A plasma processing apparatus having a processing chamber connected to a vacuum exhauster so that its inside pressure can be reduced by the vacuum exhauster, a gas feed unit for supplying gas into the processing chamber, a substrate electrode provided in the processing chamber and on which a sample can be placed, an RF power supply connected through a matching circuit to the substrate electrode, plasma generating means for generating plasma within the processing chamber and a voltage waveform control circuit provided within the matching circuit or between the substrate electrode and the matching circuit to flatten the voltage waveform from the RF power supply.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plasma processing apparatus and method, and particularly to a plasma processing apparatus and method suitable for making surface treatment of a sample such as a semiconductor device by use of plasma.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the etching process using plasma, the processing gas is ionized to be activated for fast processing, and radio frequency (RF) biasing power is supplied to the processed sample so that the ions in the plasma can be incident perpendicularly to a sample to be processed (or a processed sample), thereby achieving high-precision etching for anisotropic shape and so on.
A plasma processing apparatus for this purpose is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,252, issued to Yokogawa, et al. This apparatus, as described in that document, has an air-core coil provided on the outer periphery of the outside of a vacuum vessel, and a circular conductor plate provided to oppose a wafer stage or substrate electrode within the vacuum vessel. In addition, an UHF band power supply and a first RF power supply are connected to the circular conductor plate, while a second RF power supply is connected to the wafer stage, so that an electric field of UHF band and anther electric field of frequencies different from the UHF band are superimposed and applied to the circular conductor plate. Thus, plasma is generated by use of electron cyclotron resonance due to the mutual action between the electromagnetic waves from the UHF band power supply and the magnetic field from the air-core coil. The superimposed RF voltage from the first RF power supply increases the bias voltage to the circular conductor plate so that the circular conductor plate and the plasma can be reacted to more produce activated species that contribute to the etching, and the second RF power supply connected to the wafer stage controls the energy of ions incident to the sample in the plasma.

Plasma processing apparatus using active matching


The present disclosure relates to a proximity sensor having a coil (15) for generating a magnetic field and a sensor circuit (62) for detecting variations of the magnetic field caused by an external object, the sensor circuit (62) comprising at least one semiconductor component (36, 37, 67, 69, 70, 71) mounted on a circuit board (17), wherein the coil (15) and the circuit board (17) are arranged in a housing (2) through which the magnetic field is transmittable. In order to improve the resistance of the proximity sensor against harmful external influences, such as high temperatures, and to prolong its life cycle, the invention suggests that the semiconductor component (36, 37, 67, 69, 70, 71) is included in an enclosure (20) that is hermetically sealed and fixed on a surface (18, 19) of the circuit board (17).

A conventional inductive proximity sensor of that type includes a coil in an oscillator circuit, generating a magnetic field that emanates from a sensing face of the sensor housing into a desired sensing area. Movements of an external object inside the sensing area or into the sensing area can be detected by the sensor circuit based on variations of the magnetic field caused by the object. More precisely, the magnetic energy absorbed by the object and/or interactions of the emanating magnetic field with a magnetic field caused by eddy currents generated in the object are exploited for object detection.
An alternate version of such an inductive proximity is disclosed in EP-A 0 492 029. The proximity sensor includes a coil that is supplied with periodic current pulses to generate a magnetic field that emanates into the sensing area. Due to the emanating magnetic field, voltages can be induced in an external object which provoke a decaying current in the object after the end of a periodic current pulse in the proximity sensor. The decaying current in the external object in turn induces a voltage in the coil of the proximity sensor after the respective periodic current pulse. Corresponding measurement signals of these induced voltages allow a detection of movements of the external object inside the sensing area or into the sensing area.
The widespread usage of these sensors for various sensing functions, in particular in connection with industrial plants or machinery such as robot systems, assembly systems, material handling systems, etc., makes it desirable to achieve a better performance and reliability with respect to various device characteristics including temperature resistance, contamination protection and lifetime cycle.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve at least one of the above mentioned deficiencies and to provide the initially addressed proximity sensor so as to provide a higher resistance against harmful external influences, such as high temperature and contamination, and/or to prolong its life cycle and reliability.


A sealed package for pourable food products includes a removable portion and a closable opening device. The opening device has a frame defining a pour opening and fixed to the package about the removable portion, and a cap fitted to the frame to close the pour opening and movable to free the pour opening. A pull-off opening device is housed in the frame and has a rigid plane integral with the removable portion and extractable from the frame, by pulling action, together with part of the removable portion. A pull tab of sheet material is interposed between the removable portion and the plate and attached to both.

As is known, many pourable food products, such as fruit juice, UHT (ultra-high-temperature treated) milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc., are sold in packages made of sterilized packaging material.
A typical example of such a package is the parallelepiped-shaped package for liquid or pourable food products known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark), which is produced by folding and sealing a web of laminated packaging material. The packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a base layer, which imparts strength and rigidity to the package, and which may be defined by a layer of fibrous material, e.g. paper, or mineral-filled polypropylene material. The base layer is covered on both sides with layers of thermoplastic material, e.g. polyethylene films; and, in the case of aseptic packages for long-storage products, such as UHT milk, the packaging material comprises a layer of oxygen-barrier material, e.g. aluminium foil, which is superimposed on a layer of thermoplastic material, and is in turn covered with another layer of thermoplastic material eventually forming the inner face of the package contacting the food product.
As is known, such packages are produced on fully automatic packaging machines, on which a continuous tube is formed from the web-fed packaging material. The web of packaging material is sterilized on the packaging machine, e.g. by applying a chemical sterilizing agent, such as a hydrogen peroxide solution, which, after sterilization, is removed, e.g. vaporized by heating, from the surfaces of the packaging material; and the web of packaging material so sterilized is maintained in a closed sterile environment, and is folded and sealed longitudinally to form a vertical tube.
The tube is filled with the sterilized or sterile-processed food product, and is sealed and cut along equally spaced cross sections to form pillow packs, which are then folded mechanically to form the finished, e.g. substantially parallelepiped-shaped packages.
Alternatively, the packaging material may be cut into blanks, which are folded on forming spindles to form the packages, which are then filled with the food product and sealed. An example of this type of package is the "gable-top" package commonly known by the trade name Tetra Rex (registered trademark).
Such packages are normally fitted with closable opening devices to protect the food product in the package from contact by external agents, and to enable withdrawal of the product.
The most commonly marketed opening devices at present comprise a frame defining a pour opening and applied about a removable or pierceable portion of the top wall of the package; and a cap hinged or screwed to the frame and which can be removed to open the package. Alternatively, other types of opening devices, e.g. sliding types, are also used.
The removable portion of the package may be defined, for example, by a so-called "prelaminated" hole, i.e. a hole formed in the base layer of the packaging material before the base layer is covered with the thermoplastic layers and with the barrier layer, which closes the hole to ensure aseptic airtight sealing, while at the same time being easily pierced.
In a known solution described in patent application EP-A-331798, the cap of the opening device is screwed to the frame, and has an inner portion extending through the pour opening and fixed directly to the laminating material covering the hole in the base layer of the packaging material, so that, as the cap is unscrewed off the frame, the removable portion remains attached to the cap and is twisted off the rest of the top wall of the package.
Though relatively practical, the above solution has the drawback that, when twisting off the removable portion, the edge of the laminating material, as opposed to being torn neatly, tends to fray, thus preventing the food product from being poured smoothly.
To eliminate the above drawback, pull-off package opening systems have been designed. One example is described and illustrated in Patent Application EP-A-943549, which relates to a closable opening device substantially comprising an externally threaded, annular frame fixed about the removable portion of the package and defining a circular pour opening for the food product; a removable cap screwed to the frame to close the pour opening; and pull-off opening means housed in the pour opening and defined by a rigid plastic plate, which is glued to the removable portion, is connected integrally to the frame by breakable bridges, and can be pulled off the frame together with part of the removable portion.
In this case, the removable portion is defined by a sealing sheet glued to the outside of the package to close a through hole in the package.
The package is opened by unscrewing the cap from the frame, and then pulling the opening plate out of the frame. Being glued to the sealing sheet, the opening plate, when pulled off, also detaches the part of the sealing sheet attached to it, thus exposing the hole in the package.
Though providing for neater opening of the package as compared with "twist-off" solutions, the above solution still leaves room for further improvement.
In particular, the pull exerted by the opening plate on the sealing sheet stretched tautly over the hole in the package calls for a certain amount of effort, and may result in a ragged initial tear.
Moreover, owing to the opening plate being connected to the frame by a number of breakable bridges, opening of the package is jerky, thus possibly resulting in squirting and spillage of the product.
Finally, in the event the package, with the removable portion detached and the cap put back on, is laid horizontally, e.g. is stored for further use in a refrigerator, continual absorption of the food product, particularly if of an aggressive nature, by the edge of the hole in the packaging material may result, after a relatively long period (eight hours on average), in detachment of the opening device from the package and leakage of the contents.

