A data receiver and a data receiving method in which the data receiver generates two comparison signals based on amplitude modulated differential input signals, amplifies the comparison signals, compares amplified signals, and outputs logic operation results based on the amplitude modulated differential input signals and the comparison signals, thereby detecting data bits. Accordingly, the number of necessary amplifiers and comparators is reduced and a separate reference voltage generator is not needed, so that chip size reduction and low-power operation is accomplished.

Generally, low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) is used for high-speed data transport between a transmitter (for example, a timing controller) and a receiver (for example, a panel) in a display apparatus. The LVDS reduces power consumption when the transmitter transmits data and enables high-speed transmission and, therefore, is advantageous in terms of low power, high-speed operation, noise, and cost. For this reason, the LVDS is used as a standard in data communication.
For instance, when a first power supply voltage is 2.5 V in the interface between a transmitter and a receiver in the LVDS system, the transmitter can transmit data of "1" with 1.4 V and data of "0" with 1.0 V. In other words, the amount of change between the data "1" and the data "0" is only 0.4 V. Accordingly, the LVDS system responds to signal changes more quickly than another method (for example, single-ended signaling) in which the amount of change is determined by a single reference voltage (for example, a ground voltage) and thereby is advantageous in high-speed operation. In addition, since signals are differentially transmitted in the LVDS system, common mode noise is suppressed and, thus, adverse influence of noise is alleviated.
In a display apparatus using LVDS, a data, transmission rate is limited by the switching speed of the transmitter and the receiver and the bandwidth of the transmission line. More specifically, an interface for large flat screen displays uses a long transmission, line and has a low bandwidth. In order to increase a transmission rate of the transmission line having the low bandwidth, amplitude modulation has recently been used.
FIG. 1 is a waveform diagram for explaining amplitude modulation in conventional LVDS. Referring to FIG. 1, conventional LVDS transmits two bits at a time using amplitude modulation (for example, pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)), thereby doubling a transmission rate. In other words, in the conventional data receiving method, two bits are simultaneously transmitted using four symbols (that is, 00, 01, 11, and 10) according to a symbol state of the amplitude modulated signals while the frequency of a transmission signal is maintained constant in a transmission line having a limited bandwidth and, therefore, a higher transmission rate is accomplished.
FIG, 2 is a functional block diagram of a conventional data receiver 10, FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a first amplifier used in the receiver shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a second amplifier used in the receiver shown in FIG, 2, Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the data receiver 10 includes a first comparator 11, a first latch 13, a first amplifier 15, a second comparator 17, a second amplifier 19, a third comparator 21, an XOR gate 23, and a second latch 25.
The first comparator 11 receives and compares first and second amplitude modulated differential input signals Vin+ and Vin− and outputs a result of the comparison as a first bit Vcom1+. For instance, when the first input signal Vin+ is greater than the second input signal Vin−, the first comparator 11 outputs the first bit Vcom1+ at a first logic level (for example, a high level of "1"). When the first input signal Vin+ is less than the second input signal Vin−, the first comparator 11 outputs the first bit Vcom1+ at a second logic level (for example, a low level of "0").
The first bit Vcom1+ output from the first comparator 11 is a first bit for example, a most significant bit (MSB), of two bits output from the data receiver 10. The first latch 13 latches the first bit Vcom1+ based on a clock signal CLK fed thereto and outputs a latched signal Vout1 as the first bit of the two bits output from the data receiver 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the first amplifier 15 includes a pair of first transistors P1 and P3 and a pair of second transistors P5 and P7. Output terminals of the first transistors P1 and P3 are respectively connected with output terminals of the second transistors P5 and P7.
The pair of first transistors P1 and P3 amplify a difference between the first input signal Vin+ and the second input signal Vin− based on a first current 11 and the pair of second transistors P5 and P7 amplify a difference between a first reference signal VrefH and a second reference signal VrefL based on the first current 11. In other words, the first amplifier 15 outputs differential output signals Vp1+ and Vp1− that have a difference corresponding to the sum of the output of the pair of the first transistors P1 and P3 and the output of the pair of the second transistors P5 and P7.
The second comparator 17 receives and compares the differential output signals Vp1+ and Vp1− output from die first amplifier 15 and outputs a first comparison signal Vcom2+. For instance, when the first differential output signal Vp1+ is greater than the second differential output signal Vp1−, the second comparator 17 outputs the first comparison signal Vcom2+ at a first, logic level, for example, a high level of "1". When the first differential output signal Vp1+ is less than the second differential output signal Vp1−, the second comparator 17 outputs the first comparison signal Vcom2+ at a second logic level, for example, a low level of "0". In other words, the second comparator 17 can compare a difference between the differential input signals Vin+ and Vin− (that is, Vin+-Vin−) with a difference between the reference signals VrefL and VrefH (that is, VrefH-VrefL) by comparing the first and second differential output signals Vp1+ and Vp1−.
As shown, in FIG. 4, the second amplifier 19 includes a pair of third transistors P9 and P11 and a pair of fourth transistors P13 and P15. Output terminals of the third transistors P9 and P11 are respectively connected with output; terminals of the fourth transistors P13 and P15. The second amplifier 19 has almost the same circuit structure and operations as the first amplifier 15, with the exception that reference signals respectively input to the fourth transistors P13 and P15 respectively have opposite phases to the reference signals respectively input to the second transistors P5 and P7. Thus, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.
The third comparator 21 has almost the same circuit structure and operations as the second comparator 17. Thus, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. In other words, the third comparator 21 can compare the difference between the differential input signals Vin+ and Vin− (that is, Vin+-Vin−) with the difference between the reference signals VrefL and VrefH ( that is, VrefH-VrefL) by comparing third and fourth differential output signals Vp2+ and Vp2−.
The XOR gate 23 performs an XOR operation on the first comparison signal Vcom2+ received from the second comparator 17 and a second comparison signal Vcom3+ received from the third comparator 21. In other words, the XOR gate 23 outputs an output signal V1 at a first logic level (for example, a high level of "1") when "second reference signal VrefL—first reference signal VrefH"<"first differential input signal Vin+—second differential input signal Vin−"<"first reference signal VrefH—second reference signal VrefL" and outputs the output signal V1 at a second logic level (for example, a low level of "0") when "second reference signal VrefL—first reference signal VrefH">"first differential input signal Vin+—second differential input signal Vin−" or "first differential input signal Vin+—second differential input signal Vin−">"first reference signal VrefH—second reference signal VrefL".
The second latch 25 latches the output signal V1 from the XOR gate 23 based on the clock signal CLK fed thereto and outputs a latched, signal Vout2 as a second bit (for example, a least significant bit (LSB)) of the two bits output from the data receiver 10.
The conventional data receiver 10, however, requires a plurality of amplifiers 15 and 19 and a plurality of comparators 17 and 21 in order to output the first bit Vout1 and also requires a separate reference signal generator (not shown) in order to generate the reference signals VrefL and VrefH input to the amplifiers 15 and 19. As a result, the many circuits implemented in the data receiver 10 may cause a chip size to increase, thereby increasing power consumption.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


The present invention provides polynucleotides and related polypeptides of the protein ZMNAM isolated from maize endosperm. The invention provides genomic sequence for the ZMNAM gene. ZMNAM is a novel gene and is regulated by gene-specific imprinting. ZMNAM expression is endosperm-specific and expressed throughout the endosperm development, peaking at 25 DAP. Genomic imprinting has been implicated to play a role in endosperm development. Genes regulated by allele-specific imprinting are suspected to be non-essential to seed development. Gene-specific imprinting however, regulates developmentally important genes. The ZMNAM gene, a putative transcriptional factor, may play an important role in endosperm development, which may further affect kernel size, plant vigor during germination and at the early seedling stage.

