A process which is capable of depositing a titanium nitride film of a high quality at a high deposition rate by low temperature chemical vapor deposition is provided. The titanium nitride film is deposited using a gas source comprising a compound of the general formula: EQU A.sub.n B.sub.m Ti. wherein n and m are independently selected from integers of from 1 to 3 provided that sum of n and m is equal to or smaller than 4; A is selected from a cyclic hydrocarbon group and a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group which is bonded to the titanium by .pi. electron; and B is an alkylamine derivative group containing a nitrogen atom which is directly bonded to the titanium. The film deposition process of the invention is highly useful in LSI fabrication.

This invention relates to a process for depositing a titanium nitride film which is widely used in LSI production as a barrier metal layer in a contact hole and an embedded plug, for improving migration resistance of a multilayered aluminum interconnection, and as a film for an anti-reflection coating.
In the production of LSIs, aluminum and tungsten are employed in metal interconnection for an interlayer electric contact through contact holes and via holes. Direct contact of the aluminum or the tungsten with the silicon wafer, however, may induce alloying or silicidation of the metal and intrusion of the resulting electroconductive substance into the silicon wafer to result in a significant increase of leakage current. Use of aluminum for the interconnection may also induce the problem of shortened life of the interconnection through stress migration and electromigration. Furthermore, since aluminum has a high UV reflectance, UV light projected onto the aluminum interconnection by a stepper is reflected on the aluminum surface to diffuse into the resist film and induce pattern defects, and in turn, a decrease in resolution. To prevent such problems, there has been proposed a deposition of a titanium nitride film over or underneath the metal interconnection to form a bi-layered or a sandwich-like tri-layered structure. The titanium nitride film has effectively suppressed metal diffusion to prevent the alloying and silicidation as well as the migration. Deposition of the titanium nitride film has also reduced the UV reflection on the aluminum surface to thereby prevent the resolution decrease. Furthermore, titanium nitride, which is highly electroconductive, would not reduce the conductance of the interconnection.
For producing a titanium nitride film, conventional processes such as deposition by reactive sputtering and nitrization of a metal titanium film have been widely used in the art. However, such conventional processes have proved ineffective under the recent pattern design rule of submicron order wherein steps on the surface have become steeper and the contact via holes have become deeper and narrower with an enlarged aspect ratio. More illustratively, the steps and the side wall of the holes could not be fully covered by physical vapor deposition techniques such as sputtering, and nowadays, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques enabling higher step coverage are beginning to be used.
Japanese Patent Laid Open No. Sho. 60(1985)-245233 and Hei. 03(1991)-64473, for example, disclose an atmospheric pressure or a low pressure chemical vapor deposition of the titanium nitride film by using titanium (IV) chloride with nitrogen, hydrogen, or ammonia according to the following reactions (1) to (3). EQU 2TiCl.sub.4 +N.sub.2 =2TiN+4Cl.sub.2 ( 1) EQU 2TiCl.sub.4 +N.sub.2 +4H.sub.2 =2TiN+8HCl (2) EQU 2TiCl.sub.4 +2NH.sub.3 +H.sub.2 =2TiN++8HCl (3)
The reaction of the formula (1) requires a temperature as high as 1000.degree. C. or even higher, and the reactions of the formulae (2) and (3) requires a temperature of 500.degree. C. or higher.
A film deposition at such a high temperature is accompanied with the risk of deteriorated film properties due to diffusion of the doping layer of the semiconductor. Furthermore, the film deposition at such a high temperature exceeding the melting point of the aluminum could not be effected after the deposition and the patterning of the aluminum. Therefore, there is a strong demand for developing a CVD process which could be carried out at a temperature of up to 400.degree. C.
Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho. 57(1982)-42970 and Japanese Patent Laid Open No. Hei. 03(1991)-39474 disclose use of organic titanium compounds to deposit a titanium nitride film by chemical vapor deposition at a temperature of up to 400.degree. C. The organic titanium compounds disclosed therein such as tetrakis(trimethylamino)titanium and titanium dicyclopentadienyldiazide, however, are unstable and have a low vapor pressure, and therefore, use of such gas sources for the chemical vapor deposition have been unpractical for their insufficient film deposition rate.
In view of the above-described situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a CVD process at atmospheric pressure or a low pressure which is capable of depositing a high quality titanium nitride film at a low temperature and at a high deposition rate.
The inventors of the present invention have made an intensive study to solve the above-described problems, and completed the present invention after finding out that some organic chemical compounds of particular chemical compositions, which are stable and which have a high vapor pressure, may be used as a gas source for the low-temperature chemical vapor deposition to form a titanium nitride film of a high quality at a high deposition rate.

Process for depositing titanium nitride film by CVD


Disclosed herein are methods of using prodrugs of GABA analogs and pharmaceutical compositions thereof to treat and/or prevent urinary incontinence in humans, and pharmaceutical compositions of prodrugs of GABA analogs useful in treating and/or preventing urinary incontinence.

According to the American Foundation for Urologic Disease, over 17 million Americans suffer from overactive bladder. Incontinence is particularly common in the elderly and is present in approximately fifty percent of nursing home patients. Further, urinary incontinence affects nearly all women in some form during their lifetime and is of significant medical and social concern to those who experience the affliction.
Urinary incontinence arises from the anatomy and the physiology of the urinary tract, which is composed of a bladder and a sphincter. Anatomically, the bladder consists of the bladder musculature known as detrusor and the trigone. The sphincter includes the bladder neck and the proximal urethra. The detrusor muscle is innervated by the pelvic nerve through the parasympathetic nervous system, and the bladder neck and proximal urethra are innervated by the sympathetic nervous system (See, "Chapter 215-Urinary Incontinence," The Merck Manual, 17th Ed., M. H. Beers and R. Berkow, eds., Merck Research Laboratories, Whitehouse Station, N.J., 1999, pp. 1816-1824).
The major functions of the bladder are the storage and expulsion of urine. The bladder is responsible for accommodating increasing volumes of urine at low pressures. Normally, the bladder remains closed during bladder filling and continence is maintained as long as the bladder neck and urethral pressure exceeds intravesical pressure. Voluntary voiding occurs when intravesical pressure exceeds bladder neck and urethral pressure, and involuntary voiding, also known as involuntary incontinence, occurs when the travesical pressure exceeds the bladder neck and urethral pressure. Involuntary incontinence, also known as urge incontinence and overactive bladder, occurs with a loss of a large volume of urine accompanied by symptoms of urgency, frequency and nocturia caused by an unstable bladder or detrusor instability. The patient may lose urine with a change in position or with auditory stimulation. The loss of small volumes of urine usually occurs because of bladder over-distension by a large amount of residual urine; this condition is referred to as overflow incontinence. Urinary incontinence is also known as overactive bladder, which exhibits symptoms of urinary frequency or urge incontinence.
Incontinence can be caused by a variety of factors including pregnancy, estrogen deficiency, general weakening of the sphincter or pelvic floor muscles, surgery along the urinary tract, infection and other maladies localized in the urinary tract. Several types of incontinence including stress incontinence, urge incontinence, and total incontinence exist. Stress incontinence occurs under physical stress and individuals suffering from this type of incontinence might experience symptoms resulting in urine discharge during physically stressful events. Examples of stressful events include coughing, laughing, sneezing, and rigorous exercise. Symptoms of urge incontinence are characterized by an urgent desire to urinate and can result in total discharge of the bladder. This type of incontinence can occur at any time, but frequently occurs when a person has a sudden change in their physical position. Total incontinence is characterized by a total lack of control over urine discharge and is frequently caused by a complete failure of the sphincter muscles.
Urinary incontinence is an unwanted side effect associated with administration of a number of therapeutic drugs such as diuretics (e.g., furosemide and bumetamide), anticholinergics (e.g., antihistamines and benztropine), psychoactive drugs such as tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotics, opioids, calcium-channel blockers, vincristine and ACE inhibitors (e.g., captopril) (Merck Manual, ibid., p. 1816).
Current treatments for incontinence include protective underwear such as diapers or a urinary catheter that collects discharged urine. These types of treatments can be uncomfortable, unsightly, and socially awkward. Pelvic exercises are also used to strengthen weak pelvic muscles. However, such exercises have limited affect, especially if the person does not perform the exercises properly or on a regular basis. Additionally, surgery is often performed to tighten the sphincter muscles. Surgery is a rather severe, and possibly dangerous, treatment and is typically performed as a last resort if all other treatments fail.
Drug therapy is an alternative treatment for incontinence. The type of drug that is used can vary depending on the type and cause of incontinence. For example, menopausal and post-menopausal women often experience estrogen deficiency, which causes a variety of symptoms including a thinning of the urethral and vaginal mucosa. Thinning of the urethral mucosa can result in a lack of urethral pressure and thus induce stress incontinence. Estrogen replacement therapy may help control menopause-related incontinence because some of the estrogen will reach and stimulate estrogen receptors in the urethral wall. Stimulation of estrogen receptors triggers an increase in the thickness of the urethral mucosa, which increases urethral pressure and helps to control incontinence (Merkerj, So. Medical J. 2001 (94:10) 952-957).
In practice, estrogen is administered vaginally, orally, or transdermally. These forms of administration can cause serious side effects because normal and healthy tissue outside the urinary tract, which is the desired treatment area, are exposed to estrogen. Examples of possible side effects include breast tenderness, vaginal bleeding, cancer such as endometrial carcinoma, susceptibility to hypertension and risk of abnormal blood clotting. The risk of side effects is even greater if sustained use of estrogen occurs over a prolonged period. Therefore, estrogen administration may be unwarranted if the main goal of therapy is to treat incontinence.
Other agents that increase the tone of the internal and external sphincter muscles may be used to treat incontinence. Examples of these agents include sympathomimetics such as α-adrenergic agonists and nicotinic cholinergic agonists. However, current methods of delivering these agents have problems similar to the method for delivering estrogen. Areas outside the urinary tract are exposed to the agent, which increases the risk of side effects. For example, sympathomimetics can result in elevated blood pressure, stimulation of the central nervous system resulting in insomnia and anxiety, dizziness, tremors, and cardiac arrhythmias. Nicotinic cholinergic agonists can also have harmful effects because there are nicotinic cholinergic receptors in the skeletal muscles, autonomic ganglia and the adrenal medulla. Thus, treatment using nicotinic cholinergic agonists can also cause a variety of side effects.
The γ-aminobutyric acid (γ-aminobutyric acid is abbreviated herein as "GABA") analog gabapentin (1) has been approved in the United States for the treatment of epileptic seizures and post-herpetic neuralgia. The drug has also shown efficacy in controlled studies for treating neuropathic pain of varying etiologies. Gabapentin has been used to treat a number of other medical disorders (Magnus, Epilepsia 1999, 40, S66-72).

