described in such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,623. Such polymers are useful in molded goods, hot melt adhesives, and other purposes.
Unfortunately, the prior art processes have been faced with a major problem of low conversion of the alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,623 at column 3.
An alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer, when polymerized anionically, establishes a reaction equilibrium between monomer.revreaction.polymer. Additional monomer does tend to force the formation of additional polymer; or, the use of low temperature does permit the formation of additional polymer with lower monomer presence, in effect tending to push the reaction toward the desired polymer. However, in order to effectively polymerize a conjugated diene thereon, the polymerization temperature must be raised. The natural tendency is for the alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer:polymer equilibrium to immediately return in the direction of unreacted monomer, thus depolymerizing the poly(alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer) block. This can occur with unseemingly rapidity. This difficulty means variable sizes of poly(alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer) block, inadequate incorporation of the alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer, more monomer remains present after the conjugated diene polymerization, and monomers must be separated and recycled for economy. Sometimes the separation procedures from the polymerization diluent are difficult.
What is needed is a method to enforce good substantial conversion in the polymerization of the alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer, and then to hold it, avoiding depolymerization, while neatly copolymerizing thereon the conjugated diene and at the same time further copolymerizing any remaining alpha-methylstyrene-type monomer to relatively high conversion.

Conversion of alpha-methylstyrene-type monomers in the formation of copolymers with conjugated diene monomers


Methods and apparatus are provided for a roulette-type game comprising two sets of concentric indicia. According to a preferred embodiment, players may wager on either set of indicia and on the occurrence of the same indicia from both sets of indicia being indicated. A preferred roulette table comprises two independently rotatable plates each bearing identical indicia, and a mechanism for accurately aligning the indicia from the inner plate with indicia on the outer plate when the plates are not in relative motion.

Roulette is a popular game that is played in casinos throughout the world. Roulette has been very popular for years. It provides players with a variety of wagering options and opportunities to collect large payouts.
Patrons of casinos often enjoy new games, particularly games which offer greater payouts.
It is therefore desirable to provide a modified form of roulette which offers players additional wagering opportunities and chances of receiving payouts which are significantly higher than provided in conventional roulette games.

Apparatus and method of playing a roulette game using a roulette wheel having two independently rotatable plates and using two separate wagering area


The invention features transgenic non-human mammals containing a mutation in one or both alleles of the endogenous TIAR gene, and cell lines derived from some of these mammals. The mammals and cell lines of the invention can be employed to identify compounds useful in treating infertility, obesity, neurological disorders, and ovarian sex cord stromal tumors.

Several families of RNA-binding proteins are involved in a variety of fundamental cellular processes including RNA splicing, polyadenylation, RNA transport, and translation. Members of the RNA recognition motif (RRM)/ribonucleoprotein (RNP) family contain one to four approximately 100 amino acid long RRM domains in association with various auxiliary domains. TIAR is a RRM protein that is comprised of three N-terminal RRM domains and a C-terminal auxiliary domain (Beck et al., Nucleic Acid Research 24: 3829-3835, 1996; Dember et al., J. Biol. Chem 271: 2783-2788, 1996; Taupin et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92: 1629-1633, 1995; Tian et al., Cell 67: 629-639, 1991). Murine TIAR is predominantly expressed in brain, testis, and spleen. At least two isoforms of the protein are generated by alternative splicing (FIG. 1).

Trangenic mice with a disruption in the tiar gene


A gel-type storage battery is made by preparing porous electrolyte pads having internal pockets containing a dry powdered gelling agent, and inserting the pad between adjacent battery electrodes before addition of acid. The gelling agent may include acid resistant superabsorbing polymer particles, which cause the pads to swell into intimate contact with the electrodes upon addition of the aqueous acid.