The double fertilization process of flowering plants results in a diploid embryo and a triploid endosperm tissue, which are otherwise genetically identical. Endosperm has 2 n of the maternal genome and 1 n of the paternal genome. It has been shown that such a unique genetic composition is important to normal seed development (Rhoades and Dempsey, Genetics 54:505–22 (1966); Lin, Genetics 107:103–15 (1984); Scott et al., Development 125:3329–41 (1998)).
The parental-origin-specific modification of a gene can cause various effects on the expression of the two parental alleles in the offspring. Among various parental effects, genomic imprinting, in which expression of the gene is dependent on the parental source of its transmission, is the most studied. Imprinting is a developmental phenomenon wherein a gene in a gamete or zygote is modified such that preferential expression of a single parental allele occurs in the offspring. The definition of genomic imprinting does not necessarily require monoallelic expression; instead, both alleles may be expressed but expressed unequally (Feinberg, Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 249:87–99 (2000)).
Limited information is available at the gene expression level about the differences between the parental genomes, such as transcription activation and regulation of the maternal and paternal genomes after the union of the central and sperm cell and during endosperm development. To date, only a few genes demonstrating imprinting effects have been found in plants. Some of the imprinted genes include R, a transcription factor involved in the anthocyanin pigment pathway of maize; dzr1, which conditions low accumulation of the 10-kDa zein in maize endosperm; MEA and FIE, similar to Drosophila polycomb proteins; and FIS2, a DNA-binding transcriptional regulatory protein in Arabidopsis (Kermicle, Genetics 66:69–85 (1970); Chaudhuri and Messing, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:4867–71 (1994); Grossniklaus et al., Science 280:235–41 (1998); Luo et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 96:296–301 (1999); and Luo et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 97:10637–42 (2000)). All of the imprinted genes identified in plants to date involved inactivation of the paternal allele and were associated with endosperm tissue, although there are inconsistencies in reporting whether MEA affects embryo tissue (Kinoshita et al., The Plant Cell 11:1945–52 (1999)).
In contrast to plants, genes that are expressed from only one of the parental alleles have been well characterized in mammals, where the disturbance of imprinting can result in dramatic developmental aberrations and cancer (Reik and Maher, Trends Genet 13(8):330–4 (1997)). In this taxonomic group, approximately 20 genes have been identified as imprinted genes (Bartolomei and Tilghman, Ann. Rev. Genet 31:439–525 (1997)). Many of these imprinted genes appear to regulate the expression of developmentally important genes. A recent study reported the parent-of-origin effect on quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for mouse body composition (De Koning et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:7947–50 (2000). Four out of five QTLs detected were found subject to imprinting, indicating that genomic imprinting might be a more common phenomenon than previously thought, even for complex traits.
In view of the limited information about imprinted genes in plants, in particular their role in endosperm development, it would be desirable to identify and characterize such genes. Accordingly, the inventors have identified a novel gene in maize endosperm that is imprinted and which shows homology to the Petunia No-Apical Meristem (NAM) gene. NAM (no-apical meristem) has been shown to be required for pattern formation in embryos and flowers, and Petunia embryos carrying the NAM mutation fail to develop a shoot apical meristem (Souer et al., Cell 85(2):159–70 (1996)). Shoot apical meristem is a collection of undifferentiated cells set aside during embryogenesis. The production of vegetative structures, such as leaves or shoots, and of reproductive structures, such as flowers, is temporally segregated, such that a leaf or shoot arises early in a plant life cycle, while a flower develops later. The transition from vegetative to reproductive development is the consequence of a process termed floral induction (Yanofsky, Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 46:167–88 (1995)).
Once induced, shoot apical meristem either persists and produces floral meristem, which gives rise to flowers, and lateral meristem, which gives rise to branches, or is itself converted to floral meristem. Floral meristem differentiates into a single flower having a fixed number of floral organs in a whorled arrangement. Dicots, for example, contain four whorls (concentric rings), in which sepals (first whorl) and petals (second whorl) surround stamens (third whorl) and carpels (fourth whorl).
Although shoot meristem and floral meristem both consist of meristemic tissue, shoot meristem is distinguishable from the more specialized floral meristem. Shoot meristem generally is indeterminate and gives rise to an unspecified number of floral and lateral meristems. In contrast, floral meristem is determinate and gives rise to the fixed number of floral organs that comprise a flower.
The NAM gene appears to be a member of a large gene family that is suggested to comprise transcriptional factors important to plant development (Souer et al., supra; Kikuchi et al., Mol. Gen. Genet 262(6):1047–51 (2000)).

No-apical meristem proteins, polynucleotides and methods of use for same


A method and apparatus for converting glycerol into propylene glycol by directing a basic glycerol containing feed and a hydrogen containing gas into a reaction zone including a fixed bed of catalyst that is operating at glycerol conversion conditions where the reactor includes and at least one quench zone and directing a quench material into the quench zone.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention concerns methods and apparatuses for controlling the temperature of a glycerol hydrogenolysis reactor to maximize propylene glycol yield while minimizing the creation of undesirable by-products.
(2) Description of the Art
The production of biodiesel utilizes vegetable oils, fats and waste restaurant greases while reducing the U.S. dependence on foreign crude oil. Biodiesel is a renewable, alternative fuel that reduces particulate matter and hydrocarbon emissions. However, for every 9 kilograms of biodiesel produced, about 1 kilogram of a crude glycerol by-product is formed.
A problem that results from refining this crude glycerol into refined glycerol is that the glycerol market cannot absorb it. With plentiful glycerol available, its price and U.S. exports have declined. As a result, much of the crude glycerol by-product of biodiesel production is currently disposed of or is sold at a very minimal price.
This problem may continue to worsen because the U.S. production of biodiesel is expected to continue to grow with a target of 400 million gallons of production by the year 2012. At this production capacity, 3.5 million gallons of crude glycerol will be produced every year. This crude glycerol can be purified by several steps including vacuum distillation to produce USP grade glycerol. However, refining the crude glycerol is complex and expensive.
A problem with crude glycerol from a biodiesel plant is that it requires costly upgrading to achieve a technical grade or USP grade glycerol. Typically, biodiesel producers will acidulate the crude glycerol to remove fatty acids in order to facilitate methanol recovery and recycle. Additional steps must be taken to convert the crude glycerol into a high purity glycerol such as USP glycerol. These additional process steps—which increase the cost of producing USP glycerol—may include ion exchange and/or fractionation. There would be significant operating and capital cost incentives if biodiesel derived glycerol could be sold at a profit as a lower grade product or feedstock such as acidulated glycerol rather than requiring purification.
Glycerol can be converted into propylene glycol by well known methods such as hydrogenolysis. Propylene glycol is a major commodity chemical with a growing market and with an annual production of over 1 billion pounds in the U.S. alone. Some typical uses of propylene glycol are in unsaturated polyester resins, functional fluids (antifreeze, de-icing, and heat transfer), pharmaceuticals, foods, cosmetics, liquid detergents, tobacco humectants, flavors and fragrances, personal care, paints and animal feed.
Today, biodiesel production plants are in need of methods to realize increased income from this crude glycerol byproduct. If crude natural glycerol could be efficiently converted to propylene glycol, this technology could be used in biodiesel production plants to increase profitability. There is a need, therefore, for improvements to existing glycerol to propylene glycol processes so that the processes can operate efficiently and economically using glycerol feedstocks including glycerol feedstocks that have been minimally upgraded.

Method for converting glycerol to propanol


A caddy tray that is removably attachable to a handle of a trash receptacle for storing and transporting janitorial supplies and tools on the receptacle.

Janitorial carts allow a janitor to store and transport supplies and tools on the cart. A typical janitor cart is large enough to support janitorial tools such as a tool box, bucket, mops, brooms, dust pans, etc. In this manner, while at a janitorial closet, the user (e.g. a janitor) can assemble all of the supplies and tools needed and then proceed through a facility performing janitorial services as the user proceeds. Unless the janitor runs out of supplies, realizes a need for an additional supply or tool, or runs out of storage space on the cart, the janitor need not return to the closet until the maintenance activities are complete. These janitorial carts, however, tend to be large, bulky, and unwieldy (particularly in confined areas).
Furthermore, because a significant portion of a janitor's duties includes picking up refuse, debris, and other loose objects, the janitor must also usually bring along a refuse receptacle in addition to the cart. Thus, it is necessary that the janitor handle the cart and receptacle at the same time or the janitor must make two trips to the closet to retrieve first the cart and then the receptacle (or vice versa).
Therefore a need exists for improved janitorial apparatus and methods.


An exposure apparatus includes a loading device, a first energy-producing device, and a second energy-producing device. The loading device comprises a plurality of supporting elements, supporting a panel. The first and second energy producing devices are disposed above and below the loading device, respectively.

The invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and in particular to an exposure apparatus and method thereof utilized in manufacture of a liquid crystal display.
As shown in FIG. 1, during manufacture of a liquid crystal panel, a panel 10′ is disposed on a conventional loading mechanism 20′. The conventional loading mechanism 20′ is made of non-transparent material such as aluminum. The panel 10′ comprises two substrates 11′ and 12′, and a sealant 13′. The substrate 11′ comprises color filter (CF), and the substrate 12′ comprises thin film transistor (TFT). There are two panel manufacturing methods. In one method, the substrates 11′ and 12′ are connected by the sealant 13′. Then, the sealant 13′ must be chemically reacted to solidify. For example, UV light of certain wavelength produced by a light source 15′ can solidify the photosensitive sealant 13′. Heating can also be used to solidify the sealant 13′. In this method, after the sealant 13′ is solidified, an empty cell is formed, and liquid crystal 16′ is filled therein. In another method, the sealant 13′ is applied to the edge of the lower substrate 12′, and liquid crystal 16′ is dropped by a one-drop-fill (ODF) method. After ODF, the upper substrate 11′ is covered thereon. UV light solidifies the sealant 13′ to form a liquid crystal panel.
In a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) system, due to limitation of related devices, in said both manufacturing methods, each production line can only provide single-side exposure, that is, UV light can only illuminate one of the CF or TFT substrate. Complete solidification requires the substrate 11′ side to be exposed to the UV light to partially solidify the sealant 13′, and then rotate 180° to illuminate the opposing substrate 12′. The process is complicated, increasing loads on the CIM system and high manufacturing costs. The manufacturing time is also longer such that the production line cannot be efficiently utilized, thereby limiting product design.


The invention relates to a foot for a container (1) which is detachable from and attachable to the container and which consists of a vertical elongated foot stem (2) which will be situated against the container and which has attachment locks (3, 4, 4b) which will be situated in the container. One attachment lock (3), which preferably is the lower lock, consists of a fixed locking tongue (5) which is in the foot stem and which can be pushed (6) into the locking corner in the container (1) and which can be turned (7) into the locking position, at which the foot stem (2) becomes locked into the container. The other attachment lock (4, 4b), which preferably is the upper lock, is a hook shaped locking bolt which can be locked into another locking corner in the container.

