High-current, compact, flexible conductors containing high temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes and methods for making the same are described. The HTS tapes are arranged into a stack, a plurality of stacks are arranged to form a superstructure, and the superstructure is twisted about the cable axis to obtain a HTS cable. The HTS cables of the invention can be utilized in numerous applications such as cables employed to generate magnetic fields for degaussing and high current electric power transmission or distribution applications.

Lightweight conductors that can transmit large amounts of electric currents without significant loss are being sought in numerous applications. For example, in many electrorefining applications (e.g., aluminum production processes), high amounts of currents are required. Other applications requiring lightweight, high-current conductors include naval ships. Ships are currently outfitted with a complex system of coiled cables (called degaussing cables) to reduce the magnetic field developed on the ship's body that are typically made of ferromagnetic materials. This allows the ships to evade magnetic mines that explode upon sensing a change in the magnetic field. To accommodate the high-current requirements in exemplary applications described above, large diameter wires, typically made of copper or aluminum, are generally utilized. However, this leads to undesirably heavy, bulky, and inflexible cables. Cables having lowered weight and increased flexibility that can carry large amounts of electric currents without significant loss have not yet been realized.

High-current, compact flexible conductors containing high temperature superconducting tapes


An image sensor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a light-sensing region, and a first and second electrode embedded within the substrate. The first and second electrode forms an array of slits, the array of slits is configured to allow a wavelength of light to pass through to the light-sensing region. A method for making an image sensor device includes providing a semiconductor substrate, forming a plurality of pixels on the semiconductor substrate, and forming a plurality of slits embedded within each of the plurality of pixels. The plurality of slits is configured to allow a wavelength of light to pass through to each of the plurality of pixels.

An image sensor provides a grid of pixels, such as photosensitive diodes or photodiodes, reset transistors, source follower transistors, pinned layer photodiodes, and/or transfer transistors for recording an intensity or brightness of light. The pixel responds to the light by accumulating a charge—the more light, the higher the charge. The charge can then be used by another circuit so that a color and brightness can be used for a suitable application, such as a digital camera. Common types of pixel grids include a charge-coupled device (CCD), complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor (CIS), an active-pixel sensor, and a passive-pixel sensor.
Another type of pixel is a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector. This type is constructed with two Schottky contacts (e.g., metallic electrodes) on a semiconductor material, instead of a p-n junction as in a photodiode. A voltage potential is applied between the electrodes which creates an electric field in the semiconductor material. The light that is absorbed in the semiconductor material generates electric carriers that are collected by the electric field. These electric carriers contribute to a photocurrent that can be measured and recorded. MSM photodetectors have generally been used in optical telecommunication systems due to their high speed and low parasitic capacitance. However, MSM photodetectors have low responsivity caused by reflection from the surface metal contacts and semiconductor surface.
In order to capture color, image sensors employ a color filter layer that can support several different color filters (e.g., red, green, and blue), and are positioned such that the incident light is directed through the filter. This can be done by using a color filter array mosaic on a single sensor or splitting the incident light with a prism to multiple sensors. Either way, the cost of the color filters used in image sensors accounts for a large part of the total cost of the image sensor. Additionally, the color filter layer adds to the physical size of the device. Improvements in color filter design and fabrication are desired to reduce the cost and size of image sensors.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor element that includes an electrode layer on a surface of the semiconductor element; a low-strength layer that is provided on a surface of the electrode layer; a bonding layer that is provided on a surface of the low-strength layer; and a conductive plate that is provided on a surface of the bonding layer. Strength of the bonding layer is higher than strength of the electrode layer, and strength of the low-strength layer is lower than the strength of the electrode layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device.
2. Description of Related Art
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-129619 (JP 2011-129619 A) discloses a semiconductor device in which a conductive plate is fixed on an electrode layer provided on a surface of a semiconductor element with a solder layer therebetween.
When the conductive plate is fixed on a semiconductor element driven at high temperatures with the solder layer therebetween, the solder layer can be a high-melting point solder material. However, the high-melting point solder material has higher strength than the electrode layer in general. Therefore, when thermal stress is repeatedly exerted on the electrode layer and the solder layer due to heat generation and heat dissipation of the semiconductor element, the electrode layer can be damaged prior to the solder layer.


Systems, techniques, and methods are presented for creating digital note cards and presenting a graphical user interface for interacting with digital note cards. For example, content from an electronic book can be displayed in a graphical user interface. Input can be received in the graphical user interface highlighting a portion of the content and creating a note, the note including user generated content. A digital note card can be created where one side of the digital note card includes the highlighted text, and the other side of the digital note card includes the note. The digital note card can be displayed in the graphical user interface.

Physical books provide a reader with the ability to augment the text presented on the pages of a book. For example, a reader can use a highlighter to highlight or underline text on a page in a physical book. The reader can also augment the text by writing notes and comments in line with the text or in the margins surrounding the text. To review the highlighted text, notes, or comments, the reader would need to revisit the physical pages containing the highlighted text, notes, or comments. Alternatively, a reader can make note cards and include text from a book, personal notes, and comments on the note cards.
Many types of display devices can be used to display text. For example, text from ebooks can be stored on and read from a digital device such as an electronic book reader (ebook reader), personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or the like. An electronic book can be purchased from an online store on the World Wide Web and downloaded to such a device. The device can have buttons for scrolling through the pages of the electronic book as the user reads.


In the key installation system for improving the confidentiality and concealment of the key, a first decrypting circuit decrypts an encrypted key EKEY1(EDK(MK1)) using an encrypted key EDK1(MK1) as the key. A second decrypting circuit decrypts an encrypted key EMK1(KEY1) using the output of the second decrypting circuit, that is, an internal key KEY1 as the key. A third decrypting circuit decrypts the encrypted key EDK1(MK1) using the output of the second decrypting circuit, that is, an internal key MK1 as the key, to generate a final secret key DK1.

The present invention relates to a technology related to systems in which a key has been installed and LSIs used for such systems.
In conventional key installation systems, in general, a raw key with a fixed value is installed in an LSI.
In a general CMOS LSI, it is difficult to install a key unique to the individual LSI. Because, key is implemented in General CMOS LSIs by hard-wired logic or ROM. So, key is not able to change. A key may be loaded from an external ROM. In this case, however, the key may be analyzed inside a system (set). Also, a person other than the key administrator, such as an LSI designer and a system (set) designer, may possibly come to know the key. In addition, it is difficult to write keys with different values by mass-production technology. Moreover, there is no way to verify whether or not the key has been installed correctly. That is, testing of internal keys is difficult.

Key installation system, LSI for implementing the same, and key installation method

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Disclosed is a method for detecting mutation(s) in nucleotide sequence, which comprises performing a nucleic acid amplification reaction by using an oligonucleotide or a salt thereof as a primer and a nucleic acid in a sample as a template and detecting a reaction product, wherein the oligonucleotide is so modified at the nucleotide at the second position from the 3′-terminus as to inhibit the nucleic acid synthesis. Also disclosed is a kit for the method. According to the present invention, since it is possible to completely eliminate any false positive result in the determination and correspond to various mutation patterns by a single run of PCR1 reaction, it becomes possible to design a drug-resistance determination system, which can detect possible plural genetic mutations by a single run of multiplex PCR.

