A method is specified for the high-resolution evaluation and, if appropriate, for the recovery of narrow-band signals, received by a centrosymmetrical sensor group (AG), for directional estimation. A method is also specified for the high-resolution evaluation of superimposed non-attenuated harmonic signals for spectral analysis in the case, if appropriate, of multi-channel observations. For directional estimation, signals which are noisy and disturbed by multipath propagation can be prepared for recovery. The method for directional estimation is particularly suitable for signal evaluation in mobile radio systems or wireless communication systems, in high-resolution radar image processing systems, sonar systems, and medical technology systems. The method for frequency estimation is suitable for image processing applications, and for a multiplicity of spectral analysis applications.

Method for the high-resolution evaluation of signals for one- or two-dimensional directional or frequency estimation.
The invention relates to a method for the high-resolution evaluation and, if appropriate, for the recovery of received narrow-band signals for one- or two-dimensional directional estimation. The invention also relates to a method for the high-resolution evaluation of superimposed, non-attenuated harmonic signals for one- or two-dimensional frequency estimation in the case, if appropriate, of multi-channel observations.
One- or two-dimensional methods for evaluating the direction of incidence of the different signals are known from R. Roy and T. Kailath, "ESPRIT--Estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques", IEEE Trans. Acoust., Speech, Signal Processing, vol. ASSP-37, pp. 984-995, July 1989 and A. L. Swindlehurst and T. Kailath, "Azimuth/elevation direction finding using regular array geometrics", IEEE Trans. Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Vol. 29, pp. 145-156, January 1993.
Methods for one-dimensional or two-dimensional frequency estimation in the case of single-channel observations are known from R. Roy, A. Paulraj and T. Kailath, ESPRIT--A subspace rotation approach to estimation of parameters of cisoids in noise", IEEE Trans. Acoustics, Speech, Signal Processing, Vol. ASSP-34, p.1340-1342, October 1986 and M. P. Pepsin and M. P. Clark, "On the performance of several 2-D harmonic retrieval techniques" in Proc. 28th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers", Pacific Grove, Calif., November 1994.
Because of their simplicity and their power of resolution, the methods, known as ESPRIT methods, for signal parameter estimation by techniques based on displacement invariances (denoted below as Standard ESPRIT methods) are suitable for directional or frequency estimation. In the case of directional estimation, displacement invariances signify the geometrical displacement of identical sensor subgroups, and in the case of frequency estimation the time-referred displacement of the equidistant sample value divided into subgroups. However, complex calculations involving a relatively high outlay on computation are generally required in the Standard ESPRIT method. Again, with rising correlation between the signals, the standard ESPRIT method loses in accuracy and cannot cope in the case of coherent signals. In the case of two-dimensional directional evaluation, all known methods for the high-resolution directionally sensitive evaluation of signals require optimization or search strategies which are expensive in terms of computing time for the purpose of assigning the signals the spatial coordinates determined in the two dimensions. Furthermore, the reliability of the known methods cannot be estimated, and thus no automatic improvement in the recording of measured values can be instituted in the presence of unsatisfactory reliability.
Directional evaluation is opening up a new field of application for itself with mobile radio or methods resembling mobile radio. When being propagated in a propagation medium, signals are subject to interference owing to noise. Owing to instances of diffraction and reflection, signal components traverse different propagation paths and overlap one another at the receiver, and lead to their extinction effects. Furthermore, instances of overlapping of the signals occur in the case of a plurality of signal sources. Among other methods, frequency division multiplex and time division multiplex methods or a method known as code division multiplex serve the purpose of facilitating the distinguishing of signal sources and thus of evaluating the signals.

Method for the high-resolution evaluation of signals for one or two-dimensional directional or frequency estimation


A method for fabricating a three-dimensional (3D) stacked integrated circuit. Pick-and-place strategies are used to stack the source wafers with device layers fabricated using standard two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor fabrication technologies. The source wafers may be stacked in either a sequential or parallel fashion. The stacking may be in a face-to-face, face-to-back, back-to-face or back-to-back fashion. The source wafers that are stacked in a face-to-back, back-to-face or back-to-back fashion may be connected using Through Silicon Vias (TSVs). Alternatively, source wafers that are stacked in a face-to-face fashion may be connected using Inter Layer Vias (ILVs).

Moore's law is the observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles about every two years. Two-dimensional (2D) scaling of electronic circuits, as characterized by Moore's law, may now have reached a limit in recent times as feature dimensions have reached atomic scales. For instance, the thickness of high-K capping layers for 10 nm technology nodes is close to 0.5 nm, which is less than the width of two silicon atoms. The metrology precision requirements for multi-patterning technologies (MPT) are close to 0.2 nm which is less than the width of one silicon atom.
In light of these and other limitations, 2D scaling and general top down fabrication have significant challenges in continuing at and beyond the 7 nm node.