This invention relates to storage batteries having a gelled acid electrolyte and to a method for making such batteries.
Rechargeable batteries for vehicles and other uses comprise one or more cells having alternating positive and negative electrodes and an electrolyte. In a vehicle battery having sulfuric acid as the electrolyte, the acid may be converted to a colloid to provide a sealed battery. Conventional gel batteries include a microporous barrier between adjacent lead electrodes. Cooled battery acid is first mixed with a gelling agent, such as fumed silica, and is poured into the electrolyte cavities of the battery. The battery is then sealed and charged, with the acid being converted into a stable gel form.
While gel batteries described above enjoy widespread use, problems may arise during manufacture. Inadequate mixing of the gelling agent with the acid or premature gelling of the mixture may cause the formation of voids or air pockets in the electrolyte cavities of the battery. Also, inclusion of sufficient amounts of silica to form a stable gel, in the order of eight percent by weight of battery acid, in effect reduces the amount of available electrolyte in the battery.

Battery electrolyte pad with gelling agents and method


Methods and apparatus provide pixel information for display. In one example, the methods and apparatus map, using a computing device, pixel information of a virtual rendering surface to a physical curved display screen based on field-of-view point reference data and display curvature data of one or more curved displays using a non-constant scale ratio among a plurality of differing physical pixels in at least one row of a portion of the physical curved display screen. Display data is output based on the mapped pixel information for display to the one or more curved displays.

The disclosure relates generally to methods and apparatus for providing pixel information for display, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for displaying an image on a curved display.
Display images are made up of millions of tiny dots, where each dot is one of thousands or billions of colors. These dots are known as picture elements, or "pixels." Each pixel has multiple attributes associated with it, including at least color data represented by a number of value(s), index or other representative pixel information stored in a computer system. A display image, although displayed using a two dimensional array of pixels, in fact is created by rendering of a plurality of image objects.
Graphics processors, such as GPUs or APUs, are used to display the image objects. A graphics processor typically receives image processing instructions and generates primitives that form the basis for a back-end's work. The back-end of the processor receives the primitives and performs the operations necessary to send the data to a frame buffer where it will eventually be rendered to a physical display. More complex structures, such as three dimensional objects, are formed from a combination or mesh of such primitives.
To display a particular scene on a display device having a two-dimensional screen, the visible primitives associated with the scene are drawn individually by determining those pixels that fall within the edges of the primitive, and obtaining the attributes of the primitive that correspond to each of those pixels. As an example, the obtained attributes are used to determine the displayed color or contrast values of applicable pixels.
However, the particular scene includes a predetermined number of pixels in a virtual rendering surface of a screen space having X (e.g., width) and Y (e.g., height) coordinates. A bounding box defined by minimum and maximum coordinates is created based on the screen space X and Y coordinates to limit the number of pixels displayed on a physical display screen of the display device. Rows and columns of the virtual rendering surface in the bounding box are typically mapped to corresponding rows and columns of the physical display screen for displaying the particular scene in the bounding box on the display device.
FIG. 1 illustrates conventional methods of mapping the virtual rendering surface to the physical display screen for display. In one example, for a flat display device 100, a viewing position 102 of a user is utilized to create a bounding box. Pixels on a virtual rendering surface 104 in the bounding box are respectively mapped to a physical display screen 106 using a constant scale ratio. In one example, each physical pixel of the physical display screen 106 is mapped to a constant number of virtual pixels on the virtual rendering surface 104. Similarly, in another example, for a curved display device 110, a viewing position 112 of the user is utilized to create a bounding box. Pixels on a virtual rendering surface 114 in the bounding box are respectively mapped to a physical display screen 116 in the constant scale ratio.
Conventional mapping methods shown in FIG. 1 employ the constant scale ratio between virtual pixels of the virtual rendering surface and corresponding physical pixels of the physical display screen. In this configuration, each physical pixel is mapped to a constant number of virtual pixels throughout the display device. However, it has been determined that when the physical pixels are displayed on the flat or curved display device 100, 110, an image content of the corresponding virtual rendering surface can be distorted. This distortion effect is, for example, commensurate with a degree of curvature of the curved display device 110. As such, the image content is increasingly distorted toward lateral side edges of the curved display device 110. Thus, a degraded image quality or appearance is provided to the user.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved method and apparatus for displaying an image on a curved display in order to address one or more of the above-noted drawbacks.