For example, the patent specification CH-695454, the published application WO 96/06028, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,000 and the utility model FR 8518622 disclose feet for a container and various solutions for attaching feet to the containers which are known per se. One common property of all of these techniques is that the solutions are extremely complicated containing many moving parts. These known solutions raise the price and make the structures unsafe.
The Finnish patent application 20040846 "Method for loading sea containers and container foot applicable for the purpose" discloses the prior art. The publication al-so discloses how and where detachable container feet are required.
For example, so-called SWAP containers used in sea transporters have fixed feet which are rotatable under the container. A similar type of solution is also in so-called foot pallet containers which have fixed feet and which are intended for road transports. However, these impose extra weight and need their own space both in land and sea transports, and this is a major disadvantage particularly in sea transport. The containers which are equipped with fixed feet are also more expensive than containers without feet. The present solutions are on the whole, as mentioned earlier, complicated by their technical solutions.
The detachable container feet are intended for lifting the sea container into and away from the carriage without needing an expensive crane and without, however, equipping the container with fixed feet. The container equipped with the detachable and attachable container feet can be left with the customer for loading and unloading, even for several days, and the carriage can be utilized for some other use at that time. The present container is the type that adheres to a global common standard. It has become common also outside sea traffic such that many containers never are transported by sea but they are only used in road transports and for storing goods. In other words, the container according to the "standard" can be transported just as well on land in motor vehicles as well as on the sea in ship transports without the extra weight and need for space due to the feet or the cranes, and each transport operator, truck etc. and goods station has its own inexpensive, light and safe detachable container feet which fit all containers because they are a standard type.


The invention is related to a method and an apparatus thereof of continuously producing a tubular mantle meat of the cuttlefish, in which the arms of the cuttlefish engaging with one of knife elements provided spaced at a certain distance on an endless chain running continuously is pulled toward a direction contrary to the run of said endless chain, thereby removing at least arms of the cuttlefish along with the viscera affixed to the arms preparing a tubular mantle and in which a skirt end of resultant mantle is aligned along a reference line and in which the skirt end, the fins and a portion of the tubular mantle adjacent to the fins, are cut in a state that the skirt end stands at an aligned position.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is related to a method and an apparatus thereof for continuously producing a tubular mantle meat of cuttlefish without arms, viscera, fins and skin thereof. Especially, the invention is related to a method and an apparatus for continuously preparing the tubular mantle meat, whereby the cuttlefish right after catching and fishing can be provided with a continuous process comprising in sequence steps of arm removing, viscera removing, fin removing and skin striping-off, even if on the trawler, boat or ship subjected to pitching and rolling caused on rough sea waves, and furthermore the invention can carry out the continuous process of cuttlefish by utilizing the sea water ready to be obtainable on the sea.
In the specification, "tubular mantle meat" implies a cuttlefish meat prepared by removing arms, viscera and fins of cuttlefish.
2. PRIOR ART
Cuttlefish is one of the marine products and also a favorite of Japanese people.
In the case of utilizing the cuttlefish in the food manufacturing industry, it is general that the cuttlefish is divided into components with respective industrual use different each other and that the divided component after dividing the cuttlefish is utilized according to respective industrial demand use thereof, without the case of eating at a home the cuttlefish as Sashimi ( sliced meat). Namely, the fins consisting of one component of the cuttlefish may be utilized as a raw material of Chinese food. The tubular mantle meat prepared by peeling off the mantle skin may be utilized as a raw material of the deep-fried cuttlefish. The arms may be utilized as an additive to be added into Surimi or meat paste of cuttlefish.
Consequently, it is preferred, instead of freezing the cuttlefish right after catching thereof in a fashion that the cuttlefish stands with arms, viscera, fins and mantle skins, to divide the cuttlefish into components thereof, such as fins, arms and tubular mantle meat and to freeze the divided components, respectively, on the trawler, boat or ship. Each of the frozen components is supplied to the market. Doing so coincides with the market needs and is very advantageous in the sales aspect. The division of cuttlefish into components has to be made while the cuttlefish is fresh, that is, right after the catch thereof, on the trawler, fishing boat or ship.
However, the operation of separating cuttlefish on the trawler, boat or ship is subjected to pitching and rolling due to rough sea waves and hence is very dangerous and provides fishermen with labour along with high degree of fatigue, and there is a strong demand for automation of the operation of dividing the cuttlefish on the trawler, boat or ship. Nevertheless, no method or apparatus which can meet this demand has been proposed.
Up to date, such division of the cuttlefish on the boat, trawler or ship is carried out by manual operation. That is, the cuttlefish right after the catch thereof is subjected on the boat or the like to an arm removal manual operation, in which the arms are removed together with the viscera, by manual operation. However, to meat the market needs, the arm removal operation only is insufficient, and it is further required to cut off the fins and one portion of mantle affixed to the fins from the mantle of cuttlefish and then to peel off the skin so as to prepare a product of tubular mantle meat of the cuttlefish.
There are proposed machines and apparatuses for removing cuttlefish arm and viscera on the land. However, these machines and apparatuses can not be directly utilized for automating the operation for preparing the tubular mantle meat of the cuttlefish and also for withstanding pitching and rolling of the trawler, boat or ship due to rough sea waves, and in consequence considerable modification is necessary. That is, it is necessary to develop machines and apparatuses which permit a perfect automation of on-line process ranging from the arm removal operation to a preparation of tubular mantle meat of the cuttlefish. Presently proposed, however, are arm removing machines and apparatus only.
More specifically, Japanese Application Disclosure No. 158128/83 discloses an improvement of a arm/viscera removing apparatus which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 21920/76. In the disclosed cuttlefish and viscera removing apparatus, a conveying plate puts between a pair of endless chains, and it has holding means to hold the arm of the cuttlefish. As the cuttlefish moves on the conveying plate and passes through between a pair of opposed guides plates, it is pressed from its opposite sides thereof by the guides plates so that it is spread upwardly. In this upwardly spread state, the joining portion by which arms are connected with the rear surface of the tubular mantle, is cut apart by using an arm removal tool, thus effecting the removal of the arms from the mantle of the cuttlefish.
Thus-obtained mantle drops by a movement in an oblique direction of the guide plates on a conduit, through which it is transferred to a sequent step.
Accordingly, the prior-art apparatus makes it possible to attain an automation of the sole arm removal operation which had heretofore been done manually.
On the contrary, the apparatus has defects, such that the apparatus is suitable for on-the-boat processing of the cuttlefish right after the catch thereof, because the apparatus has not an closed connection with processing steps following the arm removal operation. Consequently, the prior-art apparatus make it impossible to meet a requirement of an automation of all processing steps necessary for producing the tubular mantle meat by using the cuttlefish as a raw material.
Namely, the on-the-boat operation is subjected to violent pitching and rolling movements of the boat or ship caused depending on the state of the sea. The prior-art apparatus has a complicated structure and hence cannot provide the on-the-boat operation with its performance equal to that in the case when it operates on the land. Further, thus-obtained mantles are collected by manual operation and fed respectively by using the conduit, into the next processing step following the arm removal step. To this end, the prior-art apparatus can not be automatically coupled with an apparatus carrying out the next processing step.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 72839/91, describes an apparatus, which comprises a pair of gripping members retaining the mantle of cuttlefish therebetween, during the course of the arm removal operation, one member among pair gripping members being provided on the inner surface thereof with anti-slip means. The disclosed apparatus, however, is inferior in the degree of automation, compared to the above prior-art apparatus. In addition, like the above prior-art apparatus, the disclosed apparatus has problems in the coupling to the next processing step following the arm removal step.

Method and an apparatus thereof for continuously producing a tubular mantle meat


A back side illumination photodiode includes a light-receiving back side surface of a semiconductor material substrate. An area of the light-receiving back side surface includes a recess. The recess is filled with a material having an optical index that is lower than an optical index of the semiconductor material substrate. Both the substrate and the filling material are transparent to an operating wavelength of the photodiode. The recess may be formed to have a ring shape.