Nanoscale-aligned three-dimensional stacked integrated circuit

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A method whereby living cells are passively deposited onto a flat surface by gravity force through vertical channels so as to establish a disk of cells at a predetermined area and of predetermined size.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method for biology research specifically to such a method that allows replicate samples of living cells to be evenly and reproducibly deposited by gravity sedimentation within a predetermined area.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
A burgeoning field in biology is the study of how cells move. Scientific disciplines applied to the study of cell movement range from developmental biology, neuroscience, immunology, nerve regeneration, cancer cell metastasis, and others. The mechanisms by which cells attach to surfaces, and the responses triggered by those attachments, demonstrate profound control over a cell's behavior through contact with surface molecules. Laboratory techniques which elicit specific, controllable interactions between a cell and external molecules enable advances in understanding the biochemical and genetic basis of these interactions. Conducting studies on cells in response to the external environment requires the placement of cells at specific locations. The state of the art for studies of cell movement response to external molecules is reviewed below.
Attachment assays. The initial interaction of a cell with its extracellular matrix can be studied using an attachment assay (Walther B T et al 1973; Miki I et al 1993). These techniques involve initial coating of a surface with a substrate, typically a protein. Cells are added and allowed to sediment at 4.degree. C. onto the substrate. Once the cells have sedimented, the assay vehicle is moved to 37.degree. C. for physiological attachment. The duration of the adhesion assay may vary according to the cells being studied and the nature of the substrate. After the cells attach, free cells are washed away and the remaining cells are enumerated. This is accomplished using either direct cell counting under a microscope or other indirect measures of cell number. These include counting of cells labeled previously with some radioactive compound, or other calorimetric or fluorescent endpoints indicative of cell number. There is a linear relationship between the measurement and the number of cells by which the fraction of attached cells can be determined. These assays are single endpoint assays of cell adhesion to substrates. Determining the kinetics of attachment requires multiple replicate experiments being analyzed at different times. The mechanism for attachment can be inferred using blocking antibodies that interfere with either certain receptors on the cell surface or that block ligands on the substrate. The state of the art also includes using molecular genetic techniques to alter the levels of expression of genes believed to be involved in cell attachment. Direct studies of morphological changes in the cells, changes in cell growth properties, or evaluation of biochemical and genetic changes by the cells in response to attachment cannot be addressed using these techniques. Additionally, appropriate control conditions in the experiments using mock-manipulated cells are potentially inadequate to properly assess other changes in the cells that may arise indirectly from the experimental manipulation of the cells. For example, transduction of a gene (or genes) into the cells of interest with vectors adds the gene(s) to the cells, but may also change cell behavior in unrelated and unanticipated ways. No permanent record of the endpoint is available. The inability to study the dynamics of cell interactions with the substrate and the impermanence of the endpoint are limitations of this technique.
Cell migration through a membrane. One measure of cell migration currently in use assesses the quantity of cells crossing a membrane under the influence of chemical attractants. The modified "Boyden chamber" assay (Phelps P and Stanislaw D 1969; Jungi T W 1975; Fedun et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,492) has afforded many studies of the influence of different compounds, drugs, and reagents on putative cell motility. In this technique, cells are loaded on one side of a membrane; the membrane has pores of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the cells under investigation. Once cells are loaded on one side of the membrane, the chamber is incubated for periods of time. After expiration of that interval the opposite side of the membrane or the opposite chamber is analyzed for the presence of cells that have crossed the membrane. This technique assesses the final condition of the chamber after a biological process has ensued. Experimental manipulations allowed in this system are only possible prior to the start of the study. For example, the cells could be genetically engineered, or the membrane can be pretreated with different substances. Biological processes occurring while the cells transit through the membrane cannot be directly studied since the cells are not accessible. Signal transduction processes in response to the cell's contact with the membrane or other substances cannot be addressed. These assays are attractive for their convenience in set-up, and because the movement of cells through pores has purported geometric analogies to the invasion process in physiological circumstances. However, movement of cells along any path is inherently a one-dimensional act; the cells relocate from point "A" to point "B." Although the route taken may be nonlinear, the moment-by-moment dynamic is one dimensional. The determination of the endpoint of migration in Boyden chambers or modified Boyden chambers is often a consumable measurement (radioactivity counts, cell counts in a hemacytometer; calorimetric staining of cells); this is not a permanent record. Additionally, the volumes of the chambers used for the Boyden chamber assay are such that relatively large amounts of biochemical regents (antibodies, enzyme blocking agents, gene regulatory control factors, etc.) are necessary for treatments in these systems. Because of the cost of many reagents, this is a substantial limitation in this assay. Because factors added to the target chamber may percolate through the membrane pores, and may even coat the linings of the pores, the Boyden chamber may measure response of the cells to soluble (chemotaxis) as well as to insoluble (haptotaxis) factors.
Micro scale monolayer migration assays. One straightforward approach to study of cell movement has been the monolayer "wound" assay (Zetter B R 1980; DiMuzio P J et al 1995) in which a confluent monolayer of cells is scraped, creating an open space or wound in the cell monolayer. As this space is filled in by the remaining cells, cell motility is assessed. Confounding use of this assay is the recognition that as cells are maintained in monolayer conditions, they elaborate an extracellular matrix, which becomes an uncontrollable variable in studies of how different specific matrix proteins influence cell movement. Additionally, mechanical disruption of cell-to-cell connections, caused by the wounding process, may damage the cells in ways difficult to control or address. This assay also suffers from an inability to automate the measurements. Nor does this strategy lend itself to a screening approach to identify factors that influence cell migration.
Independent derivations of monolayer migration assays have recently been reported. In the first, a cell suspension in molten agarose was used to deposit cells in a defined circle on a substrate (Varani J et al 1978; Barak Y et al 1983; Rupnick M A et al 1988; Milner R et al 1997). The distribution of cells that had emigrated from the initial seeding area is visualized by conventional inverted microscopy, and measurements of the distance traveled are made. Microliter volume pipettors enable small areas of initial seeding of cells to be established from which cell migration is monitored. Since the agarose drop is deposited by hand, success in depositing the cells at a precise, predetermined site is variable. Development of an automated measurement process for tracking cell migration would be difficult using this method. Furthermore, different sources of agarose lead to lot-to-lot variations which could impact both the viscosity of the molten agarose leading to inconsistent settling of cells through the medium, as well as the presence of unknown contaminants which could influence cell behavior. Also, experimental treatments with reagents like drugs, antibodies, or antisense oligonucleotides, would need to readily diffuse through the agarose in order to gain access to the migrating cells. This assumption may be spurious. Maintenance of the agarose in a liquid state also requires temperatures of .gtoreq.42.degree. C. which may be difficult to maintain on a substrate while cells are sedimenting out of the agarose. The smaller the drop of agarose, the more rapid the temperature would cool, leading to cells being suspended in the gelled agarose, rather than dropping onto the surface. A warm surface to ensure that the agarose remained liquid would also lead to rapid drying of the agarose, and osmotic changes to the cells. This approach is technically very demanding as far as control of physical variables is concerned.
A reverse approach, the "under agarose migration assay," uses wells cut into a bed of gelled agarose into which cells are deposited for subsequent movement away from the initial site, traveling under the gelled agarose (Nelson R D et al 1975). Physical restraints imposed by cutting or casting wells in agarose lead to use of large areas of deposited cells. Optical distortion imposed by the residing agarose bed, and the inability to use high power optical instruments to assess subcellular structures or antibody-labeled biomolecules, leave this as a simple gross cell movement measurement system.
Recently, Chicione M R and Silbergeld D L (1995) reported modifications in cell seeding strategies using conventional cell culture cloning rings (0.5-0.7 cm diameter) into which cells were seeded as a circle. A mathematical formula was devised with which to chart changes in cell density at different distances from the initial seeded area of cells. The initial seeded area of cells was relatively large (1 cm.sup.2), and the volumes of media to support the cells for the duration of the assay also became relatively large. Furthermore, the migrating cells at the perimeter of the sedimented circle of cells comprise a very small fraction of the total cells under these conditions.
Lastly, Berens et al (1994) used custom produced glass sedimenting cylinders cut from micropipettes as the conduit through which to deposit cells as a defined circle. The area was small (1 mm across), and the volumes needed for the assay were on the order of 20-50 microliters. The glass cylinders were, however, unstable, and would easily tip over or slide on the substrate to sites that were away from the intended area and lead to unusable data. Because these glass cylinders were cut from manufactured glass tubing, the bore of the sedimenting chamber would vary significantly from cylinder to cylinder. This raised the variability in initial measurements for the migration assay. The glass cylinders have a wide base, which physically contacts the surface onto which the cells deposit. When the cylinders are removed, the close space between the cylinder and the surface creates a strong capillary force, frequently dislodging the attached cells. Despite these limitations, monolayer migration assays demonstrate the utility of studies of cell movement on flat substrates.
Remaining deficiencies in current methods to deposit cells are: lack of reproducibility, mechanical difficulties in use, limited throughput of experiments for screening new agents, inability to study cell-cell interactions, and only limited potential for video microscopy or computerized data collection.
Additional material pertinent to the physical and biological features of the invention:

Guided cell sedimentation for biological studies


Multiple versions of a given system command are run on a single operating system by using one command processing program per command irrespective of its version. Each version of the command has a command definition which has the same format for all counterparts of the command. A command analyzer program transforms the parameters of a command character string into the correct data form for its command processing program based on the command definition for that version of the command. Multiple sets of command definitions are placed in separate storage directories called libraries. The libraries are searched based on a version identifier to find the command definition for a command. The version identifier may be specified as a program attribute, entered interactively or entered by the system. Multiple programs written with different versions of commands may be run in conjunction with each other and the system will dynamically adapt to the version of each program as it is running. Also more than one command definition library may be searched to process a command. Therefore, commands written in various versions may be embedded in the same program and the system will dynamically adapt to multiple versions of commands in a program.

The present invention relates to operating system commands, and in particular to adapting to multiple versions of operating system commands.
When a decision is made by a computer manufacturer to switch to a new operating system to take advantage of better hardware, better usability, new standards, etc., it is crucial that customers using the old operating system be able to run their application programs on the new operating system. This protects the customer's investment in their application software.
One way to solve this software compatibility problem is to use conversion programs, which take the source code of the customer application program, and convert it to run with the new operating system commands. A limitation of this method is that the source language statements have been lost, or do not exist for some applications. In addition, the conversion of source is often a lengthy process that slows the implementation of existing applications on a new system.
A further solution has been the implementation of multiple system environments by the computer maker. Existing interfaces (system commands available to a user) are maintained by keeping both the previous and new versions of operating system programs that perform a similar function. This method requires a user to select the environment that an application will use, as well as requiring the maintenance and storage of two or more sets of operating system programs. The user also can not integrate new function provided by the new operating system program into an existing application program without converting the entire application program to use the new operating system.
One example of the multiple system environment solution is found in U.S. Pat. No 4,691,278 to Iwata, in which multiple system architectural modes are provided. A register contains a mode selector value. One instruction of a program will invoke a series of microinstructions which may be different for different modes. The starting address of microinstructions may vary for the same instruction depending on the mode selected for the program. Different sets of microinstructions must be maintained in this method.

Dynamically adapting multiple versions on system commands to a single operating system

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention provides compounds of formula (I):

