Methods of forming compound semiconductor layers include the steps of forming a plurality of selective growth regions at spaced locations on a first substrate and then forming a plurality of semiconductor layers at spaced locations on the first substrate by growing a respective semiconductor layer on each of the selective growth regions. The first substrate is then divided into a plurality of second smaller substrates that contain only a respective one of the plurality of semiconductor layers. This dividing step is preferably performed by partitioning (e.g., dicing) the first substrate at the spaces between the selective growth regions. The step of forming a plurality of semiconductor layers preferably comprises growing a respective compound semiconductor layer (e.g., gallium nitride layer) on each of the selective growth regions. The growing step may comprise pendeoepitaxially growing a respective gallium nitride layer on each of the selective growth regions. Each of the selective growth regions is also preferably formed as a respective plurality of trenches that have sidewalls which expose compound semiconductor seeds from which epitaxial growth can take place.

The present invention relates to methods of forming semiconductor substrates and substrates formed thereby, and more particularly to methods of forming compound semiconductor substrates and compound semiconductor substrates formed thereby.
Compound semiconductor materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) have been widely investigated as suitable substrate materials for microelectronic devices including but not limited to transistors, field emitters and optoelectronic devices. It will be understood that, as used herein, compound semiconductor materials may include III-V and II-VI alloys, for example. Reference to specific compound semiconductors such as gallium nitride will also be understood to include a family of gallium nitride alloys such as aluminum gallium nitride, indium gallium nitride and aluminum indium gallium nitride.
A major problem in fabricating gallium nitride-based microelectronic devices is the fabrication of gallium nitride semiconductor layers having low defect densities. It is known that one contributor to defect density is lattice mismatch with the substrate on which the gallium nitride layer is grown. Thus, although gallium nitride layers have been grown on sapphire substrates, it is known to reduce defect density by growing gallium nitride layers on aluminum nitride buffer layers which are themselves formed on silicon carbide substrates. Notwithstanding these advances, continued reduction in defect density is desirable. It also is known to produce low defect density gallium nitride layers by forming a mask on a layer of gallium nitride, the mask including at least one opening that exposes the underlying layer of gallium nitride, and laterally growing the underlying layer of gallium nitride through the at least one opening and onto the mask. This technique often is referred to as xe2x80x9cEpitaxial Lateral Overgrowthxe2x80x9d (ELO). The layer of gallium nitride may be laterally grown until the gallium nitride coalesces on the mask to form a single layer on the mask. In order to form a continuous layer of gallium nitride with relatively low defect density, a second mask may be formed on the laterally overgrown gallium nitride layer, that includes at least one opening that is offset from the underlying mask. ELO then again is performed through the openings in the second mask to thereby overgrow a second low defect density continuous gallium nitride layer. Microelectronic devices then may be formed in this second overgrown layer. ELO of gallium nitride is described, for example, in the publications entitled Lateral Epitaxy of Low Defect Density GaN Layers Via Organometallic Vapor Phase Epitaxy to Nam et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 71, No. 18, Nov. 3, 1997, pp. 2638-2640; and Dislocation Density Reduction Via Lateral Epitaxy in Selectively Grown GaN Structures to Zheleva et al, Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 71, No. 17, Oct. 7, 1997, pp. 2472-2474, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
It also is known to produce a layer of gallium nitride with low defect density by forming at least one trench or post in an underlying layer of gallium nitride to define at least one sidewall therein. A layer of gallium nitride is then laterally grown from the at least one sidewall which acts as a xe2x80x9cseedxe2x80x9d. Lateral growth preferably takes place until the laterally grown layers coalesce within the trenches. Lateral growth also preferably continues until the gallium nitride layer that is grown from the sidewalls laterally overgrows onto the tops of the posts. In order to facilitate lateral growth and produce nucleation of gallium nitride and growth in the vertical direction, the top of the posts and/or the trench floors may be masked.
Lateral growth from the sidewalls of trenches and/or posts also is referred to as xe2x80x9cpendeoepitaxyxe2x80x9d and is described, for example, in publications by Zheleva et al, entitled xe2x80x9cPendeo-Epitaxy: A New Approach for Lateral Growth of Gallium Nitride Filmsxe2x80x9d, Journal of Electronic Materials, Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. L5-L8, February (1999) and Linthicum et al, entitled xe2x80x9cPendeoepitaxy of Gallium Nitride Thin Filmsxe2x80x9d Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 75, No. 2, pp. 196-198, Jul. (1999), the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Pendeoepitaxy has also been shown to be successful at reducing threading dislocations and cracks caused by lattice mismatch by about three to four orders of magnitude relative to other conventional heteroepitaxy techniques. Nonetheless, because pendeoepitaxy may not always be successful in preventing the formation of cracks and bowing when large compound semiconductor layers such as gallium nitride are cooled to room temperature during back-end processing steps, there continues to be a need for improved methods of forming compound semiconductor layers with reduced susceptibility to cracking and bowing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improved methods of forming compound semiconductor substrates and substrates formed thereby.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods of forming compound semiconductor substrates that can be less susceptible to cracking and bowing during back-end processing steps.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention may be provided by methods of forming semiconductor substrates which include the steps of forming a plurality of selective growth regions at spaced locations on a first substrate and then forming a plurality of semiconductor layers at spaced locations on the first substrate by growing a respective semiconductor layer on each of the selective growth regions. The first substrate is then divided into a plurality of second smaller substrates that contain only a respective one of the plurality of semiconductor layers. This dividing step is preferably performed by partitioning (e.g., dicing) the first substrate at the spaces between the selective growth regions. Because this step of dividing the first substrate need not take place until all microelectronic processing steps have taken place, the first substrate with the selective growth regions may be processed on a wafer scale, as with conventional semiconductor wafers.
According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of forming a plurality of semiconductor layers preferably comprises growing a respective compound semiconductor layer (e.g., gallium nitride layer) on each of the selective growth regions. In particular, the growing step may comprise pendeoepitaxially growing a respective gallium nitride layer on each of the selective growth regions. Each of the selective growth regions is also preferably formed as a respective plurality of trenches that have sidewalls which expose compound semiconductor seeds from which epitaxial growth can take place. In particular, the step of forming a plurality of semiconductor layers may comprises epitaxially growing a first continuous semiconductor layer from sidewalls of a first plurality of trenches (within a first selective growth region) and epitaxially growing a second continuous semiconductor layer from sidewalls of a second plurality of trenches (within a second selective growth region). According to a preferred aspect of this embodiment of the present invention, when the growth steps are completed, the first continuous semiconductor layer and the second continuous semiconductor layer will have opposing edges that are spaced from each other by a wide trench that extends between adjacent edges of the first selective growth region and the second selective growth region.
Advantageously, because each selective growth region is separated from a next adjacent selective growth region by a wide trench the preferably has a width at least about ten (10) times greater than the widths of the narrower trenches within a respective selective growth region, adjacent monocrystalline compound semiconductor layers preferably do not coalesce with each other. Nonetheless, because each monocrystalline compound semiconductor layer is of sufficiently large dimension to ultimately serve as a separate compound semiconductor substrate or xe2x80x9cplatformxe2x80x9d once the supporting substrate has been diced along the dicing streets defined by each wide trench, the failure of the adjacent compound semiconductor layers to coalesce into a single wafer-sized layer need not limit the suitability of the preferred methods for large scale integrated circuit and optoelectronic applications. Instead, by preventing adjacent compound semiconductor layers from coalescing with each other, the likelihood that the compound semiconductor layers will bow or crack upon cooling, as a result of lattice mismatch and thermal expansion coefficient differences, is substantially reduced. In other words, by growing separate compound semiconductor xe2x80x9cplatformsxe2x80x9d separated by wide trenches, the lattice stress and concomitant build-up in strain within each xe2x80x9cplatformxe2x80x9d, caused by differences in the thermal expansion coefficients of the compound semiconductor material and underlying substrate is greatly reduced relative to a large fully coalesced pendeoepitaxially formed compound semiconductor layer.

Methods of forming compound semiconductor layers using spaced trench arrays and semiconductor substrates formed thereby


An information reading device for use in a system in which a plurality of slave devices, including the information reading device, are connected to a master unit through a common signal line. The information reading device controls an interrupt signal from the master unit and is provided with an irradiation portion for irradiating electromagnetic waves on a recording medium (i.e., bar code), a signal converting portion (i.e., CCD line sensor) for obtaining information signals representing the bar codes and storing the information signal, a driving portion, a code information output portion for forming code information, converting the code information and outputting a signal representing a result of the conversion of the code information to the master unit, a judgement portion for determining whether or not an interrupt signal is input from the master unit to the information reading device, an interrupt processing portion for performing an interrupt processing in response to an interrupt signal, a driving signal control potion for making the driving portion stop outputting the driving signal, and for making the driving portion resume outputting the driving signal and a code control portion for making the code information outputting portion convert the code information by removing data represented by the signal output from the signal converting portion when the interrupt processing portion performs the interrupt processing.

