The invention is directed to a Titanium-aluminum base alloy articles are produced from pieces of starting materials by melting thereof in a metallic melting crucible having a rotating electrode or a plasma- or electron beam device and there is then accomplished arc remelting, preferably vacuum-arc remelting following the melting of the pieces of starting materials. Furthermore, the arrangement for the manufacture of the articles formed of titanium-aluminum base alloys comprises a melting apparatus containing a rotating electrode or a plasma- or electron beam device and a vacuum-arc melting apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and improved method for the manufacture of metallic alloys for use as preliminary materials, structural articles or components, workpieces or the like, composed of titanium-aluminum base alloys, wherein the melted starting materials are teemed into a mold and the cast element or casting is re-melted. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a new and improved arrangement or apparatus for the manufacture of metallic alloys, especially having an ordered crystal lattice, for use as preliminary materials, structural articles or components, workpieces or the like, composed of titanium-aluminum base alloys with a maximum of 40 to 60 atomic-% titanium and comprising a melting apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Background and Material Information
During the manufacture of titanium-aluminum (Ti-Al) base alloys extreme difficulties presently exist in achieving a sufficient ductility and workability or deformability of the fabricated alloy products or articles. In particular, the high gas content, especially the high oxygen content, of the alloys produced according to conventional techniques, pose difficulties and prevent the attainment of a high ductility and workability or deformability of the fabricated alloys or alloy products. The usual techniques considered acceptable by those skilled in this technology to melt such alloys from pulverulent starting materials and to produce such by an HIP-operation (hot isostatic pressing-operation), have not met with success.

Method of manufacturing titanium-aluminum base alloys


A signal conditioning circuit for a latching comparator comprising first and second transistors arranged in a long tail pair, the long tail pair having an active load and configured to act as an integrator.

In a successive approximation routine, SAR, converter a comparator is used to determine the difference between a trial value and the analog value being converted. It is known in prior art successive approximation converters for the comparator to be formed from a number of voltage amplifier stages followed by a regenerative latch. The latch is a real component and hence suffers from both thermal noise and an input offset. The purpose of the amplifier stages is to reduce the effect of thermal noise and the offset by amplifying the voltage difference prior to it being provided to the latch. The amplifiers also have the effect of reducing "kickback" from the latch that can cause voltage spikes at the comparator inputs and which then have to be given time to settle out.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a voltage amplifier used in the prior art. The circuit comprises first and second field effect transistors Q1 and Q2 having their sources connected to a current source 10 which can also be conveniently be formed as a field effect transistor. A gate 12 of the first transistor Q1 acts as the non-inverting input to the amplifier, whereas a gate 14 of the second transistor Q2 acts as the inverting input. The drain terminal of transistor Q1 is connected to a second voltage supply rail labelled supply 2 via a resistor 16, and similarly the drain of the second transistor Q2 is connected to the second supply rail via a resistor 18. A connection to the drain of the first transistor Q1 also functions as the negative output, "on" of the amplifier, whereas a corresponding connection to the drain of the second transistor Q2 functions as the positive output, "op". The transistors Q1 and Q2 are matched and hence can be regarded as having a first transconductance gm(1, 2) and consequently the gain of the amplifier is gm(1, 2) multiplied by the load resistance R.
The outputs "on" and "op" are connected to either a subsequent amplifier stage or to the comparator latch. The outputs therefore have to drive both the inherent capacitance of the following stage, such as the gate capacitance of a subsequent field effect transistor, and also have to drive the parasitic capacitances associated with the load and devices connected to the output nodes. The combination of the resistors 16 and 18 and the parasitic capacitance CP creates a pole, giving the circuit an overall low-pass frequency response.
It is also known to replace the load resistors 16 and 18 by active loads as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2 a third transistor Q3, which is an NMOS device, has its drain connected to the drain of Q1 and its source connected to supply 2. The gate of the third transistor Q3 is connected to the drain of the third transistor Q3 such that the third transistor Q3 is in a diode connected configuration. A fourth transistor Q4 is similarly connected with respect to the second transistor Q2 so as to replace the second resistor 18. In addition a fifth transistor Q5 has its drain connected to the drain of the second transistor Q2 and its source connected to supply 2. However the gate of transistor Q5 is connected to the gate of transistor Q3. A sixth transistor Q6 is similarly connected, with its gate being connected to the gate of Q4 but its drain being connected to the drain of Q1. The transistors are matched such that transistors Q3 and Q4 have the same transconductance and transistors Q5 and Q6 have the same transconductance, but which may be different to that of transistors Q3 and Q4. In this arrangement the gain of the amplifier is gm(1, 2)÷(gm(3, 4)−gm(5, 6)). It is known to make the transconductance of the fifth and sixth transistors less than that of the third and fourth transistors to avoid the gain being too large.
It should be noted that making the gain larger has the effect of reducing the bandwidth of the amplifier (because the product of gain and bandwidth is generally a constant). In one respect this is desirable as it reduces a noise bandwidth of the circuit, however it also increases a settling time. As a result although the influence of noise would be reduced, the converter bit trials would have to run more slowly to allow the circuit to settle to full accuracy. As a result, amplifier stages have typically been made with gains of between 10 and 20.

Signal conditioning circuit, a comparator including such a conditioning circuit and a successive approximation converter including such a circuit


A process for producing a graft copolymer comprising melt-blending:. (A) 1 to 90 parts by weight of an ethylene copolymer, based on the weight of the graft copolymer, comprising (a) 40 to 99.9% by weight of ethylene units, (b) 0 to 60% by weight of .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated carboxylic acid alkyl ester units, and (c) 0.1 to 10% by weight of maleic anhydride units; PA1 (B) 0.1 to 10 moles of a lactam metal salt compound per mole of the maleic anhydride units (c) of the ethylene copolymer (A); and PA1 (C) 10 to 99 parts by weight of a lactam compound, based on the weight of the graft copolymer, PA1 which results in a graft copolymer having high impact strength, high flexibility, satisfactory dyeability, and well-balanced physical properties over a wide temperature range.

Polyamide resins are extensively used as engineering plastics because of their advantages in stiffness, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance, and electric properties. Polyamide resins, however, have disadvantages in low impact resistance, and deterioration of physical properties on moisture absorption, which are required to be improved.
On the other hand, ethylene copolymers such as an ethylene-acrylic ester-maleic anhydride copolymer have advantages of flexibility suitable for a rubber elastomer, high impact strength, no hygroscopicity, satisfactory forming characteristics, and sufficient adhesiveness to metals and polyamide resins. Ethylene copolymers, however, are inferior in abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, and heat resistance.
As described above, the advantages of polyamide resins correspond to the disadvantages of ethylene copolymers while the advantages of ethylene copolymer correspond to the disadvantages of polyamide resins. Accordingly, many investigations have been made on blending the two types of resins into an alloy to compensate the mutual disadvantages and to improve the physical properties of the resins.
JP-B-55-44108, for example, describes blending of a small amount of an ethylene copolymer such as an ethylene-acrylic ester-maleic anhydride copolymer into a polyamide resin to improve the impact strength of the polyamide resin. (The term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication".)
JP-A-62-275157 proposes blending of a large amount of an ethylene-acrylic ester-maleic anhydride copolymer into a polyamide resin to produce a thermoplastic elastomer. (The term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application".)
However, in both cases, the products are compositions merely composed microscopically of separate phases, even though physical properties can be improved by combined use of a dispersant or other additives to increase the affinity between the two phases, because the products are produced mechanically by melt-blending a highly polar polyamide resin with an essentially less polar ethylene copolymer.
The present inventors have made extensive and detailed investigation from the viewpoint mentioned above and have found that copolymers are obtained which are improved drastically in bonding and dispersing level between the ethylene copolymer structure and the polyamide structure, and have excellent physical properties through graft copolymerization of a lactam compound onto an ethylene copolymer comprising specific components by a novel process.

Process for producing a lactam compound graft copolymer of ethylene copolymer


A method for forming modulated tantalum/tantalum nitride diffusion barrier stacks on semiconductor device substrates used in interconnect structures. Alternating layers of tantalum and tantalum nitride are deposited onto the semiconductor device substrate by chemical vapor deposition from a tantalum pentafluoride precursor vapor, with intermittent ammonia plasma treatment of the tantalum and tantalum nitride such that each tantalum layer and each tantalum nitride layer are treated at least once to thereby reduce the evolution of HF gas, thereby improving the adhesion and durability of the film stacks during subsequent elevated temperature processing.