The benzylamine derivatives of the present invention are inhibitors of plasma kallikrein and have a number of therapeutic applications, particularly in the treatment of retinal vascular permeability associated with diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema.
Plasma kallikrein is a trypsin-like serine protease that can liberate kinins from kininogens (see K. D. Bhoola et al., "Kallikrein-Kinin Cascade", Encyclopedia of Respiratory Medicine, p 483-493; J. W. Bryant et al., "Human plasma kallikrein-kinin system: physiological and biochemical parameters" Cardiovascular and haematological agents in medicinal chemistry, 7, p 234-250, 2009; K. D. Bhoola et al., Pharmacological Rev., 1992, 44, 1; and D. J. Campbell, "Towards understanding the kallikrein-kinin system: insights from the measurement of kinin peptides", Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research 2000, 33, 665-677). It is an essential member of the intrinsic blood coagulation cascade although its role in this cascade does not involve the release of bradykinin or enzymatic cleavage. Plasma prekallikrein is encoded by a single gene and synthesized in the liver. It is secreted by hepatocytes as an inactive plasma prekallikrein that circulates in plasma as a heterodimer complex bound to high molecular weight kininogen which is activated to give the active plasma kallikrein. Kinins are potent mediators of inflammation that act through G protein-coupled receptors and antagonists of kinins (such as bradykinin antagonists) have previously been investigated as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of a number of disorders (F. Marceau and D. Regoli, Nature Rev., Drug Discovery, 2004, 3, 845-852).
Plasma kallikrein is thought to play a role in a number of inflammatory disorders. The major inhibitor of plasma kallikrein is the serpin C1 esterase inhibitor. Patients who present with a genetic deficiency in C1 esterase inhibitor suffer from hereditary angioedema (HAE) which results in intermittent swelling of face, hands, throat, gastro-intestinal tract and genitals. Blisters formed during acute episodes contain high levels of plasma kallikrein which cleaves high molecular weight kininogen liberating bradykinin leading to increased vascular permeability. Treatment with a large protein plasma kallikrein inhibitor has been shown to effectively treat HAE by preventing the release of bradykinin which causes increased vascular permeability (A. Lehmann "Ecallantide (DX-88), a plasma kallikrein inhibitor for the treatment of hereditary angioedema and the prevention of blood loss in on-pump cardiothoracic surgery" Expert Opin. Biol. Ther. 8, p 1187-99).
The plasma kallikrein-kinin system is abnormally abundant in patients with advanced diabetic macular oedema. It has been recently published that plasma kallikrein contributes to retinal vascular dysfunctions in diabetic rats (A. Clermont et al. "Plasma kallikrein mediates retinal vascular dysfunction and induces retinal thickening in diabetic rats" Diabetes, 2011, 60, p 1590-98). Furthermore, administration of the plasma kallikrein inhibitor ASP-440 ameliorated both retinal vascular permeability and retinal blood flow abnormalities in diabetic rats. Therefore a plasma kallikrein inhibitor should have utility as a treatment to reduce retinal vascular permeability associated with diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema.
Synthetic and small molecule plasma kallikrein inhibitors have been described previously, for example by Garrett et al. ("Peptide aldehyde . . . " J. Peptide Res. 52, p 62-71 (1998)), T. Griesbacher et al. ("Involvement of tissue kallikrein but not plasma kallikrein in the development of symptoms mediated by endogenous kinins in acute pancreatitus in rats" British Journal of Pharmacology 137, p 692-700 (2002)), Evans ("Selective dipeptide inhibitors of kallikrein" WO03/076458), Szelke et al. ("Kininogenase inhibitors" WO92/04371), D. M. Evans et al. (Immunolpharmacology, 32, p 115-116 (1996)), Szelke et al. ("Kininogen inhibitors" WO95/07921), Antonsson et al. ("New peptides derivatives" WO94/29335), J. Stürzbecher et al. (Brazilian J. Med. Biol. Res 27, p 1929-34 (1994)), Kettner et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,157), N. Teno et al. (Chem. Pharm. Bull. 41, p 1079-1090 (1993)), W. B. Young et al. ("Small molecule inhibitors of plasma kallikrein" Bioorg. Med. Chem. Letts. 16, p 2034-2036 (2006)), Okada et al. ("Development of potent and selective plasmin and plasma kallikrein inhibitors and studies on the structure-activity relationship" Chem. Pharm. Bull. 48, p 1964-72 (2000)), Steinmetzer et al. ("Trypsin-like serine protease inhibitors and their preparation and use" WO08/049595), Zhang et al. ("Discovery of highly potent small molecule kallikrein inhibitors" Medicinal Chemistry 2, p 545-553 (2006)), Sinha et al. ("Inhibitors of plasma kallikrein" WO08/016883), and Brandl et al. ("N-((6-amino-pyridin-3-yl)methyl)-heteroaryl-carboxamides as inhibitors of plasma kallikrein" WO2012/017020). Also, Steinmetzer et al. ("Serine protease inhibitors" WO2012/004678) describes cyclized peptide analogs which are inhibitors of human plasmin and plasma kallikrein.
To date, no small molecule synthetic plasma kallikrein inhibitor has been approved for medical use. The molecules described in the known art suffer from limitations such as poor selectivity over related enzymes such as KLK1, thrombin and other serine proteases, and poor oral availability. The large protein plasma kallikrein inhibitors present risks of anaphylactic reactions, as has been reported for Ecallantide. Thus there remains a need for compounds that selectively inhibit plasma kallikrein, that do not induce anaphylaxis and that are orally available. Furthermore, the molecules in the known art feature a highly polar and ionisable guanidine or amidine functionality. It is well known that such functionalities may be limiting to gut permeability and therefore to oral availability.
Other complications of diabetes such as cerebral haemorrhage, nepropathy, cardiomyopathy and neuropathy, all of which have associations with plasma kallikrein may also be considered as targets for a plasma kallikrein inhibitor.

Benzylamine derivatives as inhibitors of plasma kallikrein

Abstract: compositions comprising such compounds; the use of such compounds in therapy (for example in the treatment or prevention of a disease or condition in which plasma kallikrein activity is implicated); and methods of treating patients with such compounds; wherein R1 to R9 are as defined herein.


An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer member position detection unit configured to detect a position of the intermediate transfer member to output an image forming operation start signal, a pattern detection unit configured to detect a registration correction pattern formed on the intermediate transfer member based on the image forming operation start signal, a misregistration variation detection unit configured to read the registration correction pattern detected by the pattern detection unit based on the image forming operation start signal and to generate a reference clock signal based on the read registration correction pattern, and a polygonal mirror drive motor control unit configured to adjust a rotation speed of the polygonal mirror drive motor based on the reference clock signal generated by the misregistration variation detection unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which transfers a visible image having a plurality of colors onto a transfer material which is carried by an endless-belt-type transfer material conveying member or onto an endless-belt-type intermediate transfer member to form a multicolor image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus which emits light modulated by an image signal to form an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum serving as an image carrier, develops the electrostatic latent image with developers of respective colors to form a toner image of the electrostatic latent image, and transfers the toner image onto a transfer material directly or through an intermediate transfer belt. This apparatus is referred to as a single-drum type color image forming apparatus.
Also, there is known an image forming apparatus having four image forming sections, each section including a photosensitive drum associated with one of four colors and an electrophotographic process unit disposed in the periphery of the photosensitive drum. Toner images formed by the respective image forming sections are transferred onto a transfer material directly or through an intermediate transfer belt. This apparatus is referred to as a multi-drum type color image forming apparatus.
Since the multi-drum type color image forming apparatus transfers images in a multiplexed manner, there is a concern about the so-called "color misregistration". The color misregistration occurs when color images formed on the respective photosensitive drums become out of registration on the transfer material due to various reasons, such as a mechanical mounting error between the photosensitive drums, an optical path length error between laser beams, or an optical path variation between laser beams.
A technique generally employed to correct color misregistration includes forming a color misregistration correction pattern on an intermediate transfer member (intermediate transfer belt) or a transfer material conveying belt, and then detecting the pattern with a photosensor serving as a pattern detection unit arranged adjacent to a photosensitive drum at the most downstream side of the image forming section. In this way, color misregistration is detected based on the color misregistration correction pattern, and an image signal which is to be recorded can be corrected electrically. Also, there is another color misregistration correction technique in which a folding mirror located in a laser beam path is driven to automatically correct a change in an optical path length or a change in an optical path.
The techniques described above relate to a stationary color misregistration with respect to misregistration of a color misregistration correction pattern. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-3188 discusses a positive approach to correcting a variable misregistration or an uneven pitch occurring at certain regular intervals.
To be more specific, (1) a stationary misregistration correction pattern and a periodic misregistration correction pattern are formed so that periodic misregistration and uneven pitch as well as stationary misregistration can be corrected. Also, (2) a rotation variation of a photosensitive drum or a transfer material conveying belt is detected, and the rotation speed of a polygonal mirror is controlled based on the detected speed variation.
However, regarding the aforementioned technique (1), the periodic misregistration is due not only to one body of rotation but to a combination of a plurality of bodies. Thus, even if a periodic misregistration in the photosensitive drum is corrected, misregistration due to other factors cannot be corrected.
Also, regarding the aforementioned technique (2), misregistration is due not only to a speed variation of a body of rotation but also to an eccentricity of a roller which drives the photosensitive drum or the transfer material conveying belt. Accordingly, with regard to the aforementioned technique (2), even if a speed variation of the photosensitive drum or the transfer material conveying belt is corrected, the eccentricity cannot be corrected.