1. Field of The Invention
This invention relates to an information reading device for use in, for example, a point-of-sales (POS) system in which slave devices such as a bar code reader and a keyboard are connected to a master unit such as a host system with a common signal line.
2. Description of The Related Art
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a conventional POS system has a configuration in which a large number of slave devices such as a bar code reader 1, a display 13 and a keyboard 12 are connected to a single master unit (namely, a host system 12) with common signal line (namely, a cable 11). Thus the slave devices communicate with the host system 12 through the cable 11. Further, communication interrupts from the host system 12 to each slave device are frequently caused by control commands output from the host system 12. For instance, in case where an operator sends a operation changing command from the keyboard 1 to the host system 12 in order to change an operation of a slave device, the host system 12 causes a communication interrupt by issuing a control command to the slave device in such a manner to change the operation of the slave device as intended by the operator.
Such a communication interrupt is caused by an interrupt signal output from the host system 12. Further, such communication interrupts to the slave devices, for example, the bar code reader 1, the display 13 and the keyboard 14 (incidentally, note that a practical POS system has a great number of slave devices) occur in the following cases. Namely, an interrupt from the host system 12 to the bar code reader 1 occurs when image data representing a bar code read by the reader 1 is sent therefrom to the host system 12. Further, an interrupt from the host system 12 to the keyboard 14 takes place when data input from such a data input device (namely, the keyboard 14) is sent to the host system 12.
When a communication interruption from the host system 12 to the bar code reader 1 of the POS system having such a configuration occurs, a central processing unit (hereunder referred to as a CPU) of the bar code reader 1 once receives an interrupt signal, which represents a control command corresponding to the communication interrupt, and determines whether or not the control command is directed to the bar code reader 1. If so, the bar code reader performs an interrupt processing according to the control command sent from the host system 1. Namely, when the host system 12 issues the interrupt signal to the bar code reader 1, the bar code reader should receive the interrupt signal once and perform the interrupt processing which includes the processing of determinating whether or not the control command represented by the interrupt signal is directed to the bar code reader 1. Thus the CPU of the bar code reader 1 cannot process image data during the communication interrupt. Consequently, the image data, which are originally continuous, are received by the bar code reader as discontinuous data, and as a whole the received image data become inaccurate.
Thus, when a communication interrupt occurs when the bar code reader 1 receives or reads image data, the conventional system does not treat the received image data as data and removes the received image data therefrom. Otherwise, the conventional system inhibits a communication interrupt thereto when image data are input thereto.
The conventional system of the former type has drawbacks in that the system removes image data even in case where the reading of the image data is almost completed, and thus should read the image data again later and that consequently, what is called a read completion rate is low.
Namely, in the conventional system of the former type, the slave device connected to the common signal line once receives an interrupt signal from the host system 12 and determines whether or not the received interrupt signal represents a control command directed to the slave device as above described. Practically, interrupts to the bar code reader 1 or the keyboard 14 take place very frequently. For example, in case where the number of the slave devices is two, interrupts occur almost 1000 times per second (namely, 500 (times/second).times.2 (slave devices)=1000 (times/second)). Thus, if the system once fails in reading image data, a very long time shall have passed by the time at which the next reading of the image data is completed.
Moreover, the conventional system of the latter type has drawbacks in that a communication interrupt indicated by a control command is not accepted by a slave device until an inputting of image data is completed, thus the slave device (for instance, the bar code reader 1) cannot quickly respond to a control command output from the host system 12 and, namely, the slave device cannot promptly respond as intended by an operator. The present invention is created to eliminate the above described drawbacks of the prior art.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an information reading device which can increase a read completion rate by controlling a communication interrupt from a host system and also can quickly make a response as intended by an operator.

Information reading device which controls communication interrupt signal from a host system


A continuous process for producing polyethylene terephthalate polyester from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol uses a stabilizer, preferably containing phosphorous, to produce a high quality polyethylene terephthalate polyester which is relatively free of the acetaldehyde and discoloration which are associated with the post-polymerization activity of a polymerization catalyst. The stabilizer is preferably added at or after the end of the polymerization reaction prior to polymer processing to deactivate the polymerization catalyst and can increase the throughput of the polyester without adversely affecting the thermal stability of the polyethylene terephthalate polyester. Alternatively, the late addition of the stabilizer can increase the thermal stability of the polyester without adversely affecting the throughput of the polyethylene terephthalate polyester.

Because of their strength and heat and chemical resistance, polyester fibers and films are an integral component in numerous consumer products manufactured worldwide. The overwhelming majority of the commercial polyester used for polyester fibers and films is polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polyester. Because PET forms a lightweight and shatterproof product, one popular use for PET is as a resin for beverage bottles.
Prior to 1965, the only feasible method of producing PET polyester was to react dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) with ethylene glycol in a catalyzed ester interchange reaction to form bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate monomer and methanol. The monomer is then polymerized through polycondensation to produce polyethylene terephthalate. Because purer forms of terephthalic acid (TA) have become increasingly available, TA has become an acceptable alternative to DMT as a starting material for the production of polyethylene terephthalate. In a reaction similar to that between DMT and ethylene glycol, terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol react in a generally uncatalyzed esterification reaction to yield low molecular weight oligomers and water. As with DMT, the monomer is subsequently polymerized by polycondensation to form PET polyester. The resulting PET polymer is substantially identical to the PET polymer resulting from DMT with the possible exception of some of the end groups.
The conventional method of carrying out the formation of PET polyester was in a batch process. In the conventional batch process, the product of the ester interchange or esterification reaction was formed in one vessel and then transferred to a second vessel for polymerization. Generally, the second vessel was agitated and the polymerization reaction continued until the power used by the agitator reached a level indicating that the polyester melt had achieved the desired intrinsic viscosity and therefore, the desired molecular weight. Eventually, the polymerization reaction and later the esterification and ester interchange reactions were carried out as continuous reactions. The continuous production of PET results in greater throughput and has since been adopted in most large-scale manufacturing facilities.
When the polymerization process has been completed, the resulting polymer melt is typically extruded and pelletized for convenient storage and transport before being worked up into specific polyester articles such as filament or bottles or other items. Such steps are also typically labelled as "polyester processing" but refer of course to later working of the finished polyester rather than to the chemical processing steps used to form the polyester in the first place.
In both the batch and the continuous processes, a high activity catalyst is often employed to increase the rate of polymerization thus increasing the throughput of the resulting PET polyester. The high activity catalysts which are used in the polymerization of PET polyester can be basic, neutral or acidic, and are often metal catalysts. Primarily, the traditional polymerization catalysts used in the formation of PET from both TA and DMT contain antimony and the most common of the antimony-containing catalysts is antimony trioxide, Sb.sub.2 O.sub.3. Although polymerization catalysts such as antimony trioxide result in the increased production of PET, these same polymerization catalysts will eventually begin to catalyze or encourage the degradation of the polymer formed in the condensation reaction. Such degradation of the PET polymer results in the formation of acetaldehyde and the discoloration or yellowing of the PET polyester.
Additionally the availability of newer "hotter" catalysts that can significantly increase throughput has generated a corresponding need for better stabilization of the resulting polyester. U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,230 to Nichols is exemplary of such an improved catalyst.
In an attempt to reduce the degradation and discoloration of the PET polyester, stabilizing compounds are used to sequester ("cool") the catalyst thus reducing its effectiveness. The most commonly used stabilizers contain phosphorous, typically in the form of phosphates and phosphites. The phosphorous-containing stabilizers were first employed in batch processes to prevent degradation and discoloration of the PET polyester. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,063 to Alexander et al. describes the addition of triphenyl phosphates and 1,2-epoxy-3-phenoxypropane to stabilize the antimony trioxide catalyst in the post-reaction PET polyester. U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,145 to Horn, Jr. describes the addition of pentaerythritol diphosphite esters to poly(alkylene terephthalate) in a batch process to stabilize the catalyst in the post-reaction polyester thus preventing degradation and discoloration of the polyester. U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,804 to Wooten et al. describes the addition of phosphate, phosphonate and phosphite compounds to stabilize post-reaction poly(1,4-cyclohexylenedimethyl terephthalate) polyester in a batch process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,371 to Rosenfeld et al. describes the addition of phosphites to stabilize the basic catalysts used in the polymerization of certain aromatic polyesters. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,824,895 and 4,829,113, also to Rosenfeld et al., describe the addition of stabilizers containing phosphorous, oxygen, sulfur, or fluorine to stabilize basic catalysts in the same aromatic polyester compounds.
Although adding a stabilizer to the polymer melt in a batch reactor is a relatively simple process, numerous problems arise if the stabilizers are added in the continuous production of PET. For instance, if the stabilizer is added after the polymerization process, i.e., during polymer processing, it may not fully blend with the polymer melt and may not prevent degradation and discoloration of the polyester. Furthermore, addition of the stabilizer during polymer processing is inconvenient and does not provide economy of scale.
One solution provided by the previously mentioned Rosenfeld patents is to add the stabilizer to the molten monomers early in the polymerization process, even before the polycondensation reaction, to prevent neutralization of the basic catalyst and discoloration of the aromatic polyesters. Nevertheless, the Rosenfeld patents are directed to the use of basic catalysts in the formation of specific aromatic polyesters and are neither directed to PET polyester nor do they specifically address the continuous formation of polyesters using Lewis acid polymerization catalysts.
Although early addition of the stabilizer prevents discoloration and degradation of the polyester, it also unfortunately results in reduced production or throughput of the polyester, i.e., reduced molecular weight of the polyester caused by a decrease in the reaction rate for the polycondensation reaction. Furthermore, the stabilizer is typically dissolved in ethylene glycol, the addition of which further slows the polymerization process. Therefore, early addition of the stabilizer in the polymerization process tends to force an undesired choice between production throughput and thermal stability of the polymer. As used herein, "thermal stability" refers to a low rate of acetaldehyde generation, low discoloration, and retention of molecular weight following subsequent heat treatment or other processing.
Therefore, in order to increase the throughput of PET polyester while limiting discoloration and degradation of the polyester, a continuous process which stabilizes the PET produced is needed in the art.