This invention relates to adhesion and durability of tantalum/tantalum nitride modulated films used as a barrier to copper diffusion in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.
The semiconductor industry is committed to introducing copper interconnects as a replacement for conventional aluminum and aluminum alloy interconnects in future generations of semiconductor devices. With its greater current carrying capacity, the introduction of copper interconnects should reduce device geometry, power consumption and heat generation. However, copper is a fast diffuser in silicon and drifts in dielectrics, resulting in a deterioration of devices at low temperatures. To avoid unwanted migration of copper atoms, a barrier layer or underlayer of a transition metal-based material, such as a tantalum-based material and more particularly tantalum and/or tantalum nitride, is typically used as a diffusion barrier between a copper interconnect layer and an underlying dielectric layer, such as a layer of silicon oxide. One method of providing the diffusion barrier is physical vapor deposition (PVD) by sputtering. However, sputter deposition, among other problems, cannot adequately cover the sidewalls of near-surface features having a high aspect ratio because sputtering is essentially a line-of-sight deposition process.
Two chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes, thermal CVD (TCVD) and plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD), are candidates to replace PVD. CVD provides highly uniform layers that conform to topographical features having high aspect ratios. TCVD is a high temperature process in which a flow of gaseous reactants over a heated semiconductor substrate chemically react to deposit a solid layer on the heated substrate. PECVD is a relatively low-temperature process which introduces a plasma to activate the gaseous reactants.
To deposit a transition metal-based barrier layer, both CVD processes react a vapor-phase reactant, for example a transition metal halide reagent such as a tantalum halide or titanium halide, with a reducing gas, for example a hydrogen-containing gas such as either hydrogen (H2) or ammonia (NH3). If, for example, the reducing gas is hydrogen and the vapor-phase reactant is a tantalum halide, tantalum (Ta) is deposited, while tantalum nitride (TaNx) is deposited if the reducing gas is a nitrogen-containing gas, such as ammonia or a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen.
The chemical reduction of the transition metal halide vapor-phase reactant produces halogen atoms as a by-product. The layer of transition metal-based material deposited by either of the CVD methods using a gas mixture comprising a transition metal halide vapor-phase reactant will incorporate a low residual level of the by-product halogen atoms as an unwanted impurity. For example, a layer of tantalum deposited on a substrate by PECVD using, for example, tantalum pentafluoride will usually contain an average of about 0.5 atomic percent of the residual halide, in this instance the residual halide being fluorine. Residual fluorine concentration may peak, however, near interfaces, in particular the barrier/dielectric interface and the barrier/copper interface.
An elevated concentration of halogen atoms present at the barrier/dielectric interface has been found to correlate with a significantly reduced adhesion of the transition metal-based layer to the underlying dielectric. Likewise, elevated halogen atom concentration at the barrier/copper interface has been found to correlate with reduced adhesion of copper to the transition metal-based layer. Halogen atoms significantly disrupt the atomic bonding at the interfaces between the transition metal-based layer and the dielectric or copper film so that the transition metal-based layer and the overlying copper layer are more likely to delaminate. A nitrogen-containing plasma pretreatment of the dielectric surface prior to CVD of the barrier layer has been proposed in copending application Ser. No. 09/723,876 entitled METHOD FOR PRETREATING DIELECTRIC LAYERS TO ENHANCE THE ADHESION OF CVD METAL LAYERS THERETO. The pretreatment provides nitrogen at the interface, which improves adhesion of a subsequently applied barrier layer. To address adhesion at the barrier/copper interface, a nitrogen-containing plasma post-treatment following CVD of the barrier layer has been proposed in copending application Ser. No. 09/723,878 entitled METHOD FOR IMPROVING THE ADHESION OF SPUTTERED COPPER FILMS TO CVD TRANSITION METAL BASED UNDERLAYERS. While these treatments are effective in improving adhesion at the barrier/dielectric interface and barrier/copper interface, respectively, the barrier films typically comprise a multi-layer stack having a plurality of internal interfaces that are also subject to delamination. Thus, further improvement in adhesion and durability is desirable at the Ta/TaN interfaces within a multi-layer or modulated Ta/TaN film stack.
There is thus a need for a CVD method that will prevent residual halogen impurities from altering the adhesion and durability of layers within a Ta/TaN modulated barrier layer deposited by a CVD process on a dielectric-covered substrate.
The present invention provides a method for forming modulated tantalum/tantalum nitride diffusion barrier stacks on semiconductor device substrates used in interconnect structures that reduces the evolution of HF gas, thereby improving the adhesion and durability of the film stacks during subsequent elevated temperature processing. To this end, and in accordance with the present invention, at least one series of alternating layers of tantalum and tantalum nitride is deposited onto the semiconductor device substrate by chemical vapor deposition from a tantalum pentafluoride precursor vapor, with intermittent ammonia plasma treatment of the tantalum and tantalum nitride such that each tantalum layer and each tantalum nitride layer are treated at least once.

Method for improving the adhesion and durability of CVD tantalum and tantalum nitride modulated films by plasma treatment


An image reading device includes a reading portion, a document type specifying device, and a feed controller. At the reading portion, one side of a document is read. The document type specifying device is configured to specify whether the document is a first type document or a second type document of which length in a feed direction is longer than the first type document. The feed controller is configured or programmed to perform a U-turn control and a switchback control. In the U-turn control, after reading a first side of the first type document at the reading portion, the first type document is fed in a U-turn manner without switching back, and a second side of the first type document is read at the reading portion. In the switchback control, after reading a first side of the second type document at the reading portion, the second type document is caused to switch back, and then a second side of the second type document is read at the reading portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a configuration and a control of an Auto Document Feeder (ADF).
2. Description of the Related Art
In a field of an image reading device such as a copy machine, a facsimile, and the like, there is known an Auto Document Feeder (ADF) configured to automatically feed a document.
In a case where a document feeder is provided with only one reading device, a document needs to be turned over such that both sides thereof are read. An ADF thus may be configured to be capable of turning over the document in some cases.
As a method for turning over the document by the ADF, a method for turning over the document by feeding the document in a switchback manner (a switchback method) is commonly employed.
Furthermore, as a method for turning over the document, there is also known a configuration in which the document is fed in a U-turn manner (a U-turn method).
In a case of employing the U-turn method, there is a problem in which since the number of rollers to feed the document in the U-turn manner is increased and thereby the number of components is increased to handle a document having a long length in a feed direction, the ADF increases in size, which leads to increases in cost.
In this respect, since there is not a problem as described above in a case of the switchback method, there is an advantage in which the ADF can be reduced in size. In the switchback method, however, since the feed direction of the document is reversed, feeding the document takes time. Thus, in the case of employing the switchback method, reading the document at a high speed is difficult.
There is publicly known a reading device configured to switch paths for a U-turn according to a length of the document. Since the reading device feeds a short document in a U-turn path for a short document and feeds a long document in a U-turn path for a long document, both the short document and the long document can be handled. However, the reading device still forms a path for the long document to perform a U-turn within a device of the ADF. The reading device thus cannot resolve the problem in which the device increases in size to be capable of reading both sides of the long document.
As an art not related to the reading device, there is publicly known a recording device configured to switch a U-turn feeding and a switchback feeding according to a type or a size of a paper. However, an object of the above-described recording device is not to damage a coating surface of a special recording paper, and thus the recording device is regarded as an art not related to the ADF that feeds a document.
In the above-described recording device, the switching between the U-turn feeding and the switchback feeding is performed when feeding a recording medium to record on a first side thereof. When turning over the recording medium to record on a second side thereof after recording on the first side, the recording device performs the U-turn feeding irrespective of the type or the size of the paper. Therefore, even if applying a configuration of the above-described recording device to the ADF, similarly to the above-described reading device, the recording device cannot resolve the problem in which the device increases in size to be capable of reading both sides of the long document.