The broad pharmaceutical activities of GABA analogs such as gabapentin has stimulated intensive interest in preparing related compounds that have superior pharmaceutical properties in comparison to GABA, e.g., the ability to cross the blood brain barrier (see, e.g., Satzinger et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,175; Silverman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,175; Horwell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,370; Silverman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,214; Horwell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,932; Silverman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,906; Silverman, International Publication No. WO 92/09560; Silverman et al., International Publication No. WO 93/23383; Horwell et al., International Publication No. WO 97/29101, Horwell et al., International Publication No. WO 97/33858; Horwell et al., International Publication No. WO 97/33859; Bryans et al., International Publication No. WO 98/17627; Guglietta et al., International Publication No. WO 99/08671; Bryans et al., International Publication No. WO 99/21824; Bryans et al., International Publication No. WO 99/31057; Belliotti et al., International Publication No. WO 99/31074; Bryans et al., International Publication No. WO 99/31075; Bryans et al., International Publication No. WO 99/61424; Bryans et al., International Publication No. WO 00/15611; Bellioti et al., International Publication No. WO 00/31020; Bryans et al., International Publication No. WO 00/50027; and Bryans et al., International Publication No. WO 02/00209). One analog of particular interest is pregabalin (2), which may possess greater potency in pre-clinical models of pain and epilepsy than gabapentin. GABA analogs such as gabapentin and pregabalin have been used to treat urinary incontinence (Segal et al., International Publication No. WO 00/61135). Prodrugs of GABA analogs such as gabapentin and pregabalin have also been used to treat patients who frequently urinate but who do not have urinary incontinence or involuntary loss of urine (Thor et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0142034).
Although the mechanism of action of gabapentin in modulating these aforementioned disease states (including urinary incontinence) is not understood with certainty, gabapentin, pregabalin and related analogs are known to interact with the α2δ subunit of neuronal voltage-gated calcium channels (Gee et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1996, 271, 5768-5776; Bryans et al., J. Med. Chem. 1998, 41, 1838-1845). Methods of administering compounds such as GABA analogs (e.g., gabapentin, pregabalin, etc.) to a patient which modulate α2δ subunits of voltage-gated calcium channels have been described (Guttuso, U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,098; Thor et al., supra).
One significant problem associated with the clinical use of many GABA analogs, including gabapentin and pregabalin, is rapid systemic clearance. Consequently, these drugs require frequent dosing to maintain a therapeutic or prophylactic concentration in the systemic circulation (Bryans et al., Med. Res. Rev. 1999, 19, 149-177). For example, dosing regimens of 300-600 mg doses of gabapentin administered three times per day are typically used for anticonvulsive therapy. Higher doses (1800-3600 mg/day in three or four divided doses) are typically used for the treatment of neuropathic pain states.
Although oral sustained released formulations are conventionally used to reduce the dosing frequency of drugs that exhibit rapid systemic clearance, oral sustained release formulations of gabapentin and pregabalin have not been developed because these drugs not absorbed via the large intestine. Rather, these compounds are typically absorbed in the small intestine by one or more amino acid transporters (e.g., the "large neutral amino acid transporter," see Jezyk et al., Pharm. Res. 1999, 16, 519-526). The limited residence time of both conventional and sustained release oral dosage forms in the proximal absorptive region of the gastrointestinal tract necessitates frequent daily dosing of conventional oral dosage forms of these drugs, and has prevented the successful application of sustained release technologies to many GABA analogs.
One method for overcoming rapid systemic clearance of GABA analogs relies upon the administration of an extended release dosage formulation containing a GABA analog prodrug (Gallop et al., International Publication Nos. WO 02/100347 and WO 02/100349). Such prodrugs may be absorbed over wider regions of the gastrointestinal tract than the parent drug, and across the wall of the colon where sustained release oral dosage forms typically spend a significant portion of gastrointestinal transit time. These prodrugs are converted to the parent GABA analog upon absorption in vivo.
Current delivery techniques expose tissue outside of the desired treatment area (i.e., the urinary tract), to incontinence agents which inefficiently uses the agents and dramatically increases the risk of side effects. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method of delivering an agent such as a prodrug of a GABA analog, particularly in extended release dosage form, which can treat and/or prevent incontinence with a reduced risk of side effects.

Treating urinary incontinence using prodrugs of GABA analogs


A device for gas movement in vacuum-coating systems is disclosed that extracts gaseous coating material in the coating chamber that has not been deposited on the substrates to be coated. At least one pump for extracting the coating material is connected to it in an axial extension of the suction device; the suction device has one or more suction openings and is divided up into at least two axial areas whose suction characteristics can be adjusted separately from one another to a great extent.