In case of human, for example, one of the reasons for difference between individual subjects in susceptibility to diseases, reactivity to medical drugs, susceptibility to side effect and the like may be due to the involvement of a genetic mutation (base polymorphism of gene). And so, focusing attention on this difference of nucleotide sequence, studies on the exploration of a suitable therapy for the individual constitution have been progressing. In addition, the base polymorphism of gene can also be genetic markers for various diseases. Therefore, the clarification of such base polymorphism is important from the clinical point of view, and the establishment of a method for analyzing nucleotide sequence which is capable of detecting the respective mutant gene and a method for identifying such base polymorphism has long been desired.
In addition, in the field of diagnosis of infectious diseases, there is an occasion where the infecting microorganism has developed resistance to drug by a genetic mutation. Therefore, for the purpose of determining whether the microorganism isolated from the patient has developed resistance to the medical agent, the detection of a genetic mutation in the microorganism isolated from the patient is particularly important from a viewpoint of diagnostic methodology and also for the selection of appropriate therapeutic treatment.
For example, it has been clarified that a mutation of rpoB gene coding for RNA polymerase B subunit of genus Mycobacterium is involved in development of resistance to rifampicin in human tubercle bacillus (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), and the mutation in rpoB gene was observed for about 95% of the rifampicin-resistant tubercle bacilli. And so, it may be possible to figure out whether the tubercle bacillus is resistant to rifampicin or not by detecting this gene and by determining the existence or non-existence of genetic mutation.
In addition, as to the mutation in rpoB gene involved in the rifampicin resistance of tubercle bacillus, various patterns have been reported (VIVEK KAPUR, et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 1944. p. 1095-1098). Therefore, if the detection of plural number of mutant genes can be performed at the same time, improved accuracy in the diagnosis and increased throughput (the amount of information processed in a certain period) can be expected.
As to the tubercle bacillus, the genetic mutation involved in the resistance to other medical drugs has also been studied, and it is now coming to light the patterns for the respective mutations.
Another example showing effectiveness of the detection of mutation is the detection of MRSA. That is, as the methicillin-resistant Streptococcus aureus (MRSA) has mec gene, the resistance to methicillin can be recognized by the detection of the mec gene (MRSA can be detected).
However, in order to detect the existence of mutant gene such as a point mutation, a single nucleotide polymorphism, and the like, difference of only one base in a huge genomic nucleotide sequence has to be detected, and in consequence, a very high specificity is required.
Examples of known analytical technique of the nucleotide sequence which is conventionally and commonly used are, for example, the determination method of nucleotide sequence determination (sequencing method), TaqMan™ probe method (Genome Res., vol. 6, p. 986, 1996), RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) method (J. Clin. Invest., vol. 72, p. 1262, 1983), ASP (allele-specific primer) method (WO 01/42498), ASO (allele-specific oligoprobe) method (Nature, vol. 324, p. 163, 1986), Single base extension method (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 94, p. 10756, 1997), Pyrosequencing method (Analytical Biochemistry, vol. 244, p. 367, 1997), Invader™ method (Nature Biotech., vol. 17, p. 292, 1999), and so on.
Among these methods, the method of nucleotide sequence determination, TaqMan™ probe method, RFLP method, ASO method, Single base extension method, Pyrosequencing method and the like are the methods in which a region comprising a mutation or a polymorphism is amplified in advance using nucleic acid amplification technique such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), then the detection procedure is performed. Therefore, in order to obtain a clear signal with reduced background, to obtain a specific amplification product is primarily quite important.
Invader™ method is an accepted method in principle, which can detect the mutation and polymorphism without any amplification reaction. However, there are many cases where the sensitivity is insufficient for the detection when the method is practiced without amplification reaction. Practically, same as the case with other methods, it is important to amplify the nucleotide of the measuring object to be detected in advance.
Further, in the ASP method, after amplifying the mutant allele specifically by PCR using a mutant DNA-specific oligonucleotide comprised of about 20 bases and a template DNA, the PCR product obtained is subjected to gel electrophoresis, and the existence of a mutant allele is detected by detecting a band. This method is eventually suitable for testing a large number of samples efficiently.
However, in the conventional methods using PCR as described above including the ASP method, there are some cases where a primer extension product is obtained even when mismatches exist in the primer, and so that there exists difficulty in obtaining a specific amplification product. Therefore, the method is problematic in terms of stringency.
In addition, there is a method which uses a primer having a nucleoside with a base which is not complementary to a target gene at the second position from 3′end, and setting the polymorphic site to be detected at the 3′end thereof, incidentally the method has been modified from the ASP method based on the knowledge that the polymorphism-specific primer having SNP site at the second position from the 3′ end thereof recognizes the polymorphism precisely. There is a publication reporting that, in this method, detection of the polymorphic site existing at the 3′end is improved, in comparison with a primer having a nucleoside with a base complementary to a target gene at the second position from 3′end (Non-patent Document 1). However, even though this method is used, in some cases, such a primer extension product is obtained even when mismatches exist at the 3′end of the primer, and eventually, the method still had a problem in terms of detection sensitivity.
Further, a method using an oligonucleotide as a primer has been reported (Patent Document 1), in which the 3′end of the nucleotide sequence thereof is set in a polymorphic site, and a 2′-O, 4′-C-ethylene nucleotide unit is used as the third nucleotide from 3′end thereof.
In the above-described Patent Document, using a primer complementary to a wild type sequence in which the third nucleotide from 3′end thereof is a 2′-O,4′-C-ethylene nucleotide unit (Example 1 of Patent Document 1) and a primer complementary to a mutant type sequence in which the third nucleotide from 3′ end thereof is a 2′-O,4′-C-ethylene nucleotide unit (Example 2 of Patent Document 1), PCR has been performed using a wild type sample as a template (Test Example 1 of Patent Document 1). In this case, amplification of gene was confirmed when the primer complementary to the wild type DNA sequence was used, and amplification of gene was not confirmed when the primer complementary to the mutant type DNA sequence was used. For this reason, in the above-described reference, it has been stated that the selective amplification of gene can be performed by this method.
However, it cannot be concluded only by the above-described results that the above-described primer, which is complementary to the wild type sequence, is specific for the detection of the wild type. That is, unless the result showing that when PCR with a wild type DNA sample as a template is performed by using a primer complementary to a wild type sequence, the primer extension products can be obtained, however, when PCR with a mutant type DNA sample as a template is performed by using the same primer, the primer extension products can not be obtained, there can not be a proof showing that the above-described primer is capable of detecting wild type specifically.
In fact, even when PCR is performed using "a primer which amplifies mutant type" and a sample from wild type gene according to this method, there is a problem that the primer extension products is obtained (emergence of false positive). Namely, there is a problem that even when the primer extension product could be obtained by performing PCR using this primer for a sample, which sample is unclear whether it is wild type or mutant type, still the sample cannot be determined whether it is wild type.
As to a possible cause of the above-described problem, the following reason can be considered. That is, the thermostable DNA polymerase used for PCR has a 5′→3′ polymerase activity and concurrently has a 3′→5′ exonuclease activity. Therefore, when a primer capable of amplifying the mutant type is bound to a sample comprising the wild type gene, the nucleotide base allocated at the 3′end of the primer, which base is the same or complementary to the mutant nucleotide gene, will be cleaved at the PCR step by the 3′→5′ exonuclease activity of the thermostable DNA polymerase. Therefore, the 3′ end of the above-described primer recognizes completely the gene sequence of the wild type sample, which normally should not be recognized, and the extension reaction according to the primer sequence is started by the action of the DNA polymerase. In consequence, it is considered that, even though a primer which should amplify the mutant type has been used, and PCR has been performed using a sample comprising wild type gene as a template, the primer extension product has been produced, and thus such a nonspecific amplification is occurred.
In addition, in general, the "specificity" is defined as the ability to give a decision for negative as negative. And so, as a method for improving the specificity in the analysis of mutation and polymorphism using a nucleic acid amplification reaction, a method for inhibiting nonspecific amplification (emergence of false positive amplification) can be considered. As a means for this purpose, optimization of amplification condition (increase of anneal temperature, decrease of cycle number, lowering of enzyme amount, change of enzyme species, decrease of dNTP concentration, decrease of Mg concentration, decrease of template DNA concentration, and the like), modification of primer design, utilization of hot start method using antibody or aptamer, utilization of modified oligonucleotide (PNA and LNA, and the like) which have been said to increase the specificity, and the like are considered. However, there are some cases where these methods are effective for the suppression of nonspecific amplification, but in many cases the effectiveness is insufficient and optionally the suppression is also occurred in the specific amplification, and these each has drawback.
From these circumstances, establishment of a method for detecting mutation(s) in nucleotide sequence with exclusion of false positive and with high specificity has been desired.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2005-323583
Patent Document 2: JP-A-1993-271224
Non-patent Document 1: Bioorganic & Medical Chemistry, 2003, vol. 11, pp. 2211-2226
Non-patent Document 2: VIVEK KAPUR et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., vol. 32, No. 4, 1994, pp. 1095-1098
Non-patent Document3: Koji Morita et al., Bioorganic & Medical Chemistry Letters, vol. 12, 2002, pp. 73-76


An accessory to a bed knife gage and bar that holds the bar in place against the rollers on a lawn mower cutter. The accessory comprises a movable permanent magnet attached to a rod and handle, the rod, in turn, attached to the bar. Engagement of the permanent magnet with the mower cutter bed knife holds the bar and gage in place obviating the need for the user to hold the bar in place while using the gage.

The field of the invention pertains to lawn mowers and, in particular, to reel-type mowers principally used on golf course greens.
Golf course greens, which usually consist of carefully grown bent grass on a carefully prepared soil surface, require very accurate grass cutting to satisfy discriminating golfers, whether professionals or skilled amateurs. To obtain a smooth, even, carpet-like bent grass surface, reel mower cutters continue to be used. The reel mower cutters used, however, must be carefully and accurately sharpened and adjusted for the accurate cut required.
To obtain the proper height of the reel blades and bed knife relative to cutter rollers, a gage mounted on a bar is used. The bar rests on the two rollers, with the gage used to measure the bed knife height above the rollers. The cutting height of the cutter is thereby measured. Such a gage-and-bar device is manufactured and sold under the "ACCU-GAGE" trademark and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,357 which is incorporated herein by reference.

