A method and apparatus for performing CT scans of baggage being carried or loaded onto commercial aircraft are described. The CT baggage scanner of the invention includes numerous features which provide the system with high baggage throughput on the order of seven hundred bags per hour as well as improved image quality and accurate target detection. In one aspect, the scanner includes an adaptive image reconstruction window which identifies data collected from the field of view that are not related to the baggage being scanned. These unrelated data are excluded from the image reconstruction process, resulting in greatly reduced reconstruction time and increased baggage throughput. The invention also includes the capability of performing calibration "air scans" with objects such as the system conveyor in the field of view. Data gathered during the calibration scan are applied to a threshold, and data exceeding the threshold are assumed to be from X-rays that are unobstructed by objects in the field of view and are therefore used to perform the air calibration. The baggage scanner can also analyze scan data to identify shapes of objects, particularly, objects formed in the shape of a sheet. This greatly improves the ability of the system to detect sheet explosives. The system also compensates for detector dark currents and provides dark current offsets which can be dependent upon detector temperature.

Various X-ray baggage scanning systems are known for detecting the presence of explosives and other prohibited items in baggage, or luggage, prior to loading the baggage onto a commercial aircraft. A common technique of measuring a material's density is to expose the material to X-rays and to measure the amount of radiation absorbed by the material, the absorption being indicative of the density. Since many explosive materials may be characterized by a range of densities differentiable from that of other items typically found in baggage, explosives are generally amenable to detection by X-ray equipment.
Most X-ray baggage scanning systems in use today are of the "line scanner" type and include a stationary X-ray source, a stationary linear detector array, and a conveyor belt for transporting baggage between the source and detector array as the baggage passes through the scanner. The X-ray source generates an X-ray beam that passes through and is partially attenuated by the baggage and is then received by the detector array. During each measuring interval the detector array generates data representative of the integral of density of the planar segment of the baggage through which the X-ray beam passes, and this data is used to form one or more raster lines of a two-dimensional image. As the conveyor belt transports the baggage past the stationary source and detector array, the scanner generates a two-dimensional image representative of the density of the baggage, as viewed by the stationary detector array. The density image is typically displayed for analysis by a human operator.
Techniques using dual energy X-ray sources are known for providing additional information about a material's chemical characteristics, beyond solely a density measurement. Techniques using dual energy X-ray sources involve measuring the X-ray absorption characteristics of a material for two different energy levels of X-rays. These measurements provide an indication of the material's atomic number in addition to an indication of the material's density. Dual energy X-ray techniques for energy-selective reconstruction of X-ray CT images are described, for example, in Alvarez, Robin et al., "Energy-selective Reconstructions in X-ray Computerized Tomography", Phys. Med. Biol. 1976, Vol. 21, No. 5, 733-744; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,998.
One proposed use for such dual energy techniques has been in connection with a baggage scanner for detecting the presence of explosives in baggage. Explosive materials are generally characterized by a known range of atomic numbers and are therefore amenable to detection by such dual energy X-ray sources. One such dual energy source is described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/671,202, entitled "Improved Dual Energy Power Supply," (Attorney Docket No. ANA-094) which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention and which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Plastic explosives present a particular challenge to baggage scanning systems because, due to their moldable nature, plastic explosives may be formed into geometric shapes that are difficult to detect. Most explosives capable of significantly damaging an aircraft weigh at least a pound and are sufficiently large in length, width, and height so as to be readily detectable by an X-ray scanner system regardless ofthe explosive's orientation within the baggage. However, a plastic explosive powerful enough to damage an aircraft may be formed into a relatively thin sheet that is extremely small in one dimension and is relatively large in the other two dimensions. The detection of plastic explosives may be difficult because it may be difficult to see the explosive material in the image, particularly when the material is disposed so that the thin sheet is parallel to the direction of the X-ray beam as the sheet passes through the system.
Thus, detection of suspected baggage requires very attentive operators. The requirement for such attentiveness can result in greater operator fatigue, and fatigue as well as any distractions can result in a suspected bag passing through the system undetected.
Accordingly, a great deal of effort has been made to design a better baggage scanner. Such designs, for example, have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,759,047 (Donges et al.); 4,884,289 (Glockmann et al.); 5,132,988 (Tsutsui et al.); 5,182,764 (Peschmann et al.); 5,247,561 (Kotowski); 5,319,547 (Krug et al.); 5,367,552 (Peschmann et al.); 5,490,218 (Krug et al.) and German Offenlegungsschrift DE 31 503 06 A1 (Heimann GmbH).
At least one of these designs, described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,182,764 (Peschmann et al.) and 5,367,552 (Peschmann et al.) (hereinafter the '764 and '552 patents), has been commercially developed and is referred to hereinafter as the "Invision Machine." The Invision Machine includes a CT scanner ofthe third generation type, which typically include an X-ray source and an X-ray detector system secured respectively to diametrically opposite sides of an annular-shaped platform or disk. The disk is rotatably mounted within a gantry support so that in operation the disk continuously rotates about a rotation axis while X-rays pass from the source through an object positioned within the opening of the disk to the detector system.
The detector system can include a linear array of detectors disposed as a single row in the shape of a circular arc having a center of curvature at the focal spot of the X-ray source, i.e., the point within the X-ray source from which the X-rays emanate. The X-ray source generates a fan shaped beam, or fan beam, of X-rays that emanates from the focal spot, passes through a planar imaging field, and is received by the detectors. The CT scanner includes a coordinate system defined by X-, Y- and Z-axes, wherein the axes intersect and are all normal to one another at the center of rotation of the disk as the disk rotates about the rotation axis. This center of rotation is commonly referred to as the "isocenter." The Z-axis is defined by the rotation axis and the X- and Y-axes are defined by and lie within the planar imaging field. The fan beam is thus defined as the volume of space defined between a point source, i.e., the focal spot, and the receiving surfaces of the detectors of the detector array exposed to the X-ray beam. Because the dimension of the receiving surfaces of the linear array of detectors is relatively small in the Z-axis direction the fan beam is relatively thin in that direction. Each detector generates an output signal representative of the intensity of the X-rays incident on that detector. Since the X-rays are partially attenuated by all the mass in their path, the output signal generated by each detector is representative of the density of all the mass disposed in the imaging field between the X-ray source and that detector.
As the disk rotates, the detector array is periodically sampled, and for each measuring interval each of the detectors in the detector array generates an output signal representative of the density of a portion of the object being scanned during that interval. The collection of all of the output signals generated by all the detectors in a single row of the detector array for any measuring interval is referred to as a "projection," and the angular orientation of the disk (and the corresponding angular orientations of the X-ray source and the detector array) during generation of a projection is referred to as the "projection angle." At each projection angle, the path of the X-rays from the focal spot to each detector, called a "ray," increases in cross section from a point source to the receiving surface area of the detector, and thus is thought to magnify the density measurement because the receiving surface area of the detector area is larger than any cross sectional area of the object through which the ray passes.
As the disk rotates around the object being scanned, the scanner generates aplurality of projections at a corresponding plurality of projection angles. Using well known algorithms a CT image of the object may be generated from all the projection data collected at each of the projection angles. The CT image is representative of the density of a two dimensional "slice" of the object through which the fan beam has passed during the rotation of the disk through the various projection angles. The resolution of the CT image is determined in part by the width of the receiving surface area of each detector in the plane of the fan beam, the width of the detector being defined herein as the dimension measured in the same direction as the width of the fan beam, while the length ofthe detector is defined herein as the dimension measured in a direction normal to the fan beam parallel to the rotation or Z-axis of the scanner.
One important design criterion for a baggage scanner is the speed with which the scanner can scan an item of baggage. To be of practical utility in any major airport, a baggage scanner should be capable of scanning a large number of bags at a very fast rate, e.g., on the order of seven hundred of bags per hour or faster, and to provide this rate the scanner must scan an average sized bag at a rate of about 5 seconds per bag or less. For this reason one problem with the Invision Machine is that CT scanners of the type described in the '764 and '552 patents take a relatively long time, e.g., from about 0.6 to about 2.0 seconds for one revolution of the disk, to generate the data for a single sliced CT image. Further, the thinner the slice of the beam through the bag for each image the better the resolution of the image, so the CT scanner should provide images of sufficient resolution to detect plastic explosives on the order of only a few millimeters thick. If 0.6 to 2.0 seconds are required for generation of data for each sliced CT image, and the average bag can be assumed to be about 70 cm long, at the desired throughput rate of 700 bags per hour a conventional CT baggage scanner can only afford to generate an average of two or three CT images per bag since the bag must be moved and stopped at each location of a scan. Clearly, one cannot scan the entire bag within the time allotted for a reasonably fast throughput. Generating only two or three CT images per baggage item leaves most of the item unscanned and therefore does not provide adequate or complete scanning.

Computed tomography scanning apparatus and method with temperature compensation for dark current offsets


The present application is directed to a process for forming a machined part. The process comprises providing a substrate and depositing a rough part on the substrate. One or more sacrificial supports are deposited adjacent to the rough part on the substrate. All or a portion of the one or more sacrificial supports and a portion of the rough part are removed. Additional embodiments are directed to aircraft part assemblies, and aircraft parts made by the above process.