Method of post-polymerization stabilization of high activity catalysts in continuous polyethylene terephthalate production


This invention concerns a subset of composite Hum4 V.sub.L, V.sub.H antibodies with high affinities to a high molecular weight, tumor-associated sialylated glycoprotein antigen (TAG-72) of human origin. These antibodies have variable regions with (1) V.sub.L segments derived from the human subgroup IV germline gene, and (2) a V.sub.H segment which is capable of combining with the V.sub.L to form a three dimensional structure having the ability to bind TAG-72. In vivo methods of treatment and diagnostic assay using these composite antibodies is also disclosed.

The following information is provided for the purpose of making known information believed by the applicants to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the following information constitutes prior art against the present invention.
Antibodies are specific immunoglobulin (Ig) polypeptides produced by the vertebrate immune system in response to challenges by foreign proteins, glyco-proteins, cells, or other antigenic foreign substances. The binding specificity of such polypeptides to a particular antigen is highly refined, with each antibody being almost exclusively directed to the particular antigen which elicited it.
Two major methods of generating vertebrate antibodies are presently utilized: generation in situ by the mammalian B lymphocytes and generation in cell culture by B cell hybrids. Antibodies are generated in situ as a result of the differentiation of immature B lymphocytes into plasma cells (see Gough (1981), Trends in Biochem Sci, 6:203). Even when only a single antigen is introduced into the immune system of a particular mammal, a uniform population of antibodies does not result, i.e., the response is polyclonal.
The limited but inherent heterogeneity of polyclonal antibodies is overcome by the use of hybridoma technology to create "monoclonal" antibodies in cell cultures by B cell hybridomas (see Kohler and Milstein (1975), Nature, 256:495-497). In this process, a mammal is injected with an antigen, and its relatively short-lived, or mortal, splenocytes or lymphocytes are fused with an immortal tumor cell line. The fusion produces hybrid cells or "hybridomas" which are both immortal and capable of producing the genetically-coded antibody of the B cell.
In many applications, the use of monoclonal antibodies produced in non-human animals is severely restricted where the monoclonal antibodies are to be used in humans. Repeated injections in humans of a "foreign" antibody, such as a mouse antibody, may lead to harmful hypersensitivity reactions, i.e., an anti-idiotypic, or anti-mouse antibody (HAMA), response (see Shawler et al. (1985), Journal of Immunology, 135:1530-1535; and Sear et al., J. Biol. Resp. Modifiers, 3:138-150).
Various attempts have already been made to manufacture human-derived monoclonal antibodies by using human hybridomas (see Olsson et al. (1980), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 77:5429; and Roder et al. (1986), Methods in Enzymology, 121:140-167). Unfortunately, yields of monoclonal antibodies from human hybridoma cell lines are relatively low compared to mouse hybridomas. In addition, human cell lines expressing immunoglobulins are relatively unstable compared to mouse cell lines, and the antibody producing capability of these human cell lines is transient. Thus, while human immunoglobulins are highly desirable, human hybridoma techniques have not yet reached the stage where human monoclonal antibodies with required antigenic specificities can be easily obtained.
Thus, antibodies of nonhuman origin have been genetically engineered, or "humanized". Humanized antibodies reduce the HAMA response compared to that expected after injection of a human patient with a mouse antibody. Humanization of antibodies derived from nonhumans, for example, has taken two principal forms, i.e., chimerization where non-human regions of immunoglobulin constant sequences are replaced by corresponding human ones (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567 to Cabilly et al., Genentech) and grafting of complementarity determining regions (CDR) into human framework regions (FR) (see European Patent Office Application (EPO) 0 239 400 to Winter). Some researchers have produced Fv antibodies (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,334 to Moore, DNAX) and single chain Fv (SCFV) antibodies (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,778 to Ladner, Genex).
The above patent publications only show the production of antibody fragments in which some portion of the variable domains is coded for by nonhuman V gene regions. Humanized antibodies to date still retain various portions of light and heavy chain variable regions of nonhuman origin: the chimeric, Fv and single chain Fv antibodies retain the entire variable region of nonhuman origin and CDR-grafted antibodies retain CDR of nonhuman origin.
Such non-human-derived regions are expected to elicit an immunogenic reaction when administered into a human patient (see Bruggemann et al. (1989), J. Exp. Med., 170:2153-2157; and Lo Buglio (1991), Sixth International Conference on Monoclonal Antibody Immunoconjugates for Cancer, San Diego, Calif.). Thus, it is most desirable to obtain a human variable region which is capable of binding to a selected antigen.
One known human carcinoma tumor antigen is tumor-associated glycoprotein-72 (TAG-72), as defined by monoclonal antibody B72.3 (see Thor et al. (1986) Cancer Res., 46:3118-3124; and Johnson, et al. (1986), Cancer Res., 46:850-857). TAG-72 is associated with the surface of certain tumor cells of human origin, specifically the LS174T tumor cell line (American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) No. CL 188), which is a variant of the LS180 (ATCC No. CL 187) colon adenocarcinoma line.
Numerous murine monoclonal antibodies have been developed which have binding specificity for TAG-72. Exemplary murine monoclonal antibodies include the "CC" (colon cancer) monoclonal antibodies, which are a library of murine monoclonal antibodies developed using TAG-72 purified on an immunoaffinity column with an immobilized anti-TAG-72 antibody, B72.3 (ATCC HB-8108) (see EP 394277, to Schlom et al., National Cancer Institute). Certain CC antibodies were deposited with the ATCC: CC49 (ATCC No. HB 9459); CC83 (ATCC No. HB 9453); CC46 (ATCC No. HB 9458); CC92 (ATCC No. HB 9454); CC30 (ATCC NO. HB 9457); CC11 (ATCC No. 9455) and CC15 (ATCC No. HB 9460). Various antibodies of the CC series have been chimerized (see, for example, EPO 0 365 997 to Mezes et al., The Dow Chemical Company).
It is thus of great interest to develop antibodies against TAG-72 containing a light and/or heavy chain variable region(s) derived from human antibodies. However, the prior art simply does not teach recombinant and immunologic techniques capable of routinely producing an anti-TAG-72 antibody in which the light chain and/or the heavy chain variable regions have specificity and affinity for TAG-72 and which are derived from human sequences so as to elicit expectedly low or no HAMA response. It is known that the function of an immunoglobulin molecule is dependent on its three dimensional structure, which in turn is dependent on its primary amino acid sequence. A change of a few or even one amino acid can drastically affect the binding function of the antibody, i.e., the resultant antibodies are generally presumed to be a non-specific immunoglobulin (NSI), i.e., lacking in antibody character, (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567 to Cabilly et al., Genentech).