Sealed package for pourable food products


An organic electroluminescence device in which the following total optical thickness is set at a value which enhances the intensity of the central wave length .lambda. (.lambda. being selected in the ranges of 440 to 490 nm, 500 to 550 nm, and 600 to 650 nm) of the electroluminescence light emitted from the organic multi-layer part having a refractive index of 1.6 to 1.8: (1) in the construction of a substrate/a transparent electrode of a high refractivity/an organic multi-layer part/a cathode, the total optical thickness of the transparent electrode of a high refractivity and the organic multi-layer part; (2) in the construction of a substrate/an underlayer of a high refractivity/a transparent electrode/an organic multi-layer part/a cathode, the total optical thickness of the underlayer of a high refractivity, the transparent electrode, and the organic multi-layer part or the total optical thickness of the transparent electrode and the organic multi-layer part; and (3) in the construction of a substrate/a underlayer of a low refractivity/a transparent electrode/an organic multi-layer part/a cathode, the total optical thickness of the transparent electrode and the organic multi-layer part. The device has a simple construction and the color purity of the blue light emission is particularly increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel organic electroluminescence (hereinafter referred to as EL) device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an organic EL device having a specific construction in which the optical thickness from an anode to a cathode is controlled and the color purity of the blue light emission is particularly increased.
2. Description of the Related Arts
EL devices show high self-distinguishability because of the self-emission, and are excellent in impact resistance and easy handling because they are completely solid devices. Therefore, EL devices have been attracting attention for application as light emitting devices in various types of display apparatus.
The EL device includes an inorganic EL device in which an inorganic compound is used as the light emitting material, and an organic EL device in which an organic compound is used as the light emitting material. The organic EL device has been extensively studied for practical application because the applied voltage can be decreased to a large extent.
As for the construction of the organic EL device, the basic construction comprises an anode/a light emitting layer/a cathode. (This description shows that an anode, a light emitting layer, and a cathode are laminated in this order. Other constructions are described similarly.) Constructions having a hole injecting and transporting layer or an electron injecting and transporting layer suitably added to the basic construction are known. Examples of such construction are a construction of an anode/a hole injecting and transporting layer/a light emitting layer/a cathode and a construction of an anode/a hole injecting and transporting layer/a light emitting layer/an electron injecting and transporting layer/a cathode. The hole injecting and transporting layer has the function of transporting holes injected from the anode to the light emitting layer. The electron injecting and transporting layer has the function of transporting electrons injected from the cathode to the light emitting layer. It has been known that, when the hole injecting and transporting layer is inserted between the light emitting layer and the anode, more holes are injected into the light emitting layer in a lower electric field, and electrons injected into the light emitting layer from the cathode or the electron injecting and transporting layer are accumulated at the interface between the hole injecting and transporting layer and the light emitting layer because the hole injecting and transporting layer does not transport electron. As the result, efficiency of the light emission is increased.
In the organic EL devices described above, various attempts have been made to increase the efficiency and the luminance by controlling thickness of various layers in the multi-layer organic part placed between the anode and the cathode, such as the hole injecting and transporting layer, the light emitting layer, and the electron injecting layer.
For example, it was disclosed that, in a construction of an anode/a light emitting layer having the hole transporting property/an electron transporting layer/a cathode, the efficiency of the light emission was increased by controlling thickness of the electron transporting layer in the range of 30 to 60 nm (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 4(1992)-137485. This technology showed that the distance between the light emitting layer and the cathode is an important factor. In another technology, thickness of the electron transporting layer is controlled in such a manner that the intensity of the light is substantially enhanced with the light emitted directly from the light emitting layer and the light reflected at the cathode interfere with each other (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 4(1992)-328295).
However, these technologies described above did not disclose that color purity of a device can be improved by suitably selecting thickness of the layers including organic layers placed between two reflecting interfaces. Furthermore, it is necessary in these technologies that the thickness of the electron transporting layer is controlled, and due to this requirement, the electron injecting layer influences the light emission process and cause unfavorable results, such as deterioration of the color purity and decrease in the efficiency. Therefore, improvement to eliminate these problems has been required.
An EL device having a construction in which a metal oxide is inserted between an anode and a transparent substrate was disclosed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 4(1992)-334895). However, the layer of a metal oxide is formed with the object of shielding the organic layers of the EL from ultraviolet light which causes degradation of the organic layers. Therefore, this technology does not suggest the present invention.
An EL device having a construction of an anode/a hole injecting layer/a light emitting layer/an electron injecting layer/a cathode and using a mixed layer containing a specific metal complex and an organic compound different from the complex as the electron injecting layer, was also proposed (Japanese Patent Application Heisei 5(1993)-96407. However, optical thickness of the organic multi-layer part in this technology is not set at a value which enhances intensity of a selected wave length of the emitted EL light. Any suggestion for this particular point is not included, either.
It has been known that, in an EL device having a construction of a substrate/a multi-layer film of dielectrics/a transparent electrode I an organic multi-layer part/a cathode, color purity can be increased by controlling the total optical thickness of the transparent electrode and the organic multi-layer part. However, this technology requires that the multi-layer film of dielectrics be used and it is inevitable that cost is increased.
On the other hand, there was disclosed a technology adopting a construction of a transparent electrode/a dielectrics layer/a fluorescent substance layer/a dielectrics layer/a back electrode and adjusting thickness (d) of a fluorescent substance layer or a laminate containing a fluorescent substance layer and a dielectrics layer and refractive index (.eta.) to satisfy the equation: d=k.multidot..eta..multidot..lambda./2 (.lambda. being wave length of the emitted light) (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 2(1990)-46695). In this technology, an inorganic fluorescent substance, such as ZnS, is used as the fluorescent substance layer, and an insulation film containing an oxide and the like is used as the dielectrics layer. The thickness of the fluorescent substance layer or the laminate of the fluorescent substance layer and the dielectrics layer is adjusted in accordance with the refractive index in such a manner that the light emitted from the fluorescent substance layer is reflected multiple times between the interface between the transparent electrode and the dielectrics layer and the interface between the dielectrics layer and the back electrode, and the reflected lights interfered with each other. However, the interface between the transparent electrode and the dielectrics layer is treated as a reflecting interface in this construction because the refractive indices of the dielectrics layer and the fluorescent substance layer are 2.0 or more and the refractive index of the transparent electrode is about 1.8 or less. In contrast, the refractive index of the organic multi-layer part is 1.6 to 1.8 in the construction of the transparent electrode/the organic multi-layer part/a cathode disclosed in the present invention. The interface of the transparent electrode and the organic multi-layer part cannot be treated as a reflecting interface. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 2(1990)-46695 described above does not suggest that the interface between the transparent electrode and the substrate, the interface between the transparent electrode and the underlayer of a high refractivity, or the interface between the transparent electrode and the underlayer of a low refractivity, can be treated as the reflecting interface, and the total optical thickness of the transparent electrode and the organic multi-layer part is controlled.


A record pad of paper sheets includes a number of stacked sets of sheets. Each set comprises a quadrate top sheet having top and bottom faces and for receiving indicia on its top face and having a first edge; a quadrate record sheet having top and bottom faces and for receiving transferred indicia from the top sheet on its top face, and having a first edge extending generally parallel to and outwardly from the first edge of the top sheet to define a margin; a transfer mechanism (such CF and CB constructions) is disposed between the top and record sheets for transferring indicia from the top sheet to the record sheet; and repositionable adhesive is provided on the top sheet bottom face at the top sheet first edge for releasably connecting the top sheet to the record sheet. The pad also includes mechanical fastener or adhesive for securing the record sheets in the pad of stacked sheets together at the margins. A writing shield for disposition between the bottom face of record sheets and the top face of top sheets of adjacent stacked sets of the pad for isolating a top set from the rest of the sets to prevent image transfer, is also provided; the shield may be integral with a backing for the pad, which in turn may be integral with a cover. A third sheet, with associated transfer mechanism, may be provided in each set beneath the record sheet, and three pads may be arranged in a "three to view" format connected together by a common mechanical securing mechanism.