The present application relates to fabricating machined parts, and more particularly, to fabricating machined parts using sacrificial supports.
Machined parts are employed, for example, in airplane manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, and a wide variety of other industries. When machining parts, a cutting tool is often used to remove material from a rough part or block of stock material. The cutting tool may cause the part to vibrate during the cutting process. This vibration can reduce the accuracy of the cut, leave vibration marks on the part due to variations in cut depth, and even cause the part to break or otherwise be damaged.
Cutting tool vibration has been controlled using special cutting tool geometries and/or machining techniques designed to reduce vibration. For example, in certain machining techniques, small amounts of material may be removed at a slow rate using multiple cuts in order to avoid vibration. In one such technique, referred to herein as water-line machining, a part comprising, for example, a thin wall having two major side surfaces, may be machined by successively removing small portions of a rough part, beginning at the top of the rough part and working down. A first cut removes a strip of material to a desired depth from the top of one side of the rough part, and then a second cut removes a strip of material to the same depth from the top of the opposing side of the rough part. Successive cuts are made, first removing material from one side and then the other, down the rough part until the entire part is machined to form the thin wall.
However, as parts become thinner, they tend to become less rigid. This may result in a decrease in both the amount of material that can be removed with each cut, and the rate at which each cut can be made, in order to maintain vibrations of the part to an acceptable level during the machining process. Consequently, machining processes for thin parts may be time consuming and costly, and may still cause unacceptable vibrations for very thin parts.

Method for machining using sacrificial supports


A method of operating a control system for controlling the electrically-operated components of a motor vehicle in which a central processor and satellite processors for the components are connected with a multiplex single-conductor bus and master signals and control signals are transmitted bidirectionally between the processors along the bus. The central processor and the satellite processors can both operate as masters with respective characteristic addresses and the satellite or central processor upon receipt of a master signal and/or control signal can issue master or control signals with a priority determined by the bus access times of the respective signals.

Both for comfort and security, motor vehicles are increasingly provided with central processor control systems for the electrically-operated components, including, especially, the antitheft warning system and the various components also mentioned above.
For example, with a computerized system the electrical components can be set to accommodate various drivers of the vehicle to permit the components such as the seat setting and mirror setting to be established for each individual likely to drive the vehicle. Other components which can be controlled through the central processor, can include interior lighting, trunk lighting, heatable rear windows and the like.
Prior to the advent of central processor controls, i.e. in classical electrotechnical wiring of motor vehicle harnesses, each of the vehicle components, including the respective actuating elements such as switches, push buttons or the like, were wired separately.
The number of components and control elements, wires and the like was, therefore, substantial and the cost of the wiring system was very high. In addition, reliability of the electrical system fell with increasing complexity and the cost of repair and maintenance was high as well.
Utilizing a central processor and a control system in which the central processor could operate a multiplicity of the vehicle components through a bus arrangement, a service person was able to maintain the system more simply and the system allowed actuation and initiation of the various functions through the central processor. In this case, the actuation of the various components is effected in a manner similar to the manipulation of a keyboard of a computer.
The use of satellite processors, however, permits local electrical actuators to be used as well and is especially advantageous in the case of window lifters and the like. When satellite processors are used, they are generally provided close to or in the vehicle components which they are intended to control. The satellite processor can be provided to operate only a single vehicle component or a number of vehicle components. Furthermore, each satellite processor can be designed to enable a single function to be carried out or to allow one or more vehicle components to have various functions carried out therein. In the case of a vehicle door lock, for example, the locking, unlocking, antitheft securing, disconnection of the antitheft mode, opening of the latch and even the function of drawing the door tight, may be automatically performed by, for example, electric motors connected to the door lock system under the control of the satellite processor.
With complex control functions of this type, especially in the case of vehicle door locks, the vehicle components, for example, the levers and links of the door lock system, can be provided additionally with sensors, especially Hall-effect position sensors, whereby the actual positions of the elements of the components can be determined and which can be connected to the respective satellite processor.
A multiplex single-conductor bus, as mentioned previously, is a system for the serial transmission of digital information which requires only a single conductor connecting the central processor with satellite processors, usually via respective branches, utilizing digital signals which, as a rule operate as pulse-width-modulation. It is possible utilizing a multiplex single-conductor bus to eliminate the need for a separate so-called clock line, the counterpole for the conductor of the multiplex single-conductor bus is the vehicle ground or chassis ground. Of course it can also be a ground line, for example, a shield for the bus conductor.
Apart from the multiplex single-conductor bus, only a current supply line need be connected to the motor-vehicle component.
Mention above of a master signal is intended to designate a signal delivering digital information which effects an activation or deactivation of a motor vehicle component. A control signal, then, is a signal which provides digital information as to the status of a motor-vehicle component or is an error-control signal for feeding back of the occurrence of an incomplete action or operation or a failure in the activation or deactivation. To the extent that such signals are transmitted in both directions between satellite processors and the central processor, the multiplex single-conductor bus is considered to provide a bidirectional dialogue between the processors.
A method of the aforedescribed type is found in EP-O 470 056 A2. In that system, the central processor is operated as the "master" while the satellite processors operate as "slaves." The "master" issues master signals or control signals which are transmitted over the multiplex single-conductor bus. A "slave" can only issue master signals or control signals which are transmitted over the multiplex single-conductor bus when it is interrogated by the master and thus is "enabled" by the master to issue such signals.
The earlier process operates address-free, i.e. master signals or control signals are not especially directed to the central processor or to one of the satellite processors. On the contrary, each satellite processor has an interface circuit through which the single-conductor bus is connected to that satellite processor. A first interface circuit permits master signals or controls signals to reach a second subordinate interface circuit only after the satellite processor associated with the first interface circuit has carried out certain routines. The processing continues with this hierarchical operation. Thus the satellite processors are not parallel to one another as same-rank units which are connected to the multiplex single-conductor bus.
The earlier process is thus comparatively slow and, when attempts are made to operate it by utilizing higher operating frequencies, the system tends to become unreliable. Significant time may be necessary in such systems before a lower ranked satellite processor, comparatively distal to the central processor, may be used for activation of the respective vehicle component.

Method of operating a control system for the control of motor vehicle components


A computer system having a core logic chipset that functions as a bridge between an Accelerated Graphics Port ("AGP") bus device such as an AGP graphics controller, and a host processor and computer system memory wherein AGP transaction read requests are merged from the AGP graphics controller and retired when these requests are within a cacheline of the memory being accessed. The core logic chipset will request a memory cacheline read as it begins processing a current AGP transaction read request. Once the memory read access is initiated, the transaction read request will be popped off an AGP request queue in order to evaluate the next in order transaction request. If the next request can be partially or completely retired by the memory read access previously started, then the memory access that would have been normally required may be skipped and the data from the previous memory read access is used instead. This AGP read transaction merging may continue until the next in order transaction read request is located in a different cacheline of memory or the original memory request is ready to return data. A memory data buffer may also be utilized to store unused quadwords of the cacheline read from a memory access so that some subsequent AGP transaction requests may be retired without having to access a previously read cacheline of memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system using a bus bridge(s) to interface a central processor(s), an accelerated graphics port (AGP) video graphics processor(s), main memory and input-output peripherals together, and more particularly, to merging AGP transaction read requests that are within a cacheline of main memory addresses being accessed.
2. Description of the Related Technology
A computer system has a plurality of information buses (used for transferring instructions, data and addresses) such as a host bus, a memory bus, high speed expansion buses such as an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) bus and a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, and other peripheral buses such as the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Extension to Industry Standard Architecture (EISA), and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA). The processor(s) of the computer system communicates with main memory and with the peripherals that make up the computer system over these various buses.
Increasingly inexpensive but sophisticated processors, such as microprocessors, have revolutionized the role of computer systems, such as personal computers by enabling complex applications software to run at mainframe computer speeds. The latest microprocessors have brought the level of technical sophistication to personal computers that, just a few years ago, was available only in mainframe and mini-computer systems. Some representative examples of these new microprocessors are the "PENTIUM" and "PENTIUM PRO" (registered trademarks of Intel Corporation). Advanced microprocessors are also manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices, Cyrix, IBM, Digital Equipment Corp., Sun Microsystems and Motorola.
These sophisticated microprocessors have, in turn, made possible running complex application programs using advanced three dimensional ("3-D") graphics for computer aided drafting and manufacturing, engineering simulations, games and the like. Increasingly complex 3-D graphics require higher speed access to ever larger amounts of graphics information stored in memory. This memory may be part of the video graphics processor system, but, preferably, would be best (lowest cost) if part of the main computer system memory because shifting graphics information from local graphics memory to main memory significantly reduces computer system costs when implementing 3-D graphics. Intel Corporation has proposed a low cost but improved 3-D graphics standard called the "Accelerated Graphics Port" (AGP) initiative. With AGP 3-D, graphics data, in particular textures, may be shifted out of the graphics controller local memory to computer system main memory. The computer system main memory is lower in cost than the graphics controller local memory and is more easily adapted for a multitude of other uses besides storing graphics data.
The proposed Intel AGP 3-D graphics standard defines a high speed data pipeline, or "AGP bus," between the graphics controller and system main memory. This AGP bus has sufficient bandwidth for the graphics controller to retrieve textures from system memory without materially affecting computer system performance for other non-graphics operations. The Intel 3-D graphics standard is a specification which provides signal, protocol, electrical, and mechanical specifications for the AGP bus and devices attached thereto. This specification is entitled "Accelerated Graphics Port Interface Specification Revision 1.0," dated Jul. 31, 1996, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. This AGP Specification is available from Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, Calif.
The computer system main memory, typically, may be comprised of fast access synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). The memory control and interface logic for the SDRAM may be optimized for reading and/or writing a desired number of bytes of information for each memory transaction. A desired number of bytes of information may be, for example, 32 bytes, and may be referred to hereinafter as a "cacheline" or "data paragraph." The number of bytes comprising the cacheline or data paragraph may be optimized for the SDRAM and processor of the computer system, however, peripheral devices such an AGP video controller may not request a memory transaction which is a full cacheline or even aligned on a cacheline address boundary (e.g., 32 byte aligned). An AGP bus agent (e.g., the AGP video graphics controller) requesting a read transaction of less than a full cacheline, may reduce the efficiency of the memory control and interface logic in processing the AGP bus transactions because an increased number of main memory accesses may be required to retire these sub-cacheline AGP read transactions.
What is needed to more fully and efficiently utilize the computer system and its main memory is a system, method and apparatus for merging AGP read transaction requests from an AGP device to the main memory that are less than a full cacheline in size or are not cacheline address aligned.