FIG. 1 partially and schematically shows photodiodes, side by side, of a network of photodiodes, for example forming an image sensor. Each photodiode comprises a semiconductor area 1 for converting photons into electron-hole pairs. A complete photodiode comprises junctions (not shown) between semiconductor regions of opposite type to store electrons, and various read transistors for transferring electrons.
More specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates a network of BSI-type (Back Side Illumination) photodiodes. In this type of structure, semiconductor areas 1 currently have a thickness no greater than from 2 to 5 μm. Photodiodes 1 are separated by insulating regions 3, currently called DTI (Deep Trench Isolation) in the art. Under the semiconductor layer containing photodiodes 1 are formed various metallization levels 4 embedded in a succession of insulating layers generally designated with reference numeral 5. The assembly rests on a support or handle 7, currently a silicon wafer. On the upper side or back side of the structure, each of the photodiodes is topped with a filter 9 corresponding to the color to be detected by this photodiode. The red, green, and blue filters are designated with references R, G, and B. Each of filters 9 is topped with a microlens 10. Filters 9 and the upper surface of semiconductor layers 1 generally have a thin insulating layer 11, or an assembly of insulating layers forming an antireflection layer, provided between them.
PCT patent application WO2012/032495 (incorporated by reference) discloses that the introduction of light into the photodiode raises an issue when the lateral dimensions of the illuminated surface of a photodiode are very small, in the order of wavelength λ of the light that the photodiode is intended to capture, or operating wavelength. Thus, such photodiodes of very small dimensions have a low quantum efficiency. The PCT patent application provides, to increase the quantum efficiency of the photodiode, arranging on the upper surface thereof a pad having lateral dimensions smaller than the lateral dimensions of the photodiode.
The PCT patent application specifies that the concerned photodiodes are of FSI or Front Side Illumination type. In this case, specific problems are posed due to the fact that the metallization network is on the side of the illumination source. As will be seen hereafter, the structure provided in this patent application has disadvantages in the case of BSI-type photodiodes.
Thus, a problem arises to absorb the maximum possible number of photons in structures such as that shown in FIG. 1, in the case of pixels of small dimensions, that is, having lateral dimensions in the range from one to five times the operating wavelength. More generally, the smaller the collection area, the more the quantum efficiency of the device is a problem. This problem more or less arises in all semiconductor photodiodes.
It should thus be noted that in photodiodes of very small dimensions, an increase, even low, of the quantum efficiency or absorption rate of the useful portion of the photo-diode is in practice extremely important for the detection of low-intensity light. Thus, an efficiency gain from 1 to 5% will be considered as a significant gain by the user.

Back side illumination photodiode of high quantum efficiency

Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives


The present invention relates to an optical fiber grating element having structure enabling more precise design and fabrication, a production method thereof, and an optical fiber filter including the same. The optical fiber grating element according to the present invention comprises a multi-mode optical fiber having a first core region of a refractive index n1, a second core of a refractive index n2 provided on a periphery of the first core region, and a cladding region of a refractive index n3 provided on a periphery of the second core region, and having a cutoff wavelength regarding to LP02-mode light on the longer wavelength side than a wavelength band in use. A long-period grating for selectively coupling the fundamental LP01-mode light of a predetermined wavelength in the wavelength band I use to LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light is provided in a predetermined region of the first core region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical components applicable to optical communication systems and, more particularly, to an optical fiber grating element provided with a long-period grating in a multi-mode optical fiber, a production method thereof, and an optical fiber filter including the same.
2. Related Background Art
An optical fiber grating element provided with a long-period grating (LPG: Long-Period Grating) in a core is an optical component that couples core-mode light of a predetermined wavelength to cladding-mode light by the long-period grating to attenuate the light of the predetermined wavelength. In other words,the optical fiber grating element is the optical component that selectively transfers the power of the core-mode light of the predetermined wavelength to the cladding-mode light (for example, see A. M. Vengsarkar, et al., J. of Lightwave Tech., Vol. 14 (1996) pp58-64). Here the core-mode light is light propagating as being confined in the core region of the optical fiber. On the other hand, the cladding-mode light is light radiating from the core into the cladding of optical fiber. Such optical fiber grating elements are utilized as optical fiber filters or the like for selectively cutting off the core-mode light of the predetermined wavelength (loss wavelength) out of the core-mode light of a wavelength band in use having propagated in the optical fiber, in the fields of optical communications and the like.
Cladding modes mean high-order modes except for the fundamental mode when consideration is given to the entire region of the optical fiber specified by the cladding surface being the outermost layer or by the interface between the cladding and a coating layer covering the cladding. For example, in single-mode optical fibers, there exist the fundamental mode with consideration to propagation only in the core and the high-order modes with consideration to propagation in the entire region A of the optical fiber, as illustrated in FIG. 1A. In the case of the single-mode optical fibers, therefore, change in the refractive indices of the surroundings around the cladding (the refractive indices of the air layer and the coating layer) will also cause a shift of the wavelength at which the coupling occurs from the core-mode light to the cladding-mode light, i.e., a shift of the loss wavelength in the long-period grating. There will also occur variations in attenuation factor of the core-mode light of the loss wavelength. Particularly, it is known that when the peripheral surface of the multi-mode optical fiber is covered with a resin having the refractive index close to glass, the high-order modes (cladding modes) disappear as illustrated in FIG. 1B (for example, see B. H. Lee, et al., OECC""98, 14P-50 and B. H. Lee, et al., Electronics Letters, Vol. 34 (1998) pp1129-1130) . For that reason, it was infeasible to cover the optical fiber grating element provided with the long-period grating in the multi-mode optical fiber, with a coating for the purpose of protection for the element.
In order to overcome this problem, the optical fiber grating element described in above B. H. Lee et al. comprises the long-period grating in the single-mode optical fiber having the index profile of dual shape core (DSC) structure the base of which is silica. Here the single-mode optical fiber of DSC structure is composed of a first core region of a refractive index n1, a second core region of a refractive index n2, and a cladding region of a refractive index n3 in the order named from the center of the optical axis (where n1 greater than n2 greater than n3). The first and second core regions of the single-mode optical fiber both are doped with GeO2 and these first and second core regions are exposed to ultraviolet light spatially intensity-modulated, thereby obtaining the optical fiber grating element in which an index-modulated area or a grating is formed across these two regions. The optical fiber grating element, which is obtained by providing the long-period grating in the single-mode optical fiber as described, couples the core-mode light of the predetermined wavelength propagating in the first core region to the high-order mode (cladding-mode) light, so as to cut off the core-mode light of the predetermined wavelength.
This long-period grating is a grating that induces coupling (mode coupling) between the core mode propagating in the optical fiber and the cladding mode, as elucidated in U.S. Pat. No.5,703,978, and that is definitely discriminated from the short-period gratings that reflect the light centered about the predetermined wavelength. In the long-period grating, in order to achieve strong power conversion from the core mode to the cladding mode, the grating period (pitch) xcex9 is set so that the difference between propagation constants of the core-mode light of the predetermined wavelength (loss wavelength) and the cladding-mode light becomes 2xcfx80/xcex9. Since the long-period grating acts to couple the core mode to the cladding mode in this way, the core-mode light attenuates in a narrow band centered around the predetermined wavelength (loss wavelength).
Inventors studied the above conventional techniques and found the following issues. First, it is extremely difficult to design and fabricate the optical fiber grating element with desired cutoff characteristics (loss wavelength and loss amount) by the technology described in the above documents of B. H. Lee et al. The reason is that changes of index in each of the first and second core regions based on the exposure to ultraviolet light are greatly affected by the conditions of the intensity of the radiant ultraviolet light, the exposure time, and so on, or by the conditions of a pretreatment of the optical fiber to be exposed to the ultraviolet light.
In addition, since it is difficult to predict the changes of index in each of the first and second core regions, it is extremely difficult to accurately control the fabrication of the optical fiber grating element so that both the loss wavelength (cutoff wavelength) and loss amount (cutoff amount) fall at designed values or within a designed range.
The present invention has been accomplished in order to solve the problems described above and an object of the invention is to provide an optical fiber grating element of structure permitting more precise design and fabrication, a production method thereof, and an optical fiber filter including the same.
An optical fiber grating element according to the present invention comprises a multi-mode optical fiber having a cutoff wavelength regarding to LP02-mode light on the longer wavelength side than a wavelength band in use, and a long-period grating provided in the multi-mode optical fiber, for selectively coupling fundamental LP01-mode light of a predetermined wavelength within the wavelength band in use to LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light. Specifically, the multi-mode optical fiber comprises a first core region of a refractive index n1 extending along a predetermined axis, a second core region of a refractive index n2 ( less than n1) disposed on a periphery of the first core region, and a cladding region of a refractive index n3 ( less than n2) disposed on a periphery of the second core region, and the long-period grating is provided in the first core region surrounded by the second core region. Such a multi-mode optical fiber may take such structure that an intermediate core region is provided between the first and second core regions or such structure that a depressed region is further provided between the second core region and the cladding region. In either of the structures,the multi-mode optical fiber applied to the optical fiber grating element has such structure that the cladding region is provided so that a propagation region A of a high-order mode is spaced away from the interface between the peripheral surface of the fiber and a coating material, as illustrated in FIG. 2.
Particularly, the optical fiber grating element according to the present invention is characterized by satisfying the relation of n1 greater than Neff01 greater than n2 greater than Neff0m greater than n3, where the effective refractive index with respect to the fundamental LP01-mode light is Neff01 and the effective refractive index with respect to the LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light Neff0m. With the optical fiber grating element of this structure, the fundamental LP01-mode light of the predetermined wavelength within the wavelength band in use is coupled to the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light by the long-period grating formed in the first core region of the multi-mode optical fiber. Since the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light is confined in the propagation region specified by the first and second core regions of the multi-mode optical fiber, it is little affected by the layer existing outside the multi-mode optical fiber (see FIG. 2). On the other hand, the fundamental LP01-mode light of the wavelengths other than the predetermined wavelength passes through the long-period grating provided in the first core region as it is. The fundamental LP01-mode light is confined in the first core region, whereas the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light is confined in the propagation region specified by both the first and second core regions. Thus the mode field diameter of the multi-mode optical fiber is large for the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light. In the case wherein a single-mode optical fiber is connected as a post stage of the optical fiber grating element, coupling loss is small when the fundamental LP01-mode light having passed through the long-period grating of the multi-mode optical fiber is incident to the core of the single-mode optical fiber. On the other hand, coupling loss is large when the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light generated in the long-period grating of the multi-mode optical fiber is incident to the core region of the single-mode optical fiber.
With the multi-mode optical fiber of the above-stated structure, it is preferable to dope only the first core region with GeO2. The reason is that the coupling efficiency is increased in coupling from the fundamental LP01-mode light to the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light. Since the second core region is not doped with GeO2, there is no change in the refractive index of the second core region before and after formation of the grating. For this reason, change is small in the mode field diameter of the multi-mode optical fiber with the long-period grating for the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light, so that the optical fiber grating element can realize desired coupling characteristics and cutoff characteristics readily.
In the optical fiber grating element according to the present invention, the above multi-mode optical fiber may be coated at least around the peripheral surface surrounding the portion in which the long-period grating is formed. The reason is that since the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light generated in the long-period grating is confined in the first and second core regions, variations are small in the wavelength at which there occurs the coupling from the fundamental LP01-mode light to the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light, and in the coupling efficiency even if the grating-forming portion is coated. The coating is also effective in protecting the optical fiber grating element.
Particularly, if the layer covering the peripheral surface of the multi-mode optical fiber is an ultraviolet-transmissive resin, it eliminates the need for once stripping the coating layer as before. Thus the multi-mode optical fiber is prevented from externally being damaged, and the optical fiber grating element can be fabricated within short time.
Accordingly, a production method of the optical fiber grating according to the present invention is characterized by preparing a multi-mode optical fiber comprising at least a first core region of a refractive index n1 doped with a predetermined amount of GeO2, a second core region of a refractive index n2 ( less than n1), and a cladding region of a refractive index n3 ( less than n2) and covered with an ultraviolet-transmissive resin over the peripheral surface of the cladding region, as described above, and exposing this ultraviolet-transmissive resin to ultraviolet light, thereby forming periodic change of refractive index within the first core region. In this case, most of the ultraviolet rays impinging on the ultraviolet-transmissive resin pass the ultraviolet-transmissive resin, the cladding region, and the second core region in the stated order to reach the first core region.
The above wavelength band in use is preferably 1.2 xcexcm or more but 1.7 xcexcm or less. The wavelength band of this range enables use of the optical fiber grating element in the wavelength bands commonly used in optical communications. The multi-mode optical fiber is preferably one having normalized frequency of 4 or more but 12 or less at the above wavelength band in use. It is because this configuration enables the effective coupling from the fundamental LP01-mode light of the predetermined wavelength to the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light and because it enables more precise design and fabrication of the optical fiber grating element with desired characteristics.
It is known that the long-period grating shifts its center wavelength of the loss band (loss peak wavelength) depending upon ambient temperature around the optical fiber grating element. In order to reduce such temperature dependence of loss peak wavelength, the optical fiber grating element according to the present invention is preferably one designed so that there exists at least one m satisfying the following relation:                     0.01                          xe2x80x83                                  (                      μ                                      xe2x80x83                                                  m              /              xc2x0                                                  xe2x80x83                                                  C              .                                )                            Λ                          (          μm          )                      ≥          "LeftBracketingBar"                                    ⅆ                          ⅆ              T                                                      (            Neff01            )                          -                              ⅆ                          ⅆ              T                                                      (            Neff0m            )                              "RightBracketingBar"        ,
where dNeff01/dT is a temperature dependence of the effective refractive index Neff01 with respect to the above fundamental LP01-mode light, dNeff0m/dT (mxe2x89xa72) a temperature dependence of the effective refractive index Neff0m with respect to the above LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light, and xcex9 a grating period of the above long-period grating. The above condition can be met, for example, by doping the first core region with at least either element of Ge, P, and B and properly adjusting a doping amount thereof.
It also becomes feasible to effect variable control of the loss peak wavelength (which will also be referred to hereinafter as temperature active control) by positively making use of such temperature dependence of the loss peak wavelength to the contrary. In this case, the optical fiber grating element according to the present invention is preferably one designed so that there exists at least one m satisfying the following relation:                     0.08                          xe2x80x83                                  (                      μ                                      xe2x80x83                                                  m              /              xc2x0                                                  xe2x80x83                                                  C              .                                )                            Λ                          (          μm          )                      ≥          "LeftBracketingBar"                                    ⅆ                          ⅆ              T                                                      (            Neff01            )                          -                              ⅆ                          ⅆ              T                                                      (            Neff0m            )                              "RightBracketingBar"        ,
where dNeff01/dT is a temperature dependence of the effective refractive index Neff01 with respect to the above fundamental LP01-mode light, dNeff0m/dT (mxe2x89xa72) a temperature dependence of the effective refractive index Neff0m with respect to the above LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light, and xcex9 a grating period of the above grating. The above condition can also be met, for example, by doping the first core region with at least either element of Ge, P, and B and properly adjusting a doping amount thereof.
An optical fiber filter according to the present invention comprises an optical fiber grating element having the structure described above, and a single-mode optical fiber having a cutoff wavelength regarding to LP02-mode light on the shorter wavelength side than the above wavelength band in use. This single-mode optical fiber is placed at least in a post stage of the optical fiber grating element when seen from a traveling direction of signal light of wavelengths included within the above wavelength band in use. In this optical fiber filter, the fundamental LP01-mode light of the predetermined wavelength within the wavelength band in use is coupled to the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light by the long-period grating provided in the first core region of the optical fiber grating element. Since the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light is confined in the propagation region specified by the first and second core regions of the multi-mode optical fiber, it is little affected by the external environment of the multi-mode optical fiber. In this optical fiber filter, the core-mode light of the predetermined wavelength is also coupled to the higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light, but the coupling loss is large when this higher LP0m (mxe2x89xa72)-mode light is incident to the core region of the single-mode optical fiber optically connected in the post stage. On the other hand, the fundamental LP01-mode light of the wavelengths other than the predetermined wavelength passes through the long-period grating of the optical fiber filter, but the coupling loss is small when this core-mode light is incident to the core region of the single-mode optical fiber optically connected in the post stage. Namely, the optical fiber filter functions to cut off (or selectively attenuate) the fundamental LP01-mode light of the predetermined wavelength within the wavelength band in use but transmit the fundamental LP01-mode light of the other wavelengths.
The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Optical fiber grating element, production method, and optical fiber filter