Image reading device and auto document feeder


A game machine enabled to make various responses by adding the psychosomatic state and emotion of the player as one of conditions for determining the responding manner. The psychosomatic state of the player is grasped to change the responses in accordance with the psychological state of the player by making use of both a chaos attractor obtained by numerically processing the information sampled from the player and the index indicating the degree how the chaos attractor matches the defining condition of the chaos.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel game machine responding to the psychosomatic state of a player and, more particularly, to a xe2x80x98pachinkoxe2x80x99 machine using pachinko balls or a rotary drum type game machine having a rotary drum type graphic pattern combining unit, as will be called the slot machine or xe2x80x9cpachisloxe2x80x9d.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Generally speaking the pachinko machine using the pachinko balls are widely spread, and pachinko parlors are conducting business as one of the most popular amusements all over Japan.
In the pachinko game, the player buys some pachinko balls and shoots them by a shooting grip of the machine. If one of the balls luckily lands in a rewarding catcher, the player is rewarded with more balls. The shooting grip of the pachinko machine in recent years can shoot the balls continuously in electromechanical manners, and all that is required of the player is to turn the shooting grip. This raises a tendency to make the pachinko game monotonous. Thus, in order to promote the interest of the player and to reward all the players impartially with the rewarding balls, there has been developed and actually used a pachinko machine which is equipped with a game machine incorporating a game factor.
This pachinko machine starts the game machine, if predetermined conditions are satisfied, to determine the responses to be taken by the pachinko game so that the player can enjoy more advantageous game conditions. The pachinko machine of this type attracts the popular favor because the players can be rewarded with more balls independently of their skills.
Thus, the recent pachinko machines are equipped with numerous CPU control units as the electronics technology progresses. Specifically, the game machine packaged in the pachinko machine is substantially operated by the electronics technology, and this operation is controlled by the CPU, i.e., the so-called xe2x80x9cmicroprocessorxe2x80x9d or computer. This computer is assigned a role to compute various pieces of information from the pachinko machine itself or its game machine and to command the pachinko machine a predetermined operation according to a predetermined procedure (or program). However, this means mere electronization of the machine side, and the player can only await the decision made by the computer.
Along with the pachinko machines, a rotary drum type game machine (as is generally called the xe2x80x98slot machinexe2x80x99 or xe2x80x98pachisloxe2x80x99) having a rotary drum type graphic pattern combining unit recently grows popular as an interesting amusement. The player of this drum type game machine inserts a coin into the slot and pushes a start button to turn the graphic patterns of the drum so that he or she may be rewarded with more coils in accordance with the combination of the patterns.
This game machine is also equipped with numerous computer control units resulting from the progress of the electronics technology. Specifically, the rotary drum type graphic pattern combining unit is also substantially operated by the technology, and this operation is controlled and determined by the computer or microprocessor. The role of this microprocessor is to process various pieces of information obtained from the game machine and the pattern combining unit and to command the game machine a predetermined command in accordance with a predetermined procedure (or program). This raises a monotonous play like the pachinko machine.
The electronized pachinko machine and drum type game machine described above are enriched to have more varieties in plays than those of the existing game machines. Despite of this richness, however, the player will also lose interest before long as in the prior art. This is because the responses of the machines will grow monotonous while following the predetermined procedure or program. On the other hand, the human players have their emotions, senses, health conditions and psychosomatic states changed time by time so that they will lose interest for the responses being unchanged at the machine side.
In order to solve the problems of the prior art, therefore, the present invention has an object to provide a game machine which is enabled to make various responses by adding the psychosomatic state and emotion of the player as one of conditions for determining the responding manner.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game machine wherein the psychosomatic state of a player is grasped to change the responses in accordance with the psychological state of the player by making use of both a chaos attractor obtained by numerically processing the information sampled from the player and the index indicating the degree how said chaos attractor matches the defining condition of the chaos.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game machine comprising: a psychosomatic state grasping system including a sensor for fetching data from a player, a chaos attractor generator for calculating a chaos attractor by numerically processing the data fetched by said sensor, and a Ljapunov index calculator for calculating an index indicating the degree how said chaos attractor matches the defining condition of chaos; and changing means for changing the responses of said game machine in accordance with the information indicating the psychosomatic state of the player calculated by said system.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game parlor comprising: a plurality of pachinko machines each comprising a psychosomatic state grasping system including a sensor for fetching data from a player, a chaos attractor generator for calculating a chaos attractor by numerically processing the data fetched by said sensor, and a Ljapunov index calculator for calculating an index indicating the degree how said chaos attractor matches the defining condition of chaos; and changing means for changing the circumstances of the players or pachinko machines such as the kind, volume or tone quality of music to be serviced, or the brightness or color tone of illuminations in accordance with the information concerning the psychosomatic states of the players and coming from the pachinko machines.
According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a game machine wherein the situation of a player is assigned to a plurality of predetermined levels by utilizing the information sampled from the player, so that the responses of said game machine may be changed according to one of the levels.
The game machine may comprise a rotary drum type graphic pattern combining unit.
As described above, according to the present invention, the psychosomatic state of a player is grasped by comparing the chaos attractor peculiar to the player and obtained by numerically processing the information from the player and the condition defining the chaos whose attractor data are already known and subjected to a predetermined classification, so that the responses to be taken by the pachinko machine may be changed according to the psychological state of the player, thereby to prevent the game from growing monotonous or the player from losing interest.
Moreover, a more comfortable and less tiring game parlor is provided by making a change to the playing circumstances or optimizing the circumstances in accordance with the present situation of the player.
In another game machine to be provided, the present situations of the player are assigned to a plurality of levels on the basis of the information, which is obtained from the player even if it could not satisfy the concept of chaos, so that the responses may be changed in accordance with the levels.
What the chaos is will be described at first. The natural world or an artificial world experiences many predictable phenomena. The position of the Halley""s comet or an artificial satellite can be predicted and responded to. The deterministic predictability in which the cause-result relation is clear is one of the greatest powers of science.
However, the weather forecast seems to be the motion of air following the rules of physics but will not always come true. Even the phenomenon having the unclear cause-result relation has been believed to have random elements but to be accurately predicted if complete parameters describing the system are clear, that is, if the information of the system can be sufficiently collected.
In short, the random phenomena are thought to come from shortage of information of a system having multiple degrees of freedom. It is, however, found out that there is some phenomenon which is deterministic but has a substance of being random, by the discovery that even a simple system having a small number (e.g., three or more) of degrees of freedom may exhibit a random behavior. Ever since, this random phenomenon has been called the xe2x80x9cchaosxe2x80x9d.
Despite of this fact, however, the concept of chaos is not unified yet. Like the theory of evolution, the definition of the chaos covers a wide range, and its concept for some object seems to walk by itself. Hence, we will dare to summarize the concept in the following manner.
The chaos should mean an essentially random phenomenon because it is a system which has deterministic rules but experiences seriously complex behaviors non-linearly. It is also indicated that any phenomenon apparently having neither regularity nor predictability is backed by complex orders or rules.
On the other hand, the topology characterizing the behaviors of the chaos is called the xe2x80x9cchaos attractorxe2x80x9d, i.e., a mathematical structure into which converge the behaviors of the system generating the chaos.
From these viewpoints, the pulse waves detected from human bodies are known to have the chaos behaviors. In the academic society or the like, it has been reported by the authority of this field that the apex pulse waves indicate the psychosomatic information of the chaos. He also has applies for a Japanese patent the medical diagnosis making use of the chaos (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 208136/1992).
Thus, the present invention is an applied apparatus which has made positive use of the correlation between the chaos attractor obtained by numerically processing the pulse waves and the heartbeat or bodily temperature sampled from the body and the Ljapunov number indicating the degree how the data match the defining conditions of the chaos. Any other information can be used if it has a correlation with the psychosomatic state of the player.
Therefore, the information of the player is obtained by generating the chaos attractor which is obtained by numerically processing the pulse waves, heartbeats and bodily temperature sampled by the player. Thus, the psychosomatic state of the player can be grasped from the Ljapunov number indicating the degree how the data match the defining conditions of the chaos. The means for sampling the apex pulse waves is exemplified by either a sensor combining an infrared-emitting diode and a photo-sensor or a semiconductor pressure sensor.
The relations between the psychosomatic state and the chaos attractor of the apex pulse waves are summarized, as follows:
(1) The chaos attractor of the apex pulse waves reflects the mental and psychological states sensitively to indicate a specific topology;
(2) The chaos attractor obtained from the pulse waves has a personally peculiar structure over a basic structure common to the human being and changes according to the mental and psychological state and a disease;
(3) Generally speaking, when the metal and psychological states become unstable or when a disease occurs, the overall structure of the attractor becomes simple, and small. Moreover, a mechanical and monotonous periodic structure appears in the rhythm to depart the chaos;
(4) In the healthy state, the overall structure is complex and dynamic, and the local structure also exhibits a complex structure such as rolled, twisted or screwed structures. And, the rhythm becomes aperiodic. In short, the healthy mode is chaotic and is fully occupied by the chaos; and
(5) If the consciousness is concentrated, the chaos attractor is complicated to have the rolled or twisted local structure. On the other hand, if a stress higher than a threshold value is received to invite a fatigue, the structure is simplified to lose the local structure.
According to the concept described, above, the present state of the player is classified into several kinds, according to which the responses of the pachinko machine or the rotary drum type game machine can be made different to provide a more complicated game content. Moreover, since the player has its state changed time by time, the interest of the player can be induced more by changing the responses of the pachinko machine or the game machine accordingly.
The simplest and most preferable portion of the body for obtaining the psychosomatic information of the player to achieve the chaos attractor is the fingertip, palm or arm of the player in dependence upon the shape of the machine being practically used at present. The portion to be sensed should not be limited to the specified ones but may be exemplified in the present invention by any other portion such as the head, buttock or skin of the player.
Likewise, the sensor to be disposed in the game machine can be mounted in various positions such as the ball shooting grip, the ball feed chute or the frame of the machine or the seat of the player. In the sense of modifying the existing machine, the most convenient and inexpensive portion is located the ball shooting grip or the frame of the machine. Thus, the information of the player can be easily obtained by mounting the aforementioned photo-coupler or semiconductor pressure sensor in that portion.
The information of the player thus obtained is arithmetically processed, and it is decided whether or not the processed information matches a predetermined level. The Ljapunov index is then calculated according to the matching degree. This numerical processing and the calculation of the Ljapunov index have to resort to the computer operations, but this processing method and the expression of the processed chaos attractor are not especially restricted in their calculating equations or processing procedures but can be arbitrarily expressed and processed.
On the other hand, the levels determined in advance for calculating the Ljapunov index can be set in many manners according to the classifications of the chaos attractor. If the levels are set to the xe2x80x9cexcited statexe2x80x9d and the xe2x80x9cunexcited statexe2x80x9d, the levels are at two steps. If the xe2x80x9cconcentrated consciousnessxe2x80x9d and the xe2x80x9cdistracted consciousnessxe2x80x9d are added, the levels are totally at four steps. Since the responses of the play are changed according to those four steps, the play can have its content enriched more.
The responses to be taken by the machine on the basis of the information obtained from the player can be conceived such wide ones in case of the pachinko machine, as: the responses concerning the rewarding balls, e.g., the adjusting of the opening of the great-hit catcher after the lucky great-hit condition is satisfied, the change of the great-hit condition, the interval of opening the great-hit catcher; the responses concerning the circumstances of the player, e.g., the kind of music serviced from the machine during the play, the change in the display on the play board face or the change in lighting on the board face; the change in the responses of the shooter, e.g., the change in the initial velocity of the shot balls, the interval of the continuous shooting, or the turning stroke of the shooting grip; or the change in the circumstance for installing the machines. The other various responses can be incorporated into the range of the present invention.
Thanks to the changes in the responses of the pachinko machine within the range of inviting no disadvantage of the probability of rewarding the player the balls, the player can enjoy the change in the play responding to the present psychosomatic state.
The description made above is directed to the application of the concept of the chaos to the single game machine, but the concept can naturally be applied to the entire game parlor provided with a plurality of such machines.
Specifically, the present psychosomatic states of the players using the pachinko machines or the rotary drum type game machines are collected as the information, so that the responses such as the kind, volume or tone quality of the music to be serviced to the game parlor or the brightness or color tone of illuminations of the parlor can be changed on the basis of the collected states either all over the parlor or partially according to the distribution of the players in a specific psychosomatic state.
Thus, the game parlor is featured by promoting the interests of the players in the game to allow the players to enjoy the game under more comfortable circumstances.
Moreover, the description made above is directed mainly to such information obtained from the player as can adopt the concept of chaos. Even if, however, this concept is not applied to the information from the player, the playing quests are assigned to predetermined levels so that the responses of the machines can be changed according to the levels to complicate the game and attract the interests of the players.
Specifically, a temperature sensor is used to measure the present bodily temperatures of the players, and these temperatures are assigned to the predetermined levels. Specifically, the four levels are determined in advance to have ranges of no higher than 36xc2x0 C., higher than 36xc2x0 C. but no higher than 36.5xc2x0 C., higher than 36.5xc2x0 C. but no higher than 37xc2x0C., and higher than 37xc2x0 C., so that the responses to be taken by the machine are changed depending upon what of those four levels the playing person belongs to.
Not only the aforementioned bodily temperature but also the pulse rate, the respiration rate, the surface temperature of the face or the body weight can be employed as the information of the player no matter whether it might belongs to the concept of chaos.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