Accelerated graphics port read transaction merging


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: forming a semiconductor film on a substrate; performing dehydrogenation for removing hydrogen from the semiconductor film; performing inactivation by terminating a dangling bond of the semiconductor film with a supply of a molecule containing an impurity element to the semiconductor film at a concentration in accordance with a doping quantity; and crystallizing the semiconductor film while doping the impurity element contained in the molecule bonded to the dangling bond to the semiconductor film with a supply of energy to the inactivated semiconductor film, wherein the first to fourth steps are performed in an environment isolated from an atmosphere.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, more specifically, a method for manufacturing a thin-film transistor.
The manufacturing process of a thin-film transistor serving as a semiconductor device includes, for example, forming a semiconductor film that is later to become a channel of the transistor, and crystallizing the semiconductor film by irradiating light (especially a laser beam). Such steps, which are performed in different manufacturing devices, involve the following problem. If a substrate is exposed to the atmosphere while the substrate is carried from one step to another, impurities in the atmosphere such as hydrocarbon, boron, phosphorus, water, etc. bond to the surface of the semiconductor film and, with the melting and solidification of the semiconductor film due to crystallization, a large quantity of impurity elements are mixed into the semiconductor film.
Conventionally, as a solution to the above problem, a technique wherein a thin amorphous semiconductor film is deposited and then a gate oxide film is formed by means of solid-phase growth with continuous heating of the thin amorphous semiconductor film without exposing it to the atmosphere has been proposed in a first related art example, which will be described later.
Further, for the purpose of preventing the mixing of impurity elements into a semiconductor film, another technique for carrying a specimen, avoiding exposure to the atmosphere, between a chamber for heating an amorphous semiconductor at a temperature lower than the crystallization temperature of the same semiconductor and another chamber for irradiating a laser beam to a semiconductor has been proposed in a second related art example, which will be described later.
In addition, a thin-film transistor manufactured based on the manufacturing process of a thin-film transistor involves, in some cases, a problem of the shift of flat-band voltage that depends on a fixed electric charge, etc. in a substrate protective film and a gate insulation film. As a solution to such a problem, a method for manufacturing a thin-film transistor that can control the variation in threshold voltage by doping boron, etc. to a channel region and fixing the flat-band voltage to 0 V, virtually, has been proposed in a third related art example, which will be described later.
As techniques that can prevent the mixing of impurity elements by avoiding exposure to the atmosphere and, at the same time, control the variation in flat-band voltage, two combinations of the above techniques can be considered, for example.
FIGS. 5A to 5C show a first combination wherein semiconductor film formation, laser crystallization, and impurity doping are performed in the described order. As shown in FIG. 5A, a semiconductor film 202 is formed on a substrate 200 through the intermediary of a substrate protective film 201 using a CVD device. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, a crystallized semiconductor film 203 is formed by irradiating a laser beam using a laser crystallization device. Lastly, as shown in FIG. 5C, boron B+ is doped on the crystallized semiconductor film 203 using a doping device.
FIGS. 6A to 6C show a second combination wherein semiconductor film formation, impurity doping, and laser crystallization are performed in the described order. As shown in FIG. 6A, a semiconductor film 202 is formed using a CVD device. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, boron B+ is doped on the semiconductor film 202 using a doping device. Lastly, as shown in FIG. 6C, the semiconductor film 202 is crystallized by irradiating a laser beam.
In the first combination, a heating process for activating the doped impurities is required separately. However, since the highest annealing temperature of a glass substrate is limited, the above process is replaced by the increase of the doping quantity. On the other hand, when the doping quantity is increased, the properties of a semiconductor film may be degraded. Hence, the second combination, which can achieve a highly efficient activation of impurities in the laser crystallization step, is superior to the first combination.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-289140 is a first example of related art.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-342757 is a second example of related art.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-257992 is a third example of related art.
In both the first and second combinations, however, all of the CVD device, doping device, and laser crystallization device need to be used in combination in order to achieve the purpose of preventing the mixing of impurity elements by avoiding exposure to the atmosphere and, at the same time, controlling the variation in flat-band voltage.
The more the number of manufacturing devices increases, the more the number of steps required for carrying a substrate to another manufacturing device increases, which leads to a cost increase. Especially, the three manufacturing devices need to be coupled with one another under an airtight state so as not to expose a substrate to the atmosphere, which makes the cost increase of manufacturing devices unavoidable.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device


A computerized method manages passwords to unlock an electronic device from a standby mode by taking changed GPS coordinates of a location of the electronic device and utilizing the changed coordinates in preset formulas to establish and require a new password in substitution for a current password, to allow unlocking of the electronic device.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to data security, and particularly to a management system and method for unlocking an electronic device using a password.
2. Description of Related Art
For data security, many people lock an electronic device into a standby mode. When a user wants to use the electronic device again, a valid password is inputted to unlock the electronic device. However, the password may become known to others. For example, the password may be learned by other people during the unlocking process of the electronic device. Thus, personal data stored in the electronic device may be accessed by unauthorized individuals, and the user may experience unexpected difficulties. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.

Password management system and method for electronic device

Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.


A method and system are provided for adding, removing, and managing a plurality of network policy filters in a network device. Filters are installed in a framework and designated as active or disabled. Each filter has a priority. When a new filter is to be installed into the framework, it is compared to installed filters to determine if a conflict exists. If no conflict exists, the new filter is added as an active filter. If a conflict exists, a higher priority conflicting filter is added as active and a lower priority filter is added as inactive.

Computers implement various network policies to control network traffic and to protect a computer or other network device from malicious attacks perpetrated by other network devices, such as theft of data, denial of service (DOS) attacks, and the like.
One type of policy used to protect network devices is implemented through a tool known as a firewall. The firewall protects individual users, network devices, and networks in general, from malicious attacks, while also adding the ability to control the exchange of data. The firewall implements the policy by examining network packets and determining, based on the examination, whether the packets should be permitted, or conversely blocked, from further traversing the network. Firewalls perform other functions such as logging information pertaining to packets for future inspection.
The firewall uses filters to implement the policy. Each filter includes filter parameters and an action. The filter parameters identify network packets that are subject to the policy and include information such as hardware addresses, e.g. Media Access Control (MAC) addresses, network addresses, e.g. Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, protocol type, e.g. Transport Control Protocol (TCP), port numbers, and the like. The action defines how packets with parameters that match the filter parameters should be treated. As a specific example, the filter includes as its parameters a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address, e.g. "http://www.foo.com." The filter further associates the action of block, i.e. drop the packet, with that URL address. Whenever the firewall examines a packet and through that examination identifies the URL address "http://www.foo.com" as embedded in the packet, the firewall drops the packet thereby preventing it from traversing the network.
The firewall includes multiple filters to implement the policy and two or more filters may conflict. Two or more filters conflict when they apply to a common subset of network packets and designate different actions. For example, one filter designates that a network packet should be permitted to traverse the network while a different filter designates that the same network packet should be blocked from network traversal. Where conflicting filters exist within a network device, it becomes unpredictable how the overall system will respond to network traffic.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for managing network filter based policies


A data processor (20) which flexibly encrypts data within different address ranges includes an encryption determination circuit (50) to monitor an address conducted on an internal address bus (22) and when the address is within certain predefined ranges, perform encryption or decryption of address and/or data. For example the encryption determination circuit (50) may be used to selectively enable a data encryption-decryption circuit (60). When the data encryption-decryption circuit (60) is disabled, data conducted on an internal data bus (23) becomes "cleartext", i.e., non-encrypted. In one embodiment, the data encryption-decryption is performed in partial dependence on the address itself, and the address conducted to the external address bus is itself selectively encrypted as well.