Composite antibodies of human subgroup IV light chain capable of binding to TAG-72


A photovoltaic cell and a method of forming an electrode grid on a photovoltaic semiconductor substrate of a photovoltaic cell are disclosed. In one embodiment, the photovoltaic cell comprises a photovoltaic semiconductor substrate; a back electrode electrically connected to a back surface of the substrate; and a front electrode electrically connected to a front surface of the substrate. The substrate, back electrode, and front electrode form an electric circuit for generating an electric current when said substrate absorbs light. The front electrode is comprised of a metal grid defining a multitude of holes. These holes may be periodic, aperiodic, or partially periodic. The front electrode may be formed by depositing nanospheres on the substrate; forming a metallic layer on the substrate, around the nanospheres; and removing the nanospheres, leaving an electrode grid defining a multitude of holes on the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to solar or light energy, and more specifically, the invention relates to photovoltaic cells.
2. Background Art
Solar energy has long been looked to as a significant part of a solution to the ever increasing energy needs of the planet's population. Increasing costs of mining fossil fuels and increased concerns over "greenhouse" emissions have furthered interest in exploiting alternative energy strategies, including solar energy sources. To date, solar energy conversion has generally relied upon either the direct harvesting of solar thermal energy, e.g., in heating applications, or in thermoelectric conversion, or through the direct conversion of photonic energy to electrical energy through the use of photovoltaic cells.
Photovoltaic cells have developed according to two distinct methods. The initial operational cells employed a matrix of single crystal silicon appropriately doped to produce a planar p-n junction. An intrinsic electric field established at the p-n junction produces a voltage by directing solar photon produced holes and free electrons in opposite directions. Despite good conversion efficiencies and long-term reliability, widespread energy collection using single-crystal silicon cells is thwarted by the exceptionally high cost of single crystal silicon material and interconnection processing.
A second approach to produce photovoltaic cells is by depositing thin photovoltaic semiconductor films on a supporting substrate. Material requirements are minimized and technologies can be proposed for mass production. The thin film structures can be designed according to doped homojunction technology such as that involving silicon films, or can employ heterojunction approaches such as those using CdTe or chalcopyrite materials. Despite significant improvements in individual cell conversion efficiencies for both single crystal and thin film approaches, photovoltaic energy collection has been generally restricted to applications having low power requirements.
In all solar cells, especially the high performance ones, series resistance issue is a serious limiting factor for cell performance. This series resistance is associated with the contact electrode geometry, emitter (top) layer sheet resistance, and metal-semiconductor contact resistance. The design of the electrode structure must consider the trade off between area coverage and the shadowing loss. A standard approach is to use comb-like metal grids or to use transparent conducting oxide (TCO) film that combines transparency and good conductivity of the film. However such TCO film still has a limited conductivity and still contributes to considerable amount of series resistance.

Holey electrode grids for photovoltaic cells with subwavelength and superwavelength feature sizes

International Business Machines Corporation


A base support member for a disc drive is provided. The base support member includes a disc support cavity configured to house and support a spinning disc, and a filter support cavity configured to house and support a filter. The base support member also includes at least one surface that defines an airborne filtering channel that is generally disposed within the filter support cavity of the base support member. The airborne filtering channel has an inlet opening positioned in a first location proximate the disc support cavity and an outlet opening positioned in a second location proximate the disc support cavity. The airborne filtering channel is configured to receive a flow of air from the spinning disc at the inlet opening, pass the flow of air through the filter cavity and to discharge the flow of air at the outlet opening.

Disc drives are common data storage devices. A typical disc drive includes a rigid housing or deck that encloses a variety of disc drive components. The components include one or more discs having data surfaces coated with a magnetizable medium for storage of digital information in a plurality of circular, concentric data tracks. The discs are mounted on a spindle motor that causes the discs to spin and the data surfaces of the discs to pass under respective hydrodynamic or aerodynamic bearing disc head sliders. The sliders carry transducers, which write information to and read information from the data surfaces of the discs.
As the disc rotates, the disc drags air in a direction approximately parallel to the tangential velocity of the disc. With increasing disc capacity and evolving disc drive performance requirements, it has become desirable to increase the rotational speed of the discs in the disc drive. During disc drive operation, increases in disc rotational speed can cause windage-related excitation of the discs and other mechanical parts located within the disc drive housing.
One way to reduce windage-related interference is to include a shroud around the disc pack to substantially confine airborne filtering to the disc pack area. With higher disc capacity and performance requirements, most hard disc drives include a disc shroud feature around the disc pack to streamline the air flow and reduce the resonance from disc modes. At the same time, a lot of modern drives have an air borne filtering mechanism using a filter residing inside the disc drive in the middle of the main air flow path. In this kind of design, the main stream air flow around the disc shroud is divided into two branches, one routing to the filter area and the other around the disc, and then merging back again shortly as one branch in the disc shroud area. The design helps the particle clean up rate, but breaks the intact disc round shroud. As a result, more turbulence is introduced causing higher resonance from disc mode and bulk windage. It is known in the art that the non-repeatable runout (NRRO) will be improved if the shroud openings for the air filtering is blocked. However, with the filter area of the shroud blocked, the air borne clean up rate will be significantly worse.
Known disc drive designs allow, and in some instances encourage, the flow of air out of the disc pack area. This flow of air that escapes the disc pack area is typically able to indiscriminately re-enter the disc pack area, thereby causing the disc pack to experience windage-induced turbulence on a random basis. This windage-induced turbulence can have a negative impact on disc pack performance during critical read-write operations.
Various shrouds and baffles have been proposed to control air flow in a disc drive. For example, shrouds or baffles are used to control air movement at the edge of the disc to prevent disc flutter and to aid in filtering the air. In addition, filters supported in airways along the edge of disc housings are known in the art.
Embodiments of the present invention address these and other problems, and offer other advantages over the prior art.


A communication system for transmitting data between cores embedded in an integrated circuit on a silicon chip. Communication system includes transmitter circuitry for wirelessly transmitting data between cores and receiver circuitry for wirelessly receiving the transmission of data from other cores. Both transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry may include of a phase-locked loop circuit having a voltage-controlled oscillator. Each core may transmit and receive data on a unique frequency with respect to other cores embedded in an integrated circuit on a silicon chip or transmit and receive data on the same frequency as other cores embedded in an integrated circuit on a silicon chip. Groups of cores may share transmitter and receiver circuitry.

As technology advances, there is an increased desire to fit increasingly complex circuitry within increasingly smaller devices. As a result, the number of cores that comprise an SOC has steadily increased over time. Currently, cores are physically wired together on a silicon chip to facilitate communication between the various functions such as processors, memory, I/O, etc. With the increasing number of cores, it has become more difficult to manage the congestion of wires associated with communication between the cores on a chip. As a result, the amount of space consumed by physical wires may limit the number of cores that may be included on a chip.
In an effort to reduce the amount of space consumed by wiring between cores, some wires are bundled together to form buses for more efficient communication. However, a bus is limited by its bandwidth and architecture. Many times only one core can communicate on the bus at any given time. Although there may be more advanced architectures that allow more than one core to communicate via the bus at a time, the physical wires connecting cores are still required. Thus, the number of cores that may be included on a chip may still be limited even where advanced architectures are utilized.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Wireless communication system within a system on a chip


A method of fabricating an unlanded metal via of multi-level interconnection. The method is characterized by utilizing damascene scheme to form a metal wiring layer so that the processes are simplified. Moreover, by this method of the invention, a problem of difficulty in filling dielectric material between the metal wiring lines can be avoided and the metal layer does not have to be etched prior to filling the dielectric material. Further more, an etching stop layer is formed over the first inter-metal dielectric layer to avoid overetching during the formation of metal via, which therefore avoid short circuit. Forming the metal wiring lines by damascene scheme allows the etching stop layer to be easily formed over the first dielectric layer, without over etching the metal via.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to the fabrication of a metal via of multi-level interconnection in the process of forming a metal-oxide-semiconductor device (MOS), and more particularly to the method of forming an unlanded via of multi-level interconnection, making use of damascene scheme.
2. Description of the Related Art
The increasing of the integrality of the integrated circuited (IC) causes the insufficiency of the chip surface for formation of interconnection. To satisfy the requirement of more wiring lines as the device size is shrinking, a design of multi-level interconnection is needed for IC fabrication.
Conventionally, a via with wider line width, called a landed via, is frequently utilized to prevent misalignment and to ensure the tight contact of the metal via and metal wiring line. However, the landed via occupies extra chip surface area, which is not suitable for current IC fabrication process.
Therefore, as higher integrality is strongly required, an unlanded via, having equal line with as the wiring line, is developed. The chip surface area is less occupied by using the unlanded via so that the IC integrality can be increased. However, another problem arises by utilizing unlanded via, which is, the unlanded via can not completely fall on the metal wiring lines.
A process flow showing the formation of a conventional unlanded via of multi-level interconnection is illustrated through FIG. 1A to FIG. 1D. Referring first to FIG. 1A, a first metal layer 12, such as aluminum, is formed over a substrate 10, having a MOS device formed thereon. The first metal layer 12 is then patterned to form a first metal wiring line 12a, as shown in FIG. 1B. An inter-metal dielectric layer 14, such as silicon dioxide, is formed over the first metal wiring line 12a. The inter-metal dielectric layer 14 is next processed through chemical mechanical polish to planarize its surface.
Next, referring to FIG. 1C, the inner dielectric layer 14 is patterned to form a metal via 16, exposing the first metal wiring line 12a. A metal plug 18, such as a tungsten plug, is then formed in the metal via 16.
Referring to FIG. 1D, a second metal layer 19, such as aluminum, is formed over the inter-metal dielectric layer 14 and the metal plug 18. The second metal layer 19 is then patterned to form a second metal wiring line 19a, which are coupled to the metal plugs 18. A conventional unlanded via is therefore completed.
In the conventional processes of fabricating an unlanded via, misalignment tends to occur as the inter-metal dielectric layer 14 is patterned. The misalignment usually causes overetching, or more seriously, piercing of the inner dielectric layer 14 during the formation of the via. As the inter-metal dielectric layer 14 is pierced, the latter-formed metal plug 22 contacts with the devices formed therebeneath, which causes short circuit. The possible undesired metal vias are as shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B. Referring to FIG. 2A, due to the misalignment and overetching during the formation of the via, the metal plug 22 penetrates the inter-metal dielectric layer 21, which therefore results in short circuit. Referring to FIG. 2B, even the metal plug 24 does not penetrate the inter-metal dielectric layer, a gap 26 is formed due to misalignment. The gap 26 causes difficulty in metal filling.
Forming an etching stop layer over the first metal wiring line has been proposed to dissolve the above-mentioned problem. However, forming an etching stop layer over a already formed first metal wiring line is a task.