Methods and apparatus for mapping virtual surface to physical surface on curved display


Exercise is a stressor that is known to in some cases suppress antimicrobial protein levels, particularly secretory immunoglobulin type A (IgA). Athletes in the midst of in-season training often demonstrate low levels of sIgA and supplements may enhance post exercise mucosal immune function. A study was conducted where three treatments were administered (botanical spray, botanical drops, placebo) at the onset of 30 minutes of 80% V02 max cycle ergometer exercise. Secretory IgA and Human Alpha Defensin were quantified in saliva samples 30 minutes and 90 minutes post exercise. Analysis revealed a significant treatment effect at 30 min (p=0.030) with post hoc testing revealing a difference between the botanical spray and placebo (p=0.027), but by 90 minutes there was no differences by treatment (p=0.758). Based upon this study, it appears that a single dose of the tested botanical can provide enhanced mucosal immune capability for a short time post exercise.

Exercise is a known stressor that has influence over many different physiological systems in the body. There is evidence in the literature that long-term training in athletes can negatively affect antimicrobial protein levels in the oral cavity. Furthermore it has been reported that athletes face a higher incidence of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) compared to more sedentary individuals. Based upon the reports in the literature, it is understood that long-term training for sport performance is a stressor that can both elevate physiological potential for in the athletic arena, but may depress function in other system. Moreira et al. reported that a 2-week detraining period after a competitive soccer season attenuated Immunoglobulin A (sIgA) suppression and symptomology of URTI due to training. From this study it can be suggested that mucosal immunity can quickly rebound if rest and recovery are allowed for athletic populations. However, the demands placed upon athletes, reduced mucosal immunity and risk for URTI are likely to remain an issue into the future.
It has also been determined by previous research that certain forms of acute athletic performance and exercise have the ability to suppress immunoglobulin secretion in the oral cavity. However, most of these exercises are long duration and aerobic, the evidence for the changes in antimicrobial protein with short-term intermittent exercise is less clear with some evidence suggesting no change in immunoglobulin type A. Additionally, Li and Gleeson reported that 60% maximum aerobic capacity (V02 max) cycling for 2 hours did not negatively impact sIgA secretion rates. However, MacKinnon and Jenkins had previously reported a decline in sIgA with intense interval exercise (0.075 g*kg−1) on a cycle ergometer. Though there is much study yet needed to fully elucidate the responses of antimicrobial proteins in the saliva with all forms of exercise there is enough evidence that further study is warranted particularly regarding methods to increase antimicrobial protein levels.
Some botanicals, such as baker's yeast beta glucan, have been shown to increase sIgA in saliva and help decrease symptoms of cold and flu post exercise. Shiitake mushrooms are another natural food substance that is known to contain beta glucans, which may be beneficial for human health. Shiitake mushrooms have been demonstrated to have anti-oxidant activity post exercise, but no evidence currently exists to examine changes in oral anti-microbial protein levels post exercise. Therefore, the purpose of the initial investigation was to examine the effects of a botanical supplement on secretory immunoglobulin A and alpha defensing levels post-exercise.

Suppression of antimicrobial protein levels


A precision actuator of minimum thickness which provides high output force with low input torque and includes a single-piece metallic rhombus with a drive assembly made up of a right-hand threaded rod that passes through a right-hand threaded side apex of the rhombus connected by a coupling to a left-hand threaded rod that passes through a left-hand threaded side apex opposite the other threaded apex of the rhombus. The right-hand threaded and left-hand threaded rods are secured to the coupling such that the drive assembly rotates as a unit. Right-hand rotation of the drive assembly increases the distance between the threaded apexes while drawing the end apexes closer together and left-hand rotation of the drive assembly draws the threaded apexes closer together forcing the end apexes further apart.