This invention relates to record pads having repositionable adhesive on the back of each sheet in the pad.
In recent years pads of paper in which each sheet has a marginal stub area bearing on its underside a band of non-drying, slightly-tacky adhesive which, while permanently bonded to the underside of the sheet, only temporarily bonds to other surfaces, including to the stub areas of the top surfaces of respectively adjacent like sheets in the stack which constitutes the pad, have become very popular.
The general concept of such a product is disclosed in the Swiss Patent of Eugster 452,479 dated 31 May 1968.
Eugster discloses a paper pad that is composed of self-adhesive individual sheets and is characterized in that each sheet is detachably joined to the sheet underneath it by means of a non-drying adhesive and in that the strip of adhesive provided at the edge of each individual sheet has one side which is smooth and adherent but does not take up adhesive while the other side carries the adhesive. The side carrying the adhesive may be arranged on the underside of the sheet. The adhesive applied to this side cannot be removed without chemical agents. When two such surfaces of adhesive strip which have been glued together are separated, virtually all the adhesive is left on the underside while the upper surface remains unwetted.
When assembling such a pad with the aid of non-drying adhesive the top edge of each individual sheet is mechanically pressed with its underside, which receives adhesive, to the smooth upper surface of the other sheet, which does not take up adhesive. The individual sheets are thereby bonded together but they are not permanently fixed together; that is to say, they are not glued together but can be separated one by one by hand. When a sheet is removed, the adhesive is left on the underside of the sheet so that the sheet which has been removed can be fixed by light finger pressure to another surface without the use of fresh adhesives.
Adhesives and paper useful in making such products are well known in the particular area.
It is also known to provide multiple sheet forms with carbonless coating for producing multiple copies of an original writing and reference may be made by way of example to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,981,523; 4,126,334 and 4,199,174.
British Patent Specification No. 2,214,131 describes a pad with record sheets and removable sheets disposed in pairs. Transfer material is positioned between the record sheet and the removable sheet of each pair and a strip of low tack adhesive is provided along the marginal edge of the removable sheet with a perforation line in the removable sheet within the strip of low tack adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,740 relates to a multi-sheet pad with repositionable adhesive on the top pad, with a perforation for connecting common margins of both the top and record sheets of the pad together. U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,276 shows a multi-sheet pad with release adhesive disposed at different points along the pad, and with marginal tabs extending beyond the edges of adjacent sheets. There is no connection at the marginal tabs, however, but rather the sheets are connected together by adhesive at the opposite end of the pad from the marginal tabs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,401 provides a pad with repositionable adhesive in a carbonless imaging system but there are no outwardly extending margin areas that are fastened together.
According to the invention, an improved record pad is provided. The improved record pad is made up of a plurality of sets of sheets in which a message or other data may be applied to the top sheet of the set and a copy of the message or other data made on the underlying record sheet, and in which the top sheet of the set may be detached leaving the record copy sheet remaining.
According to the present invention a record pad comprises a plurality of sheet sets, each set comprising at least a removable top copy sheet and an underlying record copy sheet in which the top copy sheet lies in close juxtaposition on the underlying record copy sheet and bears a strip of repositionable adhesive adjacent an edge of the record copy sheet and in which the record copy sheet extends beyond the edge of the top copy sheet to provide a margin which margin serves to be secured to other margins of the pad for record purposes.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a simple yet effective pad with bound record sheets, and top sheets with release adhesive. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.


A method for manufacturing a sheathing of a cable and a sheathing for a cable is provided where the method includes forming the cable sheathing by extrusion and the sheathing is made of a Pb—Ca—Sn alloy having a composition having from 0.03 to 0.05 weight % Ca and from 0.4 to 0.8 weight % Sn.

Supplying electric power from land to offshore oil and gas installations, landing electric power produced at offshore windfarms, etc. may require transporting capacity of electric energy at high power levels over long distances. This is often accomplished by use of power cables which are laid on the seabed.
Power cables intended for submarine use may be intended to operate at high power levels at voltages from less than 1 kV to more than 500 kV and be sufficiently mechanically resilient to withstand stretching forces combined with dynamic flexing for a lifetime of up to 60 years. The submarine power cable should also be water tight and corrosion resistant to protect the electric power conducting core of the cable from being exposed to water.

Cable sheathing of a Pb—Ca—Sn alloy and method of manufacture thereof


An iron-silicon compound powder whose predominant phases are Fe.sub.5 Si.sub.3, Fe.sub.2 Si and Fe.sub.3 Si, which is useful as a radar absorbing material (RAM) in corrosive and oxidizing atmospheres and when used with corrosive or oxidizing binders is formed by a diffusion process. The powder is made in a process that includes blending magnetic materials such as carbonyl iron, iron cobalt, and/or nickel and very pure silicon powders with an activator, such as a halide salt, and then heating the mixture between 1350.degree. F. and 1600.degree. F. in an inert atmosphere. The result is then ground until it passes through a 200 mesh screen. The powder so formed usually is then heated in air. This forms a thin protective shell about each particle of the powder after which the powder can be combined with a suitable binder to form a RAM coating capable of operating at high temperatures which is relatively unaffected by corrosive atmospheres.

Iron in various forms has been used in radar absorbing material (RAM) applications because it is effective and can be obtained at relatively low cost. Unfortunately, in normal ambient environments iron rusts and looses the magnetic properties that make it effective as a radar absorber. Protective binders have been used to prevent rust, but most are not effective in salt spray environments or those environments that include temperature extremes and abrasive dust, water or ice. Therefore iron silicide alloys, FeSi and FeSi.sub.2 in powdered forms, have been produced and used as RAM because a protective silicon dioxide coating can be grown on each particle of the powder by merely heating the compound powder in air. These iron silicide powders have had great success in high temperature applications, but unfortunately their radar absorbing performance per weight and amount of iron is substantially less than those of carbonyl iron powders. Therefore there has been a need to provide a corrosion resistant, preferably iron containing material that has radar absorbing performance approaching that of carbonyl iron powders without resort to expensive ferrous aluminides.


A region of a borehole with one or more openings to be sealed off, such as one or more fractures, voids, and or pores, may or may not be sealed off around a tubular string with a borehole seal such as a packer or plug. A carrying fluid may be utilized to transport a filtration material into the opening to create a bridge, which at least partially seals the opening, but still provides a flow path that permits fluid flow therethrough. A solid material and/or settable material may then utilize the fluid flow subsequently or be simultaneously spotted with or behind the filtration material to thereby form compositions which effectively seals off the flow path into the one or more openings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to drilling oil or gas wells and more particularly to methods and compositions for sealing fractures, voids, and pores of subterranean formations.
2. Description of the Background
During drilling or completion, a bore hole may leak bore hole fluids at a certain pressure level into openings such as a fracture, void or pore connected to the bore hole. These openings are formed either by naturally existing faults, fissures, fractures, voids or vugs penetrated by the wellbore or by fractures artificially induced by abnormally wellbore pressure. Drilling fluids are generally very expensive and it is desirable that the fluids not be lost within "lost circulation zones." Moreover, circulation of fluids through the borehole is important for most drilling operations for many reasons, as is well known to those of skill in the art. Therefore, sealing the fracture, void or pore is necessary for rig operations to proceed.
In the past, fibrous, pelleted and particulate lost circulation materials have been used to form the needed seal in the borehole. For instance, fibers, almond shell, graphite, peanut hull, cotton burrs, oat hulls, and ground marble are all used for sealing fractures, voids and pores. However, these materials may not always form a reliable seal due to a wide range of different downhole conditions.
Consequently, there remains a long felt need for improved methods and compositions to prevent or reduce lost circulation problems. Because those skilled in the art have recognized and attempted to solve these problems in the past without reliable success, they will appreciate the present invention, which addresses these and other problems.

Methods and compositions for sealing fractures, voids, and pores of subterranean rock formations


A semiconductor device and a method of forming the same are disclosed. The method includes receiving a substrate having a fin projecting through an isolation structure over the substrate; etching a portion of the fin, resulting in a trench; forming a doped material layer on sidewalls of the trench; and growing at least one epitaxial layer in the trench. The method further includes exposing a first portion of the at least one epitaxial layer over the isolation structure; and performing an annealing process, thereby driving dopants from the doped material layer into a second portion of the at least one epitaxial layer. The first portion of the at least one epitaxial layer provides a strained channel for the semiconductor device and the second portion of the at least one epitaxial layer provides a punch-through stopper.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs. Such scaling down has also increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs.
For example, multi-gate field effect transistors (FETs) such as fin field effect transistors (FinFETs) have been developed for their high drive currents with small footprints compared to traditional planar FETs. In one method, FinFETs are formed on bulk substrate for reduced manufacturing cost. However, typical bulk FinFETs suffer a punch-through issue where leakage currents may flow in a region not controlled by a gate. To overcome the punch-through issue, conventional methods implant heavy impurities into regions between the fin channel and the bulk substrate. These methods unavoidably implant impurities into the whole fin, adversely reducing the carrier mobility thereof. In addition, impurity implantation may also adversely affect channel strain of the fin.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


Disclosed is a method of fabricating a display substrate. A black matrix and a color filter layer are formed on a base substrate, and then a transparent electrode and a photoresist layer pattern are sequentially formed. The transparent electrode is patterned using the photoresist layer pattern as a mask to form a common electrode, and a spacer is formed using the photoresist layer pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a display substrate and a method of fabricating a display panel using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of fabricating a display substrate, which may reduce manufacturing costs and improve productivity, and a method of fabricating a display panel using the same.
2. Discussion of the Background
In general, a liquid crystal display panel includes an array substrate, a color filter substrate facing the array substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the array substrate and the color filter substrate.
The array substrate includes a plurality of pixels which are basic elements representing an image. Each pixel is provided with a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode. The thin film transistor switches a pixel voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer. The pixel electrode is connected to a drain electrode of the thin film transistor and faces a common electrode formed on the color filter substrate, and the liquid crystal layer is interposed therebetween.
Such a liquid crystal display may be fabricated to have a slim size as compared to a cathode ray tube, but the liquid crystal display may have a narrower viewing angle.
Recently, in order to improve the viewing angle of the liquid crystal display, a Patterned Vertical Alignment (PVA) mode liquid crystal display panel and a Super-Patterned Vertical Alignment (SPVA) mode liquid crystal display panel have been developed. In the PVA mode liquid crystal display panel and the SPVA mode liquid crystal display panel, a plurality of domains are formed in a single pixel by patterning the pixel electrode and the common electrode, and the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are aligned differently in each domain. Accordingly, a step of patterning the common electrode is added to the fabrication process. Therefore, the number of masks and process steps needed to form the color filter substrate may increase, which may cause manufacturing costs to increase and productivity to decrease.