The invention provides a coating solution for forming a porous film having excellent mechanical strength and dielectric properties and for easily forming a film with a freely controlled film thickness in an ordinarily employed method in semiconductor process. More specifically, provided are a method for preparing a porous-film-forming composition comprising steps of preparing polysiloxane, silica or zeolite particles (Component A), imparting crosslinkability to Component A, and temporarily terminating the crosslinkability; and a porous-film-forming composition obtainable in this method. In addition, provided is a method of forming a porous film comprising steps of preparing a porous-film-forming composition by preparing Component A, imparting crosslinkability to Component A and adding a crosslinkability inhibitor to temporarily terminate the crosslinkability; applying the porous-film-forming composition onto a substrate to form a film, drying the film, crosslinking the particles along with removing the crosslinkability inhibitor by heating the dried film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a film-forming composition capable of forming a film having excellent dielectric properties, adhesion, film uniformity and mechanical strength, and having reduced moisture absorption; a preparation method of a porous film; a porous film formed thereby; and a semiconductor device which comprises the porous film inside.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the fabrication of a semiconductor integrated circuit, as the circuit is highly integrated, an increase in interconnect delay time due to an increase in interconnect capacitance, which is a parasitic capacitance between metal interconnections, disturbs the performance enhancement of the semiconductor circuit. The interconnect delay time is so-called RC delay which is in proportion to the product of the electric resistance of the metal interconnection and the electric capacitance between the interconnections. In order to minimize this interconnect delay time, the resistance of a metal interconnection or the interconnect capacitance has to be decreased.
By reducing the resistance of the interconnection metal and the interconnect capacitance, an interconnect delay can be lowered even in a highly integrated semiconductor device. This enables size reduction and speeding up of a semiconductor device. Moreover, power consumption can be minimized.
In recent years, metallic copper interconnections have been more popularly used in the structure of a semiconductor device than the conventional aluminum interconnections in order to reduce the resistance of metal interconnections. However, performance enhancement cannot be attained desirably only by the adoption of such a structure. A reduction in interconnect capacitance is an urgent necessity for obtaining a semiconductor device having a higher performance.
One method for minimizing interconnect capacitance is to reduce the dielectric constant (relative permittivity) of an interlayer insulating film disposed between metal interconnections. In order to reduce the dielectric constant of a material to about 2.5 or less, there is a method of introducing pores inside thereof to make it porous.
However, the material which has been made porous inevitably has lowered mechanical strength. This becomes a serious problem in the fabrication of a semiconductor device. In addition, lowering in the mechanical strength of a film leads to inadequate strength of the semiconductor device itself, causing a problem such as deterioration in the reliability of the semiconductor device.
Development of a material having both a low dielectric constant and high mechanical strength has come to be indispensable.
Methods for forming an interlayer insulating film known to date can be classified roughly into a chemical vapor deposition method and an application method. Each of these methods has its own merits and demerits. From the viewpoint of the mechanical strength, however, the chemical vapor deposition method is advantageous when a dielectric constant is about 2.6 or greater, while the application method is advantageous when a dielectric constant is about 2.6 or less.
Among various materials used in the application method, materials having a main skeleton of silicon oxide in which pores can be formed relatively easily compared with organic materials are expected as a next-generation insulating material.
When a conventional material is used in the application method, however, it is difficult to simultaneously satisfy a low dielectric constant and high mechanical strength necessary for the practical manufacture of a semiconductor device.
In the first example, it is described in Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 9-315812/1997 that although a product obtained by hydrolytic condensation of an ordinarily employed silicon-based monomer cannot have an adequate strength, it is possible to form a film having a low dielectric constant which is excellent in adhesion with a coated surface, mechanical strength, chemical resistance and crack resistance by using a composition containing the reaction product between silica particles and hydrolytic condensation products of a mixture of alkoxysilane represented by XnSi(OR)4-n, and halogenated silane represented by XnSiX′4-n.
In the second example, according to the methods described in Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication Nos. 2001-294809, 2001-354904 and 2002-20688, a product obtained by the hydrolytic condensation of a silane compound in the presence of a basic compound is used in order to overcome the above problems. It is also described that a material prepared by these methods is made of a macromolecule and is not in the form of particles.
In the third example, according to Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 9-315812/1997, disclosed is a film-forming coating solution, comprising silica particles in order to improve the mechanical strength of the film. In this method, a silica-based coating solution is obtained by the reaction between silica particles and a partial hydrolysate of alkoxysilane or halogenated silane on the silica surface.

Porous-film-forming composition, preparation method of the composition, porous film and semiconductor device


A mica based compressive seal has been developed exhibiting superior thermal cycle stability when compared to other compressive seals known in the art. The seal is composed of compliant glass or metal interlayers and a sealing (gasket) member layer composed of mica that is infiltrated with a glass forming material, which effectively reduces leaks within the seal. The compressive seal shows approximately a 100-fold reduction in leak rates compared with previously developed hybrid seals after from 10 to about 40 thermal cycles under a compressive stress of from 50 psi to 100 psi at temperatures in the range from 600° C. to about 850° C.