The subject matter of this invention is a device for moving gas, especially related to the suction extraction of gas for gas atmospheres in systems that produce coatings on substrates.
Substrates are frequently coated with thin layers of one element or with compounds with the PECVD process (plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition) or with the PVD process (physical vapour deposition) in the solar and semiconductor industries. Sputtering, thermal vaporization, laser and ion-beam vaporization, plasma coatings and other processes known from the prior art are used here. These processes are frequently carried out in continuous-operation systems that have processing chambers designed in the form of vacuum chambers; the substrates to be coated are moved through them in a continuous or discontinuous (step-by-step) fashion and coated in the process.
The coating or other working materials are frequently in a gaseous form. Portions that are not deposited on the substrate can therefore spread out in the treatment chamber in an uncontrolled fashion. It is therefore desirable to suction off these gases in a controlled manner without interference with the coating or processing actions caused by flow profiles.
Several layers of different materials are frequently applied to a substrate in direct succession. It is advantageous in cases of that type when there is no requirement for complex inward and outward transfers in different treatment chambers, but instead when the successive coatings can be performed in one and the same treatment chamber. It can be problematic here when the various coating materials are not compatible with one another and, for instance, react with one another in an undesirable way or when components of a coating material act as an impurity in the layer of a different material.
A series of technical approaches exist to solve this problem. In addition to small intermediate lock chambers and movable boundaries, the procedure of preventing the overflow of gaseous materials from one chamber area to another has especially prevailed. The gas flow is suctioned up for this, preferably at the boundaries of the treatment areas, and a separation of areas is achieved in that way.
WO2007/059749 describes a system with small intermediate lock chambers that the substrates are moved through via the transport system and that have flaps that alternatively cover the inlet or outlet opening of the intermediate lock chambers. Suctioning takes place in the lock-chamber area to remove the gas residues that are also transported.
DD214865A1 describes how separation is achieved between two coating areas in which work is one with plasmatrons; a first area has a highly reactive working gas, and the second area has a working gas with little reactivity; separation is achieved by increasing the pressure of the gas with little reactivity. Furthermore, suctioning is provided between the two areas. This prevents the highly reactive gas from penetrating into the second area.
A coating system for glass substrates is disclosed in DE4303462A1 in which the glass substrates are coated from above in a horizontal position in a continuous process. The coating areas are also separated here by providing suction units between them. In the solution that is described, suction takes place downwards from the bottom of the substrates and, in other embodiments, there is simultaneously suction between the coating areas, lateral to the targets from which the coating material is removed. On top of that, intermediate walls are used together with the other construction elements of the coating chamber that form a tube-like hollow area that has a rectangular cross-section. This hollow area has a slot acting as a gas inlet that is turned towards the side on which the target is located. The hollow area is evacuated via a vacuum pump at its ends on the side wall of the coating chamber.
The two devices according to DD214865A1 and DE4303462A1 have the common feature that gas is suctioned out of the coating chambers without consideration being given to the flow conditions that arise. It can therefore be expected that a gas flow that is very much stronger will arise in the proximity of the pump opening than at some distance to it. Since the pumps are typically in the side wall of the treatment chamber or are arranged over or under the substrate, a more even gas flow over the entire substrate that avoids influencing the coating process a bit cannot be expected.
DE102010028734A1 envisages the realization of gas separation between two coating areas by providing suction through an opening directly above the substrate surface that is flanked by metal sheets aligned in parallel with the substrate surface and intended to create flow resistance. Since the pressure loss is much greater around these flow-resistance sheets than the pressure loss behind them, the inventors think that they have achieved an evening out of the flow profile over the entire length of the suction device. The length of the suction device is to be viewed as perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrates and parallel to their surface. The suctioning is done via vacuum pumps that are arranged above the substrates.
DE 10 2008 026 001 B4 claims a method for creating a process atmosphere in continuous coating systems. In particular, it is envisaged that at least two coating areas will exist in the coating system that can have different gas atmospheres. The gas atmospheres are separated by providing a gas-supply unit and a gas-extraction system in every coating area. Furthermore, there is a description that the gas-extraction system is to be "created in the form of a gas channel (16) that extends over the substrate width, crosswise to the direction of transport (3) of the substrate (1) and that has at least one opening (20) so that the gas flow (22) is distributed between the substrate (1) and the gas channel (16) and over the width of the substrate". It is envisaged that a gas channel for gas supply will be located on the side of the coating source and that a gas channel for gas extraction will be located on the other side.
The customary arrangement of vacuum pumps directly above the substrates in the prior art prevents a structure that provides for several treatment areas on top of one another. Moreover, the suction extraction causes, because of the gap between the substrate and the flow guide plates, a strongly inhomogeneous flow that can lead to an uneven coating of the substrate surface. Especially in the case of plasma processes, for instance plasma etchings or a PECVD process, decomposition products or gas particles generated in the plasma sometimes have the characteristic of being able to also trigger reactions with the substrate surfaces in remote areas outside of the defined processing area. That can lead to disadvantageous changes to the surface characteristics, for instance changes to the homogeneity or to the passivation quality or optical properties etc.


A sensor having a seismic mass and having an arrangement for detecting the deflection of the mass and converting it into an electrical signal; in at least one operating mode of the sensor, a mechanical stop asymmetrically limiting the deflection of the seismic mass with respect to a vibrational center position. An arrangement for symmetrical limiting of the signal provided on the sensor.

Accelerations in motor vehicles, particularly in their airbag control units, are measured using micromechanical inertial sensors. In so doing, the principle of the differential capacitor is used, in which a movable seismic mass, together with fixed reference electrodes, forms two capacitances. If an acceleration acts on the mass, it is deflected and the capacitances change. The difference in the capacitances is converted by an electronic circuit, a so-called capacitance/voltage converter (C/U converter), into a voltage signal essentially proportional to the acceleration. The movable structures and the capacitor-like arrangements, which form the capacitances, are usually implemented as microelectromechanical structures (MEMS).
The precise centering of the seismic mass between the fixed electrodes represents a problem when manufacturing the inertial sensors in the construction as MEMS. As a rule, the actual position of the seismic mass deviates from the desired central position due to process uncertainties. This displacement leads to a capacitive signal which is not owing to a deflection of the mass as a result of an influencing acceleration, and which is usually compensated for by an electrical circuit. To that end, the deviation is electrically measured when switching on the sensor and is continually subtracted from the output signal during operation.
During normal operation, the seismic mass of the inertial sensor is induced by accelerations to movements having a certain amplitude and in part high frequency.
In unusual operating states, e.g. when the sensor is subjected to strong impacts in the provided deflection direction of the seismic mass, the amplitude can be very much greater. To prevent contact of the electrodes and therefore an electrical collapse, mechanical stops are provided which limit the deflection of the seismic mass. Because of the circumstance that the position of rest or vibrational center position of the seismic mass deviates from the geometric center position between the stops, an asymmetrical limiting of the sensor signal occurs, resulting in a faulty signal at the sensor output.

Sensor with symmetrical limiting of a signal


According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a frame member for an aircraft is provided comprising a clip region and a frame region. According to an aspect of this exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the clip region, shear web region and the frame region are integrated into the frame member and be formed from an extrusion mold by a milling process. Advantageously, this allows for a reduced number of individual elements for forming a frame member and provides the flexibility of variation of the forms and dimensions of a frame member for an aircraft.

The present invention relates to support structures of an aircraft and in particular to a frame of the aircraft. In particular, the present invention relates to a frame member for an aircraft, to an aircraft comprising a frame member and to methods of manufacturing a frame member.
In today's aircrafts, the frames usually consist of a plurality of individual elements. Usually, more than 10 individual parts are glued, riveted, clipped and/or screwed together. In particular, the clips and the shear webs for connecting the skin and the stringers of the aircraft to the frame are connected to the frame by rivets. Reinforcement straps or angles are usually glued or riveted to the frame. Due to this complex construction, the manufacturing of such frames is time consuming and complex.
Furthermore, the assembly was complicated and ineffective due to the necessity of connecting a plurality of individual elements for forming one frame. The frame itself usually made from bended sheet metal or extruded profiles and had a fixed thickness and fixed dimensions which disadvantageously didn't allow for any flexibility, for example, for reinforcements in areas where increased stress was applied to the frame and smaller dimensions where less stress was applied. Also, no flanging holes could be made into the frame due to the danger of cracks. Due to this, system lines, such as electric cables and/or pipes are usually arranged on the frame i.e. between the frame on the inner cover of the aircraft body.


The thermoplastic elastomer composition of the invention comprises a crystalline polyolefin resin (A), an olefin rubber (B), a hydrogenated styrene block copolymer (C), a softener (D), and optionally, a peroxide non-crosslinked type hydrocarbon rubber (E) in a specific amount of each, and has a gel content of not less than 97%. This composition may be mixed with a crystalline polyolefin resin. The thermoplastic elastomer composition has excellent moldability and is able to provide a molded product having excellent elastomeric properties, high resistance to permanent compression set and good appearance. In particular, a composition obtained by mixing this thermoplastic elastomer composition and a crystalline polyolefin resin shows excellent moldability.

Because of lightweight properties and easy recycling of olefin thermoplastic elastomers, they have been widely used as elastomers of energy conservation type or resource conservation type, particularly as substitutes for vulcanized rubbers, in the fields of automobile parts, industrial machine parts, electric or electronic parts, building materials and the like.
However, conventional olefin thermoplastic elastomers have drawbacks of poorer elastomeric properties as compared with the vulcanized rubbers, and they have been eagerly desired to be improved in elastomeric properties.
In this connection, olefin thermoplastic elastomers increased in the degree of crosslinking, namely, "perfectly crosslinked olefin thermoplastic elastomers" (e.g., those described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 18448/1980), have been already proposed as the olefin thermoplastic elastomers having improved elastomeric properties.
Though the perfectly crosslinked olefin thermoplastic elastomers are superior to partially crosslinked olefin thermoplastic elastomers in the elastomeric properties, they have problems of poor moldability and bad appearance of its molded product, resulting in limitation on their usage.
The present inventors have earnestly studied to solve such problems as mentioned above, and they have found that a thermoplastic elastomer composition having excellent moldability and capable of providing a molded product of excellent elastomeric properties and good appearance can be obtained by using a specific styrene block copolymer in a specific amount together with materials of the thermoplastic elastomer. Based on this finding, the present invention has been accomplished.