Method of fabricating an unlanded metal via of multi-level interconnection


A dining garment for a child's high chair or toddler's table or other similar furniture article, comprises a tray cover, a bib extension of the tray cover extending over the tray, and a bolster disposed around and extending upward from the perimeter of the tray cover, the combination forming a basin. The bolster has sufficient rigidity to maintain the basin form and sufficient flexibility to facilitate installation, removal, and cleaning, without requiring inflation of the bolster and without requiring a separate supporting frame. The dining garment includes a trough between the tray cover and the bib extension for accumulating spilled food materials. A drain may be provided in the trough for draining the spilled material. The drain may include a cap, stopper, or plug.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to dining or bib garments for use during meals and more particularly to a combined bib and tray cover for a high chair or similar article of furniture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of bib garments have been developed or proposed for use by a person seated in a dining situation. Typically, such bibs are provided for use by infants or young children to protect their clothing and/or furniture from food and liquid spills, drooling, and the like. Bibs are often equipped with an apron or other extension to spread over a tray or table or under dishware to enhance their utility. In some examples, the extended bib has fence-like sides attached to better retain food items discarded or not yet eaten from leaking or falling off or being pushed away from the bib or its extension.
Such foregoing features are disclosed in the prior art, including the following representative examples. U.S. Pat. No. 2,672,614 issued to Zimmerman et al describes a "Bib" having a curved form to fit around the body of the wearer. A tray panel is provided around the lower portion of the bib. The tray panel has a bottom surface and a reinforced "upstanding flange" extending from the perimeter of the bottom surface, which is connected to a lower side of the bib nearest its rearward edges, forming a container to catch and retain food particles or liquid foods.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,738,511 issued to Brady describes a one-piece bib that has a tray portion extending from the lower part of the bib that includes a pocket on the underside that may be slipped over the tray and pulled rearward until the tray is completely enclosed by the pocket. The bib is also configured to form a second pocket at the lower portion of the bib between the near edge of the tray and the bib to catch food particles and liquids. A bowl retainer comprising a circular piece of flexible material having an outer peripheral edge, which includes a drawstring, is provided to secure a bowl of food to the top side of the tray portion of the bib.U.S. Pat. No. 2,762,053 issued to Lipscomb for a "Bib with Tray Cover." The tray cover includes an elastic band around its perimeter so that the perimeter of the tray cover may be pulled over and under the tray edge to secure the tray cover. The bib and tray cover is constructed without gathers in the materials extending across the bib portion at the rear of the tray or between the child wearing the bib and the tray, to avoid surfaces in which liquid or other foods could lodge and be difficult to remove. A basin-like pocket is provided at the lower end of the bib when the high chair tray is positioned properly with respect to the front of the child wearing the bib and tray cover. The bib and tray cover may be constructed of a single piece of flat material.U.S. Pat. No. 2,766,455 issued Klaine for an "Infant's Bib and Auxiliary Tray" having inflatable, tubular sidewalls which serve to form a confining basin extending over the upper surface of the tray of the high chair. A tray frame is required for supporting the auxiliary tray in position. The confining basin may be collapsed for storage. The tray cover itself is preferably formed of a sheet of flexible plastic material. A valve is provided for inflating and deflating the inflatable sidewalls.U.S. Pat. No. 2,822,548 issued to Rhowmine describes an improved one-piece "Child's Bib and Tray Cover" (See same inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 2,457,725). The tray cover includes an elastic band around its perimeter to secure it to a tray. The improved bib and tray cover includes, in place of the string ties to secure the bib to the child, an elastic band and strip such that the shoulder straps of the bib may be stretched to slip the bib over the child's head and arms.U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,943 issued to Carlisle et al describes a "Combined Bib and Apron." The apron portion is configured to fit over the tray of a high chair and secured by elastic strips around the edge of the apron. The one piece bib and apron includes sufficient material to provide a trough between the child's waist and the near edge of the tray of the high chair. The combined bib and apron is made of a single sheet of waterproof material.
The foregoing bib-and-apron combinations have one or more of the following inconvenient features. Those that have a sidewall either require inflation of the sidewall and a supporting frame for the sidewall, a stiffener internal to a laminated sidewall, or lack any kind of support for the sidewall. Thus, the sidewall feature requires a set up operation to use, is insufficiently flexible or has relatively hard edges, or the sidewall is rendered ineffective as a containing mechanism because of its lack of support. In addition, those bib-and-apron combinations that are reusable require bailing out of the trough or basin, or removal from the high chair, to dispose of spilled food items. What is needed is a bib and tray cover combination that solves these problems and increases the utility and ease of use without diminishing the comfort to the child that is using it.


A method, and graphical user interface are provided for monitoring the status and forecasting the exhaust date of communications links. Initially, data ports are monitored corresponding to one or more communications links over a period of time. Next, utilization statistics are polled and stored in a database. Thereafter, an average and a rate of change are calculated using the utilization statistics. Based on these calculations, a date of exhaustion can be forecasted. The user interface further provides a user the ability to monitor the status and select multiple communications links to ensure data is flowing properly.

Communicating data is important to everyday life. Many companies rely on the flow of data between businesses in commercial transactions. Likewise, consumers use communications lines to send all types of data for personal or business uses. If a communications line is down, serious consequences can take place. For example, proprietary information may be lost, commercial transactions may not occur, emergency services may be made unavailable, etc. Additionally, the cost for failure of such data communication is enormous to businesses and consumers. Early detection of a failed communications line can reduce lost resources and downtime.
For example, consider a $35,000 communications link placed between two locations (e.g. Point A and Point B) for a business that pays $35,000 per month to operate it. If the bandwidth of the communications link is exhausted, then it will have to be replaced if additional data is to be communicated. As a result, if the exhaustion date of the communications link is not detected early, then business will have no choice but to take immediate and often expensive action to help remedy the problem. This becomes extremely costly because in addition to buying a new communications link, the business may have to pay, for example, for a SONET transport for the communications link and buy an interlaying infrastructure. This can cost the business hundreds of thousands of dollars. As such, the business would likely pass on such costs to its consumers by raising the fees to transmit data from Point A to Point B.
Furthermore, data-transmission services will run comparatively slower until the communications-link issue is resolved. Typically, a replacement communications link can take anywhere from six to nine months to arrive. If a business could more accurately forecast the date of exhaustion for a communications link, then a replacement communications link could properly be ordered, installation and other time considerations could be given their due consideration, and service interruptions could be minimized.
The current state of the art could be improved by providing, among other things, a method and graphical user interface (GUI) to monitor the status of and forecast an exhaustion date of communications links.

Early detection of faulty communications links


A display media with an encapsulant medium, and bichromal beads having a charge adjuvant, wherein the bichromal beads are dispersed or contained in the encapsulant medium is set forth.