Method of fabricating display substrate and method of fabricating display panel using the same


The invention includes a method of forming a material which comprises at least two elements. More specifically, the method comprises providing an electrolytic cell comprising a cathode, an anode, and an electrolytic solution extending between the cathode and anode. A metallic product is electrolytically formed within the electrolytic cell. The forming of the metallic product comprises primarily electrorefining of a first element of the at least two elements and primarily electrowinning of a second element of the at least two elements. The invention also includes a mixed metal product comprising at least two elements, such as a product comprising tantalum and titanium.

Numerous applications exist in which it can be desired to form materials comprising two or more elements provided in a substantially homogenous distribution of the elements. For instance, it can be desired to form physical vapor deposition (PVD) targets comprising two or more metallic elements uniformly distributed throughout the targets. Frequently, it is difficult to combine two or more elements into a homogenous mixture when their melting points and/or densities are far apart. For example, there could be an interest to develop an alloyed titanium-tantalum target. However, making an alloyed titanium-tantalum ingot is impractical with conventional techniques. A large difference between the melting points of titanium and tantalum (1670° C. for titanium and 2996° C. for tantalum) makes it impractical to melt titanium together with tantalum in an e-beam furnace. Titanium would be simply vaporized at the melting point of tantalum. In addition, the large difference in densities (4.5 g/cm3 for titanium and 16 g/cm3 for tantalum) would be troublesome when powder processing an alloy comprising both titanium and tantalum. Segregation could too easily take place. Additionally, because of a generally higher gas content, powder processed targets are less preferred than melted and wrought targets.
It would be desirable to develop new methods for forming mixed metal alloy ingots, and it would be particularly desirable to develop methods which could be utilized to form titanium and tantalum alloy ingots. More generally, it would be desirable to develop new methods for forming products comprising mixtures of two or more elements. It is known that if an alloyed feedstock is melted, the melting point of the feedstock is between the melting points of components. Specifically, if an alloyed titanium and tantalum piece were melted, it would melt at a temperature in between the melting points of titanium and tantalum. The higher the portion of titanium in the piece, the lower would be the melting temperature. The lowering of the melting temperature could make the melting process much easier than for a material comprising pure tantalum. Therefore, it could be desirable to develop new methods for preparing tantalum materials diluted with titanium to form alloyed tantalum feedstocks for melting processes.

Methods for electrically forming materials


The present invention is directed to a system for current sensing including a first Hall effect sensor and a second Hall effect sensor constructed to provide feedback indicating current flow through a conductor susceptible to external magnetic flux. A housing is configured to position the first Hall effect sensor and the second Hall effect sensor about the conductor to provide generally magnitude equal feedback of the current flow through the conductor and generally polarity opposite feedback of the external magnetic flux.

The present invention relates generally to current measuring and monitoring, more particularly, to a system and method for measuring current by sensing magnetic flux associated with current flow through a conductor. A dual Hall sensor configuration arranged according to an anti-differential topology is utilized to sense magnetic flux and provides feedback to a processing component. The processing component is arranged to generate an anti-differential output from the feedback received to remove feedback attributable to magnetic fields induced externally from the conductor. The anti-differential current sensor is disposed in a housing configured to arrange the Hall effect sensors, processing component, and other integrated systems in the anti-differential topology with respect to the conductor being monitored.
Measuring and monitoring of current flow through a conductor is an important analysis that is performed in a wide variety of applications and circumstances. Current sensing designs often fall into one of two categories: contact topologies and non-contact topologies.
Contact sensors are common in many circumstances but include many inherent limitations. For example, while shunt-type sensors are readily applicable to direct current (DC) applications, shunt-type sensors are not suited to alternating current (AC) applications due to errors caused by induced loop voltages. On the other hand, while current transformers (CT) are suited for AC applications, such are inapplicable to DC applications due to the fundamental nature of transformers.
In any case, these contact-based sensor systems are typically large and may be difficult to employ, especially in areas where tight size constraints are necessary. Specifically, in order to deploy a contact-based sensor, such as a resistive shunt, it is necessary to remove the conductor from service. Additionally, shunt based sensors require lugs to form an electrical connection and a mounting means to secure the device in position. Similarly, CT-based sensors necessarily require adequate accommodations for a transformer.
Non-contact current sensing designs are often preferred in many applications because they reduce common mode noise typically experienced with direct contact designs, such as shunts. Non-contact designs also reduce heat buildups often associated with resistive shunts and the need to use burdened current transformers. Additionally, non-contact designs provide scalable outputs that are desirable for use with digital controllers.
A variety of designs and approaches have been developed for non-contact current monitoring systems. One common and desirable form of non-contact sensing and monitoring of current flow includes indirectly determining current flow through a conductor by detecting a magnetic field or flux induced as a result of the current flow through the conductor.
For example, metal core based systems are often used to measure the current flow through a conductor by detecting the magnetic flux induced by the current flow. The metal core is utilized to magnify the magnetic flux concentration and, thereby, provide increased accuracy in detecting the magnetic flux and the extrapolated current readings. Various topologies including "open-loop,""closed-loop," "flux gate," and "dithering" designs may be utilized, although all include limitations.
Open-loop sensors use the magnetic properties of the metal core material to magnify the magnetic flux induced by the current flow through the conductor. However, to extrapolate the current measurements from the detected magnetic flux, these sensors rely on the "near linear" operational range of the metal core. A ferromagnetic core that enters a "saturation" operational range can distort the reported current compared to the actual current profile. Specifically, as saturation is reached, a current level that changes with time produces a time changing magnetizing force that produces a time changing magnetic flux density within the core. That is, as the core material approaches magnetic saturation, the "magnetic gain" declines and approaches the "magnetic gain" of air. As such, the magnetic field within the metal core is distorted in proportion to the difference in permeability at various points along a hysteresis loop of the metal core. Therefore, should the operating conditions lead to the saturation of the metal core, inaccurate current measurements may be gathered. Accordingly, sensing ranges of metal core sensors are typically hard-limited to the "near-linear" operational range.
Additionally, sensors relying on metal cores can experience hysteresis in the metal core that may produce a zero current offset error. Specifically, when at low or zero current levels, the metal core may act as a weak permanent magnet and report a persistent flux though little or no current is actually present. As such, zero offsets are particularly troublesome when monitoring DC power systems. As all permeable ferromagnetic materials exhibit some level of hysteresis, which produces an error at zero current, metal core sensors are susceptible to erroneous current measurements at low or no current levels. Furthermore, increased inductance can produce phase shifts between the actual current profile and the reported current profile.
Furthermore, while electronic-based sensors are typically limited by the voltage rails used in the sensor output stages, current sensors employing metal cores have an additional limitation imposed by the saturation point of the material. For example, a sensor with a scale factor of 1 volt per amp with a 5 volt rail will be limited to 5 amps regardless of the range of the detector. In metal core based sensors it is well known that the dynamic range is typically limited to 10:1. Therefore, it is known that metal core current sensors include range, accuracy, and repeatability limits in proportion to the propensity for hysteresis, saturation, and non-linearity of the material used in the core.
"Closed-loop" sensors, flux gate approaches, and dithering approaches utilize a combination of electronic circuits and bucking coils to compensate for these material related errors and/or average-out errors. However, these systems merely diminish the effects of the errors, and do not entirely eliminate the potential for errors and incorrect current readings.
Accordingly, in order to eliminate the potential for inaccurate current measurements due to metal core saturation, hysteresis, or eddy currents, air-core sensors may be used to measure and monitor current. However, while the removal of the metal core eliminates the potential for inaccurate current measurements due to metal core saturation, hysteresis, or eddy currents, the air core does not have the magnetic flux magnifying or concentrating effect of metal cores. Therefore, air-core current sensors are readily susceptible to influence by external magnetic fields and may provide inaccurate current measurements. As such, air-core sensors are typically unsuitable for applications where multiple high external magnetic fields are present. As an overwhelming percentage of current sensors are required to be deployed in areas where numerous conductors and corresponding magnetic fields are in close proximity, air-core sensors are often undesirable.
It would therefore be desirable to design a system and method for non-contact current sensing that does not rely on ferromagnetic materials and is not susceptible to magnetic fields induced externally from the monitored conductor. That is, it would be desirable to have a system and method for non-contact current sensing that does not include the inherent limitations of metal-core based current sensors while providing accurate current feedback in the presence of external magnetic fields. Furthermore, it would be desirable to have a system and method for concentrating magnetic flux associated with a particular conduction to increase monitoring accuracy. Additionally, it would be desirable that such a system and method be integrated with a variety of systems and subsystems to communicate sensed current levels.