Integrated circuit memory devices having improved supply line connections utilize preexisting semiconductor regions (e.g., N-type well regions) in a semiconductor substrate as interconnect regions between thin polysilicon supply lines and metal supply lines. A semiconductor substrate is provided having a region of first conductivity type semiconductor therein extending to a face thereof. This region of first conductivity type may be formed in a peripheral circuit portion of the substrate. A memory device, such as an SRAM device, is also preferably provided adjacent the face of the substrate, in a memory cell portion of the substrate. The memory device contains at least one polysilicon load element therein having a first resistivity. A polysilicon supply line is also electrically connected in series between the polysilicon load element and the region of first conductivity type. The polysilicon supply line is preferably formed as an extension of the polysilicon load element but is doped more heavily with an impurity of predetermined conductivity type so that it has a second resistivity which is less than the first resistivity. In addition, a metal supply line is electrically connected to the region of first conductivity type so that an indirect electrical connection is made between the polysilicon supply line and the metal supply line. Accordingly, a preexisting semiconductor region in the substrate may be utilized as an interconnect region to reliably electrically interconnect supply lines having reduced thicknesses.

A unit cell of an SRAM device typically consists of two inverters interconnected to operate as a flip-flop. Such unit cells are typically classified as high resistance load type NMOS (N-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor) memory cells or Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) type memory cells. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, NMOS type SRAM devices typically employ a high resistance polysilicon line as a high resistance load element.
FIG. 1 illustrates a unit cell of an SRAM device according to the prior art. Typical SRAM devices are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,668, entitled "Internal Synchronization Type MOS SRAM with Address Transition Detecting Circuit" and in an article entitled "65A 17ns 64K CMOS RAM with a Schmitt Trigger Sense Amplifier", International Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers, p. 64, (1985). Referring now to FIG. 1, a conventional four transistor SRAM unit cell comprises a pair of high resistance polysilicon load elements 106 and 107, a pair of cross-coupled NMOS drive transistors 104 and 105, and a pair of NMOS transfer transistors 102 and 103.
The high resistance polysilicon load elements 106 and 107 have first ends connected to a supply line 100 (which is typically coupled to a supply (e.g., VCC) in a peripheral circuit region of an integrated circuit substrate) and second ends connected to the drains of respective NMOS drive transistors 104 and 105 at a pair of nodes N1 and N2. The sources of the drive transistors 104 and 105 are connected to a ground voltage line 101. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the nodes N1 and N2 store complementary data. This complementary data can be accessed by turning on the NMOS transfer transistors 102 and 103 so that the data on node N1 can be transferred to a bit line B/L and the complementary data on node N2 can be transferred to a complementary bit line B/L.
FIG. 2 illustrates schematically a layout of a memory cell array region 200 and a peripheral circuit region 300 of a semiconductor memory device according to conventional technology. FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the layout schematic of FIG. 2, taken along line 3-3'. Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the supply line 100 is extended from the memory cell array region 200 to the peripheral circuit region 300 and is connected with first ends of the high resistance polysilicon load elements 106 and 107. As illustrated, a metal supply line 108 in the peripheral circuit region 300 is electrically connected to the supply line 100 by means of a contact via 109. This contact via 109 extends partially through a first electrically insulating layer 111 which extends opposite a substrate 400.
Here, the supply line 100 is formed from the same layer of polysilicon as the high resistance polysilicon load elements 106 and 107, but is formed to have a substantially higher electrical conductivity in order to keep the standby current of the memory cell low, increase the stability of the memory cell, and maintain the current supplied to the memory cell through the supply line 100 stable to enhance the memory cell's data storage capacity. In particular, the supply line 100 is preferably doped with an impurity of first conductivity type (e.g. N-type) at a high level while the load elements 106 and 107 are doped with the same impurity but at a much lower level, or with an impurity of second conductivity type (to compensate for the dopant of first conductivity type). Thus, the resistance of the load elements 106 and 107 can be set to a higher level than the resistance of the supply line 100. However, the ability to form load elements 106 and 107 having sufficiently high resistances can be limited as the degree of integration increases because the length of the wiring interconnects and the length of the load elements 106 and 107 decreases.
To address this problem, the thicknesses of the polysilicon load elements 106 and 107 are reduced to maintain the resistances at sufficiently high levels. Similarly, the thickness of the supply line 100 is also typically reduced since it is typically formed by patterning the same layer of polysilicon used to form the load elements 106 and 107. However, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the use of supply lines 100 which are too thin can lead to reduced reliability and reduced yield in the event such thin lines are accidently overetched during subsequent process steps to form contact vias. For example, as best illustrated by FIG. 4, the polysilicon supply line 100 may be accidently overetched during the step of forming a contact via 109, thereby exposing a lower conductive layer 112. When this occurs, subsequent metal lines including the metal supply line 108 may be formed with poor electrical contact to the polysilicon supply line 100 and with accidental contact (i.e., "short circuit")to a lower conductive layer 112. This reduces device reliability.
One attempt to reduce the likelihood of overetching of thin supply lines is illustrated by FIGS. 5-6. FIG. 5 is an alternative layout schematic view of an electrical interconnect between a polysilicon supply line 100 and a metal supply line 108 and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical interconnect of FIG. 5, taken along line 6-6'. A conductive layer 121 is used as an intermediate electrical interconnect between a polysilicon supply line 100 which extends from a memory circuit region 200 and a metal supply line 108 which extends from a peripheral circuit region 300. As illustrated, a first contact hole 113 is formed in a first electrically insulating layer 111 prior to formation of the polysilicon supply line 100 and then a second contact hole 109 is formed through a second electrically insulating layer 114 prior to formation of the metal supply line 108. Accordingly, the metal supply line 108 is indirectly electrically connected to the polysilicon supply line 100 by the conductive layer 121. Thus, it is unnecessary to perform an etching step to expose and possibly overetch the polysilicon supply line 100. But, it is necessary to employ an additional conductive layer 121 which means the fabrication steps needed to form the memory device interconnects of FIGS. 5-6 is complicated.
Thus, notwithstanding the above attempts to form integrated circuit memory devices, there continues to be a need for methods of forming integrated circuit memory devices having improved supply line connections.

Integrated circuit memory devices having improved supply line connections, and methods of forming same


The present disclosure provides methods, devices and computer program products for encoding and decoding a stereo audio signal based on an input signal. According to the disclosure, a hybrid approach of using both parametric stereo coding and a discrete representation of the stereo audio signal is used which may improve the quality of the encoded and decoded audio for certain bitrates.

In conventional stereo audio coding, possible coding schemes include parametric stereo coding techniques which are used in low bitrate applications. At intermediate rates, Left/Right (L/R) or Mid/Side (M/S) waveform stereo coding is often used. The existing distribution formats and the associated coding techniques may be improved from the point of view of their bandwidth efficiency, especially in applications with a bitrate in between the low bitrate and the intermediate bitrate.
An attempt to improve the efficiency of the audio distribution in a stereo audio system is made in the Unified Speech and Audio Coding (USAC) standard. The USAC standard introduces a low bandwidth waveform-coding based stereo coding in combination with parametric stereo coding techniques. However, the solution proposed by USAC uses the parametric stereo parameters to guide the stereo coding in the modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) domain in order to do something more efficient than plain M/S or L/R coding. The drawback with the solution is that it may be difficult to get the best out of the low bandwidth waveform based stereo coding in the MDCT domain based on parametric stereo parameters extracted and calculated in a Quadrature Mirror Filters (QMF) domain.
In view of the above, further improvement may be needed to solve or at least reduce one or several of the drawbacks discussed above.
All the figures are schematic and generally only show parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the disclosure, whereas other parts may be omitted or merely suggested. Unless otherwise indicated, like reference numerals refer to like parts in different figures.


A system and method for multi-party authentication is described. The multi-party authentication process uses synchronous and persistent biometrics signals received from parties to a transaction, based on a policy, to approve a transaction request. The biometrics signals preferably are expressed as compressed video signals having steganographically inserted challenge response data. Several business applications are described that are based on the multi-party authentication engine.