Computer systems are classically defined as having three main blocks: central processing unit (CPU), memory, and input/output peripherals. Microcontrollers, which are also known as microcomputers or embedded controllers, incorporate all three of these blocks onto a single integrated circuit chip. Microcontrollers are used for a variety of control applications such as microwave ovens, television remote controllers, cellular telephones, and the like. Depending on the application, the microcontroller may either be able to have all program code on-chip, or it may have some program code on-chip and some program code off-chip. For these applications, some microcontrollers are designed to operate in an "expanded mode", in which address and data signals are present on integrated circuit pins and thus the microcontroller can access some program code off-chip.
In certain applications it is important to protect the program code from reverse engineering or "hacking". While this program code may be protected from legal copying through copyright laws, additional measures are required to prevent "hackers" from illegally copying and redistributing this code. If the program code is located in an off-chip memory, a hacker may simply pull the program memory chips out of their sockets and read out their data using separate hardware. If the program code is completely on-chip, hacking at least becomes more difficult. However well-known integrated circuit reverse engineering techniques allow the contents of this on-chip program memory to be determined relatively easily as well. Furthermore in many applications in which the software is complicated, such as cellular telephones, the code is usually too large to fit completely on-chip. Thus part of the program code must be located off-chip and the microcontroller must access it in expanded mode. In order to protect this valuable code which may be partially off-chip, certain microcontrollers have implemented address and data encryption techniques.
Address encryption consists generally of scrambling the physical locations within the microcontroller's internal memory so that hackers cannot read out the code by determining the logic states of memory cells and knowing the sequence due to the physical location of the memory cells. Data encryption includes both encryption and decryption. Data is encrypted when it is passed from the internal memory to external memory, and decrypted when it is read from external memory into the CPU or internal memory. There are many well known encryption schemes which use mathematical transformations and may even use the address location of the data as part of the transformation.
With regard to program instructions and data which are stored in external memory but which are brought on-chip as the program demands, encryption is a valuable tool in making it more difficult to hack a program. The programmer knows the encryption scheme and is able to store the program in the external memory chips in encrypted form. However these microcontrollers are frequently connected to external peripherals as well. For example, the data processor might need to drive a seven-segment display or read data from a terminal. In that case, encryption presents a couple of problems. First, encryption would increase the cost of system elements if they too had to include encryption and/or decryption circuitry. Second, the microcontroller manufacturer may have to disclose the encryption techniques used on the microcontroller to the manufacturer of the peripheral, which would increase the chance that the encryption scheme will leak out. What is needed, then, is a data processor such as a microcontroller which has a more flexible encryption scheme to allow for external peripherals. The present invention provides such a data processor, whose features and advantages will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Data processor with flexible data encryption


A fluid interconnect for a fluid enclosure includes an overmolded sealing surface of a thermoplastic elastomeric material, the sealing surface having an opening, the sealing surface overmolded upon a thermoplastic surface of a fluid enclosure; and a wall of the thermoplastic elastomeric material connected to the sealing surface, the wall enclosing a pathway, the pathway communicating with the opening at a first end; and a layer connected to the wall, the layer closing the pathway at a second end.

Inkjet-printing devices, such as inkjet printers, operate by ejecting ink onto media to form images on the media. For instance, a printhead may be moved back and forth across the media, and the media advanced perpendicular to the movement of the printhead across the media. While the inkjet printhead moves across the media, it ejects ink onto the media to form an image.
At least in some types of inkjet-printing devices, traditionally the inkjet printhead and the ink have been encased in an enclosure known as an inkjet cartridge. In some designs, the ink of the cartridge is depleted before the inkjet printhead requires replacement. Thus, when the ink runs out, a new cartridge has to be inserted into the printer. In some designs, the inkjet printhead has been separated from the ink supply as separately replaceable consumable items. An inkjet printhead may be inserted into an inkjet-printing device, and then just a supply of ink may be mated with the printhead already installed within the printing device, or before the printhead is installed.
Where the ink is encased in a supply separate from the inkjet printhead, the mating process between the printhead and the supply should ensure that there are no resulting fluid leaks. Furthermore, a supply may be later removed from the printhead before the ink therein is depleted. When the supply is so removed, as well as before the supply is first mated with the printhead, there should be no fluid leaks.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Historical high-spatial-resolution temperature data and dynamic temperature sensor measurement data may be used to predict temperature. A first formulation may be derived based on the historical high-spatial-resolution temperature data for determining a temperature at any point in 3-dimensional space. The dynamic temperature sensor measurement data may be calibrated based on the historical high-spatial-resolution temperature data at a corresponding historical time. Sensor temperature data at a plurality of sensor locations may be predicted for a future time based on the calibrated dynamic temperature sensor measurement data. A three-dimensional temperature spatial distribution associated with the future time may be generated based on the forecasted sensor temperature data and the first formulation. The three-dimensional temperature spatial distribution associated with the future time may be projected to a two-dimensional temperature distribution, and temperature in the future time for a selected space location may be forecasted dynamically based on said two-dimensional temperature distribution.

The inventors in the present application have recognized that forecasting temperature distributions in three dimensions in future time can provide data that help in managing energy efficiently, for example, in buildings and/or facilities such as data centers. For example, such forecasted data can help in identifying hot spots to prevent machine failures, identifying overcooling to avoid unnecessary energy waste, and understanding the impacts of cooling conditions and data center layout on temperature distribution.
However, current work on temperature estimation has been focusing on using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) physical models, which involves differential and partial differential equations. CFD models can take relatively long time to estimate temperature, especially when it involves spatial dimensions, e.g., three dimensions.

International Business Machines Corporation


An information processing device includes circuitry configured to generate a white balance evaluation result based on an user designated portion in an image. The circuitry is also configured to control a display of an indication of the white balance evaluation result with the image.

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an imaging device, an information processing method, and a program.
In recent years, imaging of images using imaging devices such as digital cameras is being widely performed. In such imaging devices, a white balance process of correcting an image is performed so that a white object is consistently imaged white even under a light source having a different tone such as a fluorescent lamp or an incandescent lamp.
For example, JP 2003-299117A discloses a technique of determining a type of a light source based on an imaged image and performing a white balance process according to the determined type of the light source.

Information processing device, imaging device, information processing method, and program


A plating device and a plating method are provided that are capable of enhancing uniformity in plating on a treatment surface of an object to be treated. The plating device includes: a plating solution bath capable of storing a plating solution and having a first electrode to be immersed in the stored plating solution; a treatment object holding mechanism configured to hold the object to be treated to bring the treatment surface thereof into contact with the plating solution; and a contact disposed in the treatment object holding mechanism and brought into electrical contact with a peripheral edge of the object to be treated so as to make a conductive layer on the treatment surface, which is brought into contact with the plating solution, serve as a second electrode, the contact having a bellows construction or a spring construction movable in a direction facing the object to be treated, and the treatment object holding mechanism being capable of holding the object to be treated while the bellows construction or the like in the contact is in a compressed state. The contact itself is formed as a pliable structure instead of a rigid structure, thereby keeping the contact resistance constant by fluctuation in contact pressure which is controlled to be small even when a slight displacement of the compression direction occurs.

In accordance with the progress of the microfabrication required in manufacturing semiconductor devices and liquid crystal devices, the frequency of using a plating process, in place of a vapor phase reaction process, in semiconductor manufacturing processes and liquid crystal device manufacturing processes has recently been on the increase. Securing uniform film quality and film thickness of plating over the surface of an object to be treated is generally an important problem in such a plating process for controlling the quality of semiconductors and so on to be manufactured.
A process of copper-plating the surface of a wafer to be treated will be explained as an example of the plating process. When the surface of the wafer to be treated is copper-plated, a conductive seed layer to be a cathode of electrolytic plating and to be a seed of plating is formed on the surface thereof in advance.
The surface of the wafer to be treated on which the seed layer has been formed is immersed in a plating solution bath so as to be in contract with a plating solution containing, for example, copper sulfate as a base, and electric conductors (cathode contacts, which are hereinafter, simply referred to as contacts, when appropriate) are brought into contact with the seed layer from the outer periphery of the wafer so that electricity for electrolytic plating is supplied. A copper anode electrode containing, for example, phosphorous is disposed in the plating solution bath, being immersed in the plating solution.
Through the use of these structures, electricity is supplied between the cathode and the anode to precipitate copper by reduction to the cathode which is originally the seed layer, thereby forming copper on the seed layer as plating.
The electrical contact by the contacts from the outer periphery of the wafer needs to be uniform over the whole outer periphery in a plating device having such a structure. Inferior uniformity results in variation in contact resistances between the contacts and the wafer. Consequently, among the contacts that are in contact with the peripheral edge of the wafer, contacts which are in contact with the wafer with smaller contact resistances have higher conductivity to the wafer while contacts which are in contact with the wafer with larger contact resistances have lower conductivity to the wafer.
Portions on the wafer from the contacts which are in contact therewith with good conductivity to the center of the wafer is actively plated, so that a film formed thereon has a larger thickness compared with that on portions on the wafer from the contacts which are in contact therewith with inferior conductivity to the center of the wafer. In other words, the variation in the contact resistances between the contacts and the wafer causes nonuniform plating on the surface of the wafer to be treated. Therefore, the contacts have to be electrically brought into uniform contact with the whole outer periphery of the wafer from the outer periphery thereof in order to prevent nonuniform plating.
Currently, a well-known method adopted for the purpose of surely securing the electrical contact between the wafer and the contacts is a method in which a contact having a large number of dotted contact points is disposed facing the wafer surface of the wafer peripheral edge, and a rear face of the wafer is pressed in the direction of the contact points.
With the recent increase in the wafer diameter, however, the number of the contacts points to be provided on the contact has been on the increase, and it is getting difficult to uniformly press the contact points to obtain uniform contact for all the contact points. Specifically, the positions of the contact points in a heightwise direction need to be precisely uniform in order to bring the contact points of the contact into uniform contact with the wafer by pressing the rear face of the wafer. As the number of the contact points increases, such securing of the uniformity in the heightwise positions becomes more difficult from the viewpoint of machining and assembly of the device. Further, even when the precision of the machining and assembly is secured, it becomes more difficult to maintain the uniformity in the heightwise positions of the contact points with the increase in the number of the contact points since there exist causes of fluctuation such as abrasion which occurs each time the device is operated.
As is explained above, in the plating device currently used, it is getting difficult to maintain the uniformity in the contact resistances between the contacts and the wafer, and there is a limit to the uniform plating on the treatment surface.