Integrated anti-differential current sensing system


A colourable binder composition with both excellent durability and application properties when used in coloured paving is provided. It contains 20-40 weight % in total of hydrogenated petroleum resin and non-hydrogenated petroleum resin, 1-10 weight % of hydrogenated thermoplastic elastomer of percentage hydrogenation 95% or more and 0.1-5 weight % in total of tall oil derivative of acid value 50-300 and/or tall oil fatty acid of acid value 50-300, the remainder being made up of petroleum solvent-extracted oil, has a composition wherein the ratio of the aforesaid hydrogenated petroleum resin to the aforesaid non-hydrogenated petroleum resin (hydrogenated petroleum resin/non-hydrogenated petroleum resin) (weight ratio) is 10-30%, moreover, the viscosity at 150° C. is 500 mPa·sec or less, and the DS value of a mixture of dense granularity (13) is 1 500 times/min or more.

In general, when coloured paving is applied in parks or pavements, binder compositions which can be coloured by the addition of pigments and the like are used. Such binder compositions for coloured paving include for example those wherein a petroleum resin and/or a thermoplastic elastomer and a petroleum-based softener are compounded in defined proportions, and antioxidants and the like are added if necessary.
Since binder compositions for coloured paving are usually exposed outside for long periods, it is necessary to suppress deterioration due to water, heat, oil and ultraviolet radiation to the minimum. Thus, in order to improve weather resistance, binder compositions for coloured paving have been proposed (see for example JP 2001-172469 and JP 2001-329117) wherein, as the petroleum resin and thermoplastic elastomer, respectively, hydrogenated petroleum resin and hydrogenated thermoplastic elastomer in which the double bonds in the molecule have been decreased by addition of hydrogen are used. Further, binder compositions for coloured paving have also been proposed (see for example JP 2002-206047) wherein, together with the use of the aforesaid hydrogenated petroleum resin and hydrogenated thermoplastic elastomer, the softener is changed from a petroleum solvent-extracted oil to a petroleum-based lubricating oil of low aromatics and double bond content.
On the other hand, there are also binder compositions for coloured paving which take account of effects on the environment and on the human body (see for example JP 2003-301111 and JP 2005-256450). In the binder composition according to JP 2003-301111, a petroleum-based heavy oil wherein the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content has been decreased to 3 weight % or less, and the aromatics content to 15 weight % or less is used as the softener. Further, in the binder composition according to JP 2005-256450, a petroleum aromatic hydrocarbon oil wherein the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content has been decreased to less than 3 weight % is used as the softener.
However, as described below, there are problems with the aforesaid previous technology. Although studies have been made of the weather resistance, durability and colour of the coloured paving binder compositions according to the prior art, their application properties have not been considered. For example, in order to improve their service durability, it is desirable if the viscosity of the binder composition is higher, however in that case the viscosity during application also becomes higher, mixing with the pigment and aggregate may become incomplete, and the flatness of the paved surface may decrease. On the other hand, if the viscosity of the binder composition is decreased in order to improve its application properties, its strength decreases, and loss of aggregate, rut formation and the like occur. Because of this, there are problems with previous coloured paving binder compositions in that it is not possible to have both the durability and the application properties satisfactory.


A method and apparatus for synchronously playing an image and an audio are provided. The method comprises: acquiring a play service request sent by a broadcast terminal; acquiring play image data and audio data corresponding to the play service request, the play image data being divided into a plurality of groups based on played content; and sending the play image data, the audio data, and information for determining a first corresponding relationship between each of the groups and an attribute of the audio data to the broadcast terminal, to enable the broadcast terminal to perform synchronization on the play image data and the audio data correspondingly to synchronously play the play image data and the audio data. Establishing the corresponding relationship between the audio data and the played content of each of the groups enables the broadcast terminal to accurately synchronize the played audio content and the displayed play image.

With the information digitization and the improvement of living standards, smart homes increasingly appear in daily life. As a type of products thereof, smart speakers have attracted wide attentions from the public.
Some existing smart speakers are equipped with display screens for displaying relevant information. However, the existing smart speakers usually can achieve synchronization between played contents and displayed characters merely by pre-storing audio files and text files and pre-annotating corresponding relationships between the played contents and displayed characters of the audio files, such as displaying lyrics whilst listening to songs. However, for characters and image information acquired in real time, accurate synchronization cannot be achieved during broadcast, thereby resulting in poor product experience among users. Therefore, how to improve the accuracy in synchronizing an image or characters, and an audio becomes a technical problem in urgent need of solution.

Method and apparatus for synchronously playing image and audio

BAIDU ONLINE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.


In one embodiment, an integrated circuit comprises resonance limiter circuits coupled to a power supply connection of the integrated circuit. The resonance limiter circuits are configured to detect oscillation on the power supply connection at a resonant frequency, and to dampen the resonant frequency oscillation responsive to detecting the oscillation. In some embodiments, the resonance limiter circuits may damp oscillation at or above the resonant frequency or approximately the resonant frequency (e.g. somewhat below the resonance frequency). The resonant frequency depends on a package of the integrated circuit. In an embodiment, a resonance limiter circuit comprises a filter and a transistor coupled in parallel with the filter between a power supply connection and a ground connection. The filter is tuned to approximately a resonant frequency (e.g. the lowest resonant frequency) that depends on a package corresponding to an integrated circuit into which the resonance limiter circuit is fabricated.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of integrated circuits and, more particularly, to managing resonant frequencies on power supply inputs to the integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As semiconductor fabrication technologies have continued to advance, larger numbers of transistors have been fabricated onto a single integrated circuit and the operating frequencies of these integrated circuits have continued to increase. Additionally, power supply voltages have decreased while power supply currents have increased in both magnitude and time variation. One effect of large, rapid swings in supply current magnitude is that resonance can be induced due to the combination of serial inductance in the package that surrounds the integrated circuit and the bypass capacitance (which can include on-die and external bypass capacitors). Resonance tends to grow and to last for long periods of time, unlike transient signals at non-resonant frequencies, which tend to die out relatively quickly.
Resonance on the supply voltage (also known as ringing) reduces the timing margin in the integrated circuit, which expects a relatively stable supply voltage. In the extreme, resonance can cause faulty operation of the integrated circuit.
One way that resonance has been limited or avoided in the past is to increase the serial resistance in the package to damp the resonance. However, such techniques have a practical limit. The IR drop in the package is increased by increasing the serial resistance, thus reducing the effective operating voltage that the integrated circuit itself experiences for a given externally-supplied voltage and for a given current. Furthermore, increasing the serial resistance increases the power consumption of the package itself, which can be problematic if the integrated circuit is a high power consumer or if the integrated circuit is designed for power-conscious applications such as battery-powered devices or devices with limited cooling capabilities.

Resonance limiter circuits for an integrated circuit


A power switching device for use in a power distribution network has a conductive element that is shaped in a non-cylindrical form. The non-cylindrical shape of the conductive element allows the non-conductive material such as epoxy that is used to form the body of the device to securely fasten the conductive element in place to thereby keep the conductive element from rotating when excessive rotational force is applied to the conductor. The conductive element can be shaped with a protrusion or in a C-shape. The protrusion and C-shape help prevent rotation of the conductive element when a threaded bolt is applied to secure a power cable to one end of the conductive element.

In the power generation and distribution industry, utility companies generate electricity and distribute the electricity to their customers. To facilitate the process of distributing electricity, various types of power switching devices are used. In a distribution circuit, electricity flows through the power switching devices from a power generation source (typically a substation or the like) to the consumer. When a fault is detected in the distribution circuit, the power switching device is opened and the electrical connection is broken.
Controllers are used by the utility company to detect faults that occur in the distribution circuit. The controller typically uses a microprocessor programmed to respond to the fault based on the type of fault and the type of power switching device connected to the controller. The controller may respond to a particular fault by causing the power switching device to remain open. Alternatively, upon the detection of a fault, the controller may cause the power switching device to open and close multiple times.
The typical voltage ratings for power switching devices range from 1 kilovolts (kV) to 38 kV with current levels up to 63,000 amperes. In order to withstand this amount of power, the power switching devices are constructed out of non-conductive materials such as epoxy or epoxy resins. As the power switching devices are manufactured, the conductive elements are placed within a mold and the non-conductive material, in liquid form, is poured into the mold. As the material cools it solidifies and holds the conductive elements in place. The conductive elements are connected to a connector that extends out of the epoxy housing.
The epoxy and the conductive element have two different coefficients of expansion. As a result, when the epoxy hardens it may not sufficiently adhere to the connector to properly secure the connector in the power switching device. Connectors that are now used in power switching devices are only cylindrical in form and thus the epoxy has only regularly shaped smooth surfaces to adhere to. The present invention provides an irregular shape to the connector to thereby allow additional surface area for the epoxy adhesion.
When the power switching device is wired into the power distribution network, cables are attached and tightened to the connector. The utility company provides guidelines to its personnel for the amount of force necessary to secure the cables. However, these guidelines may not be followed and too much force may be applied by utility personnel when securing the cables. If the connector is not sufficiently secured by the epoxy, the torque resulting from the excessive force may cause the connector to rotate. If the connector rotates, the structure of the power switching device is compromised and the device may experience premature failure. The present invention provides a secure anchor for the connector within the epoxy should excess amounts of torque be applied.
Additionally, during the installation process, compressional forces can be exerted on the connector. The compressional forces may compromise the integrity of the components connected to the connector. The connector of the present invention distributes the compressional forces away from the conductive elements within the power switching device.