Bed knife gage holder for adjusting lawn mower cutters


A pair of gloves for keeping fingers clean during the eating of juicy foods includes a left-hand glove having a first pocket for receiving a left thumb, a second pocket for receiving a left index finger, and a third pocket for receiving a left middle finger and a right-hand glove having a first pocket for receiving a right thumb, a second pocket for receiving a right index finger, and a third pocket for receiving a right middle finger. The ring and little fingers of a user's hands are not protected and are held in spaced apart relation to the food during consumption. The gloves are made from whole gloves formed of a thin vinyl by cutting off the pockets for receiving the ring and little fingers of each hand.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to gloves or mittens. More particularly, it relates to a structure that covers the thumb and two opposable fingers to keep them clean during meals that include edible items of the type that are smothered in juice, grease, and the like, and that are intended to be eaten without utensils.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional gloves provide individual pockets for all five digits of a hand—the thumb and four fingers. Conventional mittens provide only two pockets—one for the thumb and a large one for all four fingers.
Neither a conventional glove nor a conventional mitten has utility in connection with the eating of so-called finger-foods (foods eaten while being held in the hand) that include high levels of juices or other viscuous substances.
Ribs and chicken wings are two such products—they are typically eaten without utensils. The diner must hold onto the wing, rib, or the like with the bare hand. The user's fingers and thumbs therefore become heavily coated with juices.
Cleaning the juices from the fingers and thumbs is problematic—conventional cloth or paper dry napkins are often inadequate. Pre-wetted napkins perform better.
Typically, a person who has eaten juicy finger foods is required to excuse themselves from the table and scrub their hands in a sink.
The problem with napkins, whether dry or wet, is that they must be initially held when the fingers are covered with juices. Accordingly, the napkin is soiled before it can be used. To clean the fingers and thumb of a first hand, the fingers and thumb of a second, grease-covered hand must be used to hold the napkin. Accordingly, the newly cleaned first hand must then grasp the soiled napkin and attempt to clean the digits of the second hand. This process can make the digits of the first hand dirty, requiring the process to be formed again.
The juicy finger-food problem could be imperfectly solved by supplying gloves or mittens to be worn by the diners. However, most people object to eating a meal while wearing conventional gloves or mittens.
The problem is particularly acute in restaurants or at formal catered events. The diners are often wearing clothing that is more expensive than their casual home attire. Moreover, the public nature of such events further increases the concerns of the diners concerning cleanliness. Many well-dressed, well-manicured people attending a public event where food is served might even decline to eat if the only foods served are juicy or greasy or otherwise observed to be messy.
What is needed, then, is an invention that enables people to consume juicy foods such as wings and ribs at formal restaurants and catered events while wearing formal attire and without reliance upon napkins or trips to a washroom.
However, in view of the prior art taken as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art how such invention could be provided. It follows that it was not obvious how to provide such invention in a cost-effective way.

Mitt for thumb, index finger, and middle finger


A light-measuring device is disclosed for continuously and accurately measuring the intensity of light beams of from low intensity to high intensity. The intensity of a light beam to be measured is measured by a photodiode. A bias voltage is applied to the photodiode by a bias power source to improve the saturation characteristic. When the measured light beam is of high intensity, an analog switch and a photo MOS relay are switched on. When measuring a light beam with medium intensity, only the analog switch is turned off and a bias voltage is not applied to the photodiode. When measuring a light beam with low intensity, the bias voltage is not applied to the photodiode by switching off the photo MOS relay.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light-measuring device for measuring the intensity of light received using a means for detecting quantity of light, such as a photodiode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a light-measuring device such as an optical spectrum analyzer has been employed for the measurement of the amount of light of a light beam. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of this type of light-measuring device of the prior art. This prior-art light-measuring device comprises a photodiode 2, a light detection circuit 23, an A/D converter 24, a computing unit 16, and a display 25.
Photodiode 2 receives the light to be measured and generates a signal that depends on the intensity of the light. Light detection circuit 23 amplifies the signal outputted by photodiode 2 at a fixed amplitude factor and outputs the result. A/D converter 24 performs A/D conversion of the signal outputted by light detection circuit 3 and outputs the result as measurement data. Computing unit 16 inputs the measurement data from A/D converter 24, carries out a process to convert the measurement data to data that can be displayed on display 25, and displays on display 25.
The light-measuring device of the prior art allows measurement of at various light intensities. The rated current that is allowed to flow through photodiode 2, however, is set, and flow of current greater than the rated current for more than a fixed time period results in breakdown of the photodiode.
In the light-measuring device of the prior art, therefore, the inadvertent incidence of light with intensity greater than the rated value for a period greater than the fixed period results in breakdown of photodiode 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, photodiode 2 has an output terminal connected to the grounded and an input terminal connected to the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier 3. The operational amplifier 3 has a non-inverting input terminal that is also grounded, and an output terminal that is fed back to be connected to the inverting input terminal via a feedback resistor 4.
In a light-measuring device of the above-described construction, photodiode 2 generates a signal depending on the amount of incident light when a light beam to be measured is supplied to photodiode 2. This signal is amplified and outputted by operational amplifier 3. This output allows measurement of the amount of light of the light beam.
However, the amount of light of the incident light beam varies from weak to strong, and as a result, if the gain of amplification by operational amplifier 3 is constant, then the range within which measurement can be effected will be limited.
To overcome this problem light-measuring device shown in FIG. 3 is known, in which feedback resistor 4 with variable resistance is provided, thereby expanding the range of measurement of the amount of light.
This light-measuring device of the prior art comprises an optical shutter 1, a photodiode 2, an amplifier 33, an A/D converter 24, a computing unit 16, a display 25, an operational amplifier 3, n resistors 8.sub.1 -8.sub.n with differing resistances, and a switch 10.
Switch 10 consists of n switches 9.sub.1 -9.sub.n, whereby a specific resistor among resistors 8.sub.1 -8.sub.n is connected to operational amplifier 3 by closing only the switch designated by gain switching signal 102.
Photodiode 2 converts the intensity of received light to a signal and outputs the result.
Operational amplifier 3 amplifies the signal from photodiode 2 based on the gain determined by the resistance of the resistor among resistors 8.sub.1 -8.sub.n that is connected and outputs the result.
Computing unit 16 both controls the turn on (light admitting)/turn off (light blocking) of optical shutter 1 based on optical shutter control signal 101, switches the gain of operational amplifier 3 based on gain switching signals 102 such that the measurement data outputted from A/D converter 24 fall within a certain fixed range, and causes the measurement data from A/D converter 24 to be displayed on display 25.
The operation of the light-measuring device of the prior art will be explained below. Computing unit 16 first turns on optical shutter 1 based on optical shutter control signal 101 and begins measurement of light intensity. The measurement data of the light intensity are then supplied to computing unit 16 by way of operational amplifier 3, amplifier 33, and A/D converter 24.
If the inputted data do not fall within a certain fixed range, computing unit 16 switches the gain of operational amplifier 3 by controlling switches 9.sub.1 -9.sub.n of switch 10 based on gain switching signals 102. At the time of switching this gain and for a fixed time interval afterwards, computing unit 16 turns off (light blocking) optical shutter 1 by means of optical shutter control signals 101 and measures the data delivered from A/D converter 24 during this time as the offset voltage of operational amplifier 3. The offset voltage is the voltage that appears in output at the operational amplifier when the input is zero.
Computing unit 16 then turns on optical shutter 1 based on optical shutter control signal 101, measures the light intensity, and subtracts the previously measured offset voltage from this measurement value and displays the resultant data on display 25 as the actual light intensity.
FIG. 4a shows a graph of the change in measurement data outputted from A/D converter 24 with respect to the measurement time, and FIG. 4b shows a graph of the change with respect to measurement time of data following subtraction of the offset voltage from the measurement data shown in FIG. 4a in computing unit 16.
In FIG. 4a, data measured during the time the optical shutter is turned off represent the offset voltage of operational amplifier 3, and the actual data as shown in FIG. 4b can be obtained by subtracting this offset voltage from the measurement data. The interval during which optical shutter is OFF is a display halt interval at display 25 because there are no measurement data to be displayed.
The amount of drift of an operational amplifier differs for each operational amplifier and in addition, varies with temperature. The offset voltage of the operational amplifier will therefore vary due to drift if there is a slight difference between the temperature of the operational amplifier at the time of measuring the offset voltage and the temperature of the operational amplifier at the time of measuring the actual light intensity, with the result that error is introduced in the measurement data.
Explanation will be next presented regarding measurement data in the case of drift of this offset voltage using FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b.
As shown in FIG. 5a, the amount of offset drifts during the interval that the optical shutter is turned off, and an average value is measured during this interval. The average value of this offset voltage is then subtracted from the measurement data of FIG. 5a to obtain the data shown in FIG. 5b. However, the obtained data inevitably includes error because the offset voltage drifts even after measuring the offset voltage.
Temperature drift in the offset voltage of the operational amplifier stops changing after a set time interval. An offset voltage value in which the effect of drift is eliminated can therefore be obtained if the offset voltage is measured after lengthening the time the shutter is turned off and drift stabilizes. Since measurement must be halted during the time interval, however, display on. display 25 must also be suspended.
In addition, the prior-art light-measuring device shown in FIG. 3 expands the measurement range of the amount of light because the gain of operational amplifier 3 can be changed. The drift of operational amplifier 3 also increases when the amount of light in a light beam with high intensity is measured because the output voltage increases and temperature rises, and measurement accuracy is therefore diminished if the amount of light in a light beam with low intensity is measured after measuring a light beam with high intensity.
Moreover, although the signal generated by the aforementioned photodiode is substantially directly proportional to the amount of incident light, some photodiodes exhibit a characteristic such that the generated signal is saturated when the photodiode is irradiated by a large amount of light. In a light-measuring device utilizing a photodiode with the saturation characteristic, the saturation characteristic can usually be improved by applying to the photodiode a bias voltage with opposite polarity to the generated current.
A light-measuring device that uses photodiode 12 having the aforementioned saturation characteristic will be next described with reference to FIG. 6.
In contrast to the light-measuring device of FIG. 2, this light-measuring device employs photodiode 12 having a saturation characteristic in place of photodiode 2, and in addition, is provided with bias power source 14 between the ground and output terminal of photodiode 12 for applying a reverse bias to photodiode 12 by way of resistor 13.
In the above-described light-measuring device, the application of a bias voltage with a polarity opposite to that of the generated current in photodiode 12 by bias power source 14 allows an improvement in the saturation characteristic of photodiode 12, which generates a current corresponding to the amount of light in a light beam.
In addition, the current generated by a photodiode not having this type of saturation characteristic is substantially directly proportional to the amount of light, and the photodiode is therefore energized to the output limit of operational amplifier 3 when the amount of light is excessive.
The photodiode is energized by an excessive current that surpasses the permissible rated current when the amount of light is excessive, and the photodiode is therefore subject to breakdown. When the current generated by photodiode 12 increases in the light-measuring device of FIG. 6, however, the voltage generated across resistor 13 also increases, whereby the bias voltage applied to photodiode 12 decreases and the saturation characteristic of photodiode 12, which had been suppressed, becomes conspicuous. The current flowing through photodiode 12 is then obstructed due to this saturation characteristic, with the result that the flow of excessive current through photodiode 12 can be suppressed.
The linearity of measurement of the amount of light decreases as this type of saturation characteristic becomes conspicuous, and the measurement accuracy of the amount of light therefore worsens as the amount of light increases.
In addition, when the light beam is of low intensity, the bias voltage of bias power source 14 gives rise to a dark current of photodiode 12, thereby creating an offset in the output result and degrading the measurement accuracy.
For this reason, in the light-measuring device shown in FIG. 7, relay 17 is provided between bias power source 14 and photodiode 12, so as to allow switching of the application of bias voltage.
Relay 17 allows the connection of the output terminal of photodiode 12 to either bias power source 14 or ground terminal 15.
Namely, in this light-measuring device, relay 17 allows connection of the output terminal of photodiode 12 is connected to ground terminal 15 when measuring a light beam with low intensity, thereby preventing the occurrence of offset voltage due to dark current in the output results.
However, relay 17 requires time for switching connections, and the above-described light-measuring device therefore encounters difficulties when continuously measuring light beams of from high intensity to low intensity. An analog switch can be considered for effecting this switching of connections, but an analog switch generates a large leakage current and therefore complicates accurate measurement when measuring the amount of light at low intensities.