Disclosed is a hub ring for a filter wherein a supporting member having a plurality of supporting portions is interposed between a pair of keep plates, a supporting plate for a filter wherein a plurality of wave portions extending substantially in the circumferential direction are arranged in the radial direction, and methods for manufacturing these members. The hub ring has a great opening ratio to achieve a low pressure loss property and causes substantially no residence of polymer, and the hub ring can be manufactured at a low cost. The supporting plate has high pressure resistance, low-pressure loss property, good directivity of polymer flow and excellent polymer mixing effect, and it is suitable for use as a retainer disposed inside of a filter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hub ring and a supporting plate for a filter and methods for manufacturing these members.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disc-type filters are known as filters for filtering a polymer, and for example, a so-called leaf disc-type filter and a three-layer type filter wherein disc-type filter materials are disposed on and under a retainer for forming a single filter element are well known. Such filters are usually used by stacking a plurality of filter elements by a number corresponding to a capacity of filtration to be required (flow rate of a molten polymer to be filtered). In the case of use of stacked filters, because it is necessary to seal a polymer after filtration from a polymer before filtration, a hub ring is provided on the inner circumference of each filter (as needed, it may be provided on the outer circumference of each filter). Such a hub ring seals polymers after and before filtration from each other and ensures a path for the polymer after filtration, as described above, as well as maintaining a positional relationship between respective stacked filters (for example, interval of filters).
As a typical structure of conventional filters, for example, a structure shown in FIG. 22 is known. FIG. 22 illustrates a part of an inner circumferential portion of a leaf disc-type filter 101. A filter medium 104 is provided on each side of a retainer 102 constructed from, for example, a mesh, via a filter medium supporting material 103 constructed from a perforated plate (for example, a punching metal). A hub ring 105 is provided on the circumference of filter 101, and a plurality of small holes 106 are provided in the hub ring 105. A molten polymer 107 flows into filter media 104 from upper and lower sides, and the polymer 107 filtered by the filter media 104 passes through a portion of retainer 102 and holes 106 of hub ring 105 to be gathered a central portion, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 22.
In a case where a plurality of filters 101 are stacked, a predetermined number of filters 101 are fitted and stacked around a tubular supporting pole 108, and the gap between filter media 104 of adjacent filters 101 is set based on the dimension of the portion of hub ring 105. Respective hub rings 105 of stacked filters 101 are pressed from upper or lower side by a great fastening pressure capable of sealing polymers after and before filtration from each other, for example, a pressure of 5-10 tons.
In such a conventional structure, there remain the following problems.
Firstly, although a number of small holes 106 are opened in hub ring 105 for passing a polymer after filtration, the opening ratio thereof is about 20% at highest, and the small opening ratio causes a large pressure loss generated at this portion. Although it may be considered to enlarge the diameter of the holes in order to increase the opening ratio, the enlargement of the hole diameter is restricted to some extent by the above-described great fastening pressure.
Moreover, in the above structure defining small holes, in the upstream side of the polymer flow, the portions around the small holes 106 are likely to create a large dead space against the polymer flow. Such a dead space causes residence of polymer, and the residence of polymer causes degradation of the polymer and flowing-out of the degraded polymer, and therefore it is desired to suppress such a dead space as small as possible.
Furthermore, since the small holes 106 must be processed in the radial direction of hub ring 105, the processing is relatively difficult and a long time is required for the processing. Therefore, the cost for manufacturing the hub ring 105 is relatively expensive.
Still further, for the retainer 102, a relatively high strength particularly against deformation of the retainer in the thickness direction thereof, for example, a pressure resistance of about or higher than 200 kg/cm.sup.2, is usually required in order to maintain the form of the filter to an acceptable form and in order to ensure the polymer path in the radial direction of the filter at the position of the retainer. Even by the mesh type retainer 102, such a high strength for a high pressure resistance can be satisfied. In the mesh type retainer 102, however, particularly there are the following problems with respect to pressure loss and polymer residence.
Namely, in the mesh type retainer 102, because wires extending in the circumferential direction of the filter while waving (usually, the wire has a diameter corresponding to 1/2 of the thickness of the retainer 102 or a diameter slightly greater than that value) cause a large resistance against the polymer flow in the radial direction of the filter, it is difficult to suppress the pressure loss at the portion of the retainer 102, ultimately the pressure loss of the whole of the filter 101, to a small value.
Further, in the portion of the retainer 102, the polymer flows toward radially inner direction mainly along the wires extending in the radial direction of the filter. These wires extending in the radial direction of the filter form a dead volume against a polymer path rather than forming a polymer path, and therefore, the polymer flow has a poor directivity in the radial direction of the filter and it may be difficult to achieve a smooth polymer flow. The difficulty of a smooth polymer flow causes a poor chance of polymer mixing. Therefore, there is a latent problem that the polymer mixing effect (also called "static mixer effect") is small. Furthermore, there is a fear causing a problem of polymer residence. Also with the wires extending in the circumferential direction of the filter, there are similar problems because they form a dead volume against the polymer flow.

Hub ring and supporting plate for a filter

Kabushiki Kaisha Toukai Spring Seisakusho


Disclosed are methods and systems for suppression of noise in electromagnetic surveying that includes stacking two or more frames of electromagnetic data. An example embodiment discloses a method for suppressing swell-induced noise in an electromagnetic survey, comprising: measuring an electromagnetic field parameter at one or more positions to provide an electromagnetic signal, the electromagnetic signal comprising a swell-induced portion; and stacking two or more frames of the electromagnetic signal to provide a stacked signal in which the swell-induced portion is suppressed, wherein the swell-induced portion is out of phase between the two or more frames.

The present invention relates to suppression of noise in electromagnetic surveying and, more particularly, to a method and system for suppression of swell-induced electromagnetic noise that includes stacking two or more frames of electromagnetic data.
One type of marine geophysical surveying includes electromagnetic ("EM") surveying, in which geophysical data may be collected from below the Earth's surface. Marine EM surveying is used, among other purposes, to infer spatial distribution of electrical conductivity of rock formations below the bottom of a body of water, such as a lake or ocean. The spatial distribution of conductivity is used to assist in determining the presence of hydrocarbon-bearing rock formations in the subsurface, potentially resulting in cost saving by better targeted drilling operations. One type of such surveying is known as "controlled source" electromagnetic ("CSEM") surveying, which generally includes inducing a time-varying EM field in the subsurface formations and measuring one or more parameters related to a response of the subsurface rock formations to the induced EM field. More particularly, CSEM surveying may use a controlled source that sends current between two electrodes. The current may diffuse through the sea water and subsurface formation with an electric potential difference caused by the current measured at some distance away from the source. The sensitivity of the potential difference to resistive anomalies in the subsurface formation, for example, a hydrocarbon reservoir, depends on the sensor offset and the source signal frequency. The ability to detect resistive anomalies at depth may be limited by a combination, of sensitivity to the anomalies and the signal-to-noise ratio.
One source of noise that may decrease the signal-to-noise ratio and, thus, limit the ability to detect resistive anomalies is swell. Swell is a highly synchronized wave motion of possibly high amplitude. Swell waves in a fully developed sea are minimally affected by local wind, but rather have outrun the storm that created them, lengthening and reducing in height in the process. Swells typically organize into groups smooth and regular in appearance. They are able to travel thousands of miles unchanged in height and period. At shallow and intermediate depths at sea, swell may be a major source of noise in EM surveying, such as CSEM surveying. The swell-induced noise may be particularly pronounced in water depths less than a few hundred meters. Swell typically may create noise in the approximate frequency range of 0.05 Hz to 0.1 Hz, which may coincide with the typical frequency range of optimal sensitivity to deep anomalies. Accordingly, data quality of the EM survey may be negatively impaired where significant swell is present. As result, EM surveys may be impracticable in some instances, thus limiting the weather window for EM surveys. For example, swell-induced noise may be a limiting factor on the height of the swells in which the survey vessel can operate.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and systems for suppressing, swell-induced noise in EM surveying, for example, to improve data quality and enlarge the weather window for EM surveys.

Method and system for suppressing swell-induced electromagnetic noise


A semiconductor device having the thin film capacitor includes a first electrode formed on a substrate, a capacitor insulating film containing a laminated film, which is constructed by laminating an amorphous dielectric film and a polycrystalline dielectric film via a wave-like interface, on the first electrode, and a second electrode formed on the capacitor insulating film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film capacitor and a method of manufacturing the same and, more particularly, a thin film capacitor having a high-dielectric capacitor insulating film and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The integrated high-dielectric thin film capacitor is employed as the decoupling capacitor that suppresses voltage noises or voltage variation caused in the power bus line, the storage capacitor of DRAM or nonvolatile FRAM (NVFRAM), and the dynamic tunable element in applications of the microwave devices. In these applications, high-dielectric material or ferroelectric material made of any one of the oxide having the perovskite structure such as (Ba,Sr)TiO3 and the compound containing the pyrochlore structure such as Pb2(ZrTi)2O7 is often employed as the material of the capacitor insulating film.
However, major reasons for hesitating the employment of these capacitor insulating films are that the leakage current is large and reliability is low at the time of high voltage application.
The electrical characteristics of the capacitor are strongly affected by film quality of the dielectric film as the capacitor insulating film, particularly the dielectric oxide thin film. In more detail, normally the polycrystalline dielectric oxide thin film has a high relative dielectric constant but has a low breakdown voltage. In contrast, the amorphous dielectric oxide thin film has a low relative dielectric constant but has a high breakdown voltage and a small leakage current. Thus, such thin film can attain the high reliability.
Based on these considerations, in order to compensate the polycrystalline dielectric oxide thin film and the amorphous dielectric oxide thin film for respective demerits, it may be thought of to employ a laminated structure containing both of them. An example of such laminated structure is shown in FIG. 1 as a sectional view. In FIG. 1, 1 is a silicon substrate, 2 is a silicon oxide film, 3 is a first electrode, 4 is an amorphous dielectric oxide thin film, 5 is a polycrystalline dielectric oxide thin film, and 6 is a second electrode.
Such laminated structure can lead to an optimization of the electrical characteristics such as the capacitance, the leakage current, the breakdown voltage, etc. In other words, it can lead to a formation of the capacitor with the high breakdown voltage, the small leakage current, and the available capacitance value.
Such laminating method/laminated structure are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,190,924B1 and 6,143,597, and Japanese Patent Application Publications (KOKAI) Hei 05-343254, Hei 09-36309, Hei 11-330391, 2003-31403, etc. According to these prior arts, the laminated structure is obtained by laminating the flat amorphous dielectric thin film and the flat polycrystalline dielectric thin film. The flat amorphous dielectric oxide thin film and the flat polycrystalline dielectric oxide thin film are formed of different film forming material under different film forming conditions respectively.
However, according to this laminating method, since the sufficiently high effective dielectric constant cannot be derived yet and also a variety of film forming conditions and film forming materials are required, it causes a serious problem such that complexity of the production control is increased and thus increase in a production cost is brought about. Also, since the film forming conditions and the film forming materials are different, respective film formations must be carried out while changing the chamber and thus it is possible that the interface between the amorphous dielectric thin film and the polycrystalline dielectric thin film is contaminated.