Apparatus for securing a conductor in a power switching device


A crankshaft having a front end, a rear end, and a central axis extending from the front end to the rear end is provided. The crankshaft includes a front crankpin, a rear crankpin, and one or more central crankpins. The front crankpin is located in proximity to the front end and the rear crankpin is located in proximity to the rear end. Further, the one or more central crankpins are located substantially equidistant from the front crank pin and the rear crankpin. The crankshaft further includes pairs of counterweights disposed on each side of the front crankpin, the rear crankpin and the one or more central crankpin. The counterweights are disposed such that counterweights in each pair of counterweights are angularly offset with respect to each other.

Typically, in an engine, a crankshaft includes counterweights, where each counterweight is attached to each of the crankshaft's cheeks, in order to balance the engine. However, this kind of counterweight arrangement is difficult to manufacture and expensive too.
U.S. Patent Publication 2012/0048226 relates to a crankshaft for an engine having an odd number of cylinders. The crankshaft includes a central pin coupling a first and a second asymmetric counterweight and a pair of pins coupling cheeks absent counterweights.


A bend limiter for use with electrical and fiber optic cables that can handle a relatively wide range of side loading without excessive bending is disclosed. The bend limiter is configured to bend at radii which are less than the critical curvature of the cable over a range of loads. The bend limiter includes a flexible member having two portions. One portion has a non-linear profile and is designed to absorb high loads to control bending. The other portion has a tapered linear profile and is designed to bend under light loads so that a conductor at the tip of the bend limiter does not kink.

Ubiquitous in telecommunications are conductors used for transmitting signals. Many high bandwidth conductors, such as optical fiber and Category V copper cables, tend to have a minimum bend radius below which transmission efficiency is significantly diminished. In other words, if these conductors are bent at a radius smaller than the minimum, the signal transmission losses will be prohibitively high.
The minimum bend radius is a function of the conductor type, its thickness, and the frequency of the signal being transmitted. For example, referring to FIG. 4, transmission performance in an optical fiber is shown as a function of bend radius. The plot shows the transmission loss of a 1550 nm optical signal along a Corning 900 μm SMF-28 fiber for different bend radii. From this plot it can be seen that the transmission losses become exponential as the radius becomes smaller. The point at which the loss is considered a maximum is the minimum bend radius. As used herein, the term "minimum bend radius" refers to the point at which the attenuation is reduced to 0.3 dB according to Telcordia, although we often use a lower loss as a safety factor. In the example of FIG. 4, this corresponds to about 10.5 nm (for 0.3 dB loss).
Although it is preferable to minimize bending to improve transmission efficiency in these conductors, there is a countervailing desire to make them as flexible as possible for easy installation. Consequently, conductors are typically made so flexible that they are capable of bending beyond their minimum bend radius. Therefore, there is a need to prevent a conductor from bending past its minimum bend radius even though it may be physically capable of doing so.
The need to control bending in high bandwidth conductors is heightened by their application conditions. That is, in a typical application, these conductors are terminated to connectors which plug into a backplane or other panel such that the connector is generally perpendicular to the panel. The conductor extends from the rear of these connectors and usual makes a right angle turn where it is grouped with other conductors and distributed accordingly. Since the conductor makes a right angle turn, any tension on the conductor will cause the radius of this turn to tighten. Therefore, there is a need to limit the bending of the conductor at this point.
Prior art attempts at limiting this bending involve bend limiters which are secured to the rear end of the connector and control the bending of the conductor as it leaves the connector. For example, one prior art bend limiter comprises a tubular length of elastomeric or other polymeric material which has staggered openings in the tubular length. As the bend limiter is bent and two edges of the staggered openings meet, movement is restricted with respect to that opening and further bending of the limiter must be accommodated by another opening. Openings are staggered to provide flexure at any angle in the plane transverse to the connector termination axis. Further improvements to the bend limiter include the use of a bump at the middle of the openings to limit flexure and to provide additional compliance at a higher force in a single segment to more evenly distribute compressive forces along the length of the bend limiter.
More recently, an elastic variable diameter boot has been developed as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,681. The profile of this bend limiter embodies the ideal elasticity model and provides for a constant bending radius for a given side load. This bend limiter represents a substantial improvement over prior art configurations.
Although this bend limiter is a marked improvement over conventional designs, the issuance of Telcordia specification GR-326, Issue III now requires that the bend limiter maintain a minimum bend radius over a range of loads. Specifically, according to the specification, a minimum bend radius needs to be maintained at a side load of 0.55 pounds at 135° and at 1.45 pounds at 90°. Such a range in load forces prevents one from optimizing a particular bend limiter for a particular load. Consequently, applicants have found that higher loads tend to buckle the bend limiter at its attachment point to the connector, while lighter loads tend to produce large curvature near the dorsal portion of the strain relief.
Therefore, there is a need for a bend limiter which does not kink the conductor at its tip at light loads or at the base at heavy loads. The present invention fulfills this need among others.


A boundary-scan output cell which includes critical data term and non-critical masking term paths without adding an extra layer of logic. The boundary-scan cell includes a multiplexer, a critical data path which transmits critical data terms, coupled to a first multiplexer input, a sampling circuit which transmits non-critical terms, term circuit coupled to a second multiplexer input, and a non-critical term path which transmits non-critical masking terms, coupled to the shift input of the multiplexer. Non-critical masking terms at the shift input are mimicked at the second input. Provision is also made for a test control circuit and a circuit for monitoring critical and non-critical terms.

The present invention relates to boundary scan logic and more specifically to a boundary-scan output cell with a non-critical enable path.
Boundary-scan logic circuitry is commonly added to integrated circuits for testing and monitoring the integrated circuits. A discussion of boundary-scan logic can be found in the following publications (1) IEEE standard 1149.1, entitled, "IEEE Standard Test Access port and Boundary-Scan Architecture", dated May 21, 1990; and (2) "A Standard Test Bus and Boundary Scan Architecture", by Lee Whetsel, TI Technical Journal, Jul.-Aug. 1988. These publications are hereby incorporated by reference.
Boundary-scan logic normally includes boundary-scan cells coupled between the pins and the system logic of an integrated circuit for external testing of pin connections and internal testing of system logic. Boundary-scan cells include test signal inputs and outputs through which the cells may be connected and scanned in serial fashion. One type of boundary-scan cell is an output cell for providing a data for an output.
Logic terms making up the core logic output include critical data terms and non-critical masking terms. Critical data terms are those which are active during normal operation and which must propagate to predetermined device pins in a minimal amount of time. Non-critical masking terms are those which may change only during diagnostics, error conditions, or other infrequent events. Such terms are generally asynchronous to the system clock or do not have strict timing requirements. Finally, non-critical masking terms can be used to force an output signal to be asserted or negated.
Boundary-scan cells normally include a shift register, a shadow latch, and two multiplexers. One multiplexer selects between a core logic output defining a system path for carrying data output terms and a shadow latch output defining a test path for carrying test data. An inherent problem with these cells is that the one multiplexer causes delay in the transmission of system data output terms.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a boundary-scan cell which separates data terms from non-critical masking terms while minimizing the delay added to the system path.

Boundary-scan output cell with non-critical enable path


A laser system, comprised of: a laser cavity; a gain medium a pump, a saturable absorber (SA); a first mirror and a second mirror; wherein a ratio of an area of the beam area within the SA to an area of the laser beam within the gain medium is greater than 1, and wherein the beam generates a gain medium radius spot on the gain medium and a saturable absorber radius spot on the saturable absorber such that a ratio between a saturable absorber radius spot on the saturable absorber and the gain medium radius spot on the gain medium is within a range of 1.7-7 is disclosed. A method for using the laser system e.g., for producing a pulsed energy is further disclosed.