The following U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,335,818 and 6,362,915, are assigned to the same assignee of the present application. The entire disclosures of these patents are totally incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
This invention generally relates to display media, and the preparation of display media, and to devices using such display media. In particular, this invention relates to display media and displays for which the image remains in view after the field and/or power used to form the image is eliminated (completely reduced to zero), or reduced (decreased to a level below normally required to form the image). The image is formed by switching materials in the pixels between two states (such as, for example, black and white). In embodiments, the display media comprise bichromal beads, and in preferred embodiments, Gyricon beads. In embodiments, the bichromal beads comprise charge adjuvants dispersed or contained therein. In embodiments, the charge adjuvants are polymers, and in preferred embodiments, polymers containing a relatively high level of ethylene oxide groups. The display media made with Gyricon beads are useful in generating images which can be stored or erased, and function by rotating a bichromal sphere by an external field to create the image.
Display media, such as Electric Paper or twisted ball panel display devices, are known and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,126,854; 4,143,103; 4,261,653; 4,438,160; 5,389,945. The media generally are comprised of an encapsulant medium material, for example, an elastomer, such as a cured polysiloxane, sandwiched between two indium tin oxide coated substrates, such as glass or MYLAR(trademark). Generally, the elastomer layer has closely packed cavities, each containing a bichromal sphere suspended in a dielectric liquid. The dielectric liquid may also be present in substantial amounts in the elastomer matrix. In media that are active in an electric field, the bichromal spheres have a net dipole due to different levels of charge on the two sides of the sphere. An image is formed by the application of an electric field to each pixel of the display, which rotates the bichromal spheres to expose one color or the other to the viewing surface of the media. The spheres may also have a net charge, in which case they will translate in the electric field as well as rotate. When the electric field is reduced or eliminated, the spheres ideally do not rotate further; hence, both colors of the image remain intact. This image bistability is one feature of display media made with bichromal Gyricon beads.
The fabrication of certain bichromal spheres is known, for example, as set forth in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,103 patent, wherein the sphere is comprised of black polyethylene with a light reflective material, for example, titanium oxide, sputtered on hemisphere. Also in U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,160, a rotary ball is prepared by coating white glass balls of about 50 microns in diameter, with an inorganic coloring layer such as indium by evaporation. In a similar process, there is disclosed in an article entitled xe2x80x9cThe Gyriconxe2x80x94A twisting Ball Displayxe2x80x9d, published in the proceedings of the S.I.D., Vol. 18/3 and 4 (1977), a method for fabricating bichromal balls by first heavily loading glass balls with a white pigment such as titanium oxide, followed by coating from one direction in a vacuum evaporation chamber with a dense layer of nonconductive black material which coats only one hemisphere.
Also in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,431 by Leidner, there is disclosed a process for generating spherical particles by (a) coextruding a fiber of a semi-circular layer of a polyethylene pigmented white and a semi-circular black layer of polyethylene containing magnetite, (b) chopping the resultant fiber into fine particles ranging from 10 microns to about 10 millimeters, (c) mixing the particles with clay or anti-agglomeration materials, and (d) heating the mixture with a liquid at about 120xc2x0 C. to spherodize the particles, followed by cooling to allow for solidification.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,098, and in co-pending patent applications U.S. application Ser. No. 09/360,088, filed Jul. 23, 1999, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Fabricating Bichromal Elementsxe2x80x9d, and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/360,052, filed Jul. 23, 1999, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Fabricating Bichromal Elementsxe2x80x9d, now abandoned. These applications disclose apparatuses for fabricating hemispherically bichromal balls comprising a separator member having opposing first and second surfaces and an edge region in contact with both surfaces, and delivery means for flowing first and second colored hardenable liquid material over the first and second surfaces, respectively, so that the liquid materials arrive at the edge, usually at substantially the same flow rate, and form a reservoir outboard of the edge region. The reservoir comprises side-by-side regions of different colors, which in a preferred embodiment, do not intermix. Further means are provided for propelling the first and second liquid materials away from the separator member and out of the reservoir into a fluid medium. As this occurs, a plurality of forward ends of side-by-side bichromal streams become unstable and break up into droplets. The droplets form into spherical balls, each of the balls approximately comprising hemispheres of differently colored hardenable liquids. These bichromal balls are from about 5 to about 200 microns in diameter.
The aforementioned display media can suffer from drawbacks caused by incomplete or lack of rotation of the bichromal beads. When the beads do not rotate close to 180xc2x0, the switching from one color to the other is not complete. As a result, image quality suffers. In some cases, increasing the strength of the electric field used to rotate the spheres can help in achieving more complete rotation, but in other cases sufficient rotation cannot be attained, even at higher fields. In the latter cases, it is believed that the dipole strength of the sphere relative to the monopole strength is too small, rendering it difficult to get sufficient rotation before the sphere translates across its cavity in the elastomer matrix. Many of the beads lack sufficient monopole and dipole strengths to dislodge them from the cavity walls. Furthermore, it is usually preferable to produce media requiring an electric field that is not too high in magnitude, since the cost of display products made from media that switch at lower electric fields can be advantaged.
Another drawback of the aforementioned display media can be the lack of a sharp voltage threshold, depending upon the formulation. Consider a media that requires a voltage xc2x1V to get sufficient sphere rotation and hence switching between colors. There is a sharp voltage threshold above a magnitude of xc2xdV when the spheres do not rotate at voltages of magnitudes less than or equal to xc2xdV. During the course of writing an image on a media with a sharp voltage threshold above a magnitude of xc2xdV, pixels that experience voltages between +xc2xdV and 0 will not change their color. For certain applications this property is desired. An example application is a display device with passive matrix addressing. In the case of passive matrix addressing, a pixel of the display is addressed by applying half of the required voltage to both the row and column of that pixel, the two half voltages having opposite polarities to yield a total voltage across the pixel equal to the switching voltage of xc2x1V. At the same time, however, other pixels in the same row but in other columns, or in the same column but in other rows, experience a voltage of xc2x1xc2xdV. Thus, it is desired that the spheres in those pixels do not rotate at the voltage xc2x1xc2xdV. A sharp voltage threshold above xc2x1xc2xdV gives the desired behavior, whereas a media that lacks a sharp voltage threshold does not. Since the display media described in the above paragraphs may not have a sharp voltage threshold at or above xc2x1xc2xdV when made using bichromal spheres according to some of the examples and formulations disclosed in the prior art, passive matrix addressing on such media results in poor image quality due to rotation of spheres at voltages in the range of xe2x88x92xc2xdV to +xc2xdV.
Materials that can improve the rotational behavior of bichromal beads could enable display media to be used in a wider variety of applications than is currently possible. For example, materials that provide a more reproducible and lower voltage for rotation and a sharper voltage threshold above one-half of the voltage used for rotation, could be used to make bichromal passive matrix displays a reality. Therefore, it is desired to provide a display media wherein a threshold voltage exists that is larger than one-half of the voltage used for rotation. It is further desired to provide a display media wherein the threshold voltage is sharper to eliminate most, or ideally all, of the rotation below the threshold voltage and more complete rotation can be obtained at a lower applied voltage. It is still further desired to provide a display media in which the beads have sufficient monopole and dipole strengths to allow the electric field to pull them from the cavity walls.
The present invention provides, in embodiments, for bichromal sphere formulations that include charge adjuvants in order to help achieve lower switching voltages, faster and more complete rotation of beads, a large percentage of the beads removable from the stiction of the cavity walls, and more distinct voltage thresholds for displays and display media containing bichromal beads, and in particular, Gyricon beads. The bichromal bead formulation herein provides stronger monopole and dipole strengths.
Embodiments of the present invention include: a display media comprising a) an encapsulant medium, and b) bichromal beads comprising a charge adjuvant, wherein the bichromal beads are dispersed in the encapsulant medium.
Embodiments also include: a display media comprising a) an encapsulant medium, and b) bichromal beads comprising a polymer, wherein the polymer has at least 4 alkylene oxide units per polymer molecule, and wherein the bichromal beads are dispersed in the encapsulant medium.
Embodiments further include: a display apparatus capable of causing an image to be displayed on a display media comprising a) an encapsulant medium, and b) bichromal beads comprising a charge adjuvant, wherein the bichromal beads are dispersed in the encapsulant medium; and a means for orienting the bichromal beads in the encapsulant medium so as to form an image on the display media.

Bichromal beads having charge adjuvants therein


An address alignment system for a semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of address decoders for decoding a received address, dividing m cells of n bit size into at least two blocks, and individually accessing the cells on the block basis; a controlling circuit for producing data input/output selection signals according to the received address; a plurality of cell selectors connected to cells on the same row of the blocks for selecting cells in any one block in response to the data input/output selection signals produced by the controlling circuit; a plurality of input/output selectors for selecting one of the cell selectors to re-align data in the order of addresses according to the data input/output selection signals produced by the controlling circuit; and a plurality of input/output ports each connected to one of the input/output selectors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an address alignment system, and more particularly, to an address alignment system for a semiconductor memory device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a semiconductor memory device uses memory elements and a decoder for selecting memory words, together with memory cells, designated by input addresses.
A conventional decoder for the semiconductor memory device will be discussed with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional decoder system for a semiconductor memory device. The conventional semiconductor memory device includes "mxn" binary memory cells 2 for accommodating "m" words of "n" bits, and an address decoder 1 for selecting each word. Each binary memory cell is a basic design block of the semiconductor memory device.
Two address inputs are connected to the address decoder 1, which is operated by a memory enable signal. If the memory enable signal sent to the address decoder 1 is "0", the output of the address decoder 1 becomes "0" so that no word can be selected. If a memory enable signal sent to the address decoder 1 is "1", one of four words is selected according to the value of the two address inputs. In this case, if a reading/writing signal is "1", storage values of a binary memory cell 2 on designated words pass through three OR gates 3 and are produced through output ports. Since other binary memory cells 2 generate "0", they don't affect the output. If the reading/writing signal is "0", information standby at an input port is stored in a binary memory cell 2 on a designated word.
In the conventional semiconductor device, if the address decoder 1 receives an address, memory cells of many bytes on the designated row are simultaneously accessed.
The conventional semiconductor memory device has the following problems. It only provides accessibility to the memory cells on a designated row upon receiving an address in an address decoder. It cannot provide continuity in input of addresses. Therefore, if when storing data with lengths and addresses over two rows, since the semiconductor memory device operates in divided steps for each of the rows, the operation speed is very low.