Thin film capacitor and method of manufacturing the same


An apparatus for actuating a valve includes an actuator with a cap. A plate that engages the inner diameter of the actuator housing is positioned within the actuator housing. A pressure chamber is located within the actuator housing between the plate and cap. A cap seal fluidly seals the pressure chamber between the cap and the actuator housing. The pressure chamber is fluidly sealed at the plate by one of a first plate seal assembly and a second plate seal assembly. The first plate seal assembly is formed by the diaphragm being secured between a seal nut and the plate. The second plate seal assembly is formed by an outer diameter sidewall seal located between the inner diameter of the actuator housing and the outer diameter of the plate and a retainer seal located between an outer diameter of the seal nut and an inner diameter of the plate.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates in general to valves for mineral recovery wells, and in particular to actuators to actuate valves.
2. Description of Related Art
A gate valve is a valve having a body and a bore through the body. A gate is positioned transverse to the body, and moves linearly to obstruct flow through the bore or allow flow through the bore. Some gates have an aperture that aligns with the bore to allow flow. The gate can be normally open, and thus the gate is closed when it is moved linearly to push the aperture out of alignment with the bore. Alternatively, a gate can be normally closed, and thus the gate is opened when it is moved linearly to position the aperture in alignment with the bore. Regardless of whether the gate is normally open or normally closed, the gate is moved, or actuated, by a valve actuator.
Actuators can be a hydraulic, piston type actuator, or actuators can be a pneumatic piston or diaphragm type actuator. In conventional diaphragm actuators, a diaphragm is moved in response to pressure media, such as gas or other fluids, urging the diaphragm toward the gate valve. The diaphragm is supported by a support plate. When the diaphragm is urged downward with the pressure media, it urges the support plate downward, which then transfers the downward force via a stem to the gate of the gate valve to open or close the gate valve, as applicable.
In some current diaphragm actuators, the outer diameter of the diaphragm support plate does not extend to the inner diameter of the housing in which the diaphragm is positioned so that a portion of the diaphragm hangs over the edge of the support plate and is thus unsupported. As one of skill in the art will appreciate, unsupported regions of a diaphragm are more prone to failure and require a thick and reinforced diaphragm to be able to withstand the force exerted by the pressure media.
In some actuators, an indicator stem protrudes through the cap of the housing of a typical valve actuator. The indicator stem is part of a sealing nut assembly that extends upward from the plate inside the valve actuator housing, or is threadingly connected to the top surface of the plate. The indicator stem sealing nut sealingly engages a bore of the plate. Leaks can occur between the indicator stem sealing nut and the plate. In pneumatic type actuators having a diaphragm, the sealing nut must be removed to replace the diaphragm.
In some cases, the actuator can be manually actuated by pressing against the indicator stem. The force on the stem, however, can damage the stem or internal components of the actuator. It is desirable to be able to externally actuate the valve without exerting forces on the stem that can damage the actuator. It is also desirable to be able to remove and replace the stem without breaking seals between the sealing nut and the plate or diaphragm.


A spread spectrum clock generator comprising a phase-locked loop circuit and a modulation circuit. The phase-locked loop circuit receives a reference signal at a reference frequency and outputs an output signal at an output frequency periodically varying in a range between upper predetermined boundary and lower predetermined boundary frequencies. The modulation circuit receives the reference and the output signals, controls a period of the output frequency according to the reference frequency, and modulates a variation rate of the output frequency according to the reference frequency, and the output frequency, and the predetermined integers.

The present invention relates to a spread spectrum clock generator, and in particular to a spread spectrum clock generator for generating a signal whose frequency varies according to a desired profile and reducing the level of electromagnetic interference.
The demand for high-speed electronic equipment has created a number of problems for circuit designers and manufacturers. High-speed electronic equipment requires clocks that operate at relatively higher frequencies. Higher frequency operation, however, increases the level of electromagnetic interference (EMI). In addition, long traces of wire on printed circuit boards increase EMI levels. The increased level of EMI can negatively effect the operation of components in proximity to such high-speed circuitry due to the coupling of the radiated energy. Therefore, it is desirable to lower the unwanted EMI energy levels while increasing the speed of the electronic circuitry.
In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established rules and standards regarding EMI emissions from electronic equipment. The EMI emission limitations are published in the Code of Federal Regulations. The FCC also enforces three standards and levies fines against violators. Compliance with the FCC standard has become quite a challenge for most circuit board manufacturers.
FIG. 1 is a spectral plot of energy versus frequency for an ideal clock. All the energy is concentrated at the clock frequency Fc. The plot also shows the FCC level. This clock exceeds that level. A well known technique to reduce the peak energy is to spread the spectrum of the clock. This technique is used, for example, in spread spectrum radio. By spreading the clock energy over a broader frequency band, no peak exceeds the FCC level, as shown in FIG. 2.
Currently, spread-spectrum clock generators are used to spread a spectrum of a clock signal. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a spread-spectrum clock generator is used to provide a finely controlled clock signal frequency thus minimizing EMI levels thereof.


A method for clustering images includes acquiring initial image data including a scene of interest. A 3D model is constructed of the scene of interest based on the acquired initial image data. Additional image data including the scene of interest is acquired. The additional image data is fitted to the 3D model. A line-of-sight of the additional image data is estimated based on the fitting to the 3D model. The additional image data is clustered according to the estimated line-of-sight.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to video clustering and, more specifically, to clustering crowdsourced videos by line-of-sight.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Mobile crowdsourced videos, which are videos captured and contributed by large groups of individuals, have remarkable value. Uploaded videos often present engaging, diverse, and comprehensive perspectives not captured by professional videographers. Broad appeal of user-uploaded videos has been widely confirmed: freely distributed on YouTube, by subscription on Vimeo, and to peers on Facebook/Google+. Unfortunately, user-generated multimedia can be difficult to organize; these services depend on manual tagging or machine-mineable viewer comments. While manual indexing can be effective for popular, well-documented videos, newer content and content not manually tagged, may be poorly searchable. Live video, or video that is acquired in near real-time is almost impossible to search for.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Clustering crowdsourced videos by line-of-sight

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


An apparatus according to the present invention includes a reception unit which receives selection of a function from a plurality of types of functions, an execution unit which executes the function received by the reception unit, a determination unit which determines whether temperature rise suppression of a predetermined driving element is necessary, and a stop control unit which performs stop control on the predetermined driving element in accordance with the type of the selected function, if the determination unit determines that temperature rise suppression is necessary.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a temperature control technique for a driving element.
Description of the Related Art
An original reading apparatus including an original reading function sometimes requires temperature management for a driving element which generates heat when driven. For example, in an image reading apparatus including an automatic original feeder, a motor as a driving source of a conveying mechanism for conveying an original generates heat when driven. To increase the original reading speed, a larger electric current must be supplied to the motor. However, the amount of generated heat increases as the electric current to be supplied to the motor increases. Also, when reading a large amount of originals in succession, the motor is continuously driven for a long time, so the amount of generated heat increases. Accordingly, motor temperature management is necessary.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-23514 has disclosed a technique of controlling the temperature of a motor of an image reading apparatus. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-23514, when the temperature of the motor is high, a temperature rise of the motor is suppressed by performing control which stops the motor.
In an original reading apparatus such as a multi function peripheral, processing for reading data of an original is executed in accordance with a function selected by the user. Examples of functions selectable by the user are a scanner function, copy function, and fax function. When performing the control which stops the motor in order to suppress a temperature rise of the motor, it is sometimes impossible to smoothly perform the selected function. For example, when a function such as fax transmission by which the start timing of image data transmission is restricted by the communication standards is selected, the communication standards cannot be kept in some cases if reading of an original is not started because the motor is stopped.


A holographic magnetic tape comprising a hidden image pattern for protecting against skimming, alteration and counterfeiting of the data encoded in the holographic magnetic tape. The hidden image pattern in a holographic magnetic tape of a transaction card is used to determine the validity of said transaction card and the holographic magnetic tape. This relieves the clerk at the point-of-sale of visually inspecting card which is generally ineffective.

The present invention relates to a hidden pattern in holographic magnetic (HoloMag™) tape for protection against skimming, alteration and counterfeiting of the data encoded in the holographic magnetic tape.
HoloMag tape is an embossed diffraction grating hologram on top of a magnetic oxide tape that provides visual identification features to the tape and to whatever product the HoloMag tape is applied. Typically HoloMag tape is applied to plastic cards to provide visual identification to the card as well as standard magnetic encoding capabilities to the HoloMag tape on the card. When the plastic card is a financial card (credit or debit card) the HoloMag mag stripe on the card must meet industry magnetic and encoding standards as well as design holographic image standards provided by the customer. The HoloMag tape has been designed to meet all of these standards and industry/customer requirements.
However, in order to further improve the security of these HoloMag tapes, a hidden image pattern, such as hidden image bar code pattern, has been incorporated into HoloMag tapes.

Magnetic tape with holographic hidden pattern, method of making same and reader for reading same


Disclosed herein is rocuronium bromide having a potentiometrical assay of from 99% to 101% in acetic acid and perchloric acid, having less than about 0.2% area by HPLC of 2β-(4-morpholinyl)-16β-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-5α-androstan-3α-ol-17β-acetate, and having at least one of the solvents ethyl ether and dichioromethane in an amount equal to or less than about 850 ppm, and 600 ppm, respectively.