A container dispenser includes structure to support a nested stack of containers. The dispenser includes a crossbar at the lower end of the structure and a pair of spaced apart upright posts to which a retention wire clip may be removably mounted. The wire clip is designed to engage the exterior side wall or lip of the outermost cup of the nested stack, and in effect, hold the outermost container against the cross bar. This not only keeps the outermost container from falling away from the dispenser but also retains the nested stack in the dispenser. The retention wire clip is preferably formed of spring steel.

The present invention is generally directed to cup dispensers and, more particularly, to a countertop supported dispenser for dispensing beverage cups and the like.
Beverage cup dispensers, such as those typically found in fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and similar establishments, are often of a type that include a rack or housing into which one or more nested stacks of paper, plastic or foam beverage cups can be loaded. In one type of dispenser, a spring or similar biasing force (e.g., gravity) is applied at the feed end of a tubular housing to bias a nested stack of beverage cups (or containers) toward a discharge opening formed in the opposite end of the tubular housing. Clips or a flexible gasket (diaphragm) are secured to the discharge end of the tubular housing and engage the outer surface or lip of the outermost cup of the nested stack. The clips or the flexible gasket apply a small resistive force to the spring bias to hold the nested stack of cups in the tubular housing. When the outermost cup is withdrawn from the tubular housing, the resistive force opposing the spring bias is momentarily relieved which allows the spring to force the next cup in the nested stack into the discharge opening. More particularly, as the outermost or lowermost cup is extracted from the nested stack, the clips or flexible gasket are forced outward thus relieving the holding force on the lowermost cup. When the cup has been fully withdrawn from the dispenser, the clips or flexible gasket engage the next cup in the nested stack so as to retain the nested stack in the tubular housing. Some beverage cup dispensers are fitted with one more coils at the discharge end of the tubular housing that are operative to hold the nested stack of beverage cups in the tubular housing and grab the next cup in the nested stack when the outermost or lowermost cup is being withdrawn.
Flexible gaskets are commonly used to engage the outermost cup of the nested stack because they can accommodate cups of different diameters without requiring customer modification. Over time however the gaskets can began to wear and lose their shape memory. Also, the gaskets can begin to tear. Clips have been designed that have a longer usable life than gaskets but clips typically require an end user, i.e., customer, to set the position of the clips to accommodate a given cup diameter. In many instances, three or more radially spaced clips are used and thus requires the customer to set the position of several clips. Additionally, if the clips are not properly positioned, a cup, as it is being withdrawn, may be pulled askew, which can mar or damage the cup rendering it unusable. Coils can be similarly difficult to position and if not properly tensioned can result in double dispensing or damage to the cup as it being withdrawn.
Conventional tubular dispensers are also generally large and relatively costly to manufacture. The tubular dispensers require the tubular housing, one or more end caps at the feed and discharge ends, the aforementioned clips or gasket, and a lengthy metallic spring. When paired or tripled together to accommodate multiple cup sizes, the footprint of the beverage cup station can be quite large and occupy significant countertop space.
To eschew the complexity and costliness of conventional spring-biased beverage cup dispenser such as those described above, low cost pull-type dispensers have been developed that rely solely upon gravity to present a nested stack of beverage cups for one-at-a-time dispensing. In addition to be generally cheaper to manufacture, these pull-type dispensers are typically lighter and smaller than other types of beverage cup dispensers, making their use preferred for convenience stores, cafeterias, fast food restaurants, and the like.
These pull-type beverage cup dispensers typically have a cuboid wire frame designed to hold one or more nested stacks of beverage cups. The frame includes one or more ramps along which the nested stacks of beverage cups sit so that gravity can force the nested stacks toward respective dispensing ends at the front of the cuboid frame. Alternately, the ramps could be planar and a spring could bias the nested stack toward the dispensing end. In one form, rather than clips or gaskets, one or more springs are arranged horizontally across the front of the frame in a cup dispensing lane. The spring is designed to catch the lip of an outermost (lowermost) beverage cup as the previous outermost beverage cup is being extracted. In some instances, a pair of springs arranged side-by-side, front-to-back are used to cooperatively catch the lip of the outermost beverage cup. One of the drawbacks of using the spring to keep the nested stack of cups from falling out of the dispenser is tuning the spring to match the type and size of cups to be dispensed. That is, if the spring applies too great a holding force, the spring may mar the beverage cups as they are being extracted. On the other hand, if the spring applies too loose a holding force, the spring may be unable to effectively "catch" the next beverage cup resulting in multiple cups being extracted at a time. In both instances, an improperly tuned spring can result in unnecessary beverage cup waste.


A polishing slurry is formed of a silica-dispersed solution obtained by dispersing, in an aqueous solvent, a fumed silica having an average primary particle size of from 5 to 30 nm, the silica-dispersed solution exhibiting a light scattering index (n) of from 3 to 6 at a silica concentration of 1.5% by weight, and the fumed silica dispersed therein having an average secondary particle size of from 30 to 100 nm on the weight basis. The polishing slurry is produced by pulverizing, using a high-pressure homogenizer, a silica-dispersed solution obtained by dispersing a fumed silica in an aqueous solvent, so that the fumed silica possesses an average secondary particle size of from 30 to 100 nm on the weight basis. The polishing slurry is used for polishing semiconductor wafers and inter-layer dielectric in an IC process.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a novel polishing slurry that can be favorably used for polishing semiconductor wafers as represented by silicon and for polishing an inter-layer dielectric in the IC fabrication process (hereinafter often referred to as CMP). More specifically, the invention relates to a polishing slurry comprising a silica-dispersed solution obtained by dispersing fumed silica particles in an aqueous solvent, featuring a high purity, excellent polishing performance and excellent preservation stability.
2. Background Art
A conventional polishing slurry comprising a silica-dispersed solution can be represented by the one which comprises colloidal silica obtained by using sodium silicate as a starting material. For example, New Ceramics No. 2, pp. 45-46, 1995 discloses a polishing slurry for silicon wafers comprising colloidal silica obtained from sodium silicate. The colloidal silica is synthesized in a liquid phase and is used in the form of a dispersion without being dried, exhibiting small average particle diameter, good dispersion and very good stability in a solution.
Generally, however, the colloidal silica has a low purity and could not be used as a polishing slurry for semiconductor wafers that require high purity or as a polishing slurry for the inter-layer dielectric in the IC process. In particular, the polishing slurry for the inter-layer dielectric causes a serious problem of contamination due to cations such as of heavy metals and, hence, must have a high purity.
To meet these requirements, the above literature proposes a method of obtaining colloidal silica by using an organosilicon compound such as alkoxide as a starting material of colloidal silica.
However, the colloidal silica is produced on an industrial scale maintaining a poor yield. Besides, the method which uses the organosilicon compound involves a problem of an increase in the cost of production due to the starting material.
Moreover, the particles of the colloidal silica are soft and easily adhere strongly on the polished surfaces and cannot be removed to a sufficient degree even by the washing. This means that the polished surfaces are further contaminated when use is made of the colloidal silica containing much impurities, that is obtained by using the sodium silicate as a starting material.
In addition to the colloidal silica, there has been known a fumed silica which is a fine silica and is obtained on an industrial scale maintaining a good yield by burning a silicon tetrachloride in the hydrogen-oxygen combustion flame. The fumed silica has a primary particle size which is as small as that of the colloidal silica and has a high purity. Therefore, attempts have been made to use the fumed silica as a polishing slurry to substitute for the polishing slurry which uses the colloidal silica.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 20350/1982 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 60420/1991 disclose a silicon-dispersed solution obtained by dispersing a fumed silica in an aqueous solvent and a polishing slurry for silicon wafers comprising the above silica-dispersed solution.
However, the fumed silica is provided in the form of a dry aggregated powder which, when it has a large specific surface area (small primary particle size), can be stably dispersed with very difficulty in an aqueous solution as fine particles.
The above-mentioned literature therefore teaches that it is desirable to use fumed silica having a specific surface area of not larger than 75 m.sup.2 /g to produce a silica-dispersed solution in which silica particles are favorably dispersed.
The fumed silica having a specific surface area of not larger than 75 m.sup.2 /g has an average primary particle size of as relatively large as not smaller than 36 nm as reckoned from the specific surface area that will be described later, and makes it relatively easy to obtain a silica-dispersed solution having good dispersion property. However, the fumed silica that is formed in the flame has hard particles. When the silica-dispersed solution of the fumed silica is used as a polishing slurry, therefore, the polished surfaces tend to be scarred and lose planarity, arousing a problem from the standpoint of using it as a polishing slurry for the semiconductor wafers or for the inter-layer dielectric during the IC process. In the CMP for polishing the inter-layer dielectric (often called wiring layer) as represented by a glass film in the IC process that is drawing attention in recent years, in particular, scars formed on the wiring layer are causing a breakage of the wiring formed thereon. According to the present inventors, furthermore, it has been confirmed that the supernatant liquid forms after the silica-dispersed solution is left to stand for several months; i.e., the silica-dispersed solution has poor preservation stability.
When it is attempted to prepare a silica-dispersed solution using a fumed silica having a small primary particle size and a specific surface area of not smaller than 75 m.sup.2 /g by using a high-shearing mixer that has heretofore been used for the dispersion, poor dispersion stability is obtained since silica has poor dispersion property. Besides, the silica-dispersed solution becomes no longer utilizable as its viscosity increases. Even if the silica-dispersed solution having a suitable viscosity is obtained, the polishing slurry comprising such a silica-dispersed solution contains particles of various sizes made up of primary particles that are aggregated. Therefore, the polishing performance is not favorably reproduced and, besides, the polishing rate is low.
In order to improve stability of the silica-dispersed solution using the fumed silica, furthermore, Japanese Patent Publication No. 338/1993 discloses a water dispersion composition (silica-dispersed solution) of silicic anhydride obtained by dispersing, in an aqueous solvent, a silicic anhydride having a surface silanol group density of not smaller than 0.3 but not larger than 3 per 1 nm.sup.2.
Though there has been described that the silica-dispersed solution has good stability, the silica-dispersed solution is obtained by drying the silica before being dispersed and treating the surfaces of the silica with an alkoxysilane coupling agent to satisfy the above-mentioned conditions, requiring cumbersome operation. Besides, the dispersion machine used for the method of producing the dispersion solution of the surface-treated silica is of the high-shearing type like the one used in the above-mentioned prior art. The silica-dispersed solution obtained by using the above dispersion machine contains aggregated particles of various sizes as described above, and still leaves much room for improvement concerning its polishing performance so that it can be used as a polishing slurry.