This invention relates to a precision actuator for generating precise motion in a confined area and, more particularly, the invention is concerned with providing a low profile precision actuator suitable for use as an aileron control system for a one-twentieth scale model high performance aircraft in a wind tunnel maneuverability test and design program.
There are many situations which require precise movement in confined spaces. Confined spaces may be defined as a volume which has severe restrictions in one dimension of a volume while the other two dimensions are relatively free from restrictions. Simple dial pointer movements and complicated control actuators are examples where precise motion in a confined space is required.
In an attempt to accomplish precise movement within confined space limits using conventional methods, the results have been inexact and non-repeatable due to the inherent tolerances associated with the joint fits which attach the actuating members together. For example, the ability to "fly" an aircraft model through realistically simulated maneuvers in a wind tunnel requires that motion measurements be produced that agree well with measurements from the real aircraft in flight so that this capability can be applied in the design, development or refinement phases of an aircraft program. It permits the effect of any design changes to be examined quickly at critical points in the maneuvering flight envelope. Several components are integrated into a computer-controlled closed loop which allows banks, turns and stalls in an almost totally "hands-off" operation.
In a one-twentieth scale model of a high performance aircraft which was used in a test run, new wing and tail control surfaces were designed and fabricated for movement similar to that on the actual aircraft. This required the delicate machining of an aileron control system suitable for installation within the quarter-inch thickness of the model wing. The hereinafter disclosed low-profile precision actuator includes delicate parts which were machined from a stainless steel-molybdenum alloy in order to withstand relatively high aerodynamic forces. The aileron control system according to the invention permits the positioning of the aileron at the required angles to duplicate those experienced by aircraft in maneuvering flight.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