Address alignment system for semiconductor memory device


A tunable nanofiber filter device can include a filter housing defining an interior space, the housing having defined therein and inlet and an outlet, each in fluid communication with the interior space, and a plurality of filter laminas disposed within the interior space, each filter lamina including an upper surface, a lower surface, and an aperture defined therethrough. The plurality of filter laminas can be arranged in a stack wherein the opposing surfaces of adjacent filter laminas define a portion of an interlaminar flow space extending between the opposing surfaces. The flow space can be in fluid communication with the apertures of corresponding adjacent filter laminas to form a continuous flow passage extending through the lamina stack from the inlet to the outlet. An array nanofibers can extend into the flow passage from a portion of each filter lamina such that a fluid flowed through the flow passage flows across a portion of said array.

Fibrous filter media are used in various types of filter devices to trap large and small particles in liquid and gas streams. Such filter media are typically formed from multiple layers of coarse and fine fibers extending parallel to an upstream face surface of the filter media. An outer layer of coarse fibers forms a bulk filtration layer for filtering of larger particles, while an inner or underlying layer of fine fibers provides filtering of small particles. Fine fibers are often provided in a thin layer laid down on a supporting substrate or used with one or more protective layers to obtain a variety of benefits, including increased efficiency, reduced initial pressure drop, cleanability, reduced filter media thickness, and to provide an impermeable barrier to various liquids, such as water. However, prior approaches have several inherent disadvantages, including the need for a supporting substrate, a risk of delamination of the fine fiber layer from the substrate, more rapid loading of the filter by captured particles, and the alignment of fine fibers parallel to the media face surface.
On the molecular level, fibrous materials also trap contaminants with electrostatic forces, including ionic bonding, hydrogen bonding, and Van der Waals forces. These electrostatic interactions occur on the fiber surface. Because these interactions are known to increase non-linearly at sub-micron length scales, functional improvement in fibrous filter media is largely based on minimizing denier (linear mass density or fiber diameter). Although the production of filter media comprising very fine fibers having a high surface-to-volume ratio, such as microfibers and nanofibers, has recently been emphasized in the industry, processing limitations associated with traditional methods of producing such fibers limit the utility of these materials in filtration applications. For example, extruded microfibers require the use of solvents and, or alternatively, immiscible polymer blends to split fibers to submicron length scales, while production of nanofibers by the electrospinning method requires high-voltage (i.e., kilovolt) electric fields.
Accordingly, what is needed are improvements in filter media and filter devices.

Tunable nanofiber filter media and filter devices


Aspects of the disclosure provide a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a gate structure, a spacer structure and a source/drain structure that are formed on a surface of the semiconductor layer. The gate structure includes a dielectric structure, a metal structure and an insulator structure. The dielectric structure is formed on the surface of the semiconductor layer. A bottom of the metal structure contacts a top of the dielectric structure. The bottom of the insulator structure contacts a top of the metal structure and the insulator structure protrudes over the top of the metal structure. The spacer structure is configured to extend underneath the bottom of the insulator structure and contact a sidewall of the metal structure. The spacer structure is configured to space between the gate structure and the source/drain structure. The source/drain structure includes a source/drain doped structure, a silicide structure and a metal contact plug.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. The introduction of gate stack materials, such as high dielectric constant (high-k) gate insulator layers, metal gate (MG) electrode, and the like has enable the resumption of Moore's law as technology nodes shrink. The high-k/MG gate stack materials can be integrated in a gate-first process or a gate-last process. In a gate-first process, the gate structure is formed before a formation of the source-drain structure. In a gate-last process, the gate structure is formed after a formation of the source-drain structure.

Semiconductor structure and manufacturing method

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.


A modular electrical connector including at least one body portion having an electrical terminal and at least one mating surface. An end portion has a mating surface interconnected to the mating surface of the body portion. The body portion and the end portion define a connector body.

Various embodiments of an electrical connector are described herein. In particular, the embodiments described herein relate to an improved electrical connector for surface mount technology (SMT) applications.
As the use of electronic devices becomes increasingly prevalent, there is a need to provide an increasing number of electronic components on printed circuit boards (PCBs). It has not been uncommon for an electronic component to have wire leads that were inserted into holes in the PCB. With such "through-hole" technology, the wire leads from the electronic component extended completely through the PCB. This made it very difficult to use both sides of the PCB for different circuits.
In many applications, electrical connections on PCBs are being made with SMT. With SMT components, blade terminals are connected to a surface on one side of the PCB, usually by soldering. This leaves the opposite side of the PCB available for constructing a different circuit using the same or different SMT components. It would however, be desirable to provide an improved electrical connector for SMT applications.


A universal connector for micro memory cards comprises: an insulating body having a inserting port provided at the front end of the insulating body so as to allow the memory cards to be inserted into a receiving cavity formed inside the insulating body; a first set of conductive terminals comprising ten conductive terminals for coupling a micro MMC card, wherein, second ends of the coupling terminals extend beyond the front end of the insulating body; a second set of conductive terminals comprising eight conductive terminals for coupling a micro SD card, wherein, second ends of the conductive terminals extend beyond the rear end of the insulating body; a third set of conductive terminals comprising eleven conductive terminals for coupling a micro MS card, wherein, second ends of the conductive terminals extend beyond the rear end of the insulating body; wherein, the second ends of the first set of the conductive terminals, the second set of conductive terminals and the third set of conductive terminals comprise contact surfaces/contact pins for being mounted at the bottom surface of the insulating body. The universal connector can be compatibly used for the current three standards of the micro memory cards.

The current connector used for compatibly connecting with more than two different types of the matchable elements is widely utilized in electronic devices, for connecting the main circuit of electronic devices to different standards of flash memory card which serves as information storage medium.
Among various flash memory cards, SD cards, MMC cards and memory rods play main role as three standard products. The micro type products have the smallest dimensions of these types. With respect to length×width×thickness in the unit of millimeter, the micro SD card is dimensioned as 15 mm×11 mm×1 mm, the micro MMC card is dimensioned as 14 mm×12 mm×1.1 mm, the micro memory rod is dimensioned as 15 mm×12.5 mm×1.2 mm. Although these three types of products have similar sizes, due to different standards, the micro SD card has eight contact pieces, the micro MMC card has ten contact pieces, and a micro memory rod has eleven contact pieces.
The Chinese patent CN200420095169.1 discloses a universal receptacle for memory cards comprising a base made of insulating material; wherein, a front end of the header is provided with step-shaped inserting grooves forming a receiving space for inserting different types of memory cards. In the receiving space, first conductive terminals and second conductive terminals respectively for inserting SM cards and MS cards are oppositely provided at a rear end of the base; and in the multiple slots at the front end of the base, third conductive terminals are provided compatibly for both SD cards and MMC cards. Each type of the conductive terminals is disposed in the areas spaced from each other so as to connect with the corresponding memory cards.
The Chinese patent CN03209122.2 discloses a dual-purposes connector for memory cards wherein the connector includes a lower base and a top casing. A fool-proof protrusion and an orientation clipping arm respectively corresponding to a fool-proof slot and an orientation notch of the MS Duo card are provided inside the lower base. A plurality of front conductive pieces corresponding to the pieces of the MS Duo cards and a plurality of rear conductive pieces corresponding to the conductive pieces of the mini SD cards, as well as a detecting piece and a grounding piece corresponding to the inserting depth of the mini SD cards are further inlaid inside the lower base. Several fastening pieces for assembly are provided on the periphery of the lower base. Several fastening holes corresponding to the fastening pieces of the lower base are provided on the top casing. Several pressing pieces corresponding to the orientation notches of the mini SD cards are formed on the top surface of the casing in a shape of an orientation concave arc.
The Chinese patent CN200420007132.9 discloses an improved terminal structure, in which a main body is provided outwards with a slot opening at one end thereof for inserting a memory card, and is provided with terminal ports or terminal seats at the other end thereof for respectively connecting a first terminal of the SMC card, a second terminal of the MS card and a third terminal of the SD card. The body portion of each terminal is provided backwards with a support leg, a tailing end of each support leg is bent to form a welding segment, each support leg of the first terminal, the second terminal and the third terminal is deviated towards one side (the left side or the right side) of the body portion of the respective terminal and bent so that these support legs are not be contacted with each other, and thus the welding segments of the three terminals are aligned with each other.
In these prior arts, although more than two different flash memory cards can be compatibly applied to one electronic device; it is not satisfied that three standards of micro memory cards can be compatibly applied to one electronic device.