High-temperature devices that can convert chemical energy of a fuel such as hydrogen directly into electrical energy at high efficiency and low or no air pollution are of great commercial interest. Such devices include high-temperature electrochemical devices, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), and other similar structures such as interconnects. Electrochemical devices having multiple components, such as, for example, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks, syngas membrane reactors, oxygen generators and the like require seals to separate the various gaseous components [e.g., H2 (fuels) and O2 (oxidants)] and to prevent the streams from mixing with each other. Mixing of the gas streams has a variety of negative consequences, depending upon the type of device and the composition of the gaseous streams. One major problem resulting from mixing of such gases is the possibility of thermal combustion of the gases and the resulting failure of the device. Thus, to ensure high efficiency and to maintain the stack structural integrity, seals are needed to separate the various gaseous components (fuels and oxidants). Such seals must be non-conducting, have chemical, mechanical, and/or thermal compatibility with other structural components of the devices. The seals must also exhibit very low operational leak rates in severe (oxidizing, reducing, and humid) environments as well as long-term thermal cycling stability at elevated temperatures.
Continued thermal cycling at high operating temperatures up to about 850° C. results in increased leak rates in mica-based compressive seals, a consequence of damage resulting from fragmentation, cleavage, micro-stress fractures, and similar processes to the microstructure of the mica substrate matrix. Such damage introduces leak paths or void spaces (interstices) that are continuous in three dimensions. High leak rates and thermal cycling instability of current seals under routine high temperature operation represent two of the most challenging hurdles remaining for significant advancement to be made in the long-term success of high-temperature devices, including electrochemical devices such as SOFCs, and/or toward developing and/or deploying long-term viable components in other similar high temperature devices.
Accordingly, there remains a need to provide advanced seals and sealing structures having low effective leak rates and superior thermal cycling stability such that at the operating temperatures of these high temperature devices (up to about 850° C.), gaseous leaks (e.g., H2 gas into the air stream or vice versa) do not cause undesirable local heating leading to structural or functional failure of the device.

Multilayer compressive seal for sealing in high temperature devices


A ground-based CFIT warning system provides pilots with CFIT alerts. The system is based upon a ground-based tracking system, which provides surveillance of aircraft, such as the AirScene™ multilateration system manufactured by Rannoch Corporation of Alexandria, Va. The system monitors both horizontal and vertical positions of aircraft. When an aircraft has been determined to be operating below safe altitudes, or too close to obstructions, the pilot is provided with a warning. The warning may be delivered via the pilot's voice communications and/or a data link or the like.

Controller Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) is one of the leading causes of aviation accidents. When pilots lack situational awareness, it is possible to fly an aircraft, under control, into the ground. CFIT can occur in a number of circumstances. During Instrument Approaches, if a pilot falls below the target flight path, the aircraft may collide with terrain or other obstructions. However, many CFIT incidents also occur in clear weather. In these incidents, pilot distraction or unfamiliarity with a particular airport may cause a CFIT accident to occur.
The risk of such accidents can be greatly reduced through the installation of CFIT avionics, which warn the flight crew when they are at risk of a CFIT accident. However, such avionics are cost-prohibitive for installations on smaller aircraft, including typical general aviation aircraft. In such aircraft, additional aviation electronics adds to the weight and clutter of the cockpit area.
While there are CFIT systems available on the market, such as those from Honeywell Corporation (www.honeywell.com), they all rely upon the aircraft being equipped with a specific device known as a ground proximity warning system. Ground proximity warning systems rely on the combination of an on-board terrain database, an accurate navigation system, and logic to estimate potential collisions with the ground or terrain. If the on-board database is not current, then a proper proximity warning may not be given. Thus, for example, if a tower or building is recently constructed near an airport, and the database on the plane is not updated to reflect this new addition, the system might not provide a warning when a collision with such an object is imminent.
Other relevant Honeywell references include: U.S. Pat. No. 6,606,034, issued Aug. 12, 2003, entitled, "Terrain awareness system"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,571,155, issued May 27, 2003, entitled, "Assembly, computer program product and method for displaying navigation performance based flight path deviation information"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,449, issued Nov. 5, 2002, entitled "Methods, apparatus and computer program products for determining a corrected distance between an aircraft and a selected runway"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,469,664, issued Oct. 22, 2002, entitled "Method, apparatus, and computer program products for alerting surface vessels to hazardous conditions"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,445,310, issued Sep. 3, 2002, entitled "Apparatus, methods, computer program products for generating a runway field clearance floor envelope about a selected runway", U.S. Pat. No. 6,380,870, issued Apr. 30, 2002, entitled "Apparatus, methods, and computer program products for determining a look ahead distance value for high speed flight"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,263, issued Jan. 12, 2002, entitled "Aircraft terrain information system"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,721, issued Sep. 18, 2001, entitled "Premature descent into terrain visual awareness enhancement to EGPWS"; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,592, issued Apr. 17, 2001, entitled "Method and apparatus for terrain awareness", all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Another technique for detection of an aircraft potential collision with terrain is the FAA's Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) system where the air traffic controller is notified when the barometric reported altitude of an aircraft falls below a threshold set for the geographic locations of the aircraft, as reported by radar (See: www.FAA.gov). The problem with this system is that it relies upon the barometric pressure calibration on the aircraft transponder of each aircraft. Moreover, the system adds to the load of an air traffic controller if they are required to give verbal warnings. As with any system with a man in the loop, it may be subject to mishap, and moreover any warnings may be given too late.
Moreover, the increased use of electronics in the cockpit has resulted in increased workload for the cockpit crew as various navigation, collision avoidance, and other electronics need to be tended to and monitored. A CFIT system adds to this electronic workload by providing yet another system which a pilot needs to monitor.
Thus, it remains a requirement in the art to provide protection for aircraft not provided with special CFIT avionics or other types of safety monitoring equipment.
In the United States, for example, there are over 2,000 commercial aircraft which are generally well-equipped with avionics devices, but over 200,000 General Aviation Aircraft which are lesser equipped, and would benefit from any system which can make use of ground-based systems which datalink information up to the pilot. Such a system would provide the advantages of state of the art avionics to most of these General Aviation aircraft at a far lower cost than conventional airborne avionics.


A mask for laser irradiation includes a base substrate, a laser beam shielding pattern on a first surface of the base substrate, wherein the laser beam shielding pattern is made of an opaque metallic material and has laser beam transmitting portions spaced apart from each other, and an anti-thermal oxidation layer covering the laser beam shielding pattern, wherein a second surface of the base substrate is an incident surface of a laser beam.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of crystallizing amorphous silicon. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mask for laser irradiation using sequential lateral solidification, a method of manufacturing the same, and an apparatus for laser crystallization using the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A sequential lateral solidification (SLS) method is used in a laser crystallization method, which is one method of crystallizing a silicon layer. The SLS method takes advantage of the fact that silicon grains grow laterally from the boundary between liquid phase silicon and solid phase silicon. A process crystallizing a silicon layer using the SLS method will be described hereinafter.
First, a first laser beam, which has an energy density completely melting the corresponding portion of a silicon layer, irradiates the silicon layer. The silicon layer exposed to the first laser beam is melted and then solidified. At this time, the first silicon grains grow laterally from the boundary between a liquid phase silicon region and a solid phase silicon region.
Next, the silicon layer is moved a distance, which is smaller than the silicon grain length formed by the shot of the first laser beam, and a second laser beam, which has the same energy density as the first laser beam, is irradiated on the silicon layer. The silicon layer exposed to the second laser beam is melted, and then second silicon grains grow in the same manner as with the first laser beam irradiation.
When the second silicon grains grow, the first silicon grains act as seeds of crystallization at the boundary between liquid phase silicon and solid phase silicon and grow laterally. Thus, the silicon grains grow in the direction that the laser beam moves.
As stated above, silicon grains having expected sizes are formed by repeatedly performing silicon crystallizing processes, where the silicon layer is moved, the laser beam is irradiated, and the silicon layer is melted and crystallized, n (n is a positive integer) times. The silicon grains grow laterally, i.e., in the scanning direction of the laser beam, from the first forming portion. Therefore, silicon grains of large sizes may be obtained.
The SLS method has a difference in the fact that the laser beam is patterned so as to have the fixed width and the fixed form from other laser crystallizing methods. To do this, an apparatus for a laser crystallization process using the SLS method uses a mask for patterning the laser beam differently from other conventional apparatuses for a laser crystallization process.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an apparatus for a laser crystallization process using a SLS method. In FIG. 1, an apparatus for a laser crystallization process using a SLS method includes a laser beam source 10, an attenuator 11, a homogenizer 12, a field lens 13, a laser beam mask 14, an object lens 15 and a process chamber 20 having a translation stage 16. To irradiate a laser beam on a silicon thin film after patterning the laser beam in a fixed shape, an original laser beam naturally emitted from the laser beam source 10 is controlled passing through the attenuator 11, the homogenizer 12, and the field lens 13, and then is condensed. The condensed laser beam is patterned to have the fixed form through a beam pattern mask 14. The patterned laser beam passes through the object lens 15 and is irradiated on the silicon thin film 17 formed on the translation stage 16 in the process chamber 20. Because a silicon layer is generally formed on a substrate in a liquid crystal display device, the silicon layer and the substrate may be referred to all together as a silicon substrate. In FIG. 1, mirrors 19a, 19b and 19c control the path of the laser beam. The beam pattern mask 14 of the related art may be easily damaged, and thus the process yield may be reduced.