A line testing device for an array substrate having a dense number of wires includes a signal generating device that generates a detection signal, a signal receiving device that receives and processes the detection signal, and a control device. The detection signal tests the array substrate having the dense number of wires, and the control device controls one or more of the signal generating device and the signal receiving device to move in a direction perpendicular to a direction of a scan line of the array substrate and in a plane parallel to the array substrate.

At present, there are many types of array substrates, where some types of array substrates have a dense number of wires. For the array substrate having the dense number of wires, testing array lines is difficult because clearance between the lines is too small and exceeds a resolution limit of a typical testing device. Furthermore, interference is generated between the wires, which greatly affects detection rate of a problem line.

Line testing device for array substrate having dense number of wires and method for testing line of the array substrate having the dense number of wires


Disclosed are a display panel and a display apparatus. The display panel includes a multiplex circuit, a plurality of signal connection lines and a plurality of data signal lines, wherein each of the switch devices in the multiplex circuit comprises at least one thin film transistor; the colors of all pixel units in a first pixel unit column are the same; the colors of at least two pixel units in a second pixel unit column are different; first switch devices correspond to first pixel unit columns; second switch devices correspond to second pixel unit columns; and the equivalent channel width-to-length ratio of thin film transistors in each first switch device is less than the equivalent channel width-to-length ratio of thin film transistors in each second switch device.

With users' increasing demands for displaying effects of displays, a display with a narrow bezel and a high screen-to-body ratio is becoming more and more popular. To reduce the width of the lower bezel of the display, a multiplex circuit is disposed in the non-display area of the lower bezel of the display. The multiplex circuit can control charging of different data signal lines and reduce the quantity of fanout wiring cables. Therefore, the bottom-bench space occupied by the fanout wiring cables can be reduced, to reduce the lower bezel of the display and achieve a higher screen-to-body ratio.