Q-switching provides short duration optical pulses required for laser ranging, nonlinear studies, medicine, and other important applications. Passive Q-switching using a solid-state saturable absorber Q-switch is economical, simple and practical when compared to active Q-switching, which uses electro-optic or acousto-optic devices and electronic driving circuitry. The advantage of passive Q-switching inheres in its simplicity, reliability and economy compared to active methods.
Briefly, at low laser intensity, the saturable absorber ("SA") has a high absorption at the laser wavelength usually from approximately 20% to 50%. Absorption of laser light causes "bleaching" (reduced absorption) of the SA, which results in an increase in the intensity of the laser light. This process continues until the SA is fully bleached. Thus, the SA acts as a shutter and the laser emits a Q-switched pulse usually approximately 20-80 nanoseconds ("ns") (10-9 s) and is dependent upon the design of the laser resonator, e.g., the distance between the two mirrors.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the figures.

Passive Q-switching of diode-pumped laser


A method for using a needle assembly for an intradermal injection, and a drug delivery device is provided, which includes a needle cannula and a limiter surrounding the needle cannula and includes a skin engaging surface on the limiter. The limiter is moveable from a first position in which an elongate portion of the needle cannula is exposed for access to a medication vial, to a locked second position in which the limiter is not movable from the second position to the first position. In the second position, the needle tip extends beyond the skin engaging surface a distance of about 3 mm or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a delivery device for injecting drugs, vaccines, and the like into the intradermal region of the skin.
2. Description of Related Art
There are several injection techniques and devices known in the art. Based on the drug substance being injected, one technique and device may provide for a more efficacious delivery and uptake of the particular drug substance. One technique and device delivers a drug substance intramuscularly using a hypodermic needle that penetrates through a patient's skin and into muscle tissue.
Another technique and device delivers a drug substance into the subcutaneous region of the skin. It is possible that the same device may be used to delivery an intramuscular and a subcutaneous injection, with the health care provider controlling the depth of the injection.
Techniques and devices are also known for administering an injection into the intradermal (intradermal) region of the skin. One technique, commonly referred to as the Mantoux technique, uses a "standard" syringe, i.e., a syringe typically used to administer intramuscular or subcutaneous injections,. The health care provider administering the injection follows a specific procedure that requires a somewhat precise orientation of the syringe with regard to the patient's skin as the injection is administered. The health care provider must also attempt to precisely control the penetration depth of the needle into the patient's skin to ensure that it does not penetrate beyond the intradermal region. Such a technique is complicated, difficult to administer, and often may only be administered by an experienced health care professional.
Devices have been proposed for providing intradermal injections which include shortened fine gauge needles compared to conventional needle sizes. The smaller needles are not intended to penetrate beyond the dermis layer of the skin. Such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,288 to Gross et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,499 to Cirelli et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,483 to Jacoby. The proposed devices, however are not without shortcomings and drawbacks.
For example, the devices shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,527,288 and 4,886,499 are highly specialized injectors. The designs for these injectors include relatively complex arrangements of components that cannot be economically manufactured on a mass production scale. Therefore, such devices have limited applicability and use.
For many drug substances, it may be desirable to fill the delivery device at the point of, and immediately prior to use. In this situation, the delivery device is normally filled from a multi-dose vial. A multi-dose vial may be more economical and it enables the user to fill the delivery device with the specific dose required. The multi-dose vial may be pre-filled with a liquid substance or with a dry substance. For example, it is now conventional to reduce certain drugs to a dry or powdered form to increase the shelf life of drugs and reduce inventory space. Multi-dose vials are typically sealed with an elastomeric stopper or septum. A needle on the delivery device may be used to pierce the stopper or septum and draw the drug substance from the vial into the delivery device, typically a syringe. The drug substance may then be administered using the delivery device, which is discarded after use, and the unit-dose vial may be stored for further use.
As advances in understanding the delivery of drug proceeds, the use of intradermal delivery systems is expected to increase. Use of a "standard" length needle to deliver a drug substance intradermally has its shortcomings, come of which are identified above. It is not possible to use a delivery device having a needle length suited for intradermal injection to aspirate a syringe with drug substance from a multi-use vial. Thus, there are shortcomings in the prior art that prevent administering an intradermal injection using a "standard" length needle and a multi-use vial. It would be advantageous to have a drug delivery device capable of accessing substances stored in multi-dose vials and delivering such substances into the intradermal region of the skin without encountering the shortcomings described above.
FIG. 1 shows an intradermal injection device 101 comprising a syringe 114 having a syringe body 116 that defines a reservoir 118 within which a drug substance may be held, a plunger 120 disposed in the syringe body 116 and having a flange 122 at a distal end thereof and a stopper 124 at the opposed proximal end thereof, and a needle assembly 102 secured to a distal end of the syringe body 116. An exemplary needle assembly 102 of the type depicted in FIG. 1 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,865 to Alchas, the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein. The needle assembly 102 is specifically designed for making intradermal injections. The needle assembly 102 may carry a needle cannula 104 having a needle tip 106 at a distal end thereof. Alternatively, the needle cannula 104 may be secured directly to the syringe body 116. The needle assembly 102 also includes a penetration limiter 108 having a hub portion 109 that may be secured to the syringe body 116, and a limiter portion 111 that defines a generally flat skin engaging surface 110 at a distal end of the limiter 108. The limiter 108, which generally surrounds the proximal end of the needle 104, permits a certain predetermined length of the needle cannula 104, including the needle tip 106, to protrude beyond the skin engaging surface 110 so that the distance between the needle tip 106 and skin engaging surface 110 limits penetration of the needle tip 106 into the intradermal space of the patient's skin. Preferably, the needle tip 106 of the needle cannula 104 extends beyond the skin engaging surface 110 a distance ranging from approximately 0.5 mm to 3 mm. The needle cannula 104 and skin engaging surface 110 are also arranged with respect to each other in a generally perpendicular relationship that serves to ensure a generally perpendicular relationship between the needle cannula 104 and the patient's skin; such an angular relationship being preferred when making intradermal injections. The skin engaging surface 110 engages the surface of the skin of a patient and limits the penetration depth of the needle tip 106 into the patient's skin. The needle assembly 102 is secured to the syringe 114 via the hub portion 109, which may be fixedly secured to the syringe body 116, or the hub portion 109 may be secured by a Luer fit or equivalent attachment method.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a conventional syringe 114 being filled from a multi-use vial 126 is shown. The vial 126 includes an open end, a rim surrounding the open end and a reduced diameter neck portion adjacent the rim. The vial 124 is typically sealed with an elastomeric septum 128 which includes a portion inserted into the neck of the vial 126 and a planar rim portion which overlies the vial rim. The septum 128 is normally secured to the vial rim with an aluminum collar 130. In FIG. 2, a conventional syringe 114 is being used to access a drug substance contained within the vial 126. The needle 104 in this case is sufficiently long to penetrate the septum 128 to access the drug substance contained in the vial 126.
As may be appreciated from FIGS. 1 and 2, it is not possible, using a device having a stationary limiter, to fill a reservoir from a conventional vial. The distance d is too short to adequately penetrate the depth of the septum and access the substance contained in the vial. The present invention allows for access to a substance contained in a conventional vial by an intradermal needle device or assembly. As a result, there is no need to pre-fill an intradermal device of the present invention prior to use. Thus, standard methods for preserving the therapeutic and/or diagnostic substances, such as maintaining them in liquid or powder form in conventional vials for future use, may be used with the intradermal devices of the present invention. Furthermore, using the intradermal devices of the present invention, it is possible to use conventional, inexpensive delivery devices such as plastic syringes, in conjunction with the intradermal devices, which are often not appropriate for use as pre-filled devices.
In light of the above, there is a present need for a drug delivery device intradermal that enables a user to fill the intradermal device with a drug substance at the time of use by aspiration from a multi-dose vial, and to administer an injection into the intradermal region of the skin easily and repeatedly and without relying on the experience of the health care professional administering the injection.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


This invention presents a process to produce bulk quantities of nanowires of a variety of semiconductor materials. Large liquid gallium drops are used as sinks for the gas phase solute, generated in-situ facilitated by microwave plasma. To grow silicon nanowires for example, a silicon substrate covered with gallium droplets is exposed to a microwave plasma containing atomic hydrogen. A range of process parameters such as microwave power, pressure, inlet gas phase composition, were used to synthesize silicon nanowires as small as 4 nm (nanometers) in diameter and several micrometers long. As opposed to the present technology, the instant technique does not require creation of quantum sized liquid metal droplets to synthesize nanowires. In addition, it offers advantages such as lower growth temperature, better control over size and size distribution, better control over the composition and purity of the nanowires.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of providing a synthesis technique to grow bulk quantities of semiconductor nanowires at temperatures less than 500° C.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One-dimensional semiconductor fibers are useful for many applications ranging from probe microscopy tips to interconnections in nanoelectronics. By "one-dimensional" it is meant that the fibers have extremely small diameters, approaching 40 Ångstroms. The fibers may be termed "nanowires" or "nanowhiskers." Several methods are known for synthesis of these fibers. Included are VLS (vapor-liquid-solid) growth mechanism based laser ablation of silicon and silicon oxide species, and variations of these techniques.
In VLS growth, a liquid metal cluster or catalyst acts as the energetically favored site of absorption of gas-phase reactants. The cluster supersaturates and the material grows in one dimension. VLS mechanism has been used to grow silicon nanowires by catalytic decomposition of silane vapor on a gold metal surface. Variations of this mechanism have been used to produce other semiconductor fibers.
One variation is laser ablation. In this technique, the silicon oxide species, such as SiO2, is ablated to the vapor phase by laser excitation.