Traditional biometrics, such as fingerprints, have been used for (automatic) authentication and identification purposes for several decades. Handwritten signatures have long been accepted as a legally binding proof of identity, and automated signature authentication/verification methods have been available for some number of years. FIG. 1 shows examples of conventional biometrics, specifically a signature 110, a voice (print) 120, a fingerprint impression 130, and an iris pattern 140.
Such biometrics can be used for the automatic authentication or identification of a (human) subject. Typically, the subject is enrolled by offering a sample biometric when opening, for example, a bank account or when subscribing to an Internet service. From the sample biometric(s), a template is derived that is stored and used for matching purposes at the time the user wishes to access the account or service.
A biometric, ideally, will uniquely determines a person's identity. In practice, given a biometric signal, the signal is either associated uniquely with one person, or it reduces significantly a list of possible matching persons. Fingerprints are an excellent biometric due to their uniqueness between individuals. On the other hand, shoe size and weight are poor biometrics, since these parameters obviously have little discriminatory value.
Biometrics may be divided into behavioral biometrics and physiological biometrics. Behavioral biometrics depend on a person's physical and mental state, and are subject to change, possibly rapid change, over time. Behavioral biometrics include the signatures 110 and voice prints 120. Physiological biometrics, on the other hand, are subject to much less variability. For a fingerprint, the basic flow structure of ridges and valleys is essentially unchanged over a person's life time. As an example of another biometrics, the circular texture of a subject's iris 140 is believed to be even less variable over the subject's life than are fingerprints. Hence, there exist behavioral biometrics which to a certain extent are under the control of the subject, and there exist physiological biometrics whose appearance cannot be influenced (the iris 140) or can be influenced very little (the fingerprint 130).
Referring now to FIG. 2A, a typical prior-art automatic fingerprint authentication system 200 has a fingerprint image acquisition device 210 (signal acquisition device 210) that inputs data descriptive of a fingerprint to a biometrics matching system having a signal processing unit 215 for feature extraction, a template extraction unit 220 and a template matching unit 225. Along with the biometrics signal 210, an identifier 212 of the subject is input to the system. During operation of the template matching unit 225 a template associated with the particular identifier 212 is retrieved from a database of templates 230 indexed by identities (identifiers). If there is a Match/No Match between the template extracted by unit 220 and the retrieved template from database 230, a 'Yes/No' 240 answer is the output. Matching is typically based on a similarity measure, where if the measure is significantly large, the answer is 'Yes', otherwise the answer is 'No'.
Note that authentication system 200 is not limited to fingerprint authentication, as the system architecture is valid for any biometric. The biometric signal acquisition device 210 that delivers an input signal to the system 200 can be either local to the application on the client, or remote with the matching application running on some server. Hence, the architecture of the system 200 applies to all biometrics, as well as to all networked or non-networked applications.
FIG. 2B shows a prior art identification system 250. A typical automatic biometrics signal identification system 250 takes only a biometric signal from device 210 as input, and contains the signal processing unit 215 for feature extraction, the template extraction unit 220 that extracts a template from the extracted features, and the template matching unit 225. In the case of the identification system 250, only the biometric signal output from the acquisition device 210 is input to the system (not the identifier 212). During operation of the template matching unit 225 the extracted template is matched to all template, identifier pairs stored in database 230. If there exists a match between the extracted template 220 and a template associated with an identity in database 230, this identity is the output 255 of the identification system 250. If no match can be found in database 230, the output identity 255 can be set to NIL. Again, the biometric signal acquisition device 210 can be either local to the application on the client, or it can be remote with the matching application running on some server. The architecture 250 thus applies as well to networked and non-networked applications.
Of course, a single system can be used that executes both the authentication function of system 200 and the identification function of system 250.
Remote individual positive identification using biometrics is becoming widespread. However, several existing business systems and processes require the synchronous participation and authentication of multiple parties in real time. Further, new business processes can be enabled by technology that allows multiple participants to remotely authenticate themselves synchronously.
Generally, the prior art has failed to synchronously authenticate and authorize multiple parties using biometrics, particularly in a network environment.
A general approach to the (abstract) problem of authentication of the identity of a person is to reduce the problem to the problem of authentication of a concrete (tangible) entity related to the person. Typically, the problem of authenticating the identity of a person is reduced to one of a person possessing an some tangible object, e.g., permitting physical access to a building to all persons whose identities are authenticated by possession of a key; or to one of a person possessing some non-tangible information, e.g., permitting login access to a computer system to a person who knows the existence of a user-id and a password associated with the user-id. Some systems, such as ATM banking systems, use a combination of the tangible object (an ATM card) and the non-tangible information (a PIN) to establish the person's identity.
Another approach to positive identification is to reduce the problem of recognizing humans to the problem of recognizing individuals by their distinctive physiological or behavioral characteristics. This approach is referred to a biometric approach. In this case recognizing an individual can mean identifying an individual from a (possibly large) database of identities, or it can mean authenticating an individual's identity by simply verifying that the individual's characteristics are the same or similar to stored characteristics for the claimed identity.
With the growth of the Internet (the Web) over the last few years, many commercial applications are being explored. Such systems are remotely operated and possibly unattended. For example, an e-commerce system may use a fingerprint of the customer to validate a transaction over the web, such as airline ticket purchase. A more familiar example is an ATM banking application where the bank customer is identified through the acquisition of a fingerprint impression or some other biometric information. This, again, is a networked application where customers can withdraw money from an ATM that is owned by a bank other than their own bank. Other examples of remote fingerprint authentication include point of sale transaction authorization based on fingerprints. The business systems and processes that are discussed herein are not limited to authentication of identities through the use of fingerprints.
Beyond authentication problems, where one person has to be authenticated, there are (business) processes where multiple parties have to be authenticated more or less at the same time (synchronously). The problem of authenticating each party's identity can be reduced to that of a person's possession, e.g., keys, or to that of a person's knowledge of certain information, e.g., pins and passwords. Authenticating may also be reduced to combinations of these, where hard copy biometrics (e.g., facial photographs and/or handwritten signatures) in conjunction with real-time observations of the physical characteristics are involved. Recognition by real-time voice observation is another possibility. An example of this multi-tiered approach is an ATM card (possession) coupled with a PIN (knowledge) and also with a signature (biometric). Another example would be a driver's license with a photograph and a signature. Quite often, though, the authentication problem is simply solved through the fact that the parties know one another. In this case the identity may be established through a mutual introduction by a third (trusted) party, and not through conventional means of identification. Conventional identification as considered herein can involve the use of a driver's license, a passport or an ID card such as a corporate identification card, as common examples.
Several exemplary authentication scenarios are now discussed where multiple parties have to be authenticated at the same time (synchronously), or where one or more of the identities have to be authenticated during a period of time (persistent synchronicity). The exemplary authentication scenarios include (a) a vault in a bank that can only be opened by two bank employees, where each employee has a separate key; (b) a locker or safe deposit box in a vault that is opened through the process of a bank employee opening the vault with a key (or two employees with two separate keys) and the safe deposit box owner opening his or her box with a key, in combination with a key used by the bank employee; (c) to eliminate fraud in a store, the cancellation of a transaction is approved by a manager while a checkout clerk confirms the receipt of goods and the customer authorizes the transaction to be credited to the customer's bank account; and (d) a notary public witnessing the execution of a document by verifying the identity of the signer through conventional means, and authenticating the document by signing the notary stamp.
As a further example, many official documents are signed in the presence of one or more witnesses, establishing the fact that the signature is authentic. Examples include deeds, wills and mortgages. Often at least one witness is a notary public.
It is known that in some locations where cellular telephones are pervasive, if a child has lost or forgotten his house key, he can use an intercom-like device at the door which is forwarded to the cell phone of a parent if no one is home. The parent can then remotely open the door through the use of the cell phone. Here the synchronous authentication means are the child's voice (or knowledge such as a PIN) and the parent's voice over the cell phone so that the door is opened when both biometrics are present.
Other such applications in the military and other similar areas exist, where more than one authority is required to execute a transaction, such as the release of a weapon.
In addition to the foregoing multi-party synchronous authentication scenarios, there also exist authentication scenarios where multiple parties have to be authenticated in a sequential fashion, one followed shortly by another. Examples include: (a) the purchase price of expensive items (e.g., automobiles, jewelry) can be negotiated by the buyer and a sales person, approved by signature by a sales manager, and finalized by signature of the buyer and sales person; and (b) large monetary transactions, such as the selling or buying of large blocks of stock in the stock market, may have to be authorized by multiple parties who authenticate themselves through computer passwords. These authorizations need to be done quickly as the share price of securities may be subject to large changes in small amounts of time. Other examples include, but are not limited to, corporate supervisor and manager approvals; government filings such as SEC reports; remote education, student and teacher authentication, continuing education required for job certification; board review of papers, where board members verify their opinion/vote; and a corporate board vote, where a group in authority may cast votes during a virtual meeting.
Note that the foregoing flow processes can be significantly different than the multi-party synchronous authentication scenarios described earlier.
As can be appreciated, traditional one-to-one means of mutual identification based on, by example, the recognition of the physical appearance of a person's face, or the recognition of a person's voice, are largely unreliable. This is true because such identification relies on the fact that one party has introduced himself to the other, or that the parties are introduced to each other by a trusted third party. These introductions are typically not based on true authentication methods, such as verifying a driver's license or a passport. The same problems carry forward, with additional complications, to meetings between multiple parties. An unknown party can easily join a multi-party meeting and not be detected, because each genuine party believes that the unknown party is legitimate if no other genuine party objects to the presence of the unknown party. Further, if any transaction is executed during the meeting (e.g., if the participants vote on an important decision) and the authenticity of the transaction needs to be later proved, it is generally not sufficient to have authenticated the participants at the beginning of the meeting. Instead, it may necessary to prove that all parties simultaneously participated in the transaction. This problem may be referred to as one of synchronous biometric authentication. Further, when the transaction spans a significant portion of time, it is often necessary to prove that parties were not absent during any part of the transaction (e.g., never left the meeting). This problem may be referred to as one of persistent biometric authentication.
A traditional single-party remote authentication is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,804 to Yuan-Pin Yu et al. A system and method is given for Web-based biometric authentication of individuals who are using a Web Client station, where an individual seeks access to a Web Server station. At the Web Client, biometric data from an individual is measured. At an authentication center, a message is received that includes the acquired biometric from the individual seeking access to the Web Server. This biometric data is compared to selected records and if the biometric data sufficiently matches the selected records, the individual is granted access to the Web Server. In this approach multiple parties can be authenticated from different clients by the same authentication server (service), and granted access to one or more transaction servers. However, the transactions of the different parties are treated as separate, unrelated transactions.
As can be appreciated, remote individual authentication using biometrics is becoming widespread. However, several existing prior art business systems and processes require the participation of multiple parties in real time at the same locale. Existing Internet-based systems do not allow for multi-party authentication and authorization in a synchronous fashion. Hence, prior art technology has to be used to schedule a meeting of all the participants. The scheduling of such a meeting can be time-consuming, however, as each meeting participant should have a sufficient period of time available on his calendar during which the meeting can take place. Then, a meeting time and length have to be established which lies within the intersection of all periods of available time for each meeting participant. This becomes a more complicated process the larger the number of meeting participants. Additional problems with these prior art systems and methods are the travel times of the participants, and other unproductive details, which are known to those who are skilled in the art.
One technique for multiple parties to sign a digital document is by the use of certificates. However, these certificates do not support simultaneous real-time signatures, or the presence of the signatories, over an extended period of time. Nor do they link the signatures to the signers in a non-repudiable manner, as fingerprints or other biometrics can do.
As such, new and advanced e-business processes cannot be enabled by existing technology that allows only a single party to authenticate himself or herself.