Light-measuring device for accurate and continuous measurement of light intensity


The present invention provides a multilayer ceramic substrate and a method of producing the same which can prevent occurrence of cracks when laminating different ceramic substrates or due to subsequent heat shock, and which has excellent moisture resistance and insulation properties and high reliability. The ceramic multilayer substrate has two ceramic substrates of different thermal expansion coefficients laminated by at least two glass layers of different thermal expansion coefficients which are between the thermal expansion coefficients of the ceramic substrates so that the thermal expansion coefficient changes stepwise between the ceramic substrates. The differences in thermal expansion coefficient between the ceramic substrate and the glass layer which are adjacent to each other, and between the adjacent glass layers are preferably not more than 1.times.10.sup.-6 /.degree.C.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ceramic multilayer substrate which can constitute an electronic device or an electronic part.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, ceramic multilayer substrates have frequently been used as substrates for circuits which constitute an electronic device or an electronic part. In order to realize high density and high integration of electronic devices and electronic parts, some ceramic multilayer substrates are in the form of a laminate of individual ceramic substrates having different characteristics, for example, combining a low-dielectric constant substrate with a high-dielectric constant substrate.
A typical example of such multilayer ceramic substrates comprises a first substrate comprising a high-dielectric constant ceramic substrate in which a plurality of capacitors are provided and connected to the surface thereof by wiring and on which a thick film circuit has been formed and a second substrate comprising a low-dielectric constant ceramic substrate in which a plurality of capacitors and coils are provided connected to the surface thereof by wiring with a thick film circuit formed on the surface thereof. The two substrates are laminated by a resin or glass such that the opposing conductors are connected. Other electronic parts are mounted on the surface of the first or second ceramic substrates.
However, the conventional multilayer ceramic substrate comprising a plurality of ceramic substrates having different characteristics which are integrated by laminating has the following problems:
(1) When the integrated ceramic substrates have thermal expansion coefficients which greatly differ, the laminated portions of the ceramic substrates are stressed due to temperature drop or heat shock after the ceramic substrates have been laminated by using melted glass, thereby causing cracks. In order to prevent such cracks, it is necessary that the thermal expansion coefficients of the ceramic substrates to be laminated coincide within each temperature range employed during manufacture and use. Attempts have made to add an additive to the substrates for controlling thermal expansion of the ceramic substrates. However, the addition of such an additive can cause deterioration of the other characteristics of the substrates.
(2) Although it is possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks by using a resin having a low Young's modulus to relieve the stress generated in the laminated portion, such a resin cannot be used where high reliability is required because the moisture resistance of the laminated portion deteriorates.


Phosphorus-containing, crystalline, nickel-coated fabric, wherein said nickel contains 1 to 6 weight percent phosphorus, has crystallites greater than 3 nanometers and has a surface resistivity of less than 1 ohm/square is deposited onto a substrate a surface which is catalytic to electroless deposition of nickel by immersing the substrate into an electroless nickel plating solution consisting essentially of nickel salt, one or more organic acids, hypophosphite reducing agent, thiourea and ammonia and essentially no heavy metal, wherein the concentration of said thiourea is less than 1 ppm, maintained at a pH of 6.5 to 8.5 and a temperature less than 60.degree. C. Preferred plating solutions comprise essentially no lead or cadmium and have a molar ratio of nickel to hypophosphite in said solution is 0.4 to 0.55. Preferred organic acids are selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, pyruvic acid, aspartic acid and glycolic acid.

Nickel is commonly electrolessly deposited from solutions containing hypophosphite reducing agent, a chelant and stabilizers, including organic acids and thiourea. Such solutions typically are operated at an acidic pH of about 4.5 to 5.5 and a moderately high temperature of about 90.degree. C. Unfortunately when such solutions are used to apply nickel coatings onto high surface area substrates such as fabrics, the baths become unstable and crash. When such baths are stabilized by reducing the operating temperature to about 55.degree. C., the plating rate and the quality of the nickel plated onto fabrics is typically diminished. For instance, the nickel often exhibits an amorphous quality, e.g. with crystallite size less than 2 nanometers (20 Angstroms), and a surface resistivity of about 10 ohms/square or more. Moreover, commercial electroless nickel solutions often contain a heavy metal such as lead or cadmium to complex with degradation products of thiourea, such as sulfur. The presence of such heavy metal often makes it environmentally difficult to treat or dispose of depleted plating baths.
An object of this invention is to provide electrolessly-deposited nickel-coated fabrics having low surface resistivity. Another object of this invention is to provide electroless nickel plating solutions essentially devoid of heavy metals, such as lead or cadmium. Yet another object of this invention is to provide methods of electrolessly plating a layer of highly conductive, phosphorus-containing, crystalline nickel.


An object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming connector terminal electrodes of a lamination capacitor which has firm connection between the internal electrodes and the connector terminal electrode. The ceramic main body part (10) having internal electrodes of palladium is put into a mixture of two powders, one being a silver powder (3) with a diffusion coefficient different from the internal electrodes and the other being a zirconium powder (2) which is inactive to both the internal electrode and the silver powder (3). The ceramic main body part (10) in the mixture is subjected to a heat treatment at a heat temperature. Thereafter a connector terminal electrode (20) is formed on each of the sides of the ceramic main body part (10).