Polishing slurries and a process for the production thereof


The invention provides low optical density magnetic fluid which is a stable dispersion of fine magnetic particles. The invention further provides a method of forming the stable dispersion which includes providing an ion exchange resin, loading the ion exchange resin with an ion capable of forming a magnetic phase, treating the loaded resin to form magnetic particles and micronizing the resin and magnetic particles in a fluid to form an aqueous stable colloid.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a ferrofluid having low optical density. Further, the invention relates to a method of preparing the ferrofluid. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of preparing an aqueous ferrofluid.
More specifically, the invention relates to a method for the preparation of colored ferrofluids using various colorants, dyes or pigments. Finally, the invention relates to xerographic magnetic liquid toners, colored xerographic magnetic liquid toners and liquid ink compositions and methods of preparation thereof.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The preparation of magnetic fluids is, in general, a very time intensive process most simply done by grinding a magnetic material such as magnetite, Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4, in a suitable liquid vehicle in the presence of a dispersing agent or surfactant to obtain a stable colloidal magnetic fluid. This general preparation is described in detail in Rosensweig & Kaiser "Study of Paramagnetic Liquids," NASA Document N68-14205, Wilmington, Mass. 1967 and IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. MAG-16, No. 2, March 1980.
In a typical grinding or milling operation to produce magnetic fluids, grinding or milling times of 120-2900 hours (five days to four months) are required. The problem is in producing small enough magnetic particles to enable the formation of a stable colloid. The use of dispersing agents or surfactants is also a problem in that the correct or enabling surfactant must be found empirically. Furthermore, the surfactant may degrade or cause adverse chemical reactions in the magnetic fluid during its application.
In addition, prior art magnetic fluids are typically, by their very nature, black or very dark brown in color and therefore highly absorbent in the visible region of the spectrum. At the heart of such materials are magnetic materials such as iron, cobalt or nickel particles, iron oxide such as Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4, and the like, generally in an assigned range of about 10-1000 .ANG.. These prior art magnetic fluids are not particularly useful in applications requiring low optical density as they are highly absorbing. Examples of such applications include those requiring high magnetism and low optical density or high optical transmission, particularly in the visible and near infrared region of the spectrum, such as, magneto-optic and electro-optic effects.
Moreover, if a fluid with these magnetic properties is required to be colored, i.e. by mixing it with various colorants, dyes or pigments, the brown, black or muddy appearance of the prior art magnetic fluids produced a colored magnetic fluid which was also brown, black or muddy in appearance. Thus, applications requiring brightly colored fluids that are magnetic, for example, inks and toners were not possible using the prior art magnetic fluids. Moreover, when colorant was added to prior art magnetic fluids, a mixture of dye and magnetic fluid was formed. If a single component colored fluid was required, its formation was not possible using prior art magnetic fluids.

Magnetic fluids and method of preparation


A laser repair method for a high gamma prime content Ni base superalloy substrate surface, with gamma prime content in the range of at least about 30 volume %, conducts the repair at ambient temperature without preheating the substrate surface and by controlling processing parameters to avoid cracking of the resulting weld bead during and after welding. The laser beam, operating in a power range of about 50-10000 watts per centimeter, is focused away from the substrate surface to provide a laser spot in the size range of about 0.03-0.2xe2x80x3. A relative movement between the substrate surface and the laser beam, for example at a rate in the range of about 1-100 inches per minute, provides an interaction time of no greater than about 10 seconds between the laser beam and the substrate surface. Concurrently, a repair alloy powder is deposited in the laser beam to melt and fuse the repair alloy powder into a molten repair alloy deposited on the substrate surface.

This invention relates to the repair of a nickel base superalloy with a gamma prime content in an amount sufficient to result in cracking during fusion type repair. More particularly, it relates to a method for avoiding cracking during repair of an article made of such an alloy using laser fusion or welding.
Operation of modern gas turbine engines, particularly for use in aircraft, includes exposure to very high temperatures under strenuous conditions of environment and mechanical forces. To enable such operation, high temperature nickel base superalloys have been developed with high gamma prime content, for example to provide one or more of improved properties such as mechanical, castability, resistance to the strenuous operating environment, etc. To assist in providing such properties, currently used forms of such alloys are made with relatively large amounts of strengthening elements, for example including at least one of Al, Ti, V, Ta, etc. Inclusion of such amounts of strengthening elements results in the formation of relatively large amounts of the well known and widely described gamma prime phase, for example in amounts of at approximately 30 volume percent or higher. There are many commercially known and used examples of such high gamma prime content alloys. These alloys include Rene"" 80 Ni base alloy with a gamma prime content in the range of about 30-50 vol. %, forms of which are more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,376xe2x80x94Ross et al. (patented Oct. 26, 1971); Rene"" 142 Ni base alloy with a gamma prime content in the range of about 60-70 vol. %, forms of which are more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,742xe2x80x94Wukusik et al. (patented Oct. 2, 1979); and Rene"" N5 Ni base alloy with a gamma prime content in the range of about 60-75 vol. %, forms of which are more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,255xe2x80x94Ross et al. (Patented Dec. 22, 1992).
Certain current fusion type repair, such as welding, of defects in turbine engine articles made from a high gamma prime content Ni base superalloy, either resulting from manufacture or from exposure to operating conditions, can result in cracking of the article. High gamma prime containing Ni base superalloys are well known to be prone to micro and/or macro cracking during welding or during post weld heat treatment (PWHT). Strain age cracking is widely believed to be the main cause of such cracking. As a result, current welding methods to repair an article, for example a worn or damaged tip of a gas turbine engine turbine blade airfoil made of a high gamma prime content Ni base alloy, requires preheating of the article to a relatively high temperature, typically above about 1400xc2x0 F., and holding at such temperature during welding, to avoid cracking. Preheating methods prior to fusion repair, such as using a laser, have been described in such U.S. Patents as U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,815xe2x80x94Everett; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,900,170 and 5,914,059xe2x80x94Marcin, Jr. et al.
A manual or semiautomatic Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) or automated laser welding method generally has been used for repair build-up on such a preheated substrate. However, known methods involving preheating prior to welding, with the temperature maintained during welding, suffer from the deficiency that precise temperature control of a relatively narrow substrate such as an airfoil tip must be maintained in order to achieve good results or yield. In addition, such a repair method is relatively slow, as well as costly, because it requires equipment and time for heating to and holding during welding at the required preheating temperature. Also, such method requires that the article surface being repaired be constantly shielded from the oxidizing environment during preheating, weld repair at the preheating temperature, and cooling from the preheating temperature after welding.
The present invention, in one form, provides a laser repair method for repairing a Ni base superalloy substrate, having a gamma prime content of at least about 30 vol. %, conducted at ambient or room temperature, without the use of or need for preheating by reducing the interaction time between the substrate and a molten repair alloy to avoid cracking of the substrate during weld repair. The method comprises providing and maintaining a substrate surface at ambient temperature in juxtaposition with a laser that operates in the power range of about 50-10000 watts per square centimeter. The beam of the laser is focused at a point away from the substrate surface, sometimes referred to as defocused, to provide at the substrate surface a laser spot in the size range of about 0.03-0.2xe2x80x3 diameter, or its equivalent. The method includes, in such combination, relative movement between the substrate surface and the laser to provide an interaction time of no greater than about 10 seconds between the laser beam and the substrate surface. In one form, the rate in the range of about 1-100 inches per minute. Concurrently rather than subsequently, a powdered repair material is deposited into the laser beam, in one form at a feed rate in the range of about 0.4-15 grams per minute, into the laser spot on the substrate surface. At this combination of laser density, relative movement rate and concurrent repair powder delivery, the laser beam melts and fuses the powder into a molten repair material at a relatively low interaction time, one form of which is in the range of about 0.01-10 seconds between the laser beam and the substrate. This combination avoids cracking of a substrate highly susceptible to cracking when repairing at ambient temperature. The need for preheating the substrate before and during welding thereby is eliminated.