An ethanol sensing unit and a method of using, wherein the unit is particularly suitable for use in a confined environment such as the passenger compartment of a passenger vehicle. The sensing unit comprises a device for collecting ethanol vapors while the device is at a first temperature, a device for heating the collecting device to a second temperature higher than the first temperature so as to release ethanol vapors from the collecting device, and a device for sensing the ethanol vapors released from the collecting device when heated by the heating device. The sensing unit is also adapted to delay the operation of the heating device until a period of time sufficient for the collecting device to adsorb ethanol vapors from air contained in the confined environment.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to sensing devices capable of detecting ethyl alcohol (ethanol). More particularly, this invention relates to an ethanol sensor capable of operating passively to determine the level of intoxication of a person in a confined space, such as the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Intoxicated drivers cause about one third of the fatal automobile accidents that occur in the United States. Because any decrease in the frequency or severity of such accidents would be of considerable benefit, various efforts have been undertaken to develop sensors that detect the blood alcohol content (BAC) or, more typically, the breath alcohol content (BrAC), of drivers as an input to vehicle safety systems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,852 is representative of one type of sensor, in which the driver is required to blow into a collection tube before the vehicle can be operated. U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,407 is representative of what may be termed a passive sensing system, in which air from the passenger compartment is automatically drawn to a sensing device, such that the driver's natural exhalation is the basis for sensing the driver's BrAC, from which BAC can be determined. Another example of an alcohol sensor in use is a sensor built into a flashlight or clipboard that a police officer can insert into a vehicle passenger compartment to detect the presence of alcohol vapors in the passenger compartment. The alcohol sensing element used is typically based on an electrochemical detection method. The sensing element typically has two electrodes on a proton-conducting solid polymer electrolyte, such as NAFION, a perfluorinated polymer membrane commercially available from E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company. Such sensing elements are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,386.
In addition to fuel cells, various other types of sensing elements capable of detecting ethanol vapors are known. For example, the above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,407 utilizes a laser spectroscopy technique to detect the presence of ethanol vapors, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,852 makes use of an alcohol-sensitive element whose electrical resistance decreases when subjected to an alcohol-containing atmosphere. Sensing elements of the latter type include those that measure the conductivity of a tin oxide film, which in addition to responding to ethanol vapors also responds to other species, reducing the accuracy of the sensor.
There is an ongoing need for sensors capable of reliably detecting the alcohol impairment of an individual, and particularly for such a sensor capable of use in a passive on-vehicle sensing system to detect the impairment of a driver.


A compression assembled semiconductor package for housing a power semiconductor die which includes two major pole pieces in intimate electrical contact with respective major electrodes of a power semiconductor die. The package includes a plastic molded insulation ring disposed around the power semiconductor die. The pole pieces are secured to respective ends of the plastic molded insulation ring. One of the pole pieces may include an annular flange that penetrates the plastic molded insulation ring from an interior wall thereof and is embedded in its body. The annular flange preferably comprises a projection having a squared tab and circular distal end that is received by a receiving groove having a notch (to receive the squared tab) and a cavity (to receive the distal end).

This application relates to high power compression assembled semiconductor packages, and more particularly to a compression assembled semiconductor package that houses a high power semiconductor die.
Compression assembled packages for housing high power semiconductor elements are well known. These packages generally resemble a hockey puck, are occasionally referred to as such, and typically include a power semiconductor die, which may be a thyristor, having a control electrode and a major electrode on a major surface thereof, and another major electrode on the die's opposing major surface. Diode die are another example of die which are used in such packages. Also, typically, in these packages, two relatively large pole pieces are pressed by outside supports in surface-to-surface electrical contact with the major electrodes of the semiconductor die.
Typically, an annular insulation ring comprising a ceramic dielectric is disposed around the semiconductor die. The pole pieces are then directly connected to respective ends of the annular insulation ring by, for example, brazing, and retain the semiconductor die within the annular insulation ring due to the pressure from the outside supports. Also, typically, such well-known compression assembled packages include a structure that allows a control signal to be carried from an external control circuit to a control electrode of the semiconductor die, whereby the semiconductor die may be switched ON to allow conduction between the poles of the package and OFF to prevent the conduction. Hence, compression assembled semiconductor packages find much use as switching or other circuit devices within an electronic circuit.

Compression assembled electronic package having a plastic molded insulation ring


A method is provided for use in semiconductor fabrications to form a self-aligned contact (SAC) in a semiconductor device, which can help increase the contact area between the metallization layer and the substrate and also prevent the occurrence of a short-circuit between the metallization layer and a conductive layer, such as a tungsten silicide layer, in the gate structures. In particular, the method utilizes an etchant that can etch into the tungsten silicide much more effectively than into the overlying silicon nitride layer and the underlying polysilicon layer. The constricted shape can better prevent the silicide layer from coming into contact, and thus forming a short-circuit, with the subsequently formed metallization layer. Moreover, since the silicide layer is reduced in size due the constriction, the underlying polysilicon layer can be correspondingly made smaller, allowing the contact area between the metallization layer and the substrate to be increased. The increased contact area allows an increase in the RC value of the self-aligned contact.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to semiconductor fabrication processes, and more particularly, to a method for forming a self-aligned contact (SAC) in a semiconductor device, such as a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) device. This method features that it can allow an increase in the area of the resultant self-aligned contact.
2. Description of Related Art
A MOS device is composed of metallization layers, silicon dioxide layers, and substrate. Due to the fact that the adhesion of metal to silicon dioxide is poor, polysilicon is usually used instead of metal to form conductive layers in the gate structure of the MOS device. Although polysilicon-based conductive layers can be doped with impurities to decrease the resistivity thereof, the resultant conductivity is still not adequate enough to serve as good conductive layers in the MOS device. A solution to this problem is to add a layer of metal silicide, such as a layer of tungsten silicide, over the polysilicon layer, whereby the electrical conductivity of the gate structure can be improved.
The method for fabricating a MOS device includes the steps of forming dielectric layers, contact windows, and metallization layers. In the forming of metal contacts between metallization layers and substrate, the self-aligned etching method is the most widely used method. A conventional method for forming a self-aligned contact is illustrated and described in the following with reference to FIGS. 1A through 1C.
Referring to FIG. 1A, in the first step, a substrate 10 is prepared. Subsequently, a plurality of separate gate structures are formed over the substrate 10, each gate structure including a polysilicon layer 11, a layer of tungsten silicide (WSi.sub.2) 12, a layer of silicon nitride 13, and a sidewall spacer 14. After the gate structures are formed, a dielectric layer (inter layer dielectrics) 15 is formed over the entire top surface of the wafer, covering all of the exposed surfaces of the gate structures and the substrate 10.
Referring next to FIG. 1B, in the subsequent step, a photolithographic and etching process is performed on the dielectric layer 15 so as to remove a selected portion of the dielectric layer 15 between the gate structures until the top surface of the substrate 10 is exposed. The etching is also effective on the silicon nitride layer 13 but with a slower etching rate, so that the silicon nitride layer 13 and the sidewall spacer 14 will be partly etched away. As a result of this process, an empty space (referred to as a contact window) 16 is formed between the gate structures, which can be self-aligned to the location on the substrate 10 where a contact area is to be formed. As shown, the contact area is to be formed at the exposed surface of the substrate 10 which has a width indicated by X.
Referring further to FIG. 1C, in the subsequent step, a metallization layer 17 is deposited over the entire top surface of the wafer to a specific thickness, covering all of the exposed surfaces of the dielectric layer 15, the sidewall spacers 14 of the gate structures, and the substrate 10. A metal contact having a width X is thus formed between the metallization layer 17 and the substrate 10 in the self-aligned contact window 16.
The RC (resistance-capacitance) value of the foregoing self-aligned contact is proportional to its contact area (i.e., the area indicated by the width X) between the metallization layer 17 and the substrate 10. One method to increase the contact area is to extend the process time of the etching. However, this will also cause the silicon nitride layer 13 to be further etched away, which can, if the process time is not properly controlled, expose the underlying tungsten silicide layer 12. The exposed part of the tungsten silicide layer 12 will then come into contact with the subsequently formed metallization layer 17, resulting in a short-circuit therebetween. The resultant MOS device is therefore a defect one which should be discarded.

Method of forming a self-aligned contact in semiconductor fabrications


A Ni--Zn base ferrite is provided with a relatively small dielectric loss (tan.delta.(.epsilon.)) of the order of 10.sup.-3. Its saturation magnetization (4.pi.Ms) is relatively still high. A Ni--Zn base ferrite having a small dielectric loss (of the order of 10.sup.-3) can be obtained by proportioning raw materials to give a finished composition range of Ni.sub.X Zn.sub.1-X Fe.sub.2-Y-Z Mn.sub.Y M.sub.Z O.sub.4 where M: Ge and/or Sn, 0.55.ltoreq.X.ltoreq.1.00, 0.001.ltoreq.Y.ltoreq.0.36, and 0.002.ltoreq.Z.ltoreq.0.36, by calcination.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a Ni--Zn base ferrite, and especially to a Ni--Zn base ferrite which is small in dielectric loss and high in saturation magnetization and is useful as a magnetic material in high-frequency fields.
Ni--Zn base ferrites are expected to find utility in many fields, for example, as core materials for screw cores, radios and other household electric appliances, high-frequency core materials, and magnetic materials for isolators, circulators and other high-frequency band products all of which make use of gyromagnetic effect. They are also examples of representative ferrite materials which are employed in devices such as circulators for microwave communication.
As a magnetic material usable for such application purposes, it is essential to select a material having a saturation magnetization (4.pi.Ms) of from 500 to 5,000 (gauss) and a small ferromagnetic resonance absorption half-value width (.DELTA.H) and, from the standpoint of assurance of reliability, a small dielectric loss tan .delta.(.epsilon.)!.
2. Description of the Related Art
The history of ferrites goes back many years. Developed as hard ferrites include Co-base ferrites, Ba-base ferrites, and Sr-base ferrites. As soft ferrites, on the other hand, Mg-base ferrites, Cu-base ferrites, Zn-base ferrites, Ni--Zn base ferrites and the like have been developed, followed by the development of Mn-Zn base ferrites.
Mg-base ferrites still remain as Mn-Mg-Zn base ferrites, which make use of rectangular hysteresis characteristics of the Mg-base ferrites and are used primarily in television sets (as deflection cores and flyback cores).
Concerning Cu-base ferrites, attempts were made at the time of their development to use them as memory elements in large scale computers. They were however accompanied by the problem that their structure at 1,000.degree. C. or higher had to be retained at room temperature. There was then a move toward the mass production of very small cores. As analog memory elements, they soon confronted their limitations.
Around that time, ICs, LSIs and the like were developed. A trend toward digital memories became a mainstream, and with this the era of analog memory elements came to an end.
Subsequent to the discovery of magnetic properties of Ni--Zn ferrites over a low frequency to high frequency range and their gyromagnetic effect, systematic and extensive research was conducted on them. They however had large magnetic losses. A great deal of efforts was hence concentrated on the improvement of their magnetic losses, but this problem has remained unresolved.
Ni--Zn ferrites offer the superior qualities as described above and specifically, they feature excellent magnetic properties over a low frequency to high frequency range, a small ferromagnetic resonance absorption half-value width AH, gyromagnetic effect, mild and flexible production conditions, and superior property reproducibility and stability. It is therefore clear that they will be used as primary magnetic materials in high-frequency fields once their dielectric losses tan .delta.(.epsilon.) are improved.
Conventional Ni--Zn ferrites have dielectric losses tan .delta.(.epsilon.) as large as 1.times.10.sup.-2 or so, thereby making their application in magnetic devices difficult.