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a lamination capacitor and, more particularly, connector terminal electrode thereof.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
A lamination capacitor in general consists of a hexahedral ceramic main body part, a plurality of internal electrodes which divide the ceramic main body part into a plurality of alternating ceramic layers, and connector terminal electrodes which are formed on each side of the ceramic main body part so that they can make an electrical contact with internal electrodes.
Firm contact between the connector terminal electrodes and the internal electrodes is important for the lamination capacitor to prevent decrease in electric capacity and increase in dielectric loss tangent. Therefor, after calcining a ceramic main body part having the plurality of internal electrodes therein, the calcined ceramic main body part is subjected to a barrel finishing step to expose the internal electrodes from the sides of the ceramic main body part. Thereafter, the connector terminal electrode is formed on each side of the ceramic body part.
These steps will be described more specifically to reference with figures. A lamination capacitor has a calcined ceramic main body part containing internal electrodes 11a, 11b and 11c arranged in alternating layers. In a ceramic main body part 10 of FIG. 1A, the internal electrode 11b is exposed from the side of the ceramic main body part. However, in general there is many cases where internal electrodes are not exposed from each of the sides of the ceramic main body part because the internal electrodes made of palladium (Pd) shrink during calcining process. FIG. 1B shows in section a ceramic main body part in such a state where the internal electrodes 11a,11b and 11c are not exposed very much from each side of it.
Therefor, the ceramic main body part is subjected to a barrel finishing step in order to expose the internal electrodes from the sides of the ceramic main body part. In spite of barrel finishing, the internal electrodes 11b and 11c is not exposed well as shown in FIG. 2. Thereafter, referring to FIG. 3, a connector terminal electrode 20 is formed on each of the sides of the ceramic main body part of FIG. 2 by using technique of prior art.
Specifically, silver (Ag) powder or a mixture of a silver powder and a palladium powder, glass frit and bonding material is mixed into a paste. This paste is applied onto the sides of the ceramic main body part 10 and is calcined at a temperature of 750.degree. C. through 850.degree. C. Thereafter, nickel is plated on the calcined paste to finish the terminal electrode 20. Note that soft solder or tin may be plated thereon.
However, though as shown in FIG. 3 the internal electrodes 11a and 11c connect with the terminal electrode 20 the internal electrode 11b is disconnected with the terminal electrode 20. Note that the internal electrode 11c is loosely connected with the terminal electrode 20. Such a contact is referred to as "loose contact".
Such a disconnection between the internal electrode and the connector terminal electrode 20 is because the internal electrodes are not exposed well from each of the side of the ceramic main body part 10 when the connector terminal electrode 20 is formed on each of the side of the ceramic main body part 10. The failure of exposure is due to the following cases:
When the barrel finishing is not complete enough to expose the internal electrodes.
When the internal electrodes are too thin.
When the exposed portion of the internal electrodes is damaged.
When the ceramic layers cover with the internal electrodes.
These facts lead to decrease in electric capacity and increase in dielectric loss tangent in a lamination capacitor. In particular, temperature compensated lamination capacitors suffer from these problems because the temperature compensated capacitor has a small tolerance of both electric capacity and dielectric loss tangent.

Method for forming connector terminal electrodes of a lamination capacitor


ε-Caprolactam is produced by the method comprising the step of introducing a gas comprising cyclohexanone oxime into a layer of solid catalyst particles through a plurality of holes of a gas diffusion plate so that the solid catalyst particles are brought into contact with the gas, while fluidizing the catalyst layer, wherein the holes have an average diameter of about 3 mm or smaller. In accordance with the production method, ε-caprolactam can be produced from a raw material gas comprising cyclohexanone oxime with a high conversion of cyclohexanone oxime and a high selectivity to ε-caprolactam.

1. Field of the Invention
The present Invention relates to a method for producing ε-caprolactam, and more particularly relates to a method for producing ε-caprolactam by fluidizing a layer of catalyst particles so as to bring a gas containing cyclohexanone oxime into contact with the catalyst particles.
2. Related Art
ε-Caprolactam is useful as a raw material for nylon or the like. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-229939 discloses a method for producing ε-caprolactam, by using so-called fluidized bed reaction apparatus, in that a raw material gas containing cyclohexanone oxime is supplied to a catalyst layer having solid catalyst particles so as to bring the raw material gas into contact with the catalyst particles, while maintaining the catalyst layer in a fluidized state. A fluidized-bed reaction apparatus is known, such as an apparatus equipped with a porous gas diffusion plate and having a catalyst layer of solid catalyst particles on the plate. The apparatus can be employed so that the raw material gas is supplied to the catalyst layer through a large number of the holes formed in the porous gas diffusion plate, while maintaining the catalyst layer in the fluidized state. The raw material gas is brought into contact with the solid catalyst particles in the catalyst layer, which is in the fluidized state, to provide a reaction gas containing a product (ex., ε-caprolactam). Conventionally, the fluidized-bed reaction apparatus has a porous gas diffusion plate with the average diameter of the holes of 6 mm or larger, or at least 4–5 mm, in order to supply the raw material gas easily and not to plug the holes.
However, the production method using the conventional fluidized-bed reaction apparatus has problems such that conversion of the raw material (ex. cyclohexanone oxime) and selectivity to the product (ex., ε-caprolactam) are insufficient.
With objects of solving the problems, especially when using cyclohexanone oxime as a raw material, the production method of ε-caprolactam has been researched. As a result, inventors of the present invention have found that the size of the holes in the porous gas diffusion plate of the fluidized-bed reaction apparatus is related with the conversion of the raw material, cyclohexanone oxime, and the selectivity to the product, ε-caprolactam. Based on such findings, the present invention has been accomplished.

Method for producing epsilon-caprolactam


A method of reducing noise in a system utilizing a serial port includes generating a data word having a selected number of bits and ensuring that a last bit of the data word corresponds to a first bit of a next data word. The data word is output through the serial port and the next data word switched for output through the serial port in response to an event.

Many audio applications, such as audio analog to digital converters (ADCs) and audio encoder—decoders (CODECs), utilize a serial data port to transmit digitized audio data to other devices in a system. A typical audio serial data output port outputs bits of a serial audio data (SDOUT) stream in response to an associated serial clock (SCLK) signal. In a stereo system, two channels of audio data are time-multiplexed onto the SDOUT stream with a left-right clock (LRCK) signal. Overall timing is controlled by a master clock (MCLK) signal. At the integrated circuit level, the utilization of a serial port advantageously minimizes the number of pins and associated on-chip driver circuitry.
A typical serial data port operates in either a master mode or a slave mode. In the master mode, the SCLK and LRCK clock signals are generated internally, in response to a received MCLK signal, and output to the destination of the SDOUT stream. In the slave (asynchronous) mode, the SCLK and LRCK clock signals are received from the destination of the SDOUT stream, and therefore may have arbitrary phase relationships with the MCLK signal.
In an ADC, the analog input signal is typically sampled on corresponding rising edges of an internal MCLK clock signal, while data are output on the following edges of the SCLK signal. One frequent problem experienced with ADC serial output ports is the coupling of digital noise into the device substrate from the serial output driver at the SDOUT output, especially when the SDOUT output is driving a relatively high load. For example, if a bit of the SDOUT stream is output on a falling edge of the SCLK clock signal occurring slightly before the next sample of the analog input is taken with the next rising edge of the MCLK signal, digital noise will couple into the ADC analog circuitry through the chip substrate or metal lines.
In the past, the problem of substrate noise generated by the SDOUT output driver has been addressed by re-timing the SCLK clock signal relative to the MCLK clock signal, such that the SDOUT output switching and analog input sampling operations are separated sufficiently in time to prevent digital noise in the substrate from being captured by the analog circuitry. However, in the slave mode, in which the SCLK signal is typically received with an arbitrary phase relationship with the external and/or internal MCLK signals, re-timing is often not possible. In particular, for higher frequency SCLK signals, the timing window between the SCLK signal and the internal MCLK signal may be too small to meet device operating parameters, such as set-up time.
The problem of noise management is compounded when the LRCK signal is taken into account. Depending on the value of the last bit of the current channel and the first bit of the following channel, switching events at the SDOUT pin triggered by LRCK clock signal can cause a noise-generating transition in the state of the SDOUT output driver. For example, if the last bit of the current channel is in a logic low state and the first bit of the following channel is in a logic high state, then on the transition of the LRCK signal, the output driver at the SDOUT pin will transition from sinking to sourcing current, thereby generating noise which can couple through the substrate and/or the device metal lines.
Given the prevalence of serial ports in many data processing applications, and the general goal of minimizing noise within individual devices and the overall system, new noise management techniques suitable for serial port applications are desirable. In particular, these techniques should help minimize noise occurring at transitions of a sampling clock, such as the LRCK signal commonly used in audio applications. Consequently, the noise management task may be focused on addressing noise caused by events triggered the associated serial clock signal.

Noise management method and circuits suitable for utilization in circuits and systems having a switched data port


In a Radio Frequency (RF) filter, a first conductive link has a first length corresponding to a first (N) number of wavelengths of a primary RF frequency. A second conductive link has a second length corresponding to both a second (M) number of wavelengths of the primary RF frequency and an out-out-phase (X) number of wavelengths of a secondary RF frequency. An input interface receives an input RF signal and transfers a first component of the input signal over the first link and transfers a second component of the input RF signal over the second link. An output interface combines the first component from the first link with the second component from the second link to transfer an output RF signal. The energy at the primary frequency constructively combines in-phase, but the energy at the secondary frequency destructively combines out-of-phase.