Laser repair method for nickel base superalloys with high gamma prime content


An eyeglass frame that allows the lenses to be changed including a front and temples, the front including two rims, a nose engagement seat between the rims, two side retaining seats disposed at both sides of the front respectively, and a slide block for coupling to the nose engagement seat. The nose engagement seat has an outwardly projecting block on its outer surface. The slide block is formed with a grove shaped to match the projecting block such that it may slid over the projecting block to be coupled thereto and cover parts of the rims. The side retain seats are formed with curved grooves for the lenses. The projecting block of the nose engagement seat and the groove of the slide block are interchangeable. Besides, the nose engagement seat may be replaced by a securing seat having retaining grooves at both lateral sides thereof, and two side slide blocks are provided near both ends of the front respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an eyeglass frame that allows the lenses to be changed and more particularly to an eyeglass frame that allows the wearer to change lenses without use of special apparatus or the help of opticians.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional eyeglasses generally fall into two main types: optical glasses and sunglasses. In optical glasses, the lenses are fixedly mounted in the rims. Likewise, lenses of sunglasses are fixedly mounted, and sunglasses are not suitable for wearing indoors as they block the light. In mounting lenses on a thermoplastic frame, the frame is heated in a heating apparatus so that the rims expand to allow insertion of the lenses. Such cannot be done by the wearer bare-handedly. Fixing lenses in metal frames also requires tools to tighten the tiny screws.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional eyeglass frame that basically comprises a from 1 and temples 3 connected to either end of the front 1. The front 1 is heated in a heating apparatus so that its rims 2 expand to allow mounting of two lenses 4 therein respectively. When the rims 2 are cool and contact, the lenses 4 will be secured therein. In a metallic frame, the front 1 is formed to consist of an upper portion and a lower portion. Lenses 4 are placed inside the rims 2 and the upper and lower portions are joined by tiny screws. Neither of the above methods of mounting the lenses 4 can be done by the wearer without any tools. Thermoplastic frames may easily deform in shape so that the lenses may drop out. For metallic frames, the tiny screws may crack and cannot be removed from the screw holes so that the lenses cannot be firmly secured or the frame cannot be used again.
A user may need to change glasses anytime and he/she has to prepare several pairs of eyeglasses with lenses of different shades or for different purposes, which is very inconvenient.

Eyeglass frame having apparatus for removably securing lenses thereto

Floor 5th, 16-1 Alley 82, Lane 14, Chung-Shiang N. Road, Section 7


A method for determining a particle impact on a sensor device comprising M sensing areas, each impact causing a variation of at least one physical magnitude of several sensing portions, said method comprising the steps of: determining an impact center sensing area, where the variation of the at least one physical magnitude is substantially maximal, allocating a result of a sum of the physical magnitude variations of a first set of N sensing areas, said set including the impact center area and other sensing areas neighboring said impact center sensing area, where N is at least 2 and is strict less than M.

In imaging systems, for example adapted for X-ray, the sensor device comprises an array of sensing areas, for sensing a photon impact. The impact of a photon causes a variation of a physical magnitude, for instance the charge or the voltage of a sensing area. In single photon counting sensing devices, each impinging photon is counted and allocated to the area on which it impacted. However, for sensing device with high resolution, and where the pixel pitch is similar to or smaller than the sensor device thickness, the energy deposited by the impinging photon is shared by a plurality of sensing areas. Consequently, the variation of physical magnitude of the impact center sensing area is not exactly representative of the energy of the impinging photon. For example, the spectrum resulting of this sensing device is erroneous and does not correspond to the actual X-ray emission received by the sensing device.
Moreover, a single X-ray photon impinging in the vicinity of the edge of a sensing area could be detected as two incoming photons with only half energy.

Method for determining a particle and sensor device therefor

Organisation Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire


A semiconductor device with a reduced layout area includes pads disposed between a first voltage line and a second voltage line; first and second driver units adjacently disposed at an upper portion or a lower portion of the respective pads; and a metal line disposed between the pads and supplying power commonly to the first and second driver units.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a semiconductor device with a reduced layout area having a shared metal line between pads.
The fast-paced advancement of semiconductor technologies is evidenced in rapidly increasing memory capacity processing speed.
In general, pads are placed in a peripheral region of a semiconductor chip to allow electrical connection between the chip and the outside. These pads are used to input or output the signals to/from the chip such as the signals related to address, command input, read and write operations, etc. Each of these pads connected to the internal circuit of the chip is connected to the package pin via a wire bonding.
Each of these pads is provided with a vicinity circuit region adjacent thereto. Each vicinity circuit region is the area set aside to accommodate the circuits connect directly to the pad, for example, an electrostatic discharge unit, a data output driver circuit, an on-die termination (ODT) circuit, and the like. Each pad's use or purpose is determined by the connection made of the pad and the circuit provided in the vicinity circuit area, and further the pad is packaged in the manner suitable for the packaging required by a user.
FIG. 1A shows an electrostatic discharge unit formed at a periphery region of a pad, and FIG. 1B shows a layout of the electrostatic discharge unit shown in FIG. 1A.
Referring to FIG. 1A, an electrostatic discharge unit 20 disposed between a pad 10 and an internal circuit 40, and a power clamp unit 30 disposed between a power voltage VDD line 1 and a ground voltage VSS line 2 are comprised in a semiconductor device.
In the electrostatic discharge unit 20, a diode 21 connected to the power voltage VDD line 1 and a diode 22 connected to the ground voltage VSS line 2 are connected in series. When static electricity is inputted into the pad, the static electricity is discharged through the power voltage VDD line 1 or the ground voltage VSS line 2. The power clamp unit 30 is formed between the power voltage VDD line 1 and the ground voltage VSS line 2 and is turned on to protect the device when the voltage is rapidly changed by an electrostatic input.
FIG. 1B is a layout of the electrostatic discharge unit of FIG. 1A. However, FIG. 1B is not shown with the details of the electrostatic discharge unit 20 and the power clamp 30, because they are deemed to be apparent to one of ordinary skills in the pertinent art. Instead, FIG. 1B is drawn to show with emphasis the metal lines and contacts related to power supply.
Referring to FIG. 1B, the electrostatic discharge units 21, 22, 23, 24 and power clamp units 31, 32, 33, 34 are disposed at the upper portion and lower portion of the pads 10 and 11. The metal lines 41, 42, 43, 44 are disposed to apply bias to the power clamp units 31, 32, 33, 34.
The diodes 21, 22 of the electrostatic discharge unit 20 are formed to be overlapped with the pad 10 and are connected to the power voltage VDD line 1 or the ground voltage VSS line 2 through a contact. Specifically, one side of the first diode 21 is connected to the power voltage VDD line 1, and the other side of the first diode 21 is connected to the ground voltage VSS line 2. In other words, an N-type impurity region of the first diode 21 is connected to the VDD line 1 at the lower portion thereof through the contact, and a P-type impurity region of the first diode 21 is connected to the pad 10 through a metal option (not shown). Therefore, the first diode 21 can protect the circuit by discharging static electricity applied to the pad to the power voltage VDD line 1. Likewise, a P-type impurity region of the second diode 22 is connected to the ground voltage VSS line 2 through the contact, and an N-type impurity region of the second diode 22 is connected to the pad 10 through a metal option (not shown).
Next, with respect to the power clamp unit 30, the power clamp unit 30 in FIG. 1A corresponds to power clamp units 31, 32 in FIG. 1B. The first power clamp unit 31 is formed with a contact at a portion thereof overlapped with the power voltage VDD line 1 and is supplied with the power voltage VDD. Also, the first power clamp unit 31 is connected to the ground voltage VSS line 2 through the metal line 41. Likewise, the second power clamp unit 32 is formed with a contact at a portion thereof overlapped with the ground voltage VSS line 2 to be supplied with the ground voltage VSS, and the second power clamp unit 32 is supplied with the power voltage VDD through the metal line 42.
A drain terminal of the first power clamp unit 31 is supplied with the power voltage VDD through the contact formed at the portion overlapped with the power voltage VDD line 1 and a source terminal of the first power clamp unit 31 is supplied with the ground voltage VSS through the metal line 41. Also, a drain terminal of the second power clamp unit 32 is supplied with the power voltage VDD through metal line 42, and a source terminal of the second power clamp unit 32 is supplied with the ground voltage VSS through the contact formed at the portion overlapped with the ground voltage VSS line 2.
Further, the electrostatic discharge units 23, 24 and the power clamp units 33, 34 are disposed at a periphery of the pad 11, and the metal lines 43, 44 are formed so as to apply bias to the power clamp units 33, 34.
Generally, wiring of more than 6 μm width is used for the metal lines 41, 42, 43, 44. However, since signal lines are more and more increasing as semiconductor devices are more miniaturized and operate at higher speed, it is very difficult to ensure a space for disposing the metal lines for the power supply.
Uniticularly, according to the prior art, since two power lines exist within a pitch between the pads, it is very difficult to allocate a space for disposing the signal line.