An annealing apparatus includes: a temperature-gradient preheating unit, configured for performing a gradient-preheating process for a substrate that is to be annealed by using a gradient temperature; a high temperature heating unit, configured for performing a high temperature heating process for the preheated substrate; and a shifting device, configured for transporting the substrate from the temperature-gradient preheating unit to the high temperature heating unit when and/or after the substrate is subjected to the gradient-preheating process. The annealing apparatus adopts a gradient heating method to perform a preheating treatment for the substrate, so the annealing efficiency is increased. An annealing process that uses the annealing apparatus is further provided.

Flat panel display technologies make people's lives colorful, and with the improvement of the living standards, people's demand for display quality is increasing. The liquid crystal display (LCD) technology has become mature, and related products comprise mobile phone, camera, display, tablet computer, television, outdoor display and the like. People's large demand for display products promotes the development of the display technology objectively, so new display technologies continually appear. The active layer of the thin film transistor (TFT) of a conventional liquid crystal display adopts an amorphous silicon (a-Si) material, and because the amorphous silicon itself has some problems such as low on-state current caused by too many defects, low mobility and poor stability, the applications of the amorphous silicon in many fields are restricted. In order to improve the performance of the thin film transistor and the display effect of a display device, low temperature poly-silicon (LTPS), oxide semiconductor and the like technologies are born accordingly. Low temperature poly-silicon TFTs and oxide semiconductor TFTs have more advantages as compared with the conventional amorphous silicon (a-Si) TFTs, thus attract wide attention and are regarded as the optimal technologies for the backplane for an LCD and an organic electroluminescence display (OLED) of the future. An annealing process is very important in the manufacturing process of a low temperature poly-silicon TFT and an oxide semiconductor TFT, and directly affects the properties of the TFTs.
A conventional annealing apparatus usually involves a single function and a long annealing time; and the conventional annealing apparatus adopts a heating-wire heater or a halogen-lamp heater, so the damage brought for a substrate is larger.

Annealing apparatus and annealing process

ORDOS YUANSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


A disposable absorbent pant that includes a central chassis and a belt structure is disclosed herein.

Currently, disposable absorbent pants are manufactured and marketed for wear by toddlers and young children who are not yet toilet trained, older children who are experiencing childhood enuresis, and adults suffering from incontinence. A disposable absorbent pant usually includes a central chassis having a core formed of absorbent material, enveloped between a liquid permeable, wearer-facing topsheet, and a liquid impermeable, outer- or garment-facing backsheet. The chassis is usually adapted to be positioned on the wearer such that it wraps between the wearer's legs and upwardly about the lower torso, such that the front and rear ends extend toward the wearer's waistline in the front and rear, respectively. The chassis is often joined to a pair of side/hip panels that connect front and rear regions of the chassis on either side thereof, thereby forming a pant structure. In many current designs, the side/hip panels are manufactured so as to be elastically extensible in the lateral direction, providing stretchability that eases donning, while providing a relatively snug and comfortable fit once donned. Disposable absorbent pants are usually manufactured in one of two differing overall configurations.
In the first configuration, the backsheet and topsheet of the central chassis structure extend to, and form, the front and rear waist edges of the pant in the regions near the wearer's navel in the front, and small of the back in the rear. Separate and discrete side/hip panels are joined to longitudinal (side) edges of the central chassis structure in its front and rear regions, joining them to form the pant structure. An example of this type of configuration is currently manufactured and sold in the United States by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS EASY UPS.
In the second configuration, the central chassis structure does not extend to, or form, the front and rear waist edges of the pant. Rather, an elasticized belt structure entirely encircles the wearer's waist and forms the waist edge about the entire pant, and the side/hip panels. The central chassis is joined to the belt structure, usually on the inside thereof, with its ends disposed at locations in the front and rear waist regions somewhat below the waist edges of the belt structure. This second configuration is sometimes known as a "belt" or "balloon" configuration (hereinafter, "belt" configuration). An example of this type of configuration is currently manufactured and sold in Asia by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS, and also by Unicharm Corporation under the trademark MAMY POKO.
While both configurations have their advantages, in some circumstances a belt configuration may be deemed desirable. Among other advantages, because the encircling belt may be made elastically extensible in the lateral direction, considerable elastic stretch and contraction as well as targeted elastic profiles may be provided entirely about the wearer's waist.
For purposes of optimal fit, appearance and containment, it may be desired that a pant have elastic extensibility not only laterally hoop-wise about the waist and hips, but also hoop-wise about each of the legs, so as to provide an elasticized leg band or leg band-like structure. This may be accomplished by incorporating elastic members into the structure that at least partially encircle the leg openings, in addition to the laterally extending elastic members encircling the waist opening. Although some currently manufactured belt configuration pants include such an arrangement of elastic members, they could be deemed to have a rough or unfinished appearance, or are inefficient to manufacture, or both. For example, some current designs have elastic members that continue across front and rear regions of the chassis, having no important function and creating an unsightly appearance.
Therefore, improvements to the design of disposable absorbent pants of a belt configuration, that provide for elasticized leg band-like features that and also efficient manufacturability, would be advantageous.

Disposable absorbent pants with advantageous stretch and manufacturability features, and methods for manufacturing the same


A system and method for collision detection and avoidance that converts a probabilistic, packet based communications system into a deterministic packet based communications system. The system and method operates in packet, frame, or datagram based network environments that support different levels of forwarding priority, for example, IP networks and Ethernet networks.

The system and method of the present embodiment relate generally to delivering data packets across a shared medium communications network by first using algorithms to detect communications interactions (collisions) and subsequently using different algorithms to avoid these communications interactions, thereby converting the communications system from a probabilistic communications environment into a deterministic communications environment.
Quality of packet, frame, or datagram based (hereafter simply referred to as packet based) communications can be affected if the communications system is probabilistic in nature. A non-deterministic or probabilistic system can allow packets from one service to collide with packets from another network services (two or more data packets attempting to use the same communications resource at the same time), resulting in service contention at network choke points. This contention can result in communications degradation through packet loss, excessive delay, and enhanced jitter (change in delay). Further, loss of quality can occur at any point during the service transmission. Therefore, a communication service that starts out working with no contention may experience significant contention and quality degradation at some point during its communications session.
While it is possible to use different priority levels in an attempt to improve communications, using priority levels alone does not remove the probabilistic nature of packet based communications; priorities just improve the probabilities of one service at the expense of another service. Further, a service may attempt to mitigate contention through reducing data rates, adding error correction information, or a combination of these techniques. These adjustments either reduce service quality (through reduced data rates) or increase bandwidth requirements (through error correction information), yet these efforts do not remove the probabilistic nature of the communications medium. Even further, other systems may attempt to mitigate contention through a "training" period where an endpoint investigates potential contention before adding traffic to the network environment. The endpoint then uses that information to control its traffic insertion. However, this technique fails if the underlying network environment changes during the communications session (for example, a link is lost and traffic is shunted to another path, or an over-the-air—e.g. satellite or microwave—path experiences noise and data rate degradation), making obsolete the information gathered during the training period. A further contention mitigation attempt uses a centralized control system to manage when services can insert their traffic into the network. Managed networks remove the autonomous nature of packet based communications while adding a limit to service setup speed and limiting system scalability.
Further, probabilistic communications environments reduce the communications environment ability to offer various communications features and capabilities. For example, if priority is used to reduce probabilistic interactions of different service types, it removes the environment's capability of allowing preemption of communications within a service type or across service types. Consider a network that uses four priority levels to separate out contention between different services. The highest priority (e.g. priority 3) may be reserved for network control and management; the second highest (e.g. priority 2) may be reserved for voice traffic; the third highest (e.g. priority 1) may be reserved for video traffic; while the lowest priority is reserved for all other traffic. If a video service must preempt all other video services (for example, it is an emergency or other critical video), it could not do so at priority 1. Therefore, it would need to increase its priority to 2, where it would interfere with and interact with all of the voice traffic. While the video would preempt other video traffic, it would still be interfered with by voice traffic, and therefore not be deterministic. The video could attempt to increase its priority even further to priority 3, but it would then contend with management traffic. If a management service needed to preempt other management services, it would need to increase its priority above 3, which is not possible. This is an example of how a non-deterministic environment could not provide a preemption option to its various services since preemption would still not be deterministic, and would either interfere with other services or not have a priority that would be used for preemption. Non-deterministic communications reduces the quality of data services across the network. Services cannot guarantee data delivery and therefore they cannot provide truly high-availability communications, provide the highest security levels, fully utilize the underlying network infrastructure, and allow the network owner to manage the communication services as true services instead of as packet streams.
What is needed is a system and method that allows communications services on a packet based, shared medium network to work in a deterministic manner, resulting in superior and predictable communications quality. What is further needed is a system and method that can enable detection and avoidance of packet collision, thus eliminating resource contention at network choke-points. What is still further needed is a system and method that can detect changes in the underlying communications environment while a service is active (and at any point during the communications' lifetime) and adjust services to those changes, reestablishing full determinism to the services using that communications environment. What is still further needed is a system and method that can detect and adjust to contention automatically and completely autonomously, and therefore does not need a separate training period or central server to control data insertion into the network.
What is even still further needed is a system and method that provides deterministic communications and therefore allows all services access to all features and capabilities of the communications environment. What is still further needed is a system and method that allows service preemption based on service preemption needs, not on service type. What is even further needed is a system and method that allows deterministic communications of all services, therefore allowing management of those services as data services and not as packet streams. Finally, what is needed is a system and method that provides all of these capabilities without having to manage, manipulate, change, configure, alter, train, analyze, control, or otherwise affect the core communications infrastructure to enable existing, new, or evolving communications services to function in a deterministic and consistent manner.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for collision detection and avoidance for network communications