Wireless communication networks are deployed across large geographic areas in an overlapping manner. At a given geographic location, several different wireless service providers may provide wireless communication service to various customers. The service providers separate themselves from one another by using different radio frequencies for their wireless communications. Thus, multiple wireless service providers use different radio frequencies to maintain separation among their users and networks.
In addition to wireless communication networks, other systems also propagate wireless signals at various frequencies. For example, police and fire personnel utilize certain radio frequencies for their own communications. In another example, weather radar systems propagate wireless signals for Doppler scanning purposes. Thus, a given geographic location may have overlapping radio coverage for wireless service providers, first responders, weather radars, and the like.
The complex collection of radio frequencies at a given location needs to be managed to avoid radio interference. Energy for a radio signal at a first frequency may be shifted to a second frequency by the environment or a system flaw. When conditions cause energy to shift from one frequency to another in our multi-frequency environment, then radio interference results, and the quality of everyone's wireless experience is harmed.
To avoid radio interference between frequencies, wireless systems use electronic filters to control the energy propagation on a per-frequency basis. Unfortunately, the electronic filters may be too expensive or not sufficiently durable for some field applications. Current filter technologies are not efficient and effective enough for today's multi-frequency environment.

Phase filter for radio frequency (RF) signals


A method for producing bifunctional furan epoxy (BFFE) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure uses a bio-based monofunctional furan raw material to produce BFFE, and may include synthesizing BFFE raw material by reacting furfuryl alcohol, formaldehyde, and an acid-base mixture catalyst, and polymerizing BFFE by adding epichlorohydrin (ECH), a base catalyst, and a solvent to the BFFE raw material.

Petroleum-based polymer resins remain widely used as materials for various purposes, such as plastics. For example, due to advantages of having excellent adhesion, mechanical properties, and chemical resistance, and involving low shrinkage during curing, petroleum-based bisphenol-based epoxy resins are widely used in various industrial fields, such as coating, adhesives, electrics/electronics, civil engineering, and the like. Chemicals that use such a bisphenol-based epoxy resin as a main material are derived from petroleum, and as such, during preparation and use thereof, chemical substances that are harmful to the human body, such as environmental hormones, are generated. In addition, when disposed of, such petroleum-based polymer resins cause environmental pollution, such as by discharging large amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. In addition, as petroleum resources are gradually becoming depleted, the use of biomass-based polymer resins has been widely studied in recent years.
As bio-based materials, various materials using bio-materials such as sorbitol, butandiol, and soybean have been developed in the epoxy field. However, since these have a simple aliphatic structure, not containing a ring structure in the structure thereof, the physical properties thereof are deteriorated in comparison to existing petrochemicals.
Meanwhile, as a bio-epoxy having a ring in the structure thereof, studies have been conducted on an isosorbide epoxy that uses isosorbide instead of bisphenol A, and have shown that such an isosorbide epoxy is both environmentally friendly and has similar properties to petrochemical-based epoxies.
By contrast, in the case of furan epoxies, although a furfuryl alcohol epoxy, which is a monofunctional furan epoxy, exists, bifunctional furan epoxy (hereinafter, BFFE) is not commercially available. Previous research has been conducted on the preparation of a bishydroxymethyl furan (hereinafter, BHMF)-based epoxy, but this research focuses only on epoxidation of the raw material and does not include the production of BHMF raw material, or the manufacturing process of the BHMF raw material is overly complicated, and thus economically infeasible. Accordingly, the existing techniques are faced with various limitations in terms of commercial mass production of BFFE.

Furfuryl alcohol-derived bifunctional furan epoxy and method for producing same


A real image/red ray pulse and beep type amblyopia curing device is designed to take into account the "Substitutive Suppressed Competition" theory and includes a main frame, a red ray projector, a real image projector, and an electronic circuit composed of a power supply circuit, a speaker circuit, a real image/red ray projector circuit, an oscillation circuit, a red lamp connected to the oscillation circuit, a real image lamp connected to the power supply, and a real image/red ray selector switch, in which the real image lamp is installed at the bottom of the real image projector, one or more lenses are installed at the front side of the real image projector to provide parallel rays for providing a steady real image, a non-transparent dot of preferably 3 to 8 mm in diameter is made at the center of the front surface of the lens or lenses, and the red ray lamp is installed within the red ray projector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic medical instrument, particularly a real image/red ray pulse and beep type amblyopia curing device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Amblyopia is a children's eye disease with a relatively high incidence rate. Until now, no common agreement has been reached on the pathology and mechanism of this disease. Conventional theory holds that the disease involves a pathological change in the brain. The alternative "Traumatic Theory" is that amblyopia is caused by a pathological change not detectable by the normal means on the patent's retina. However, neither theory has been generally accepted today. The existing children's amblyopia curing devices are mostly designed on the principle that the retina's yellow spot cone cells are sensitive to red rays, such as the prior art amblyopia curing device which is composed of a red ray flickering circuit, a drawing circuit, a stereo music playing circuit, and a power supply circuit arranged so that the patient being cured can concentrate his mind on watching a plurality of conductor wires on a printed circuit and flickering red rays behind the conductor wires and tracing a pen along a pattern on the printed circuit placed beneath a transparent board under which red rays are flickering. However, such a device has the following disadvantages:
(1) Only the yellow spot are stimulated, the degree of stimulation is limited, and hence the curing effect is poor. PA1 (2) Sophisticated structure and high production cost. PA1 (3) A set of high intensity flickering red ray source is used without a converging mirror or light shield, hence serious diffusion occurs, electric power consumption is high, and the curing effect is poor. PA1 (4) A lot of switches for control of the circuits is required, and hence operating procedure is complicated and use is not convenient. PA1 (1) A combination of real image and red rays to maximize the red ray's stimulation of the X-channel. Some clinical experiments have proven its effect on children of different ages, as follows: PA1 (2) The real image lamp and the red ray lamp are located in respective projectors with lens to dispose of the rays to provide a steady real image and a highly intensive red ray to help the patient to concentrate on staring at the image and ray for the best therapeutic effect. PA1 (3) Compact and simple structure, easy to operate and low production cost. It can be used at home directly.

Real image/red ray pulse and beep type amblyopia curing device


A synthetic ripple regulator including a synthetic ripple voltage generator that generates a synthetic ripple voltage indicative of the ripple current through an output inductor. The regulator uses the synthetically generated ripple voltage to control toggling of a hysteretic comparator for developing the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal that controls switching of the regulator. In a non-limiting implementation, a transconductance amplifier monitors the phase node voltage of the inductor and supplies an inductor voltage-representative current to a ripple capacitor, which produces the synthetic ripple voltage. Using the replicated inductor current for ripple regulation results in low output ripple, input voltage feed forward, and simplified compensation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to powers supply circuits and related components, and is particularly directed to a DC-DC regulator including a synthetic ripple voltage generator which generates an artificial or synthesized ripple waveform that controls the switching operation of the regulator, reduces output ripple and improves DC accuracy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical power for integrated circuits is typically supplied by one or more direct current (DC) power sources. In a number of applications the circuit may require multiple regulated voltages that are different from he available supply voltage (which may be relatively low e.g., on the order of a few volts or less, particularly where low current consumption is desirable, such as in portable, battery-powered devices). Moreover, in many applications the load current may vary over several orders of magnitude. To address these requirements it has been common practice to employ pulse or ripple-based regulators, such as a hysteresis or 'bang-bang' regulator.
Such a ripple-based DC-DC voltage regulator employs a relatively simple control mechanism and provides a fast response to a load transient. The switching of the ripple regulator is asynchronous, which is advantageous in applications where direct control of the switching edges is desired. For this purpose, a ripple regulator typically employs a hysteresis comparator or the like that controls a gate drive circuit coupled to the control or gate drive inputs of a pair of electronic power switching devices, such as FETs or MOSFETS or the like. The gate drive circuit controllably switches or turns the switching devices on and off in accordance with a pulse width modulation (PWM) switching waveform as known to those skilled in the art.
In such a hysteretic or 'bang-bang' regulator, the output PWM signal waveform produced by hysteresis comparator transitions to a first state (e.g., goes high) when the output voltage falls below a reference voltage minus the comparator's inherent hysteresis voltage and the comparator's PWM output transitions to a second state (e.g., goes low) when the output voltage exceeds the reference voltage plus the hysteresis voltage. The application of or increase in load causes the output voltage to decrease below the reference voltage, in response to which the comparator triggers the gate drive to turn on the upper switching device. Because the regulator is asynchronous, the gate drive control signal does not wait for a synchronizing clock, as is common in most fixed frequency PWM control schemes.
Principal concerns with this type of ripple regulator include large ripple voltage, DC voltage accuracy, and switching frequency. Since the hysteretic comparator directly sets the magnitude of the ripple voltage, employing a smaller hysteresis voltage reduces the power conversion efficiency, as switching frequency increases with smaller hysteresis. In order to control the DC output voltage, which is a function of the ripple wave shape, the peaks and valleys of the output ripple voltage are regulated. The DC value of the output voltage is a function of the PWM duty factor. The output voltage wave shape also changes at light loads, when current through the output inductor becomes discontinuous, producing relatively short 'spikes' between which are relatively long periods of low voltage. Since the ripple voltage wave shape varies with input line and load conditions, maintaining tight DC regulation is difficult.
In addition, improvements in capacitor technology changes the ripple wave shape. In particular, the current state of ceramic capacitor technology has enabled the equivalent series resistance or ESR (which produces the piecewise linear or triangular wave shape of the output voltage waveform) of ceramic capacitors to be reduced to very low values. At very low values of ESR, however, the output voltage's ripple shape changes from triangular to a non-linear shape (e.g., parabolic and sinusoidal). This causes the output voltage to overshoot the hysteretic threshold, and results in higher peak-to-peak ripple. As a result, the very improvements that were intended to lower the output voltage ripple in DC-DC regulators can actually cause increased ripple when used in a ripple regulator.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An apparatus for detecting radiation of a plurality of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum may be provided. The apparatus includes a substrate, a laser irradiated layer proximal to a first side of the substrate, and a microbolometer and at least one readout circuit proximal to a second side of the substrate in electrical communication with the laser irradiated layer. The substrate, laser irradiated layer, and the microbolometer are disposed and arranged such that radiation of a first wavelength is substantially detected by the laser irradiated layer, and radiation of a second wavelength is substantially detected by the microbolometer.