Low temperature synthesis of semiconductor fibers


A method for preparing ultra-fine, submicron grain titanium or titanium-alloy articles (78) used for joining or assembling of detail components. Coarse-grained titanium or titanium-alloy materials (52) are severely mechanically deformed using cryogenic milling into an ultra-fine, submicron grain powder, degassed and consolidated under controlled pressure and temperature. The resulting fasteners, articles, or components manufactured from such material have improved material performance characteristics associated with this ultra-fine, submicron grain material structure.

The present invention generally relates to a method for preparing titanium and titanium-alloy articles and more specifically to a method for preparing ultra-fine, submicron grain titanium and titanium-alloy articles and articles prepared thereby.
Currently, in the fabrication of titanium and titanium-alloy articles, thermal or heat-treating processes are included in the manufacturing process. These steps are to ensure that material grain size is produced and maintained at a level that is as small as possible. As such, it is the normal practice to employ a full annealing, i.e. recrystallization, or at least stress-relieving heat treatment steps in conjunction with any cold or hot work or forming performed on the material. There have been exhaustive attempts to eliminate these thermal treatment, or heat-treating, manufacturing process steps, which can account for up to approximately 20% of the costs not to mention processing cycle time associated with producing a titanium or titanium-alloy article or fastener, such as a rivet, lockbolt or threaded pin.
The resulting grain size of formed material is critical to both its ductility and strength among other properties. In general, grain sizes larger than or equal to those identified as a number 6 (i.e., less than or equal to a number 5 as defined by ASTM E 112) are not desirable for most mechanical work or forming operations. Currently, grain sizes of formed material typically range from a grain size of 6 to 10. A duplexed grain size, defined as a significant difference in grain size depending upon location, should also be avoided. Grain size is of special importance and generally increases in the degree of importance as the material is mechanically formed or deformed to larger levels. As a rule, the finer the grain, the better the resulting formability. Recent research by Gysler et al. on "Influence of Grain Size on the Ductility of Age-Hardened Titanium Alloys" has documented the directly proportional relationship between smaller grain size and improved material properties in titanium and titanium-alloy materials. It has been shown that smaller grain size improves the strength of the material, increases ductility, and enhances the corrosion resistance.
Currently, in the fabrication of titanium and titanium-alloy articles or components, such as fasteners, additional thermal or heat treatment steps are necessary and included in the manufacturing process. These subsequent steps are intended to counteract or offset the effects on grain size resulting from of the mechanical working or forming imparted to the material during its manufacturing process.
As indicated earlier, grain size is of special importance and generally increases in the degree of importance as the material is formed in progressively higher levels of manufacturing. As a rule, the finer the grain, the better the formability and other associated characteristics. This has been known to be the case in aluminum and aluminum alloys for a long period of time and is consequently well-documented. For titanium and titanium-alloys, not as much work has been done in documenting the relationship between grain size and other material properties.
However, recent research has documented the directly proportional relationship between smaller, i.e., finer, grain size and improved material properties in titanium and titanium-alloy materials. It would therefore be desirable to provide a process for forming titanium and titanium-alloy articles having smaller grain sizes while reducing the number of processing steps.

Method for preparing ultra-fine, submicron grain titanium and titanium-alloy articles and articles prepared thereby


A communications apparatus having an RF signal processing device, a baseband signal processing device and an access control module is provided. The RF signal processing device transmits and receives an RF signal and processes the RF signal in accordance with a predetermined protocol to generate a first signal. The baseband signal processing device is coupled to the RF signal processing device and processes the first signal. The access control module controls operations of the communications apparatus in at least a station mode and an AP mode. The access control module issues a first indication signal and a second indication signal under the AP mode so that the RF signal processing device and the baseband signal processing device are switched between a first power level and a second power level in the AP mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a communications apparatus and a method for reducing power consumption of a communications apparatus, and more particularly to a communications apparatus and a method for reducing power consumption of a communications apparatus operating under an access point (AP) mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of wireless communications technology, mobile electronic devices may be provided with more than one wireless communications service, such as Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) wireless communications service, and so on. For the Wi-Fi application, the mobile electronic devices may act as a station which can associate with an access point (AP) and further access a network through the AP, or may act as an AP which can provide internet access services for other peer devices associated therewith.
Since more and more wireless communications services are now being provided by mobile electronic devices, how to save battery power to extend battery life is an important issue worth being considered.

Communications apparatus and method for reducing power consumption of a communications apparatus in an AP mode


Embodiments of the present application provide a method, a terminal device and a network device for transmitting a signal. The method includes: transmitting, by a terminal device, a first signal using multiple beams, where the first signal is configured for a network device to determine a target beam among the multiple beams; receiving, by the terminal device, a notification message transmitted by the network device, where the notification message is configured to notify the terminal device of the target beam determined by the network device; and transmitting, by the terminal device, a second signal using the target beam. In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device transmits the first signal using the multiple beams, so that the network device determines for the terminal device the beam with a better forming gain for transmitting the second signal, thereby improving the quality of the signal transmission.

Multi-antenna (Multiple-Input multiple-Output, MIMO) technology is one of the core technologies in Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, and can greatly increase the transmission rate of the system. Beamforming, which is a signal preprocessing technology based on an antenna array, creates a beam with directivity by adjusting weights for signals transmitted on individual antenna array elements.
In the prior art, a terminal device often arbitrarily selects a beam for signal transmission. This cannot ensure that the terminal device can always select the beam with a better forming gain, thus failing to guarantee the quality of the signal transmission.

Method, terminal device and network device for transmitting signal

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


Embodiments of a system and method for generating a pixel value use at least a first pixel in a first row of a charge coupled device (CCD) and a first pixel in a second row, adjacent to the first row, of the CCD.

An image capture device may capture a digital image by detecting photons received by a charge coupled device (CCD) or other photosensor array over a time period.
The time period used to expose a pixel of a CCD array to light from the medium often depends on the size of the pixels being exposed. Generally, larger pixels capture greater numbers of photons in a given time period than do smaller pixels, i.e., larger pixels may have a higher sensitivity than smaller pixels. As a result, CCD arrays with larger pixels may operate faster than CCD arrays with smaller pixels. Unfortunately, larger pixels also increase the size of a CCD array. An increase in size of the CCD array may increase the cost of the array. As a result, CCD arrays with relatively large pixels that provide higher speed performance may be more expensive than CCD arrays with relatively small pixels that provide lower speed performance.

HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.


A heat exchanger (10) for an automotive vehicle includes a pair of manifolds (12, 14) each including a header portion (24) and a tank portion (26). The tank portion (26) includes a predetermined number of generally horizontal rib portions (30) formed therein at predetermined positions. The heat exchanger (10) further includes a plurality of tubular elements (16) disposed in spaced, substantially parallel relation and which define flow paths for the coolant between the manifolds (12, 14). At least one of the tubular elements (32) has a length greater than an adjacent tubular element (16) and extends through the header portion into mating engagement with the rib portion (30) of the tank (26) of one of the manifolds to form baffle means (36) for preventing the flow of coolant therepast.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a parallel flow heat exchanger for an automotive vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a parallel flow condenser having a baffle assembly formed integrally with the tubular elements of the condenser.
2. Disclosure Information
Automotive condensers typically have been constructed with a single length of refrigerant tube assembled in a serpentine configuration with an inlet at one end and an outlet at another end. Fin members are interposed between the parallel portions formed between the bends of the tube. The serpentine type of heat exchanger has been successfully used for many years but has limited efficiency improvement. For example, because the extruded tube is bent into a serpentine shape, it is impossible to make the radius of curvature of the bend smaller than a certain limit so that the pitch of the tubes cannot be made small, limiting the number of fin members that can be placed between the parallel portions of the tube, and thus the heat transfer efficiency of the condenser cannot be maximized.
Because of these deficiencies,, multi-flow or parallel-flow type of heat exchangers have been appearing as replacements for the serpentine type of heat exchangers. In the parallel flow heat exchanger, numerous flat, extruded tube and fin members are alternately placed next to each other with both ends of the tube connected to hollow manifold assemblies. In order to accomplish multiple pass flow within the heat exchanger, one or more baffles are located in the manifold assemblies between its ends.
Various baffle designs have been proposed to provide for the multiple path flow of the heat exchange medium. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,169 discloses a baffle formed as a collar surrounding a tubular member and extending through the manifold assembly. In this design, the baffle is formed as a separate piece from the tubular member and connected thereto. In such a construction, the connection portion may result in leakage. The cost increase to the condenser is high due to the added complexity of this design.
It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide a parallel flow or multi-flow condenser wherein the baffle assembly is formed integrally with one of the tubular members to overcome the limitations of the prior art.

Integral baffle assembly for parallel flow heat exchanger