A local transmitter power control system for a radio frequency transmitter of a wireless local area network device includes a transmitter that transmits RF signals. A sensor detects at least one of amplitude and power of said RF signals and generates a sensed signal. The gain adjuster includes a comparator that receives an amplitude signal and/or a power signal detected by the sensor. The comparator compares the amplitude and/or power to the threshold signal. The gain of the transmitter is adjusted accordingly.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a wireless transceiver 10 is shown and includes a transmitter 12 and a receiver 14. The wireless transceiver 10 may be used in a local area network (LAN) and may be attached to a Baseband Processor (BBP) and a Media Access Controller (MAC) in either a station or an Access Point (AP) configuration. A network interface card (NIC) is one of the various "STATION" configurations. The NIC can be connected to a networked device 16 such as a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or any other networked device. When the transceiver 10 is attached to an access point (AP) MAC, an AP is created. The AP provides network access for WLAN stations that are associated with the transceiver 10.
The wireless transceiver 10 transmits and receives frames/packets and provides communication between two networked devices. In AdHoc mode, the two devices can be two laptop/personal computers. In infrastructure mode, the two devices can be a laptop/personal computer and an AP.
There are multiple different ways of implementing the transmitter 12 and the receiver 14. For purposes of illustration, simplified block diagrams of super-heterodyne and direct conversion transmitter and receiver architectures will be discussed, although other architectures may be used. Referring now to FIG. 2A, an exemplary super-heterodyne receiver 14-1 is shown. The receiver 14-1 includes an antenna 19 that is coupled to an optional RF filter 20 and a low noise amplifier 22. An output of the amplifier 22 is coupled to a first input of a mixer 24. A second input of the mixer 24 is connected to an oscillator 25, which provides a reference frequency. The mixer 24 converts radio frequency (RF) signals to intermediate frequency (IF) signals.
An output of the mixer 24 is connected to an optional IF filter 26, which has an output that is coupled to an automatic gain control amplifier (AGCA) 32. An output of the AGCA 32 is coupled to first inputs of mixers 40 and 41. A second input of the mixer 41 is coupled to an oscillator 42, which provides a reference frequency. A second input of the mixer 40 is connected to the oscillator 42 through a −90° phase shifter 43. The mixers 40 and 41 convert the IF signals to baseband (BB) signals. Outputs of the mixers 40 and 41 are coupled to BB circuits 44-1 and 44-2, respectively. The BB circuits 44-1 and 44-2 may include low pass filters (LPF) 45-1 and 45-2 and gain blocks 46-1 and 46-2, respectively, although other BB circuits may be used. Mixer 40 generates an in-phase (I) signal, which is output to a BB processor 47. The mixer 41 generates a quadrature-phase (Q) signal, which is output to the BB processor 47.
Referring now to FIG. 2B, an exemplary direct receiver 14-2 is shown. The receiver 14-2 includes the antenna 19 that is coupled the optional RF filter 20 and to the low noise amplifier 22. An output of the low noise amplifier 22 is coupled to first inputs of RF to BB mixers 48 and 50. A second input of the mixer 50 is connected to oscillator 51, which provides a reference frequency. A second input of the mixer 48 is connected to the oscillator 51 through a −90° phase shifter 52. The mixer 48 outputs the I-signal to the BB circuit 44-1, which may include the LPF 45-1 and the gain block 46-1. An output of the BB circuit 44-1 is input to the BB processor 47. Similarly, the mixer 50 outputs the Q signal to the BB circuit 44-2, which may include the LPF 45-2 and the gain block 46-2. An output of the BB circuit 44-2 is output to the BB processor 47.
Referring now to FIG. 3A, an exemplary super-heterodyne transmitter 12-1 is shown. The transmitter 12-1 receives an I signal from the BB processor 47. The I signal is input to a LPF 60 that is coupled to a first input of a BB to IF mixer 64. A Q signal of the BB processor 47 is input to a LPF 68 that is coupled to a first input of a BB to IF mixer 72. The mixer 72 has a second input that is coupled to an oscillator 74, which provides a reference frequency. The mixer 64 has a second input that is coupled to the oscillator through a −90° phase shifter 75.
Outputs of the mixers 64 and 72 are input to a summer 76. The summer 76 combines the signals into a complex signal that is input to a variable gain amplifier (VGA) 84. The VGA 84 is coupled to an optional IF filter 85. The optional IF filter 85 is connected to a first input of an IF to RF mixer 86. A second input of the mixer 86 is connected to an oscillator 87, which provides a reference frequency. An output of the mixer 86 is coupled to an optional RF filter 88. The optional RF filter 88 is connected to a power amplifier 89, which may include a driver. The power amplifier 89 drives an antenna 90 through an optional RF filter 91.
Referring now to FIG. 3B, an exemplary direct transmitter 12-2 is shown. The transmitter 12-2 receives an I signal from the BB processor 47. The I signal is input to the LPF 60, which has an output that is coupled to a first input of a BB to RF mixer 92. A Q signal of the BB processor 47 is input to the LPF 68, which is coupled to a first input of a BB to RF mixer 93. The mixer 93 has a second input that is coupled to an oscillator 94, which provides a reference frequency. The mixer 92 has a second input that is connected to the oscillator 94 through a −90° phase shifter 95. Outputs of the mixers 92 and 93 are input to the summer 76. The summer 76 combines the signals into a complex signal that is input the power amplifier 89. The power amplifier 89 drives the antenna 90 through the optional RF filter 91. The RF and IF filters in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B may be implemented on-chip or externally.
The transmitter 12 typically includes circuit elements that are implemented with both on-chip integrated circuits and off-chip components. On-chip circuit elements are typically active and are implemented using modern semiconductor processes. The on-chip circuit elements typically include mixers, variable gain amplifiers, power amplifiers, low pass filters, etc. Off-chip circuit elements are passive and typically include filters and matching networks. Due to semiconductor process variations and sensitivity of the on-chip transceiver components to environmental variations, such as temperature, compensation of the on-chip circuit elements is performed to improve transceiver performance. The gain of the circuit elements, which also depends upon the external circuit elements, cannot be easily compensated.
On-chip circuit elements can be compensated to provide finite and controlled performance and characteristics. However, the gain of the transmitter also depends upon the external circuit elements. If certain transistor technologies are employed (such as CMOS), the gain of the transmitter may also vary with temperature.
For example, an external filter may have attenuation that varies from −8 dB to −11 dB. The capacitance of matching circuits may vary +/−0.25 pF. The inductance of the matching circuits may vary +/−10%. The external filter may have insertion loss that varies from −1.5 dB to −2.5 dB. As a result of these variations, the output power delivered by the power amplifier may vary 3 to 6 dB. For example, a 20 dBm output signal at 100 mW can vary to a 14 dBm signal at 25 mW, which is an unacceptable variation.

Local transmitter output power control system for wireless applications


A structure including a first end panel, a second end panel, and a side panel that spans between the first end panel and the second end panel. The various panels are supported by a plurality of hubs and rods. When erected, the structure appears similar in shape to a hay bale. The structure may be manually collapsed into a very compact form for transport and storage.

Fabric structures are regularly used while hunting to provide camouflage. Nevertheless, many such fabric structure designs do not blend into their surroundings in a natural manner, and/or are burdensome to transport, set-up, and take down. For this reason, there is a need for fabric structure designs that address these various shortcomings.

Collapsible fabric structure supported by hubs and rods