Mask for laser irradiation, method of manufacturing the same, and apparatus for laser crystallization using the same


A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes even-numbered bit lines, odd-numbered bit lines, cell source lines, first memory elements electrically connected between the even-numbered bit lines and the cell source lines, and second memory elements electrically connected between the odd-numbered bit lines and the cell source lines and belonging to the same rows as the first memory elements. A potential corresponding to data to be programmed is applied to the first memory element via the even-numbered bit line and a potential which suppresses programming is applied to the second memory element via the cell source line while the odd-numbered bit lines are kept in an electrically floating state when data is programmed into the first memory element.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device and a data programming method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
The memory capacity of a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device, particularly, a NAND-type flash memory has become markedly increased. With the increase in memory capacity, memory cells and transistors in a peripheral circuit of the memory are further miniaturized. One typical example of a NAND-type flash memory having large-scale memory capacity is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-91546 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,242), for example.
However, even if the memory cells and transistors are miniaturized, it is difficult to reduce the size of a memory cell array since the memory capacity is large. That is, it is difficult to reduce the length of the bit lines. In practice, the length of the bit lines tends to become greater. In spite of the present condition, the arrangement pitch of bit lines becomes narrow with increasing miniaturization of the memory cells and transistors. For this reason, the bit line capacitance tends to rapidly increase because of the bit line structure.
If the bit line capacitance rapidly increases, much attention must be paid to an increase in the bit line precharge period during data programming.
If the present condition becomes even more severe, it may become a bottleneck in the performance, particularly, in the high-speed operation of semiconductor memories.

NAND flash memory and data programming method thereof


A magnet system for use in a nuclear magnetic resonance (“NMR”) apparatus includes a first magnet and a second magnet located on a backplane to form a gap therebetween, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are each shaped to form trapezoidal prisms with dimensions selected to optimize a magnetic field at a target region in space external to the magnet system.

NMR and MM are techniques used to measure, detect, survey, and/or understand patient health by imaging, detecting, and/or monitoring conditions and/or materials present internal to a biological subject, i.e., a human or animal patient. Generally, NMR and MM devices must generate high magnetic field strengths (in the order of 1.5 Tesla or greater) in order to reliably provide health data to a physician.
The liver is the largest organ inside the human body. It helps the body digest food and prevents harmful toxins from entering the blood. Diseases affecting the liver include hepatitis, cancer, hemochromatosis, and diseases caused by poisons and substance abuse. Fatty liver disease, or hepatic steatosis, occurs when excess fat builds up in the liver. This excess fat can cause liver inflammation, scarring, and in severe cases liver failure. Cirrhosis is an extreme form of liver scarring. Elevated iron levels can be present in patients with hemochromatosis as well as fatty liver disease and hepatitis C. Doctors employ various imaging tests to check for excess fat, iron, and other liver problems. These include ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI scan. Of these three methods, MRI is the most reliable way to detect the fat and iron content of the liver because it provides the most detailed images of soft tissue. Unfortunately, MRI scans can be difficult to perform and are expensive relative to other techniques. The subject must lie still inside a narrow tube formed by the magnet performing the measurement. This experience can be especially uncomfortable for those with claustrophobia. Additionally, the MM machine is very loud and it can sometimes take longer than an hour to complete measurement.
Studies into performing analysis using low field-strength NMR have been unreliable due to difficulties in producing a uniform magnetic field, among other problems. For example, certain features of the magnetic field have impacts on the quality of the measured data and may determine the types of information that can be determined in the NMR or MRI measurement. The magnetic field strength and the magnetic field uniformity are two such features. Another is the size of the region of interest over which the field should meet a minimum uniformity level. External NMR and MM devices also generally employ magnet designs that are large, heavy, of significant size, weight, and cost.
It is particularly challenging to design a magnet for use in making measurements from volumes of interest in the interiors of much larger objects. One example of such a challenge is to acquire NMR or MRI information from the brain, liver or other internal organ of a living human subject. The magnet typically used to acquire such information is large enough to surround the entire torso of the human subject.
One option for providing an external low-field strength magnetic field in an NMR is to use a unilateral magnet design. A common feature of the existing unilateral magnet designs is that they seek to create a region of relatively homogeneous field external to the surface of the magnet arrangement, i.e. on one side of the magnet and not surrounded by at least one magnet. The designs also may include secondary magnets to improve the projection of the volume of investigation farther into the large object. The secondary magnets may serve to improve the uniformity in the volume of investigation, or they may allow the magnet to produce a field of sufficient uniformity over a larger volume. Unilateral magnet designs may produce fields without regions of uniform field, for example, in applications where a field with a constant field variation with respect to distance from the magnet may be of use. The magnets may be designed to produce as strong a field as may be practical at a location as far as possible from the magnet.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Magnet arrangement for producing a field suitable for NMR in a concave region


An apparatus is adapted to be secured to a pressure regulator, relief valve, or any other valve and allows the user to control the position of the valve. According to one embodiment, the pressure regulator remains fully open until a desired maximum fill pressure within a boiler is reached. Upon reaching the maximum fill pressure, the valve is automatically and substantially instantly closed. Consequently, the pressure within the boiler never exceeds the maximum allowable pressure of the pressure relief valve, thereby preventing the accidental discharge of hot, high-pressure water from the boiler. Moreover, because the valve remains fully open until the maximum fill pressure is achieved, the amount of time to fill the boiler is substantially reduced. According to another embodiment, a relief valve remains fully closed until a maximum pressure is exceeded, whereby the valve is substantially instantly fully opened.