Low resistant vias are formed by sequentially treating an opening in an interlayer dielectric and the exposed surface of a lower metal feature with an NH3 plasma followed by a N2/H2 plasma, thereby removing any oxide on the metal surface and removing residual polymers or polymeric deposits generated during etching to form the opening. Embodiments include forming a dual damascene opening in a low-k interlayer dielectric exposing the upper surface of a lower Cu or Cu alloy feature, sequentially treating the opening and the upper surface of the lower metal feature with an NH3 plasma and then with a N2/H2 plasma, Ar sputter etching, depositing a barrier layer lining the opening, depositing a seedlayer and filling the opening with Cu or a Cu alloy.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device exhibiting reduced capacitance loading, improved electromigration resistance and increased reliability. The present invention has particular applicability in manufacturing high density, multi-level semiconductor devices comprising sub-micron dimensions having low resistance vias and exhibiting rapid circuit speed.
As integrated circuit geometries continue to plunge deeper into the sub-micron regime, it becomes increasingly difficult to satisfy the demands for dimensional accuracy. Moreover, interconnection technology is constantly challenged to satisfy the ever increasing requirements for high performance associated with ultra large scale integration semiconductor devices. The speed of semiconductor circuitry varies inversely with the resistance (R) and capacitance (C) of the interconnection system. The higher the value of the Rxc3x97C product, the more limiting the circuit speed. As integrated circuits become complex and feature sizes and spacings become smaller, the integrated circuit speed becomes less dependent upon the transistor itself and more dependent upon the interconnection pattern. Thus, the performance of multi-level interconnects is dominated by interconnect capacitance at deep sub-micron regimes, e.g., less than about 0.12 micron. The rejection rate due to integrated circuits speed delays in sub-micron regimes has become a limiting factor in fabrication.
Conventional semiconductor devices comprise a semiconductor substrate, typically doped monocrystalline silicon, and a plurality of sequentially formed interlayer dielectrics and conductive patterns. An integrated circuit is formed containing a plurality of conductive patterns comprising conductive lines separated by interwiring spacings, and a plurality of interconnect lines, such as bus lines, bit lines, word lines and logic interconnect lines. Typically, the conductive patterns of different levels, i.e., upper and lower levels, are electrically connected by a conductive plug filling a via hole, while a conductive plug filling a contact hole establishes electrical contact with an active region on a semiconductor substrate, such as a source/drain region. Conductive lines are formed in trenches which typically extend substantially horizontal with respect to the semiconductor substrate. Semiconductor xe2x80x9cchipsxe2x80x9d comprising five or more levels of metallization are becoming more prevalent as feature sizes shrink into the deep sub-micron regime.
A conductive plug filling a via bole is typically formed by depositing an interlayer dielectric (ILD) on a metal level comprising at least one metal feature, forming an opening through the ILD by conventional photolithographic and etching techniques, and filling the opening with a conductive material. The excess conductive material or overburden on the surface of the ILD is typically removed by chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP). One such method is known as damascene and basically involves forming an opening in the ILD, such as a trench or via hole, and filling the opening with a metal to form a metal line or via, respectively. Dual damascene techniques involve forming an opening comprising a lower contact or via hole section in communication with an upper trench section, and filling the opening with a conductive material, typically a metal, to simultaneously form a lower contact or via in contact with an upper conductive line.
Copper (Cu) and Cu alloys have received considerable attention as alternative metallurgy to aluminum (Al) in interconnect metallizations. Cu is relatively inexpensive, easy to process, and has a lower resistively than Al. In addition, Cu has improved electrical properties vis-a-vis tungsten (W), making Cu a desirable metal for use as a conductive plug as well as conductive wiring. However, due to Cu diffusion through dielectric materials, such as silicon dioxide, Cu interconnect structures must be encapsulated by a diffusion barrier layer. Typical diffusion barrier materials include tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), titanium-tungsten (TiW), Tungsten (W), tungsten nitride (WN), Tixe2x80x94TiN, titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN), tungsten silicon nitride (WSiN), tantalum silicon nitride (TaSiN) and silicon nitride for encapsulating Cu. The use of such barrier materials to encapsulate Cu is not limited to the interface between Cu and the ILD, but includes interfaces with other metals as well.
Cu interconnect technology, by and large, has been implemented employing damascene techniques, wherein a dielectric layer, e.g., interlayer dielectric, is formed over a patterned underlying metal level having a capping layer thereon, e.g., Cu or Cu alloy features with a silicon nitride capping layer. An opening is formed in the dielectric layer. A barrier layer and optional seedlayer are then sequentially deposited, followed by Cu deposition, as by electrodeposition or electroless deposition.