Semiconductor device with reduced layout area having shared metal line between pads


A cap that functions as a heat sink is affixed to the obverse surface of a semiconductor chip having ball bumps attached to the wiring pads on its surface, following which the semiconductor chip with the affixed cap is mounted on the bottom surface of a depression in a case and the opening of the depression in the case is simultaneously sealed by the cap.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a semiconductor package, and particularly to a manufacturing method for a semiconductor package for use in a flip chip.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a semiconductor package for use in a flip chip according to the prior art is made up of, for example, semiconductor chip 1 (also referred to as a "pellet"), case 3 having a depression which is a mounting portion for mounting semiconductor chip 1, and a cap 4 which seals the opening of the depression in case 3 and which further is affixed to semiconductor chip 1 and serves as a heat sink (heat discharge part). In addition, external terminal 8 for exchanging signals with semiconductor chip 1 is provided on the outer surface of case 3, and inner leads (internal wiring) 7 which are in electrical contact with external terminal 8 are arranged on the bottom surface of the depression of case 3.
In manufacturing such a semiconductor package, first, as shown in FIG. 2A, ball bumps 2 are attached to wiring connection terminals (also called "pads") (not shown in the figure) on the surface of semiconductor chip 1. Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, face bonding is effected between ball bumps 2 of semiconductor chip 1 and inner leads 7 on the bottom surface of the depression of case 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 2C, cap 4 is then bonded by means of resin 6 to semiconductor chip 1, which is mounted on case 3, and the opening of the depression of case 3 is sealed by cap 4 using resin 6.
However, in the manufacturing method of a semiconductor package of the prior art as shown in FIG. 2A-2C, when attaching cap 4, which also serves as a heat sink, after semiconductor chip 1 having attached ball bumps has already been mounted in case 3, the pressure at the time of sealing must be controlled both between cap 4 that doubles as a heat sink and the obverse surface of semiconductor chip 1 as well as between ball bumps 2 and inner leads 7 of case 3, and this control has been difficult. As a consequence, problems have occurred including incomplete sealing and cracking of semiconductor chips due to insufficient or excessive pressure at the time of sealing.

Semiconductor package and method of manufacturing the same


A foldable shelf convenient to transport and assemble, including at least two storage members and vertical rods installed on two sides of the storage members, where the vertical rods each includes a fixed rod relatively fixed to one side of the bottom storage member and at least one folding rod; a lower end of one folding rod adjacent to the fixed rod is hinged to an upper end of the fixed rod; the storage member at the bottom is disposed on an inner side of the fixed rod, two sides of each of other storage members are fixedly connected to sliding blocks, and the sliding blocks each sleeve the vertical rod and are capable of sliding along the fixed rod on the vertical rod and the folding rod; and a fastening device is disposed between the sliding block and the folding rod.

The present disclosure relates to the field of shelf technologies, and in particular, to a foldable shelf convenient to transport and assemble.
A shelf is used to place items. There is a larger demand for shelves in domestic and commercial use. In the prior art, the shelf is usually complex in structure, is inconvenient to transport, and is difficult to assemble for a user. A structure design of the shelf needs to be improved.

Foldable shelf convenient to transport and assemble


The present invention relates to a method for bonding together two disc substrates, at least one disc substrate having a UV transmissive-visible light reflective information recording layer provided on a UV transmissive base. In this method, the disc substrates are bonded together, so that the information recording layer of one disc substrate faces the other disc substrate, by employing UV irradiation to cure a UV curable composition used as a bonding agent. In the case of the present invention, to cure the bonding agent, UV is irradiated in a single or repeating flash so as not to impair the information recording layer. As a result, the bonding agent can be cured in a shorter period of time with less energy consumed as compared to the conventional method of using continuous irradiation of UV light to cure a UV curable composition used as a bonding agent. Accordingly, the present method enables a product disc to be obtained in a shorter time, with less energy used, so that productivity (i.e., number of bondings per unit time) is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for bonding together two discs having information recording layers and, more specifically, to an optimal method for manufacturing a DVD ("digital video disc" or "digital versatile disc") employing an bonding method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional method for bonding two plate-like objects together employing a UV curable resin as an bonding agent, a UV curable composition is first coated uniformly to the bonding surfaces of the plates using a known technology such as spin coating, screen printing or the like. The two plates are then stacked so that the bonding surfaces meet. UV light is then irradiated in a continuous emission to cure the resin.
A high-pressure mercury lamp, metal halide lamp, mercury-xenon lamp or other such conventionally used device may be employed as the light source in the UV irradiation. However, since the lamp continuously emits light in this method, heat is readily generated, which can cause warping of the disc or impair its mechanical characteristics.
Further, in these types of continuous emission lamps, it generally requires several minutes or more for the light emission to stabilize once the lamp is turned on. Accordingly, since these lamps cannot be turned on and off readily, the lamp must be left on when a product is being produced continuously. For example, if a production cycle (i.e., the time required for a single bonding process) requires 5 seconds, with UV irradiation carried out for 2 seconds, then energy is wasted during the remaining 3 seconds in which the lamp is on but not needed.
Moreover, when bonding two plate-like objects together using a UV curable resin as an bonding agent, fewer problems occur if at least one of the two plate-like objects is UV transmissive.
However, when manufacturing a product such as a DVD, which is formed by bonding together two plate-shaped disc substrates, a thin metallic layer or other layer which does not readily transmit UV may be present under the bonding layer. In such cases, the intensity of the UV light is significantly weakened by these types of layers, so that efficient curing of the bonding agent may not occur.
Further, if the curing of the bonding agent is to be promoted, it then becomes necessary to provide a large capacity lamp so that the cost of the finished product unavoidably increases. Moreover, if a large capacity lamp is employed, then the heat given off by the lamp presents a problem in that it may give rise to warping or other deformations in the discs. In order to avoid this, it becomes necessary to provide separate cooling equipment around the lamp, making the device larger and more complicated.
Conversely, UV curing may be carried out using a small capacity lamp, but irradiation must then be performed for 20 to 30 seconds or more, making actual application of this approach difficult.


A multicore fiber 1 includes a plurality of cores 3 disposed at predetermined intervals and surrounded by a cladding 5. The multicore fiber 1 also includes a marker 7 formed apart from the cores 3. The refractive index of the marker 7 is different from those of the cores 3 and the cladding 5. For example, the marker 7 may be made of a material having lower refractive index than that of the cladding 5. In this case, for example, the cores 3 may be made of germanium-doped quartz. The cladding 5 may be made of pure quartz. The marker 7 may be made of fluorine-doped quartz. Further, the marker 7 may be an empty hole.

The transmission capacity of single-core optical fibers that are currently used is approaching its limit due to the rapidly increasing volume of optical communication traffic. In response to this situation, a multicore fiber in which multiple cores are formed in one fiber has been proposed as a means for increasing the communication capacity.
Such multicore fibers are spliced together by, for example, disposing end surfaces of the multicore fibers to face each other, applying light from one side of the multicore fibers to detect an output of the light received at the other side of the multicore fibers, and relatively moving the multicore fibers in horizontal and vertical directions to align axes at positions at which the output of the light becomes maximum (Patent Document 1).

Method for connecting multi-core fiber, multi-core fiber, and method for manufacturing multi-core fiber


A system for installing and curing a cured in place pipe liner includes a bladder with a terminal end and an originating end that is inflatable by an inflating medium and a return conduit within the bladder that extends from the terminal end to the originating end of the bladder. The return conduit includes an opening near the terminal end for passage of the inflating medium between the return conduit and an interior cavity of the bladder. A control valve is disposed on the return conduit and is configured to control flow of the bladder inflating medium through the return conduit.

This disclosure generally relates to a method of installing a cured in place pipe. Cured in place pipe (CIPP) method utilizes a resin impregnated liner that is installed within a sewer pipe. Fluid pressure holds the liner against the interior of the old sewer pipe until the resin is cured. Once cured, the liner forms a new pipe within the old pipe. Installation of the liners within laterals pipelines is complicated by the difficulty in accessing the lateral sewer pipe.

Method of installing and curing a liner in a sewer pipe