Residential and commercial boilers, water heater, and the like 1, FIG. 1, typically include a pressure regulator 12 that regulates or controls the pressure of the water entering the boiler 1 and/or a pressure relief valve 4 that regulates or controls the maximum operating pressure. For safety reasons, boilers 1 generally operate in a pressure range of approximately 12–15 psi while water heaters and the like 1 typically operate at approximately between 15–150 psi.
It is often necessary to add water to the boiler 1. For example, during routine maintenance, it is often necessary to drain the boiler 1 using the drain valve 2 in order to relieve the pressure within the boiler 1 as well as to remove the heated water within the boiler 1. Additionally, water must often be added due to leakage, evaporation, normal operation, and other causes.
Pressure regulators 12 are typically located proximate a boiler 1 on the inlet water line 3. The pressure regulator 12 controls the amount of water/pressure within the boiler 1 by automatically adding water in the event the pressure within the boiler 1 drops below a predetermined threshold (typically approximately 12 psi). The pressure relief valve 4 serves to prevent the pressure within the boiler 1 from exceeding the maximum allowable operating pressure.
The incoming water, typically coming from the main water line located in the street, is often at a pressure significantly higher (typically in the range of approximately 20–80 psi than the 12–15 psi range that the boiler 1 operates in. The pressure regulator 12, (FIG. 2A) includes a pressure device 14 that monitors the pressure within the boiler line 5 (which is equivalent to the pressure within the boiler 1). If the pressure in the boiler line 5/boiler 1 drops below the threshold value, the valve 20 is slowly opened to allow water from the inlet water line 3 to pass through the inlet 22 of the pressure regulator 12, through the outlet 24 of the pressure regulator 12 and into the boiler line 5 where it ultimately enters the boiler 1.
Most known pressure regulators 12 include a pressure device 14 comprising a spring 16 and a diaphragm 18. The spring 18 biases against the diaphragm 18 urging the valve 20 open. The pressure within the outlet 24 acts against the diaphragm 18, urging the valve 20 closed. When the pressure within the outlet 24 is above the threshold value, the outlet pressure 24 is greater than the pressure generated by the spring 18, and the valve 20 remains closed. However, when the outlet pressure 24 drops below the threshold value, spring force 18 begins to open the valve 20, thus allowing water to pass through the pressure regulator 12 and into the boiler 1.
As discussed above, water heaters and the like 1 include relief valves 4, FIG. 2B, which regulate or control the maximum pressure within the water heater 1. The relief valve 4 includes an inlet 22, an outlet 24, and a valve 20 that is typically biased in the closed position using with a spring 16 opening against a diaphragm 18 or the like. If the pressure or temperature within the water heater 1 exceeds a maximum threshold, the biasing force of the spring 16 is overcome and the relief valve 4 opens to relief the pressure and prevent explosion/damage.
It is important to note, however, that the valves 20 of the known pressure regulators 12 and the known relief valves 4 open in direct relationship to the pressure differential between the outlet pressure 24/inlet pressure 22 and the spring pressure 18 respectively. The larger the pressure differential (i.e., the lower the outlet pressure 24 compared to the spring pressure 16 in the case of the pressure regulator 12 and the higher the inlet pressure 22 compared to the spring pressure 16 in the case of the relief valve 4), the more the valve 20 opens.
In the case of the known pressure regulators 12, this arrangement allows water from the high-pressure main water line 3 to slowly enter the boiler 1. Unfortunately, it significantly increases the time it takes to fill the boiler 1, particularly when the boiler 1 is empty. As the outlet pressure 24 begins to reach the threshold value (i.e., 12 psi), the valve 20 is gradually closed. As a result, the flow rate of the water entering the boiler 1 is gradually decreased, and the time to fill the boiler 1 is significantly increased. This is particularly a problem when the boiler 1 has been emptied (for example if a new boiler 1 is being installed or the boiler 1 has been drained for maintenance reasons). Yet another problem is that that it is often necessary to fill boiler 1 with water to a pressure above the minimum threshold value of the pressure regulator 12 in order to purge any entrapped air from the boiler 1 as well as the pipes.
To overcome this problem, a pressure regulator override lever 15 is typically installed on the pressure regulator 12. The pressure regulator override lever 15 typically includes a lever 17 and a rod 19. The rod 19 is connected to the lever 17 and the diaphragm 18. When the lever 17 is moved in the direction of arrow A, the lever 19 is forced downward which thereby moves the diaphragm 18 downward. This effectively overrides the outlet pressure 24, thereby fully opening the valve 20 and allowing the water from the main water line 3 to enter the boiler 1 at a much higher rate, thus filling the boiler 1 in a much shorter amount of time.
Unfortunately, this arrangement suffers from several problems. One problem is that the valve 20 will remain fully open at all times until the operator manually closes the valve 20. Because the main water line 3 has a pressure typically between 20–80 psi, if the valve 20 is not shut, water will enter the boiler 1 until the boiler 1 reaches in excess of approximately 30 psi. However, the pressure relief valve 4 will open at approximately 30 psi (the typical maximum operating pressure for the boiler 1). As a result, high-pressure water and/or boiling water will be suddenly released from the pressure relief valve 4. Not only will the high-pressure water damage property and create a mess as the exits the relief valve 4, it can also cause severe injury (such as severe burning) to people near the boiler 1, especially if someone is near the relief valve 4 when it opens. Moreover, if the pressure relief valve 4 malfunctions or is inadequate to handle the flow rate of the water entering the boiler 1, the boiler 1 could also be damaged and could even possibly explode.
While it is possible to manually close the pressure regulator override lever 15 prior to the relief valve 4 opening, this is often very difficult because the pressure gauge 6 is typically located far away from the pressure regulator override lever 15 and is difficult to observe. Moreover, it is common for the person working on the boiler 1 to forget that the boiler 1 is filling, and thus forget to close the pressure regulator override lever 15.
In the case of the known relief valves 4, the gradual opening of the relief valve 4 also suffers from several problems. In the event of a large, rapid pressure spike, the relief valve 4 may not open sufficiently fast enough to relief the pressure. This could ultimately result in damage to the water heater/boiler 1. Accordingly, the known relief valves 4 must be large in order to relief or discharge enough BTUs or steam capacity/volume.
Accordingly, what is needed is a device that is capable of quickly filling the boiler, water heater, or the like and/or quickly relieving pressure. According to one embodiment, the device should fully open the valve until the outlet pressure reaches a predetermined maximum value (which is preferably set below the maximum pressure of the pressure relief valve) upon which pressure regulator valve should immediately close. According to another embodiment, the device should fully open the valve once the pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold. The device should also be capable of being retrofitted to existing pressure regulators or relief valves without extensive modification. Additionally, the device should be capable of relieving or discharging a larger amount of BTUs, steam capacity/volume, or the like compared to the known valves.


A power conversion apparatus with adjustable leading-edge-blanking (LEB) time and an over current protection (OCP) method thereof are provided. In the OCP method, a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) signal is generated according to the loading status of an electronic device to switch a power switch in the power conversion apparatus and thus the power conversion apparatus to supply an output voltage to the electronic device. A variable or fixed LEB signal is generated according to the PWM signal and the rising and falling edges of a spike signal induced at turn-on instant of the power switch. The PWM signal is constantly/continuously generated to switch the power switch during an enabling period/phase of the variable or fixed LEB signal, and whether an over current is produced in the power conversion apparatus is constantly detected to determine whether to activate an OCP mechanism during a disabling period/phase of the variable or fixed LEB signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a power conversion apparatus, and more particularly, to a power conversion apparatus with a leading edge blanking (LEB) function for preventing an over current protection (OCP) mechanism from being activated/triggered incorrectly.
2. Description of Related Art
A power conversion apparatus is capable of converting the high and instable AC input voltage supplied by an electric utility into a low and stable DC output voltage suitable for an electronic device. Thus, power conversion apparatuses have been broadly applied to different electronic devices, such as computers, office automation equipments, industrial control equipments, and communication equipments.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional power conversion apparatus 10. Referring to FIG. 1, the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal generator 101 outputs a PWM signal VPWM to switch (i.e., turn on and off) the power switch Q. Accordingly, the AC voltage (determined by the turn ratio between the primary side P and the secondary side S of the transformer T) at the secondary side S of the transformer T corresponding to the AC input voltage Vin received by the primary side P of the transformer T is converted into a DC output voltage Vout through rectification of the diode D and filtering of the capacitor C and supplied to the electronic device LD.
However, if the current Ip flowing through the primary side P of the transformer T is too large (i.e., an over current is produced), the power switch Q and/or the electronic device LD may be damaged. Conventionally, an over current protection (OCP) unit 103 is disposed in the power conversion apparatus 10 for detecting the voltage Vcs (Vcs=Rs×Ip) on the node N1 between the power switch Q and the resistor Rs. When the voltage Vcs on the node N1 reaches a predetermined OCP reference voltage of the OCP unit 103, the OCP unit 103 activates an OCP mechanism to stop the PWM signal generator 101 from outputting the PWM signal VPWM and turn off the power switch Q, so that the power switch Q and/or the electronic device LD can be protected.
However, a spike may be produced at the instant when the power switch Q is turned on because of (in response to) the PWM signal VPWM, and as a result, the voltage Vcs on the node N1 detected by the OCP unit 103 may be very high (or may even reach the predetermined OCP reference voltage of the OCP unit 103) at that instant. Thus, the OCP unit 103 may activate/trigger the OCP mechanism incorrectly. In this case, the power switch Q is turned off when no over current is produced in the power conversion apparatus 10, and accordingly, the power conversion apparatus 10 cannot supply the DC output voltage Vout to the electronic device LD as expected.

Power conversion apparatus with adjustable LEB time and over current protection method thereof


A flow measuring system is adapted to measure flow in a sub-sea well. The flow measuring system has a housing, attached over a hole in a riser creating a fluid pathway therebetween. A deflector plate is attached to the riser and covering some of the hole. Upper vertical louvers and lower vertical louvers directly attached to the deflector plate over the hole. Apertures in the upper vertical louvers and the lower vertical louvers permit fluid to flow through. A flow measurement device is mechanically coupled to the housing and the deflector plate and configured to determine a speed and direction of flow through the fluid pathway.

The embodiments herein relate generally to systems that measure flow in a sub-sea well.
Prior to embodiments of the disclosed invention, real-time accurate and positive measurement of the flow of fluids in the annulus of a wellbore, or the wellbore itself, during operations on a floating drilling or production vessel was done relative to the well bore. Some endeavors in this field include: U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,322 issued to Swenson; U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,354 issued to Schrader; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,932 issued to Worrall. However, Swenson, Schrader and Worrell do not teach using a propeller in a parallel flow portion of a tube to determine flow rate. Embodiments of the disclosed invention solve this problem.