System and method for multi-party validation, authentication and/or authorization via biometrics

International Business Machines Corporation


A resin comprising a structural unit represented by formula (aa):

A photoresist composition is used for semiconductor microfabrication employing a lithography process. The photoresist composition comprises an acid generator and a resin.
As to a resin for photoresist composition, US 2010/0178609 A1 discloses a resin which comprises a structural unit represented by the following formula;
where R1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or the like, R2 represents a bivalent linking group containing at least one specific polar group, and R3 represents a cyclic group containing a sulfonyl group within the ring skeleton.

Compound, resin and photoresist composition

Abstract: wherein T1 represents a C3-C34 sultone ring group optionally having a substituent,    X1 represents —O— or —N(Rc)—,    Rc represents a hydrogen atom or a C1-C6 alkyl group,    Z1 represents —X2— or —X3—X4—CO—X5—, where X2, X3 and X5 independently each represent a C1-C6 alkanediyl group, X4 represents —O— or —N(Rd)—, and Rd represents a hydrogen atom or a C1-C6 alkyl group, and    R1 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having a halogen atom.


A method for making an electro-optic device or electro-optic display system having enhanced performance over conventional flat-panel displays, wherein a planarizing polymeric resin layer is spin-cast on a flat-panel backplane containing pixel circuitry. The spin-cast layer is cured to provide a flat backplane. Vias are opened in the cured polymeric resin to each pixel. Metal is deposited to fill the vias and to form a confluent, overlying metal layer on the upper surface. The metal layer is patterned and etched to form individual mirrors over each pixel. The metal acts as both a switchable electrode and as a high aperture, highly reflective mirror over each pixel. Electro-optic devices which may be made using such a process are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to display systems, such as electro-optic or liquid crystal display systems. The present invention also relates to a method for enhancing the performance of reflective flat-panel displays. In particular, the invention relates to a method for planarizing the backplane of an electro-optic device. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for planarizing LCOS backplanes using a spin-cast polymeric resin, and to a device including a spin-cast polymeric resin planarized backplane.
2. Background of the Related Art
LCOS SLM's and microdisplays are made by sandwiching a thin layer of electro-optic material between an array of silicon chip circuits and an indium tin oxide coated coverglass. Incoming optical wavefronts are modulated by applying a voltage differential across the liquid crystal layer. LCOS devices have been successfully applied to coherent optical processors for a range of applications, and can also be used in various incoherent applications, such as image projection and head-up display systems.
In planarizing a backplane of a LCOS, or a silicon backplane, a dielectric layer is formed above the device circuitry. The dielectric layer above the device circuitry should be as flat as possible. Such a flat dielectric layer formed above the device circuitry provides a number of benefits or advantages to SLM's intended for coherent optical processing, as will be described fully hereinbelow.
The planarization of the backplane of an LCOS device was previously attempted by applying polyimide as the planarizing dielectric to a one-metal PMOS backplane. Vias (ca. 37 .mu.m.) were wet-etched through the polyimide layer, and a Au-Ni alloy was evaporated to form a specular reflective mirror layer over the polyimide layer and in electrical contact with the first metal layer. (K. Kasahara, et al. (1980) 1980 IEEE Biennial Display Research Conference, 96-101).
The Degree of Planarization (DOP) may be used as a measure of the flatness or planarity of a surface, and may be used to compare the effectiveness of a planarization method, where DOP is given by the formula: ##EQU1## where t.sub.before is the step height of the surface before planarization, and t.sub.after is the step height after planarization. (See, for example, D. Burdeaux, et al. (1990) reference.) DOP values for polyimide planarization are typically in the range of only 18-30% (B. Merriman, et al. (1989) Proc. 39th ECC, 5). In addition to their relatively low DOP values, polyimide dielectric planarization layers are characterized by other problems, including water uptake and pinholing, leading to delamination of the planarizing layer and unintentional interconnection between metal layers. See, for example, N. Einspruch, et al. (Eds.) (1987) VLSI Electronics--Microstructure Science, Vol. 15, VLSI Metallization. The water uptake problem requires lengthy bake-out periods during processing. See, for example, D. Burdeaux, et al. (1990) J. Electronic Materials, 19: 1357-1366.
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) has also been used as a means for the planarization of the backplane of an LCOS device. According to CMP, a conformal dielectric layer, such as SiO.sub.2, which has been deposited on the structures surface (by PECVD) may be flattened with a rotating pad and polishing slurry. CMP can achieve an extremely flat surface (see, for example, A. O'Hara, et al. (1993) Applied Optics, 32: 5549-5556. However, CMP has a number of significant disadvantages, including long processing times, the need to control many process variables, and the requirement of expensive equipment.
The present invention solves a significant problem in the art by providing a simplified method for planarization of LCOS devices, the method having a number of advantages, as will be described fully hereinbelow.


Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications at a wireless audio device are described. A first (e.g., primary) wireless audio device may initiate a role switch procedure with a second (e.g., secondary) wireless audio device. The first wireless audio device may disable traffic flow between the source device and the first wireless audio device and transmit synchronization information and timing information necessary for taking over the role of primary wireless audio device to the second wireless audio device. The first wireless audio device may transmit a device role switch message, and the first wireless audio device and the second wireless audio device may perform the role switch. After performing the role switch, the first wireless audio device may assume the role of a secondary wireless audio device and the second wireless audio device may assume the role of a primary wireless audio device.