The dielectric constant of materials currently employed in the manufacture of semiconductor devices for an interlayer dielectric (ILD) ranges from about 3.9 for dense silicon dioxide to over 8.0 for deposited silicon nitride. In an effort to reduce interconnect capacitance, dielectric materials with lower values of permitivity have been explored. The expression xe2x80x9clow-kxe2x80x9d material has evolved to characterize materials with a dielectric constant less than about 3.9, based upon a value of the dielectric constant of a vacuum as one (1). One type of low-k material that has been explored are a group of spin on or CVD siloxane materials, such as hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) and methyl silsequioxane (MSQ) and BLACK-DIAMOND(trademark) dielectric available for Applied Materials, Santa Clara, Calif. and silicon-carbon-oxygen-hydrogen (SiCOH) organic dielectrics. There are several organic low-k materials, typically having a dielectric constant of about 2.0 to about 3.8, which offer promise for use as an ILD, such as FLARE 20(trademark) dielectric, a poly(arylene) ether, available from Allied Signal, Advanced Micromechanic Materials, Sunnyvale, Calif. BCB (divinylsiloxane bis-benzocyclobutene) and SILK(trademark) dielectric, an organic polymer similar to BCB, both available from Dow Chemical Co., Mildland, Mich.
In implementing Cu and/or Cu alloy damascene techniques to form interconnection patterns with dimensions in the deep sub-micron regime, particularly when employing various low-k materials, including porous oxides, such as dielectric oxides having a porosity of about 30% to about 80% and a dielectric constant (k) of about 2.0 or lower, various problems evolve which degrade the resulting semiconductor device. For example, copper readily diffuses into conventional silicon-based materials such as polysilicon, single-crystalline silicon, silicon dioxide, and low-k inorganic and organic materials. Once semiconductive silicon-based materials are Cu doped, transistors made within or in close proximity to the Cu doped silicon-based regions either cease to function properly or are significantly degraded in electrical performance.
Several dielectric materials have evolved which contain halogens, such as fluorine (F), e.g., F-doped silicon dioxide derived from tetraethyl orthosilicate (F-TEOS) and F-doped silicate glass (FSG). In implementing conventional damascene techniques with Cu, it was found that the barrier layer initially deposited to line the opening does not adhere well to the dielectric layer, particularly F-containing low-k ILDs such as F-TEOS and FSG. Such an adhesion problems adversely impact electromigration resistance and device reliability.
Additional problems attendant upon implementing Cu or Cu alloy interconnect technology stem from the difficulty in removing a thin copper oxide film formed on the upper surface of the lower Cu or Cu alloy metal feature by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), leading to voids, electromigration problems and increasing vias resistance. Another source of via resistance stems from the presence of polymers or polymeric deposits generated by anisotropic etching to form the opening in the dielectric layer.
In addition, conventional practices employ an argon (Ar) sputter etching technique to round the corners of the opening to facilitate filling, to remove surface oxides from the underlying metal feature and to remove residual contamination. However, such Ar sputter etching typically removes a portion of the upper surface of the lower Cu or Cu alloy feature which redeposits on the side surfaces of the dielectric layer defining the opening formed therein. The resulting structure would contain Cu between the subsequently deposited barrier metal and dielectric layer which ultimately penetrates the dielectric layer and eventually poisons one or more transistors of the device.
Accordingly, there exists a need for efficient methodology enabling the formation of interconnection structures containing low resistance vias. There exists a particular need for efficient methodology enabling the formation of low resistance Cu or Cu alloy interconnection structures exhibiting high reliability and high electromigration resistance.
An advantage of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having low resistance vias.
Another advantage of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device with Cu and/or Cu alloy interconnection patterns in low-k dielectric layers exhibiting reduced parasitic RC time delays, improved electromigration resistance, reduced via resistance and increased device reliability.
Additional advantages and other features of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from the practice of the present invention. The advantages of the present invention may be realized and obtained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other advantages are achieved in part by a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising: forming an opening in a dielectric layer exposing an upper surface of a lower metal feature; and sequentially treating the opening and upper surface of the lower metal feature with: (a) a plasma containing ammonia (NH3); following by (b) a plasma containing nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2).
Embodiments of the present invention comprise forming a dual damascene opening in an interlayer dielectric comprising a dielectric material having a dielectric constant less than about 3.9, the opening exposing an upper surface of a lower Cu feature, sequentially treating the opening and upper surface of the lower Cu feature with an NH3 plasma followed by an N2/H2 plasma. Subsequently, a barrier layer is deposited lining the opening, a seedlayer deposited thereon, and the opening filled with Cu followed by CMP and deposition of a capping layer, such as silicon nitride or silicon carbide. Embodiments of the present invention further include the use of low-k dielectric materials, such as F-TEOS, SLCOH and BLACK-DIAMOND(trademark) dielectric. As used throughout this disclosure, the symbol xe2x80x9cCuxe2x80x9d is intended to include substantially pure elemental copper, copper containing unavoidable impurities and copper alloys containing minor amounts of elements such as tantalum, indium, tin, zinc, manganese, chromium, titanium, germanium, strontium, platinum, magnesium, aluminum or zironcium.
Additional advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein embodiments of the present invention are described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention. As will be realized, the present invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded and illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.