Imagers are useful in recording features of an electromagnetic field, e.g. light, at a detector location and converting the recorded features into an image that can be stored or displayed for various purposes. In the example of every day cameras, imagers capture visible light incident upon a sensitive film or digital array. In analog film systems, the film is altered so as to capture a snapshot in time of the light to which it was exposed. In digital imaging systems, an array of light-sensitive pixels respond to an intensity of incident light at each pixel location, providing an electrical output representative of the incident light. The output of an imager can be referred to as an image.
Motion or video cameras repeat the process described above, but permit a time-sequence to be captured, for example at regular intervals, so that the captured images can be replayed to recreate a dynamic scene or sequence.
Most film and digital pixel imagers include wavelength-specific sensors or detectors. The chemical composition of the film or the design of the digital pixels and associated filters determines the range of wavelengths of light to which the film or pixels respond. Practically, a detector or imager has a frequency response that is optimized to provide images of light in the range of wavelengths the imager is designed for. The most common examples are sensitive to visible light (e.g., red, green, blue, and combinations thereof). Visible light corresponds to the range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation to which our eyes are sensitive, and is generally in the range of 400 to 750 nanometers (nm).
Special film and digital pixel imagers are designed for low-light operation to provide night vision capability for military, security, or other special applications in which an illumination source is not available to cause a visible light image. Low-light or night vision imagers rely on detecting and imaging frequencies below (wavelengths longer than) the visible (red) wavelengths, and are sometimes called infra-red (IR) detectors. IR detection is more suited for picking up heat emissions from objects such as a person's body or a vehicle. IR radiation itself can be roughly divided into sub-spectra including the near-infra-red (NIR) having wavelengths between about 750 to 1100 nm, short-wave-infra-red (SWIR) having wavelengths between about 1100 and 2500 nm, medium-wave-infra-red (MWIR) having wavelengths between about 2500 and 8000 nm, and long-wave-infra-red (LWIR) having wavelengths between about 8000 and 12000 nm. These ranges are defined somewhat arbitrarily, and are given merely for simplifying the following discussion, and those skilled in the art will appreciate the generality of the discussion as it relates to the bands of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Present visible light imaging cameras have used silicon devices made with CID, CCD, or CMOS APS architectures. The low cost and efficient collection of photons from 400-750 nm wavelengths has enabled silicon devices. Extending the use of silicon imagers into the near infrared (NIR) band requires a greater volume of material to detect these wavelengths because of silicon's relatively low absorption coefficient in this wavelength range. This increases the size of the detectors and causes increased leakage current and requires expensive manufacturing processes or higher voltages to operate. The use of thick silicon substrates also limits the ability to integrate other devices, and impedes the ability to place circuits under the detector.
SWIR remains mostly undetected by silicon (Si) detectors, which are transparent to this wavelength. The use of exotic detector materials such as indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) or germanium (Ge) can solve some technical problems but creates others and increases the cost of the products.
With LWIR, direct detection is typically attempted with exotic materials such as HgCdTe cooled to cryogenic temperatures. This is not ideal as such cooled exotic detectors do not lend themselves for practical use in many applications.
A bolometer is one way to detect electromagnetic radiation such as IR. A suspended or cantilevered member, e.g. in a micro electromechanical system (MEMS), responds to detected radiation by way of changes in its resistance or physical dimension to indicate an intensity of the incident radiation. Bolometers can thus be used in arrays as pixels in an imaging system. The deficiencies outlined above with regard to detection or IR and broadband light in traditional detector materials applies to bolometer designs, and thus even with bolometer detectors, present systems are inefficient and impractical over broad ranges of the IR spectrum, notably in or around the IR wavelengths. A microbolometer is a specific type of bolometer. Infrared radiation strikes the detector material, heating it, and thus changing its electrical resistance as mentioned above. This resistance change is measured and can be used to create an image. A microbolometer can absorb and detect MWIR as well as LWIR radiation. Unlike other types of infrared detecting equipment, microbolometers do not require cooling.
Present low-light or night vision IR imagers are usually less sensitive than would be desired, lack color definition, and have limited frequency response. Also, low-light imagers can be more costly, noisy, and require greater circuit resources than visible light imagers to achieve useful gains in low-signal conditions. Furthermore, because long wavelength (IR) light penetrates common detector materials to a greater depth, IR detectors are larger than would be desired for compact portable applications. In summary, present IR detectors are not economical and do not provide good quality imaging, especially over a range of wavelengths that might be desired.
The reading out of information retrieved by imaging array pixels requires significant bussing and addressing circuits. These busses and circuits require additional layers fabricated above the base substrate layers which are located around the optical path of the pixel and can block the incident light along certain paths. As such, the busses and circuits simultaneously reduce the amount of area that the pixel can dedicate to photon collection (sometimes referred to as the pixel fill factor) and generally create a vertical light tunnel for incident light to reach a given pixel. Reducing the pixel fill factor reduces the sensitivity of a device.
An imaging circuit can be characterized by a "device fill factor," corresponding to the fraction of the overall chip area being effectively devoted to the pixel array, and a "pixel fill factor," corresponding to the effective area of a light sensitive photodiode relative to the area of the pixel that may be used to determine the amount of silicon that is photoactive. The device fill factor in conventional devices is less than unity (1.0) because a notable portion of the device beneath the pixel array area cannot be used for processing.
Moreover, the pixel fill factor in conventional devices is typically substantially less than 1.0 because, for example, bussing and addressing circuits are fabricated around the base substrate layers of a pixel. As such, the bussing and addressing circuits limit the amount of space available for photodetection circuitry. Such bussing and addressing circuitry also limit the acceptance cone angle for electrons directed towards an imaging array.
An exemplary conventional CMOS imaging circuit commonly used in the industry, the MT9T001 CMOS Digital Image Sensor from Micron Technology, Inc., has a pixel fill factor of approximately 28% and a device fill factor of approximately 57%. As such, approximately 0.28 times 0.57, i.e. 16% of the semiconductor material of a conventional CMOS imaging circuit is photoactive. In other words, approximately 84% of a CMOS imaging circuit is used for purposes other than the primary purpose of the circuit, which is photodetection. This inefficiency leads to unwanted increased size of the overall product and cost of the product as well as degraded performance of the product made from the conventional photodetector array. An improved photodetector and array is needed that overcomes some or all of the above-mentioned disadvantages.

Wide spectral range hybrid image detector


Addressable first units having ROM memory cells, for example word or bit lines, can be replaced by redundant second units having RAM memory cells. This has the advantage that the RAM memory cells can be realized with a smaller area than alternative PROM memory cells. The invention can be applied particularly advantageously to DROM memories.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a redundancy concept for integrated memory circuits having ROM memory cells.
Hardware redundancy in integrated memories is generally understood to be address replacement of addressable units of memory cells within the memory by redundant units of memory cells. In this case, the addressable units may be word or bit lines, for example. The so-called situation of redundancy occurs when it is established during a memory test that one of the replaceable addressable units has defects. The memory is then manipulated such that upon application of the address of the unit to be replaced, the redundant unit rather than the latter is addressed. In general, a corresponding memory test is carried out following fabrication of the memory, with the result that the redundancy repair can be performed immediately afterward.
In the case of RAM memories (Random Access Memory, read and write memory), it is customary to provide redundant word or bit lines which likewise have RAM memory cells, like the "normal" word and bit lines.
One possible way of providing redundancy in a ROM memory (Read Only Memory) is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,075, which shows that defective ROM memory cells are replaced by redundant programmable ROM memory cells (PROM memory cells). The ROMs which, in the event of redundancy, are programmed by fuses in such a way that they subsequently contain the data to be stored in the memory cells to be replaced. The solution has the disadvantage that the redundant memory cells, in the form of PROM memory cells, are relatively large.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,031 describes a repairable ROM memory in which a defective row of ROM memory cells is replaced by a redundant row having RAM memory cells. Each column of the ROM memory cell array contains a check bit, and the data to be stored in the redundant row are reconstructed with the aid of the check bit. Reconstructed data are written to the redundant row in the course of initialization of the memory.