The following relates generally to wireless communications at a wireless audio device, and more specifically to seamless link transfers between primary and secondary devices.
In some examples of wireless communication, a source device (also referred to as a host device) may communicate via an active link with a primary wireless audio device, and a secondary wireless audio device may shadow the link via relay from the primary bud or by sniffing air traffic. However, in some use cases, a link between the primary earbud and the source device may be disconnected, and a re-connection between the source device and the secondary earbud may occur during runtime, causing a glitch or an audio pause.

Seamless link transfers between primary and secondary devices


The present invention comprises apparatus and methods for processing code, that is, for intercepting, examining and/or controlling code streams in a network. “Man in the middle” technology by use of decryptor/encryptor components are placed between client and server which permit alteration of the code as it passes through a communications channel. The code may then be examined by way of a proscribed code scanner. A protocol parser may also be implemented in order to intercept the code as it passes through the stack and transfer the code to the decryptor/encryptor components.

The rise of the Internet and networking technologies has resulted in the widespread transfer of code, data and files between computers. Transfer through the Internet and networking may be secured in a number of ways. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Secure Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extension (S/MIME) are two of the primary methods used to secure transfers. Both SSL and S/MIME use encryption to secure transfers. The transferred code, data and/or files ("code") are encrypted by the sender and decrypted by the receiver.
Secure transfers are, of course, rendered secure in order to make the code impenetrable to other applications and third parties. For example, encrypted code cannot be reviewed by a virus scanning application. The virus scanner cannot interpret the code and so cannot review the code for the presence of viruses. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an ability to review encrypted code.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus and methods for intercepting, examining and controlling code and its transfer through secure connections in an efficient and effective manner transparently or almost transparently to the end-user, with little or no operational effort required by the user.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide apparatus and methods that simply and effectively intercept, control, and/or examine incoming and outgoing secure code in an efficient and effective manner transparently or almost transparently to the end-user, with little or no operational effort required by the user.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and methods for intercepting, examining and controlling code, data and files and their transfer


A sunlit world globe provides a realistic and constantly accurate day/night pattern on the surface of the globe. The globe employs an internal, rotating baffle for a light source. The baffle rotates with respect to a semi-transparent shell constituting a planetary model. The shell has an aperture at the bottom so that a motor, fixed to a frame can rotate the baffle through an axle. The shell pivots about a horizontal axis .+-.23.5 degrees to simulate the earth's orbit around the sun. An adjustment mechanism positions the polar axis of the earth with respect to an imaginary, ecliptic plane appropriately for the current time of year. In an alternate embodiment, the globe rotates with respect to the frame. The frame carries an arch having a day/night demarcation.

A Variety of methods and techniques have been developed for simulating the appearance of sunlight on world globe models. In most embodiments of this concept, a globe model representing the earth is internally illuminated by a baffled light source. The globe is typically semi-transparent, and the baffle is arranged so that one half of the globe is in simulated sunlight, while the remaining half is in simulated darkness. Manual or automatic mechanisms are employed to rotate the globe and baffle with respect to one another so that the demarkation between the night and day hemispheres of the globe rotate once each day (typically one revolution every 23 hours, 56 minutes and four seconds to simulate sidereal time).
The prior art mechanisms for simulating this day/night demarkation range from simple to complex, from manual to automatic. One of the earliest prior art devices is described by Schulse in U.S. Pat. No. 1,959,601 issued on May 22, 1934. Schulse describes a globe which rotates once each 24 hours. A lamp is fixed within and with respect to the globe behind a shield/filter to produce the desired day/night effect. The filter itself rotates about the lamp on an axis which is displaced 23.5 degrees with respect to the polar axis of the globe once each 365 days to simulate the effect of the seasons on the day/night illumination pattern. A conventional clock automatically drives the globe and shield/filter. Schulse's mechanism is relatively complex involving multiple gear trains and slip clutches, worm drives and concentric, rotating shafts all of which contribute to a relatively expensive chronological instrument. Devices such as this have not been accepted into the marketplace.
Others, such as Carlson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,779 have provided an internally illuminating globe which simulates the day/night pattern on the surface on the earth with a substantially less complex mechanism. In Carlson, a lamp and interior baffle rotate once every 24 hours with respect to the globe to simulate a day/night illumination pattern through a semi-transparent globe shell. As is well known, the actual day/night pattern of the surface of the earth oscillates through .+-.23.5 degrees with respect to the polar axis as the earth completes a circumrevolution about the sun. In order to avoid the complexities of devices such as those described by Schulse, Carlson employs an adjustable cam mechanism by way of an exterior knob and flexible cable. Adjustment of the knob rocks the baffle back and forth about an axis passing through the equator of the model to simulate the seasonal variation of the light pattern on the globe. Although Carlson's mechanism is substantially less complex than many prior art devices, the device is believed to nevertheless remain excessively complex to succeed in the marketplace.
Whereas Carlson's and Schulse's devices described above are completely automatic (i.e. motor driven) others have attempted to avoid complexity by combining a completely manually driven globe simulating the day/night illumination pattern on the earth. The device disclosed by Gardin in U.S. Pat. No. 3,305,946 is intermediate in complexity between Schulse and Carlson in that adjustment of a single time of day ring, and day of year ring is sufficient to position an internal lamp with baffle appropriately to simulate the correct day/night pattern on the surface of the globe for a given time of day and year. Nevertheless, Gardin's mechanism still employs a plurality of beveled gears, counter-rotating shafts, etc. and has not found commercial acceptance in the marketplace. Other examples of day/night illuminating globes are provided by Veazey in U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,121, Domen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,351 and Mariotti in U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,893. In each of the devices described in these patents, a different mechanism is employed to impart an appropriate "nodding" motion to an internal baffle to simulate the effect of the earth's orbit about the sun on a simulated day/night pattern for their globes. In each case, the mechanisms are complex and do not lend themselves to inexpensive production techniques.
Therefore, a need exists for a world globe model which indicates a day/night demarkation on the surface of the globe model with a simple, reliable and inexpensive mechanism.
A need also exists for a globe model which simulates a day/night illumination pattern with a simple, reliable and economical mechanism.


The present invention provides compounds with activity as inhibitors of acyl glucosaminylinositol amidases with amidase activity against S-conjugate amides, particularly mycothiol-derived S-conjugate amides. Certain of the invention compounds are naturally occurring compounds obtained from marine sponges and other organisms. The invention further provides methods for using the compounds to inhibit virulence and reduce antibiotic resistance of mycothiol-producing bacteria.

Mycothiol (MSH) is a low molecular weight thiol that replaces glutathione in actinomycetes (G. L. Newton et al. J. Bacteriol. (1996) 178:1990). In conjunction with MCA, MSH plays a central role in protecting actinomycetes against alkylating agents and other toxins (G. L. Newton, et al. Biochemistry (2000a) 39:10739). Recently a second highly homologous amidase from M. tuberculosis that is involved in the biosynthesis of MSH has been described (G. L. Newton et al. J. Bacteriol. (2000) 24:6958).
Aerobic organisms are subjected to oxidative stress from many sources, including atmospheric oxygen, basal metabolic activities, and, in the case of pathogenic microorganisms, toxic oxidants from the host phagocytic response intended to destroy the bacterial invader. Glutathione (GSH) is the dominant low molecular weight thiol in most eukaryotes and Gram-negative bacteria, and it plays a key role in protection of the cell against oxygen toxicity and electrophilic toxins (R. C. Fahey and A. R. Sundquist (1991) Adv. Enzymol. 64:1-53; Dolphin, et al, (1989) Glutathione: Chemical, Biochemical, and Medical Aspects pp 45-84, John Wiley & Sons, New York). However, actinomycetes, including Streptomyces and Mycobacteria do not make GSH but produce millimolar levels of mycothiol (MSH, AcCys-GlcN-Ins), an unusual conjugate of N-acetylcysteine (AcCys) with 1-D-myo-inosityl-2-amino-2-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranoside (GlcN-Ins) (G. L. Newton, et al. (1996) J. Bacteriol. 178:1990-1995; S. Sakuda, et al., (1994) Biosci. Biotech. Biochem. 58:1347-1348; H. S. C. Spies and D. J. Steenkamp, (1994) Eur. J. Biochem. 224:203-213; G. L. Newton, et al. (1995) Eur. J. Biochem. 230:821-825) (FIG. 1A).
Antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria, including pathogenic actinomycetes, such as M. tuberculosis, is a well-known problem faced by medical practitioners in treatment of bacterial diseases. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, is a leading pathogenic cause of death worldwide (Zumla, A. et al. Clinical Review: Tuberculosis. Br. Med. J. (1998) 316:1962). The rise of mycobacterial resistance to common antituberculars such as isoniazid and rifampin, along with the high prevalence of tuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium complex in AIDS patients, has led to a renewed interest in the discovery of antimycobacterial agents with new modes of action.
Therefore, there is a further need in the art for a new class of compounds useful for reducing resistance to existing antibiotics in treatment of bacterial infections in humans and in other mammals, such as domestic and farm animals and useful as antibiotics in treatment of bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis.