1-[17β-(acetyloxy)-3α-hydroxy-2β-(4-morpholinyl)-5α-androstan-16β-yl]-1-(2-propenyl)pyrrolidinium bromide (rocuronium bromide, Compound I) has the following structure
and a formula of C32H53BrN2O4 and a molecular weight of 609.70. Rocuronium bromide is used as a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent with a rapid to intermediate onset depending on dose and intermediate duration. It acts by competing for cholinergic receptors at the motor end-plate. This action is antagonized by acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, such as neostigmine and edrophonium.
Rocuronium Bromide is marketed in North America under the name ZEMURON®, and elsewhere under the brand name ESMERON®. It is supplied as a sterile, nonpyrogenic, isotonic solution that is clear, colorless to yellow/orange, for intravenous injection only.
The preparation of rocuronium bromide is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,817,803 and 4,894,369, and in U.S. publication No. 2005/0159398.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,369 ("'369 patent") discloses the preparation of rocuronium bromide which is purified by chromatography followed by crystallization from dichloromethane and ether.
U.S. publication No. 2005/0159398 discloses rocuronium bromide made via a bis-acetylated intermediate, wherein Rocuronium is obtained in yields of about 87% and in a purity of 98% area by HPLC.
Like any synthetic compound, rocuronium bromide salt can contain extraneous compounds or impurities that can come from many sources such as degradation. The extraneous compounds or impurities can be unreacted starting materials, synthetic by-products, products of side reactions, and/or degradation products. Impurities in rocuronium bromide salt or any active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) are undesirable and, in extreme cases, might even be harmful to a patient being treated with a dosage form containing the API.
In addition to stability, which is a factor in the shelf life of the API, the purity of the API produced in the commercial manufacturing process is clearly a necessary condition for commercialization. Impurities introduced during commercial manufacturing processes must be limited to very small amounts, and are preferably substantially absent. For example, the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH Q7A Good Manufacturing Practice Guidance for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, dated Nov. 10, 2000) requires that process impurities be maintained below set limits by specifying the quality of raw materials, controlling process parameters, such as temperature, pressure, time, and stoichiometric ratios, and including purification steps, such as crystallization, distillation, and liquid-liquid extraction, in the manufacturing process.
The product mixture of a chemical reaction is rarely a single compound with sufficient purity to comply with pharmaceutical standards. Side products and by-products of the reaction and adjunct reagents used in the reaction will, in most cases, also be present in the product mixture. At certain stages during processing of the API, Rocuronium bromide, it must be analyzed for purity, typically, by HPLC, TLC or GC analysis, to determine if it is suitable for continued processing and, ultimately, for use in a pharmaceutical product. The API need not be absolutely pure, as absolute purity is a theoretical ideal that is typically unattainable. Rather, purity standards are set with the intention of ensuring that an API is as free of impurities as possible, and, thus, are as safe as possible for clinical use. As discussed above, in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration guidelines recommend that the amounts of some impurities be limited to less than 0.1 percent.
Generally, side products, by-products, and adjunct reagents (collectively "impurities") are identified spectroscopically and/or with another physical method, and then associated with a peak position, such as that in a chromatogram, or a spot on a TLC plate. (Strobel p. 953, Strobel, H. A.; Heineman, W. R., Chemical Instrumentation: A Systematic Approach, (3rd ed., Wiley & Sons, New York 1989)). Thereafter, the impurity can be identified, e.g., by its relative position in the chromatogram, where the position in a chromatogram is conventionally measured in minutes between injection of the sample on the column and elution of the particular component through the detector. The relative position in the chromatogram is known as the "retention time."
The retention time can vary about a mean value based upon the condition of the instrumentation, as well as many other factors. To mitigate the effects such variations have upon accurate identification of an impurity, practitioners use the "relative retention time" ("RRT") to identify impurities. (Strobel p. 922). The RRT of an impurity is its retention time divided by the retention time of a reference marker. It may be advantageous to select a compound other than the API that is added to, or present in, the mixture in an amount sufficiently large to be detectable and sufficiently low as not to saturate the column, and to use that compound as the reference marker for determination of the RRT.
As is known by those skilled in the art, the management of process impurities is greatly enhanced by understanding their chemical structures and synthetic pathways, and by identifying the parameters that influence the amount of impurities in the final product.
According to the European pharmacopoeia rocuronium bromide should contain not more than 0.2% area by HPLC of impurity A. In addition according to the ICH guide lines (Q3C Impurities: Tables and list, November 2003) rocuronium bromide should contain no more than about 5000 ppm of ethyl ether, and 600 ppm of dichloromethane. The invention encompasses rocuronium bromide that exceeds the limitations set forth by the European Pharmacopoeia 5th edition (Supplement 5.4, pp. 4013-4014) and ICH guidelines.
Like any synthetic compound, rocuronium bromide can contain extraneous compounds and/or impurities that can come from many sources. They can be unreacted starting materials, by-products of the reaction, products of side reactions, or degradation products. The invention addresses these issues by providing rocuronium bromide in high purity.


A measuring system for measuring signal characteristics on a node is disclosed. The measuring system includes a contact measuring unit including a probe for contacting the node to fetch a signal on the node, an output interface, a plurality of capacitors coupled between the probe and the output interface where a capacitance of each capacitor corresponds to a frequency range, and a protection circuit, of which one terminal coupled between the probe and the output interface and the other terminal coupled to a ground terminal, and a frequency analyzer coupled to the output interface for displaying information of amplitude vs. frequency of a signal outputted from the output interface to measure the signal characteristic on the node.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a measuring system, and more particularly, to a measuring system capable of contacting a node with a probe to measure characteristics of a signal on the node precisely, and filtering the signal to a specific frequency range in which the signal is required to be measured through a plurality of capacitors, to display information of amplitude vs. frequency of the signal on a frequency analyzer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the improvement of technology, electronic products are all desired to be of smaller size and higher performance nowadays, such that density of elements distributed on a circuit board keeps increasing, and circuit areas shrink substantially. However, when the circuit areas become smaller, more and more elements are crowded into a small space, which causes higher interferences between each other. Among the interferences, an electromagnetic interference (EMI) is one of the problems most troublesome in the industry. Since EMI is concerned with many factors and needs a wider range of professional knowledge to be solved, it has confused design engineers of electronic systems for a long time. However, under higher competition in the high technology electronic industry and shorter life cycle of new products, how to solve EMI rapidly becomes a challenge for all electronic engineers.
A conventional measuring system 10 for measuring EMI can be referred to FIG. 1. The measuring system 10 includes a frequency analyzer 104 and a probe 106, utilized for measuring EMI on a circuit board 102. The circuit board 102 includes electronic elements E1˜E3 and nodes N1˜N6, wherein the electronic elements E1˜E3 are connected to each other through the nodes N1˜N6 and circuits. Structure of the probe 106 is shown in FIG. 2. The probe 106 includes a circular terminal 202, a line 204, and an output interface 206. When EMI on the node N1 needs to be measured, the circular terminal 202 can be placed near the node N1 to measure EMI signal dissipated from the node N1. Then, the signal is transmitted to the frequency analyzer 104 through the line 204 and the output interface 206, and information of amplitude vs. frequency of the signal is displayed on the frequency analyzer 104.
However, each node N1˜N6 on the circuit board 102 may dissipate EMI signals. When measuring the EMI signal on the node N1 with the conventional EMI measurement method, the circular terminal 202 may also receive electromagnetic signals dissipated from the other nodes N2˜N6. The nodes N2˜N6 closer to the circular terminal 202 have a higher probability of causing a measurement error, so as to affect the measurement result. Moreover, when excess EMI on the circuit board 102 is known, and from which node or element on the circuit board 102 the excess EMI is generated needs to be determined, the conventional EMI measurement method with the circular terminal 202 may not achieve accurate results.
Besides, almost all of the main advanced countries in the world define a standard for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and EMI of electronic devices. The current mainstream standard for EMI falls within the frequency range 30 MHz˜1 GHz, wherein the energy of an EMI signal is required to be lower than a specific value. However, in order to meet each kind of requirement, the frequency analyzer 104 always provides a greater frequency range for measurement (e.g. 3 MHz˜3 GHz), and can not provide measurement results more accurately for a specific requirement in a specific frequency range. Thus, there is a need for improvement of the prior art.


A deployable and retractable space frame structure which requires no assembly, and can be either manually or automatically activated. It comprises rigid end rings or the like which attach to a multitude of spaced trusses of generally slender aspect ratio. The trusses are fabricated of two or more generally rigid, beam like strips which are hinged so as to become very flexible and non rigid when hinged strip elements lie planarly flattened, thus allowing the structure to collapse into a minimum volume state. In this configuration truss beams assume a curvature approximating the curvature of the structure end rings. Upon deployment, the truss beams become straight, and hinged beam-like strips fold to create a triangular cross sectional moment of inertia to become very rigid and straight. The structure is deployable and stow-able an infinite number of times, and is suitable for a wide variety of applications including telescope structures, portable building and antennae masts, planetary vehicles, space stations, and the like.