Universal connector for micro memory cards


An all-terrain vehicle (ATV) with an elongated wheelbase has a rear-mounted receptacle for receiving one of a plurality of interchangeable modular components, such as a passenger seat, a cargo container, a cargo rack, a flatbed or a workbench. The modular component has an electrical connection and a mechanical connector on an underside thereof which has hooks and posts for engaging, respectively, a transverse rod and sockets. A latching mechanism locks the modular component to the rear of the vehicle. Accordingly, the modular component is selectively releasable to easily and quickly interchange one modular component with another.

ATVs have become very popular consumer products in recent years. These vehicles are typically used to travel undeveloped terrain, often called "off-road" connoting the lack of paved or even defined paths. An ATV is typically a small straddle-seated multi-wheeled vehicle, having handlebar steering. Conventionally, ATVs have been single-passenger vehicles, with the operator situated athwart the vehicle, between the front and rear axles, on a backless seat.
Because of the versatility of ATVs in negotiating diverse types of terrain, ATVs have proved invaluable in applications for both off-road work and recreation. Such applications may require the transportation of cargo over rugged terrain. Conventionally on an ATV, cargo space is typically situated behind or in front of the operator in the form of one or more cargo racks.
A number of devices have been developed to accommodate the demands of one or more of these applications. However, many of these devices suffer from the limitation that they must be somehow attached to the ATV in such a fashion as to ensure that neither the device nor its contents will be dislodged, and that the safe operation of the ATV will not be compromised.
Thus, typically such devices are bolted or otherwise secured to the front and/or rear cargo racks. Still others require attachment to the body or frame of the ATV itself. The installation process for such devices is often complex and time-consuming, so that the devices are not easily removable, much less interchangeable. The installation of these devices involves permanent alteration of the ATV body or frame. As well, the installation of such devices invariably restricts, sometimes to a great extent, the cargo capacity of the ATV, whether or not the device is being used.
Even so, the provision of cargo space may not satisfy the requirements of a particular application. Frequently, in affixing a tool or a component to the ATV to ensure that it is not dislodged during transport, the tool or component cannot be accessed by the operator unless it is at least partially unpacked or unloaded. Thus, where the tool or component is being used in a repetitive manner, an enormous amount of time may be expended simply in lashing and unlashing it from the ATV.
Moreover, ATVs do not conventionally provide any electrical power access to the user. While conceptually, the electrical system of the ATV could be modified to gain access to DC power, such modifications are beyond the technical skills of most ATV owners, and fraught with difficulties which could endanger the operator and which may void any applicable warranties. Such modifications are generally extensive, permanent and unsightly. Nevertheless, the provision of electrical power, whether in DC or AC format, would permit the installation of powered accessories that would greatly improve the utility, convenience and enjoyment of the ATV.
Similarly, ATVs typically do not provide a power take-off (PTO) outlet by which accessories may be driven from power generated by the ATV drive train. As with electrical power, the modification of a conventional ATV to access such power, while desirable, is neither practical nor feasible.
On occasion, it would be desirable to transport a passenger on an ATV. Because the seat provided is somewhat larger than would be required for an operator alone, there is a temptation to carry a passenger on the same seat, directly behind the driver. However, especially in light of the rugged terrain that must be traversed, doing so introduces a significant stability issue considering the center of gravity is moved much more towards the rear of the vehicle.
There have been attempts to provide after-market passenger seats that may be bolted to the cargo rack behind the driver's seat. However, in order to maintain the passenger's seat in place, elaborate and complicated locking systems are required, thus incurring time and inconvenience in installing and removing the seat in addition to loosing important limited rear cargo space.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/292,813 by Rondeau et al and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and incorporated by reference herein, there is disclosed an extended wheelbase ATV which provides sufficient room between the front and rear axles to accommodate, in-line, both a driver and passenger seat. Because both the driver and passenger seating positions are centred over the ATV, the centre of gravity of the vehicle remains substantially centered, providing a more comfortable ride for both riders and maximizing the vehicle stability threshold.
However, in order to make sufficient room for a second seat, such ATVs generally have more limited cargo space than single passenger ATVs. Since the seat is contoured for a human passenger, it is not well suited to hauling cargo. It is not practical to remove the passenger seat from the ATV in order to increase cargo space. Thus, when the operator does not have a passenger to carry, the space now occupied by the passenger seat in such an ATV is wasted.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a system for better utilizing the space created on a two-seater ATV with an extended wheelbase.

Modular components for an all-terrain vehicle


A spray application system for applying material to a surface of a rotating body such as a beverage can includes a detector that detects the actual speed of rotation of the surface during a spraying operation. This allows a controller to adjust trigger signals for the application device to be adjusted based on speed of rotation to minimize overcoat. A laser sensor may be used as an example. The use of the speed detector also allows for partial wraps as well as full wraps of applying material to the rotating surface.

Spraying a material onto the surface of a rotating body is commonly done. For example, interior surfaces of metal beverage cans are coated to preserve the flavor of the contents from being changed due to contact with a metal surface. A variety of spray systems have been developed over the years. In the can industry, can interiors are sprayed using one or more spray applicator devices having one or more nozzles positioned near the can interior. Material is sprayed onto the can surfaces while the can is rotated. Can surfaces may include interior and exterior surfaces.
In many applications it is important to assure that the entire surface is coated. The amount of material that is applied to a surface is usually measured in terms of coating weight. In an ongoing effort to reduce costs, coating weights have also been reduced. However, lower coating weights necessitate tighter control over the coating process. There are many process variables that affect coating weight, including temperature, pressure, viscosity, spray duration, nozzle flow rate and pattern control, and spray applicator position. In typical known rotating coating application systems, each deposition of material onto the circumferential surface of the container body is called a wrap. In a known can coating system, a can may be coated with a single wrap or two or more wraps.
The amount of material that is applied to a rotating surface is a function of the above noted process variables, the number of wraps, and also the rotation speed of the surface. If the rotation speed were always a known constant, then the amount of material applied to the surface could be better controlled within the ability of the manufacturer to control the other process variables. But in practice it is very difficult to maintain a constant speed of rotation of the surface being sprayed. As a result, the other process variables noted above have a much greater impact on the coating weight and completeness of each wrap. For example, the actual spray duration can have a major impact on the amount of coating material applied to the rotating surface as a function of the speed of rotation. Spray duration refers to the time duration that coating material impinges the surface being sprayed. Spray duration is thus affected by flow characteristics of material through the spray application device, material transport times and spray device turn on and turn off time delays. The turn on time delay refers to the time delay between the command to turn the spray application device on via a first trigger signal to the spray application device and the actual time that material begins to impinge the surface. Turn off delay refers to the time delay between the command to turn the spray application device off via a second trigger signal to the spray application device and the actual time that material stops impinging on the surface. If the rotation speed is not constant, the spray duration time greatly impacts the completeness of the wraps and the distribution of coating weight applied during each wrap.
In known can spraying systems, can rotation is effected by a suitable drive mechanism that spins the can or surface at an expected rate. There is a wide variety of such drive mechanisms, including but not limited to belt drive systems and vacuum chuck systems. Even though the drive motor or mechanism can be fairly well controlled for rotation speed, such speed data does not necessarily translate into a known rotation speed of the surface being sprayed. For example, in a belt drive system, a can is rotated by contact with a rotating belt. However there can be significant slippage between the belt and can. In vacuum chuck systems there may also be slippage between the can and the chuck. Moreover, precise control of the drive mechanism speed of rotation comes at a cost that adds to the overall cost of the spray application system.
Prior to our invention it is believed that rotating spray application systems have not taken into account the actual speed of rotation of the surface being sprayed. Rather, prior efforts have been directed to controlling the other process variables that affect coating weight, or attempting indirectly to control can rotation speed by controlling rotation speed of the drive mechanism. However, because actual surface rotation speed varies, and further because there are so many additional process variables that affect coating weight as a function of rotation speed, the surfaces must be overcoated to ensure that the requisite number of wraps is achieved. This overcoat of excess coating material can be on the order of about fifteen to about thirty percent or more, and results in a substantial waste of material being sprayed. Overcoat conditions also slow down the overall can processing time since more time is required to spray each can. Additionally, due to the overall lack of tight control of the various process parameters, known spray applications systems necessitate costly inspection requirements to visually or otherwise verify the quality of the coating wraps applied to the surface.
The need exists therefore to provide process and apparatus for applying material to a surface of a rotating body that overcomes or diminishes the aforementioned limitations of known systems.

Surface rotation speed detection in spray systems