Redundancy concept for memory circuits having ROM memory cells


A foldable buggy having two side frames and a child support means attached to each side frame by a respective support member, each side frame having forward strut means, rear strut means and vertical strut means, the forward strut means comprising an upper section and a lower section pivotally connected to each other to allow folding and unfolding, the support member being slidably mounted on the lower section, and including a strut means pivotally attached to the upper section and the support means, such that when the buggy is folded from an unfolded state to a folded state, the strut means causes the support member to slide down the lower section.

The standard folding baby buggy consists of two side frames separated by cross-bars and having a seat or cot mounted between them. Some push-chairs can have the two side frames moved together for folding (3-dimensional fold); others have the distance between the side frames fixed (2-dimensional fold). The standard form of side frame has a delta-shaped side frame, with a front sloping strut or bar with a front wheel at its bottom end and a handle at its top end, a rear sloping bar with a rear wheel at its bottom end and hinged at its top end to a point around the middle of the front sloping bar, and a base bar, linking the two sloping bars, which is roughly horizontal and located toward the bottom end of the rear sloping bar. The base bar is hinged at about its mid-point.
The side frame can then be folded by bending the base bar at its central hinge, with its two halves coming together, and bringing together the rear sloping bar and the bottom end of the front sloping bar.


The present invention provides inhibiting an electrical leakage caused by anion migration. A trenched portion 15 is provided as ion migration-preventing zone between a source electrode 4 and a gate electrode 5. The trenched portion 15 is formed so as to surround a periphery of the source electrode 4.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor chip, and relates, in particular, to a semiconductor device having an insulated gate field effect transistor mounted thereon.
2. Related Art
An exemplary conventional technology related to a semiconductor device having a power MOSFET mounted thereon is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-274,206 (pp. 3 to pp. 4, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). FIG. 8 is a plan view of a power MOSFET mounted on a semiconductor package described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-274,206, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view thereof along line A-A and FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion thereof between electrodes. A semiconductor chip 101 of the power MOSFET is mounted on an island 103 of a lead frame 102, and an upper surface of the semiconductor chip 101 is provided with a source electrode 104 and a gate electrode 105 of a transistor formed thereon, which are composed of aluminum or aluminum alloy. The lower surface of the semiconductor chip 101 is provided with a drain terminal (not shown), which is coupled to the island 103. Clip-shaped metallic plates 108 and 109 composed of copper belt or copper alloy foil are employed as coupling conductors for electrically coupling the source electrode 104 and the gate electrode 105 to a source lead 106 and a gate lead 107, respectively, and the source electrode 104 and the gate electrode 105 are joined to the clip-shaped metallic plates 108 and 109, respectively, through electrically conducting pastes 110. In addition, the other ends of the clip-shaped metallic plates 108 and 109 are also electrically coupled to the source lead 106 and the gate lead 107, respectively, through the electrically conducting paste 110. Then, the semiconductor chip 101 is encapsulated with a resin 112, together with the island 103, the source lead 106, the gate lead 107 and the drain lead 111. Normally, the source electrode 104 is electrically isolated from the gate electrode 105 by an insulating cover film 113 composed of silicon nitride, phosphorus glass and the like. Only a certain range of materials limited to a certain extent may be selected for the metal composing the outermost surfaces of the source electrode 104 and the gate electrode 105, in order to provide a better coupling to an external terminal. In particular, electrode materials such as Ag, Cu, Pb—Sn and the like are selected, when a coupling with an electrically conducting paste material or a junction employing solder is provided in place of providing an ordinary coupling with a bonding line of gold or aluminum.
However, since the electrode material such as Ag, Cu, Pb—Sn and the like is a material that is more likely to cause so-called metallic ion migration as compared with Al, in which metallic ion moves toward a region having lower electric potential when there is a gradient in the electric potential at higher temperature in a highly humid condition, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H09-148,520 (1997) (pp. 2 to pp. 3), a material composing an electrode in the side of higher potential that is located in the side of the anode is ionized and moved therefrom, and then is precipitated and grown up at an electrode in the side of lower potential that is located in the side of the cathode, when a current test is conducted at higher temperature in a highly humid condition under the status of applying an electrical voltage between the electrodes, thereby providing a condition of easily causing defective situations that may lead to an electrical leakage and/or a short circuit.


A suspension system for a wheeled vehicle includes hydraulic actuators associated with each of the vehicle's wheels, a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic accumulator, a compressible hydraulic fluid, and a hydraulic manifold including control valves that open and close to control the hydraulic fluid flow and pressure to each of the hydraulic actuators. The control valves are regulated by a control system including a processor running an algorithm that receives data from switches and sensors providing information regarding the vehicle's state and mode of intended use or storage.

Most wheeled motor vehicles include some form of passive suspension system including leaf or coil springs to absorb shocks caused by road irregularities, such as bumps and pot holes, and dampers to attenuate the resultant spring oscillations. Although many modern passive suspension systems can afford an acceptable compromise between comfort and performance, tuning a suspension for comfort typically results in decreased performance and vice versa. Further, passive suspension systems typically are not able to anticipate cornering or braking loads and can only react to such loads after they are imparted to the vehicle.
Semi-active suspensions have been developed which achieve a better compromise of comfort and performance by affording variable damper calibration. Other semi-active or active systems use gas-over-oil hydraulic struts. Such systems typically use conventional hydraulic fluid, which generally is considered to be incompressible, in conjunction with a pressurized gas to effect spring function. In such systems, the pressurized gas, and not the fluid, acts as a spring


A plasma display panel (PDP) with improved bright room contrast while achieving a high opening ratio and high luminance. The PDP includes display electrodes that includes auxiliary electrodes that suppress reflection of incident light off the discharge cells. With address electrodes formed on the rear substrate and the display electrodes formed on the front substrate, auxiliary electrodes connect pairs of display electrodes together. The auxiliary electrodes and the main bus electrodes extend into the discharge cells and reflect the external light. The opaque main bus and auxiliary electrodes are combined with a transparent electrode portion that overlies the main bus and the auxiliary portions to form the display electrodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a plasma display panel (PDP), and in particular, to a design for a PDP design that results in improved bright room contrast while maintaining a high opening ratio and a high luminance.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a PDP is a display device where ultraviolet rays generated during gas discharge excite phosphors to produce a visible image. PDPs have received a lot of attention recently as next generation display devices because of their large screen size, thin depth, and high resolution.
PDPs are classified into direct current (DC) types and alternating current (AC) types based on the driving power. One type of AC PDP that has become very popular recently is the three-electrode type AC PDP that has an address electrode and a pair of display electrodes.
PDPs can be further classified according to the layout of the discharge cells where an independent discharge takes place. For example, the PDP can be classified as a stripe-type (or in-line type), where three red (R), green (G), blue (B) discharge cells are arranged in a stripe pattern, or a delta-type where discharge cells have a triangular shape.
In both the stripe-type and delta-type PDPs, address electrode, barrier ribs, and a phosphor layers are formed on the rear substrate and correspond to each discharge cell bounded by the barrier ribs, and display electrodes that include of scan electrodes and sustain electrodes are formed on the front substrate. A dielectric layer is formed on the rear substrate and on the front substrate to cover the display electrodes and the address electrodes. A discharge gas, being a Ne—Xe gas mixture, fills the discharge cells at locations where the address electrodes cross the display electrodes.
A discharge cell for light emission is selected by an address discharge that occurs when an address voltage is applied between the address electrode and the scan electrode. Then, a plasma discharge takes place inside selected discharge cells by applying a sustain voltage between the sustain electrode and the scan electrode, generating a plasma that emits vacuum ultraviolet rays that excites the phosphor layer in the discharge cell to emit visible light to form an image.
In an AC PDP, the sustain electrodes and the scan electrodes are made of a transparent material, such as indium-tin oxide (ITO), so that visible rays can be transmitted through them. The poor conductance of the transparent material is compensated by an additional bus electrode that is made of a highly conductive and opaque metal and is located outside the discharge area.
As described above, a higher opening ratio can be achieved by having the scan and the sustain electrodes made of a transparent material and also by having bus electrodes located outside the discharge area. However, such a design results in poor bright room contrast of the PDP operating under in bright room conditions because of a low absorption efficiency of outside light. Therefore, what is needed is a design for an AC PDP that provides for improved bright room contrast while also having a high opening ratio and high luminance characteristics.


The present disclosure discloses a display device and a manufacturing method thereof. The display device includes a middle frame and an indiscrete flexible display panel bending around the middle frame. The flexible display panel includes a main display panel region on one side of the middle frame, an auxiliary display panel region on another side of the middle frame, and a bending region bending around the middle frame to connect the main display panel region with the auxiliary display panel region.

With the development of electronic devices, dual-screen technology is increasingly applied to various display devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, and personal digital assistants (hereinafter "PDAs"). A dual-screen display device has two display panels, which are located on its front and back, respectively, and can be independent from each other. However, use of the two independent display screens has a relatively high design requirement on the entire device and is relatively high in cost.

Display device and manufacturing method thereof

Beijing BOE Display Technology Co., Ltd.