A wide variety of applications require lightweight, rigid, precision structures which can be assembled into the intended application and disassembled into small packages for transport. In the field of telescope construction, the mounting of precision optical elements has been historically affected by rigid tubes generally in excess of the optics diameter. Such tubes are manufactured of aluminum, fiberglass or other composites, paper laminates, etc. These tubes are quite large, heavy, and not easily transportable. Other tube designs employ the use of space frame trusses, in which rigid tubular beams arrayed around the periphery of rigid end rings or plates, which triangulate and rigidify the structure. The disadvantage of this approach to portable systems is the assembly/disassembly process, which requires complex attachment and detachment of the always rigid truss beam elements, requiring cumbersome fixturing and pre-alignment to assemble. Still other designs use telescoping truss elements, which nest one inside the other. All these have the disadvantages of complexity of construction, inability for automated deployment, and large volumetric consumption. The invention proposed solves the drawbacks and limitations of the prior art, and allows for a fully automatic deployable and retractable space frame structure which requires no assembly, can be deployable and stow-able an infinite number of times, and is suitable for a wide variety of applications including telescope structures, portable building and antennae masts, planetary vehicles, space stations, and the like.


An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet; a sheet finishing unit arranged above the image forming unit for performing a finishing process such as punching a hole, stapling and marking on the sheet; and an image reading unit arranged above the sheet finishing unit for scanning and reading an image on an original set on a platen. The image forming unit includes a first discharge stacker having a first sheet discharge device, and the sheet finishing unit includes a second discharge stacker having a second sheet discharge device. The first sheet discharge device discharges the sheet in a direction same as a direction that the second sheet discharge device discharges the sheet. The image reading unit scans the sheet in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction that the first and second sheet discharge devices discharge the sheet.

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, printer or facsimile machine. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus equipped with an image forming unit for printing an image on a sheet medium; an image reading unit for reading an image on an original using photoelectric means; and a sheet finishing unit for binding, opening a hole or marking a sheet discharged from the image forming unit. In the image forming apparatus, the sheet finishing unit is arranged above the image forming unit, and the image reading unit is arranged above the sheet finishing unit.
Generally, an image forming apparatus has been known as a copier in which an image reading unit reads an original and an image forming unit produces a copy of the original, or known as a facsimile machine for transmitting an original read by an image reading unit. In recent years, an image forming apparatus has been connected to a computer network as an input/output terminal so that an image forming unit thereof prints data from an external source, or has been used as an input device for sending data read by the image reading unit to a computer.
When the image reading apparatus is used either as a single function device, i.e. a stand-alone unit, or as an I/O terminal in a computer network, it is necessary to perform a finishing process such as binding, opening a hole, or marking on sheets discharged from the image forming unit. The present invention relates to an image forming unit equipped with a sheet finishing unit for automatically finishing sheets.
As business machines such as computers have become compact, there has been a growing demand for an image forming apparatus equipped with an image forming unit, sheet finishing unit and image reading unit to be compact and lower cost as well as capable of handling a variety of sheet media with small to large sizes. There have been proposed and widely used conventional image forming devices in which a sheet finishing unit is arranged above an image forming unit, and an image reading unit is arranged above the sheet finishing unit for making the device small and saving a space.
As shown in FIG. 5, Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-60118 has disclosed an apparatus in which a sheet finishing unit 530 is arranged above an image forming unit 510 and an image reading unit 520 is arranged above the sheet finishing unit 530. In the image forming unit 510, similar to a normal printer, a sheet stacked on a sheet cassette 511 is guided to a transfer drum 512 and a latent image formed on a transfer drum 512 is transferred to the sheet according to a signal from an image data processing unit. Then, the sheet is transported through a fixer 515, and is discharged through a discharge path 514. The sheet finishing unit 530 is arranged at an edge of an outlet of the discharge path 514 so that the stapling apparatus 532 staples the sheet stacked on the discharge stacker 531.
The image reading unit 520 is arranged above the sheet finishing unit, so that a carriage 524 moves from left to right for reading an original set on a platen glass 522 similar to a conventional scanner. The carriage 524 is provided with a mirror and a light source (not shown). The light source irradiates the original, and the reflected light passes through a lens and is converted into an electrical signal with a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD 523 to read the image on the original. The electrical signal from the photoelectric conversion element is converted into a digital signal and transmitted to an image data processing unit 513 in the image forming unit 510, so that the image forming unit 510 prints the image.
As shown in FIG. 6, Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-111935 has disclosed an apparatus in which a sheet finishing unit 630 is arranged above an image forming unit 610, and an image reading unit 620 is arranged above the sheet finishing unit 630. A sheet is transported from a sheet supply cassette 611, and stored on a first discharge stacker 632 after a transfer drum 612 forms an image on the sheet. When a finishing process is instructed, the sheet is stored on a second discharge stacker 631 and a device such as a stapler (not shown) performs a finishing process. The image reading unit 620 moves from left to right for reading the original set on a platen 612.
In the apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patent Publications (Kokai) No. 2002-60118 and No. 2002-111935, an automatic document feeder can be mounted on the image reading unit as an optional device for feeding the original stacked on the stacker to the discharge stacker through a substantially U-shaped path.
As described above, in the conventional apparatus, the image reading unit is arranged above the sheet finishing unit and the image forming unit is arranged below the sheet finishing unit. In this case, after an image is formed on a sheet in the image forming unit, the sheet is transported in a direction same as a direction that the sheet is transported after being processed in the sheet finishing unit, and same as a direction that the image reading unit scans the sheet. Accordingly, there are the following problems in order to make the apparatus compact.
The sheet normally used has a longitudinal length different from a lateral length (width). When a sheet with the maximum size is transported for image forming, finishing and scanning in a direction same as the longitudinal direction thereof, it is necessary to dispose a function component such as a binding device of the sheet finishing unit, a driving component for driving the function component, and a drive component such as a transport roller for transporting the sheet at sides of the sheet finishing unit, thereby making the sheet finishing unit protrude laterally and increasing a width thereof. Further, it is necessary to provide a mechanism for removing the function component in the sheet finishing unit when a worn out part is replaced or maintenance is performed upon malfunction, thereby further increasing the width of the sheet finishing unit.
In view of the problems described above, a first object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a compact size with small protrusions in which a sheet is discharged from an image forming unit in a direction same as a direction that the sheet is discharged from a sheet finishing unit and an image reading unit scans the sheet in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction that the sheet is discharged.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which it is easy to confirm a sheet stored on a discharge tray in the image forming unit or the sheet finishing unit arranged vertically from a same direction.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.

Compactly arranged image forming apparatus


A system and method for delivering targeted advertisements to consumers by inserting the targeted advertisements into a content stream. The content stream may be monitored for advertisement placement opportunities, such that the targeted advertisements may be seamlessly inserted into the content stream to replace an advertisement in the content stream. The content stream's owner and/or provider may be identified such that revenues from the targeted advertisement may be shared with the owner's and/or providers. The system and method are further able to use a biometric recognition technique to verify that the targeted advertisement is actually delivered to the targeted consumer. Another aspect allows the targeted advertisements to be delivered across multiple platforms in accordance with an advertising campaign.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method for delivering a content stream and advertisements to a user, and more particularly, but not necessarily entirely, to delivering targeted advertisements to a user.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditional advertisement methods involve broadcasting advertising and programming material together to multiple recipients in the same geographic area. For example, advertising and programming material may be broadcast through a television or radio station in a content stream.
For both television and radio advertising, historically, advertisers have been forced to purchase time slots in delivering their message. Time slots are selected based on demographic information associated with the content. A. C. Nielson is the industry's main provider of such demographic information for television. For example, in order for an advertiser to reach a 35-year old woman, the advertisers may be forced to advertise on multiple channels where the research indicates a significant presence of such women. This is an indirect approach to reaching the target audience with built in inefficiencies and redundancies. Furthermore, the advertiser is unable to create direct integrated and synchronized interactions between different advertising platforms. Television and radio are one-way mediums that permit low cost distribution to a large geographic area. That is, all households within the geographic area receive the same programming and advertisements. The advertisement is the same regardless of who is the actual viewer. Satellite and cable delivery systems may have the ability to provide customized advertisements based on a more refined geographic region. However, these media lack the ability of targeting individual users and doing so across a plurality of platforms.
Internet Protocol Television ("IPTV") is another medium available for advertising. Using IPTV, programming is directly streamed from a remote server to a household. Although IPTV's ability to target a unique household is greater than the previous broadcast methods described above, IPTV is still unable to synchronize or integrate an advertising campaign across other platforms.
Further, there is presently little or no ability to synchronize advertising across different platforms. For example, if an advertiser wanted to combine a television advertisement with a follow-up direct mail piece, the advertiser would blanket advertisements on multiple channels during multiple time slots in trying to reach the target audience. At some point, once the advertiser felt that the saturation level had been reached, a follow up direct mail piece would be sent out. The advertiser has no way of confirming if the television advertisement had been seen by the targeted individual prior to the direct mail piece arriving. In fact, it's quite possible that the direct mail piece would arrive before the targeted individual would even see the advertisement.
As mentioned, television and direct mail represent two different platforms that are available to advertisers. Internet advertisements through banner ads and search result placements are other platforms that are available to advertisers. In addition, DVD/VHS, Gaming, PVR, and IPTV are additional platforms which can be selected by advertisers in reaching their target audiences. However, there is no ability to integrate or synchronize these platforms based on current technologies, platforms, and configurations.
The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that are addressed by the present disclosure. The present disclosure minimizes, and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and other problems, by utilizing the methods and structural features described herein. The features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure without undue experimentation. The features and advantages of the disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Integrated and synchronized cross platform delivery system


A novel method of forming a GaAs-based MOS structure comprises ion implantation after oxide formation, and subsequent slow heating and cooling, carried out such that essentially no interfacial defects that are detectable by high resolution transmission electron microscopy are formed. If the MOS structure is a MOS-FET then metal contacts are provided in conventional fashion. A post-metallization anneal can result in FETs that are substantially free of drain current/voltage hysteresis. MOS-FETs made according to the novel method can be produced with high yield and can have significantly increased lifetime, as compared to some prior art GaAs-based MOS-FETs.