Flow measuring system having a housing with a flow measurement device and a deflector plate attached over a hole in a riser


Memory die are provided with programmable chip enable circuitry to allow particular memory die to be disabled after packaging and/or programmable chip address circuitry to allow particular memory die to be readdressed after being packaged. In a multi-chip memory package, a memory die that fails package-level testing can be disabled and isolated from the memory package by a programmable circuit that overrides the master chip enable signal received from the controller or host device. To provide a continuous address range, one or more of the non-defective memory die can be readdressed using another programmable circuit that replaces the unique chip address provided by the pad bonding. Memory chips can also be also be readdressed after packaging independently of detecting a failed memory die.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to technology for fabricating integrated circuits such as semiconductor-based memory devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor-based memory, including volatile memory such as dynamic or static random access memory and non-volatile memory such as flash memory have become more popular for use in various electronic devices. For example, non-volatile semiconductor memory is used in cellular telephones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, mobile computing devices, non-mobile computing devices and other devices. Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), including flash EEPROM, and Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), are among the most popular non-volatile semiconductor memories.
As with most storage devices, semiconductor memory devices may have defective components or storage areas. For example, the individual storage elements or memory cells of a semiconductor memory array may be defective. Additionally, the peripheral circuitry for the memory array, including word lines, bit lines, decoders, etc., may be defective, rendering associated storage elements defective as well. It is inevitable in any commercially fabricated semiconductor memory device that some portion of the memory array will be defective.
Most defect management schemes rely on redundant memory cells to replace primary memory cells that are determined to be defective. During typical semiconductor memory fabrication processes such as that depicted in FIG. 1, wafer level testing 12 is conducted prior to packaging memory chips to form memory devices. A wafer can include hundreds or thousands of memory chips, each of which will include a memory array and peripheral components such as the control and logic circuits for accessing the memory cells of the array. During wafer level testing 12, the functionality of the memory chips is tested so that defective components are not needlessly integrated into a packaged device. Wafer level testing is often conducted at raised and/or lowered temperatures (e.g., 85° C. and/or −30° C.) to ensure functionality at extreme conditions and to ensure functionality after stressing the circuits. Memory cells that fail functionality testing can be replaced with redundant memory cells from the chip. Depending on the type of memory being manufactured, different redundancy schemes can be employed. For example, individual memory cells can be replaced, entire columns or bit lines of memory cells can be replaced, or entire blocks of memory cells can be replaced.
After wafer level testing 12, the wafer is divided into individual memory chips and one or more of the memory chips are packaged 14 to form a memory device. Packaged memory devices are then subjected to a burn-in process 16 to stress the memory arrays and peripheral circuitry of the chips. Burn-in is typically conducted under even higher temperatures (e.g., 125° C.) than wafer level testing. High voltages are applied at various portions of each chip to stress and identify weaker elements. The stress conditions of the burn-in process are designed to cause failure of weaker devices which can later be detected during package level testing 18. In some manufacturing processes, burn-in is not performed.
Package level testing usually consists of various functionality tests to determine which cells are defective subsequent to burn-in. In recent years, techniques such as anti-fuses have been incorporated into fabrication processes so that memory cells that are found to be defective subsequent to burn-in can be replaced by redundant memory from the memory chip.
In some instances, package level testing 18 results in the identification of entire memory chips that are defective. For instance, the number of defective memory cells of the array may exceed the redundancy capacity for the die or certain peripheral circuitry may fail, causing the die to be unusable. When this occurs, the entire memory package containing the defective die is generally unusable and rejected 20, resulting in yield losses for the manufacturing process. If the memory package contains multiple memory chips, the failure of a single die will result in a discarded package.

Programmable chip enable and chip address in semiconductor memory


A recumbent vehicle is disclosed, which generally consists of a front, seat and rear chassis. The seat chassis is operatively connected to upper and lower pivot joints, which allow for the seat chassis, and thus the rider, to move independently from the remainder of the vehicle. The upper and lower pivot joints are each comprised of subcomponents such as spherical axial bearings along with a coil to create the independent movement, which manifests itself during turns and when hitting obstacles on the terrain. The rider can control the direction of the recumbent vehicle by using a steering arm.

A. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to human-powered transportation and specifically to recumbent vehicles.
B. Description of Related Art
Bicycles have become a common mode of human-powered transportation. In conventional so-called upright bicycles, such as multi-speed racing bicycles and mountain style bicycles, the seat is positioned between and above the wheels while, the pedal assembly is positioned essentially vertically downward from the scat.
Conventional so-called upright bicycles suffer from a set of drawbacks. One of the main drawbacks associated with the so-called upright bicycles is that a relatively high proportion of the effort expanded by the rider is used to overcome wind resistance. Another drawback of the conventional upright bicycles relates to the fact that the rider sits relatively high away from the ground and that in the event that a high degree of deceleration is achieved, the rider may be projected forwardly. Furthermore, hard braking can also lead to severe skidding of the tires. A still further drawback of the conventional so-called upright bicycles is the general lack of ergonomic characteristics associated with the rider's position. An upright bicycle is also difficult to balance when at rest and the rider typically has to lower his or her foot to balance the bicycle. When carrying cargo on the frame itself, the upright bicycle becomes all the more unstable in motion as the added weight shifts from side to side.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages, another type of human-powered transport has evolved throughout the years, namely the so-called recumbent tricycle. A recumbent tricycle differs from a conventional upright bicycle in that the rider sits behind the foot pedals in a recumbent or reclining position on a seat that is usually provided with a backrest, and the tricycle has three wheels (although some recumbent have a 2 wheel version). The recumbent tricycle may have two wheels in front and one in the rear, known as a "tadpole" design, or two wheels in the rear and one in the front, known as a "delta" design.
Unlike in an upright bicycle in which the rider's legs extend generally downwardly, in a recumbent tricycle, the rider's legs extend forwardly substantially parallel to the ground. As such, the combined frontal area of a recumbent tricycle and rider is typically substantially less than in a conventional upright-type bicycle, thus causing less wind resistance.
Furthermore, a lower center of gravity, greater tire contact due to three wheels and a feet-forward riding position mean that a higher degree of deceleration can be achieved without the rider being projected forward, as he or she might on a conventional bicycle. The risk of injury to the body due to contact with the handlebars, brakes and gear shift levers is reduced in the event that the rider is thrown forward. The feet being positioned in front of the rider, they are most likely to make contact in a head-on collision, often bracing the rider and preventing substantial injury. The rider rarely goes over the handlebars, resulting in fewer head injuries, and the low centre of gravity means the rider has a reduced distance to fall before contacting the ground.
Moreover, during pedalling, the loads applied to the rider's body against the seat in reaction to the forces applied to the foot pedals by the rider's legs are transmitted to the seat through the hips and shoulders of the rider, similar to the effect of a contact point on a lever. This enables the upper torso and arms of the rider to remain relaxed while full power is being applied to the foot pedals.
Furthermore, the seat of a recumbent tricycle typically supports more of the rider's body area, including his back, so that the weight of the rider is distributed over a larger surface for greater comfort. This may also be more suitable for people with balance or limb disabilities. Also, the recumbent position allows for greater thrust power since the back of the rider can be braced against the seat. In an upright bicycle, the maximum thrust is limited by the weight of the rider, although this can be helped if the rider pulls up on the handlebars while pushing down on the pedals.
Finally, and with particular reference to the present recumbent tricycle, the seat of recumbent tricycle can be supported by way of pivot joints such that said seat moves semi-independently to the remainder of the recumbent tricycle chassis. In this instance, the centrifugal force as experienced by the driver is lessened as said driver can move, to a certain extent, in the same direction as the centrifugal force. Further, the resulting suspension of the recumbent tricycle's seat is better suited to absorb shock resulting from debris or imperfections on the road.
A recumbent tricycle in the delta configuration, with two rear wheels and one front wheel, has some specific advantages relative to the tadpole configuration, such as the possibility of an expanded cargo capacity.
Although recumbent tricycles have been the subject of previous patents and patent applications, some of the prior art recumbent designs suffer from a further set of drawbacks. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,581 describes a recumbent tricycle in a delta configuration, in which only the front wheel turns in the direction in which the rider would like to go, and the front portion of the frame remains in a forward orientation. This type of steering is unstable when cornering at higher speeds because the front portion of the frame is unable to lean into the turn.
Another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,190 discloses a tricycle in a delta configuration, with rear-wheel drive and a fork-mounted front wheel that pivots by means of turning the fork. A rear-wheel drive mechanism for a tricycle in a delta configuration is complex, expensive and requires heavier hardware. For instance, it will require a full axle to transmit power to both wheels, and a differential gear, for example, to permit the wheel on the outside of the turn radius to turn faster than the wheel on the inside of the turn radius. It will also call for a longer drivetrain to transfer power to the rear from the front crankset.
Yet another example of the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,277 discloses a tricycle in a tadpole configuration, with the two front wheels serving as the drive wheels. Again, this type of configuration requires a differential which adds cost, and it is more difficult to get into and out of than a delta configuration. The tadpole configuration also does not offer an obvious way to store and carry cargo.
In another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,561 discloses a two-pivot tricycle in delta configuration, which contains a center joint so that the seat, pedals and front wheel pivot in the direction in which the rider would like to travel. The pivot disclosed is comprised of a cam bearing, wedged in between a pin and a housing. Unfortunately, said pivot system cannot provide for an efficient inclination as the cam bearing has very little give and the tubes constitute welded pieces one onto another. In other words, the more stressed the system becomes, the more pressure that will result on the overall tricycle's chassis.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,535 discloses another type of two-pivot tricycle, wherein said pivot is comprised of a bolt, pivotally fastened on one end to a bolt hole, and on the other end to a nut. In between said bolt hole and nut lies a spacer, whereby when side to side movement occurs on the tricycle, the bolt can pivot around the bolt hole, and compresses the spacer on either side, depending on the movement in order to compensate for said movement. However, depending on the size and suppleness of the spacer, the tricycle is restricted in terms of movement. Further, the spacer-style pivot is not an appropriate substitute for a proper coil or spring suspension to create a comfortable experience for riders.