Inhibitors of acyl glucosaminyl inositol amidase and methods of use

The Regents of the University of California


An optical transmitter includes a signal generator configured to generate a drive signal from input data, an optical modulator configured to have a voltage-to-light-intensity characteristic in which intensity of output light changes in response to an applied voltage, and to generate a light signal that corresponds to the drive signal, a multiplier configured to multiply the drive signal and an electric signal that is obtained from the light signal; and a control section configured to control, based on output of the multiplier, a bias voltage for the optical modulator.

In order to realize a next-generation long-distance large-capacity communication system, research and development have been conducted regarding technology to generate a transmission signal using digital signal processing in an optical transmitter. For example, digital signal processing is used to generate a desired light signal waveform such as a dispersion pre-equalized signal and a modulation signal.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an optical transmitter. The optical transmitter illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a light source (a laser diode (LD)) 11 and an optical modulator 12. The optical modulator 12 is, for example, a Mach-Zehnder-type lithium niobate (LN) modulator and includes an I arm and a Q arm. In addition, the optical modulator 12 includes a phase shifter to provide an optical phase difference of π/2 between the I arm and the Q arm.
Continuous (continuous wave (CW)) light generated by the light source 11 is split by an optical splitter and guided to the I arm and the Q arm of the optical modulator 12. In addition, a data signal I and a data signal Q are provided to the I arm and the Q arm, respectively, of the optical modulator 12. The amplitude of both the data signal I and the data signal Q is, for example, 2Vπ. Vπ is a voltage corresponding to a half cycle of a drive-voltage-to-light-intensity characteristic of an LN modulator (namely, a half-wave voltage). In the I arm, the continuous light is modulated with the data signal I to generate an I arm modulated light signal. Similarly, in the Q arm, the continuous light is modulated with the data signal Q to generate a Q arm modulated light signal. The I arm modulated light signal and the Q arm modulated light signal are combined to generate a QPSK modulated light signal.
In the optical transmitter including the above configuration, bias voltages for the I arm and the Q arm are appropriately controlled in order to generate a high-quality light signal. In order to control the bias voltage for the optical modulator 12, the optical transmitter includes a control section 13, a photodetector (PD) 14, and a detecting section 15.
The control section 13 superimposes a low-frequency signal on the bias voltage for the optical modulator 12. Hereinafter, f0 represents the frequency of the low-frequency signal. The modulated light signal output from the optical modulator 12 includes a frequency component (namely, the f0 component) of the low-frequency signal. The photodetector 14 converts the modulated light signal output from the optical modulator 12 into an electric signal. The detecting section 15 detects the intensity and phase of the f0 component included in the modulated light signal, based on the electric signal generated by the photodetector 14. The control section 13 performs feedback control on the bias voltages for the I arm and the Q arm so that the f0 component included in the modulated light signal approaches zero. As a result, the bias voltages for the I arm and the Q arm are optimized and a high-quality light signal may be generated. The above feedback control may be referred to as automatic bias control (ABC).
A method for controlling the bias of an optical modulator in an optical transmitter by using a low-frequency signal is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2000-162563.
The amplitude of a drive signal for the optical modulator (the data signal I and the data signal Q in FIG. 1) may change due to temperature or aging. However, the change of the amplitude of the drive signal due to temperature and aging is small. Thus, with an optical transmitter of the related art, the amplitude of the drive signal is almost uniform during operation of a communication system.
In contrast, in an optical transmitter that uses digital signal processing to generate a transmission signal, change of a modulation method and/or change of a pre-equalization amount may be performed during operation of a communication system. When the modulation method and/or the pre-equalization amount are changed, the amplitude of a drive signal for light modulation may change.
For example, FIG. 2A illustrates the waveform of a drive signal when the optical transmitter performs QPSK modulation, and FIG. 2B illustrates the waveform of a drive signal when the optical transmitter performs 16-QAM modulation. In this example, with QPSK modulation, the amplitude of the drive signal is about 2Vπ. In addition, with 16-QAM modulation, the amplitude of the drive signal is about 0.6Vπ. As described above, when the modulation method changes, the amplitude of the drive signal also changes.
FIG. 2C illustrates the waveform of a drive signal when the optical transmitter performs QPSK modulation and executes pre-equalization. In this case, the amplitude of the drive signal is smaller than Vπ. The pre-equalization is implemented by previously providing distortion to a signal waveform in the transmitter so as to compensate for chromatic dispersion of an optical transmission path between the transmitter and a receiver. In addition, the pre-equalization is implemented by digital signal processing.
As described above, in a recent or future optical transmitter, a drive condition of an optical modulator (the amplitude of the drive signal in the above example) may greatly change in response to change of the modulation method or the like. When the drive condition changes, the bias for the optical modulator may possibly not be appropriately controlled, and the optical transmitter may possibly not be able to generate a high-quality light signal. Hereinafter, a problem of bias control of the related art will be described with reference to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating bias control when the drive amplitude Vd is greater than Vπ. This operating state corresponds to, for example, when a light signal is generated by the QPSK modulation illustrated in FIG. 2A. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating bias control when the drive amplitude Vd′ is less than Vπ. This operating state corresponds to, for example, the 16-QAM modulation illustrated in FIG. 2B or the pre-equalization illustrated in FIG. 2C.
In FIGS. 3 and 4, a bias voltage Vb for the optical modulator is shifted to the low-voltage side of an optimal point. In addition, a low-frequency signal f0 is superimposed on the bias voltage Vb.
When Vd is greater than Vπ, an f0 component A is generated at one edge of a drive signal and an f0 component B is generated at another edge of the drive signal as illustrated in FIG. 3. The f0 component A and the f0 component B are light signal components of the frequency f0 and are included in the modulated light signal. Therefore, the modulated light signal includes an f0 component C (C=A+B).
In this example, the amplitude of the f0 component B is higher than the amplitude of the f0 component A. Thus, the phase of the f0 component C is the same as the phase of the f0 component B. Here, the f0 component B is generated in a region in which the gradient of the drive-voltage-to-light-intensity characteristic is positive. Therefore, in this example, the phase of the f0 component C detected from the modulated light signal is the phase of the low-frequency signal superimposed on the bias voltage.
In this case, the bias voltage for the optical modulator is controlled based on the following rules (a) to (c).
(a) If the phase of the f0 component C is the same as the phase of the low-frequency signal superimposed on the bias voltage, the bias voltage is increased.
(b) If the phase of the f0 component C the opposite of the phase of the low-frequency signal superimposed on the bias voltage, the bias voltage is decreased.
(c) If the intensity of the f0 component C is zero, the bias voltage is maintained (zero includes a state of being less than a sufficiently low threshold).
In contrast, when Vd′ is less than Vπ as illustrated in FIG. 4, an f0 component A′ is generated at one edge of a drive signal and an f0 component B′ is generated at another edge of the drive signal. The f0 component A′ and the f0 component B′ are light signal components of the frequency f0 and are included in the modulated light signal. Thus, the modulated light signal includes an f0 component C′ (C′=A′+B′).
In this example, the amplitude of the f0 component A′ is higher than the amplitude of the f0 component B′. Therefore, the phase of the f0 component C′ is the same as the phase of the f0 component A′. Here, the f0 component A′ is generated in a region in which the gradient of the drive-voltage-to-light-intensity characteristic is negative. Thus, in this example, the phase of the f0 component C′ detected from the modulated light signal is the opposite of the phase of the low-frequency signal superimposed on the bias voltage.
In this case, if the optical transmitter 1 uses the rules (a) to (c), the bias voltage is not controlled so as to approach the optimal point. In other words, according to the rules (a) to (c), when the phase of the f0 component C′ is the opposite of the phase of the low-frequency signal superimposed on the bias voltage as illustrated in FIG. 4, control is performed so as to decrease the bias voltage. By so doing, the bias voltage is controlled in a direction in which a difference from the optimal point increases. As a result, feedback control for optimizing the bias voltage diverges.
As described above, in the related art, when the drive condition of the optical modulator changes, the bias voltage is not able to be appropriately controlled. When the bias voltage for the optical modulator is not appropriately controlled, the quality of a light signal transmitted from the optical transmitter deteriorates.

Optical transmitter and method for controlling bias for optical modulator