This invention pertains to methods of making articles that comprise an oxide layer on a GaAs-based semiconductor body, typically GaAs-based field effect transistors (FETs), and integrated circuits comprising such FETs.
GaAs-based transistors and circuits are used in, for instance, wireless communication apparatus, high speed logic ICs and high power microwave devices, due inter alia to the relatively high electron mobility in GaAs, and the availability of semi-insulating GaAs substrates.
Early devices suffered from poor gate oxide/GaAs interface quality, including a high density of interface states. In recent years, substantial effort has been directed at this problem. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,548 discloses formation of a Ga2O3 film on GaAs by e-beam evaporation from a high purity single crystal of Gd3Ga5O12.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/093,557 discloses articles (e.g., a GaAs-based MOS-FET) that comprises an oxide of overall composition GaxAyOz, where A is an element adapted for stabilization of Ga in the 3+ oxidation state, x is greater than or equal to zero, y/(x+y) is greater than 0.1, and z is selected to satisfy the requirement that both Ga and A are substantially fully oxidized.
The above-referenced ""558 patent application discloses a method of making a GaAs-based MOS-FET that comprises a gate oxide layer of overall composition GaxAyOz, as defined above. The method comprises formation of the gate oxide layer subsequent to implant activation and other process steps, with no high temperature (e.g.,  greater than 700xc2x0 C.) processing being carried out subsequent to gate oxide formation.
The method of the ""558 patent application, however, has been found to have shortcomings. In particular, the yield of acceptable devices is relatively low. Furthermore, and in common with other prior art GaAs-based metal/insulator/semiconductor FETs, devices made according to the ""558 patent application exhibit significant hysteresis of the drain current/voltage characteristic, and also exhibit significant decrease of the drain current with time, resulting in devices frequently having unacceptably short life time. See, for instance, Y-H Jeong, IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 15(7), p. 251 (1994), especially FIGS. 3 and 4. The reference discloses a 22% decrease of drain current over a period of 104 s, and states that the disclosed MISFETs exhibit xe2x80x9c. . . the best performance among the accumulation mode GaAs MISFETs.xe2x80x9d Clearly, for commercial use of GaAs-based MOS-FETs, the above referred-to hysteresis and decrease with time will have to be substantially eliminated.
In view of the potential advantages of GaAs-based MOS devices, it would be highly desirable to have available a method of making such devices that gives improved device yield. This application discloses such a method. The method also can produce MOS-FETs that are substantially free of drain current hysteresis, and that are also substantially free of drain current drift with time, and thus have long lifetime.
Embodiments of the invention comprise forming an insulator layer (typically but not necessarily an oxide layer) on a GaAs-based semiconductor surface. Just prior to the start of insulator formation the semiconductor surface is substantially atomically clean and substantially atomically ordered. The semiconductor surface typically is a (100) surface.
Herein a semiconductor surface is considered to be xe2x80x9csubstantially atomically cleanxe2x80x9d if surface coverage by impurity atoms is less than (typically substantially less than) 1% of a monolayer, preferably less than 0.1% of a monolayer. The degree of coverage by impurity atoms can be measured by a known technique (XPS). See, for instance, P. Pianetta et al., Phys. Rev. Letters, Vol. 35 (20), p. 1356 (1975).
A GaAs-based (100) semiconductor surface herein is considered to be xe2x80x9csubstantially atomically orderedxe2x80x9d if the surface exhibits a clean 2xc3x974 (or possibly 4xc3x976 or other) RHEED (reflection high energy electron diffraction) pattern. Methods that can be used to produce a substantially atomically ordered (100) GaAs surface are known, as are techniques for producing a substantially atomically clean (100) GaAs surface. A GaAs surface that is substantially atomically clean and substantially atomically ordered is frequently referred to as a xe2x80x9creconstructedxe2x80x9d surface.
The instant invention exemplarily is embodied in a method of making an article (e.g., an IC, or a personal communication device that comprises the IC) that comprises a GaAs-based MOS-FET having improved characteristics, including a low gate oxide/semiconductor midgap interface state density.
More specifically, the invention exemplarily is embodied in a method of making an article that comprises a GaAs-based MOS-FET comprising a GaAs-based substrate having a major surface, two spaced apart regions of a first conductivity type extending from the major surface into the substrate (designated xe2x80x9csourcexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdrainxe2x80x9d, respectively), a metal contact disposed on each of said source and drain, with an oxide layer (designated xe2x80x9cgate oxidexe2x80x9d) disposed on the major surface between the source and the drain, and with a gate metal contact disposed on the gate oxide layer.
The MOS-FET advantageously is a planar device (i.e., the semiconductor surface is planar, without etched recesses or epitaxial regrowth), the source and drain regions extend into the GaAs-based material of a second conductivity type, associated with the gate oxide/semiconductor interface is a midgap interface state density of at most 1011 cmxe2x88x922 eVxe2x88x921.
The gate oxide layer typically but not necessarily has overall composition GaxAyOz, where Ga substantially is in a 3+ oxidation state, where A is one or more electropositive stabilizer element for stabilizing Ga in the 3+ oxidation state, x is greater than or equal to zero, y/(x+y) is greater than or equal to 0.1, and z is sufficient to satisfy the requirement that Ga and A are substantially fully oxidized. Herein, Ga and A each are considered to be xe2x80x9csubstantially fully oxidizedxe2x80x9d if at least 80% (preferably at least 90%) of the respective element is fully oxidized, i.e., is in the highest oxidation state of the element. The highest oxidation state of Ga is 3+. The highest oxidation state of A depends on A. For instance, if A is an alkaline earth, then the state is 2+, and if A is Sc, Y, or a rare earth element, then the state is frequently, but not always, 3+.
The method of making the article comprises the steps of providing the GaAs-based semiconductor body (typically a semi-insulating GaAs substrate with a layer of epitaxial doped GaAs thereon), with at least a portion of the surface of the epitaxial layer being essentially atomically clean and essentially atomically ordered, forming, in situ, the oxide layer on the essentially atomically clean and ordered surface; implanting at least one ion species through the oxide layer and the interface into the first conductivity type region; heating the substrate with the oxide layer thereon to a temperature effective for activating at least a major portion of the implanted ions, with the heating carried out such that essentially no defects of a type that is detectable by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) are formed at the interface; providing a source contact, a drain contact and a gate contact of the MOS-FET; and subjecting the MOS-FET to a post-metallization anneal selected such that the MOS-FET is substantially free of a drain current/voltage hysteresis.
The forming step exemplarily comprises forming the oxide layer such that the oxide layer has overall composition GaxAyOz, as defined above.
In an exemplary embodiment of the method the oxide layer is formed by simultaneous deposition from two (or possibly more) deposition sources, with one of the sources containing Ga2O3 (typically in powder form), and the other containing an oxide of a stabilizer element (e.g., Gd2O3), typically also in powder form. In another exemplary embodiment the oxide layer is formed by deposition from a single deposition source containing an oxide of a stabilizer element, e.g., Gd2O3, or a Ga-Gd-oxide such as Gd3Ga5O12.
As those skilled in the art know, it is common practice in the field of GaAs-based devices to carry out heat treatments by rapid thermal annealing (RTA), since the long heating times used in furnace annealing xe2x80x9c. . . caused some undesirable effects, such as substrate-quality degradation and implanted-dopant diffusion.xe2x80x9d See Very High Speed Integrated Circuits: Gallium Arsenide LSI, especially Ch. 1, III, xe2x80x9cRapid Thermal Annealingxe2x80x9d, p. 27-28, and middle of p. 54, T. Ikoma, Editor, Vol. 29 of Semiconductors and Semimetals, Willardson and Beer. However, we have discovered that using RTA, for instance for implant activation, frequently results in formation of defects at the GaAs/oxide interface. We currently believe that these defects are at least partially responsible for the low device yield. We have also discovered heat treatments (involving relatively slow heating and/or cooling) that do not result in formation of the above referred to defects, such that it is now possible to manufacture with high yield GaAs-based MOS-FETs with excellent characteristics, including long lifetime and substantially no drain current hysteresis.

Method of making an article comprising an oxide layer on a GaAs-based semiconductor body