Techniques for plasma injection for space charge neutralization of an ion beam are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a plasma injection system for space charge neutralization of an ion beam. The plasma injection system may comprise a first array of magnets and a second array of magnets positioned along at least a portion of an ion beam path, the first array being on a first side of the ion beam path and the second array being on a second side of the ion beam path, the first side opposing the second side. At least two adjacent magnets in the first array of magnets may have opposite polarity. The plasma injection system may also comprise a plasma source configured to generate a plasma in a region associated with a portion of the ion beam path by colliding at least some electrons with a gas.

Ion implanters are widely used in semiconductor manufacturing to selectively alter the conductivity of materials. In a typical ion implanter, ions generated from an ion source are transported downstream through a series of beamline components which may include one or more analyzer and/or collimator magnets and a plurality of electrodes. The analyzer magnets may be used to select desired ion species and filter out contaminant species or ions having undesirable energies. The collimator magnets may be used to manipulate the shape of the ion beam or otherwise adjust the quality of the ion beam before it reaches a target wafer. Suitably shaped electrodes can be used to modify the energy and the shape of the ion beam. After the ion beam has been transported through the series of beamline components, it may be directed into an end station to perform ion implantation.
FIG. 1 depicts a conventional ion implanter system 100. As is typical for most ion implanters, the system 100 is housed in a high-vacuum environment. The ion implanter system 100 may comprise an ion source 102 and a series of beamline components through which an ion beam 10 passes. The series of beamline components may include, for example, an extraction manipulator 104, a filter magnet 106, an acceleration or deceleration column 108, an analyzer magnet 110, a mass slit 112, a scanner 114, and a collimator magnet 116. Much like a series of optical lenses that manipulate a light beam, the ion implanter components can filter and focus the ion beam 10 before steering it towards a target wafer 118.
As the semiconductor industry keeps reducing feature sizes of micro-electronic devices, ion beams with lower energies are desirable in order to achieve shallow dopant profiles for forming shallow p-n junctions. Meanwhile, it is also desirable to maintain a relatively high beam current in order to achieve a reasonable production throughput. Such low-energy, high-current ion beams may be difficult to transport within typical ion implanters due to space charge blow-up. To prevent "blow-up" of a positive ion beam, negatively charged particles, such as electrons or negative ions, may be introduced for charge neutralization. One way of sustaining space charge neutralization is through magnetic confinement of negatively charged particles. However, existing magnetic confinement approaches tend to introduce extra magnetic field components that cause ion beam distortion. Moreover, in order to improve low-energy beam transportation caused by space charge limitations, a high-energy ion beam may be decelerated to a desired energy level before reaching a target (e.g., a wafer). In such cases, some ions may go through "charge exchange" with surrounding neutral particles, thus losing their charge prior to deceleration and generating neutral particles having high energy. Neutral particles having high energy fail to be decelerated and may impact the target at a higher energy level than desired, thus negatively impacting implantation results.
Low-energy ion beams may be difficult to transport through the beamline to the target due to mutual repulsion between ions having the same charge. High-current ion beams typically include a high concentration of charged ions that tend to diverge due to mutual repulsion. To maintain low-energy, high-current ion beam quality, a plasma may be injected into the ion beam for the purpose of charge neutralization.
High-energy ion implantation beams typically propagate through a weak plasma that is a byproduct of beam interactions with residual or background gas. This plasma tends to neutralize the space charge caused by the ion beam, thereby largely eliminating transverse electric fields that would otherwise disperse the ion beam. However, for a low-energy ion beam, the probability of ionizing collisions with background gas is lower compared to a high-energy ion beam. In addition, low-energy ion beam blow-up may occur at much lower transverse electric field strength.
In view of the foregoing, it may be understood that there are significant problems and shortcomings associated with current techniques for transporting low-energy ion beams.

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.


Disclosed herein is a microplate comprising a plurality of wells and methods and systems comprising such microplates, wherein an individual well comprises an opaque or non-transparent surface at or near the bottom of the well. The microplates herein can provide improved visualization of the process of filling a well with a liquid reagent. The microplates can be configured to perform chemical analysis, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or nucleic acid detection.

Many chemical reactions and analyses were original performed in test tubes. When running a series or multiple chemical analyses, the number of test tubes can become burdensome as well as requiring a significant amount of sample. Microplates with an array of wells where developed to perform multiple reactions and analyses in a single container.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) thermal cycling is most frequently performed in conical plastic wells arrayed in the form of microplates. PCR microplates are typically colorless or lightly tinted with color and because the PCR solution is also colorless it is typically quite difficult to identify which wells are full and which are empty. When plates are being manually loaded with reaction mix, it is very easy for the user to inadvertently load two samples into one well causing defective reactions or load a sample into an incorrect location potentially causing erroneous experimental conclusions to be drawn. This issue is especially apparent as smaller plates are employed. The smaller plates allow for reactions to be carried out in small volumes, but the smaller dimensions increase the difficulty of visualizing the filling of the wells.
There is a need in the art for a device and system to easily distinguish empty and full wells in order to dramatically reduce manual filling errors of a microplate.

Devices and methods for visualization of a sample in a microplate


An impurity concentration profile that improves pn junction breakdown voltage and mitigates the electric field, and that does not adversely affect the characteristics of a field effect transistor is realized. An n type source/drain region is formed at a silicon substrate. A p type impurity concentration profile includes respective peak concentrations at a dope region for forming a p type well, a p type channel cut region, and a p type channel dope region. An impurity concentration profile of the n type source/drain region crosses the p type impurity concentration profile at a low concentration, and includes phosphorus implantation regions indicating impurity concentrations respectively higher than those of the p type channel cut region and the p type channel dope region and respective peaks in impurity concentration at the neighborhood of respective depth thereof. The impurity concentration profile of the n type source/drain region has a minimum point or inflection point at the region between the impurity concentration peaks of the phosphorus implantation regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices and manufacturing methods thereof. Particularly, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device having an impurity concentration profile applied to a contact region between a semiconductor substrate and a conductive layer, and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
In accordance with the recent significant increase in the integration density of a semiconductor integrated circuit device, microminiaturization of elements has evolved rapidly. Particularly in a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) which is one semiconductor memory device, the integration density of the memory is increased corresponding to increase in the storage capacity such as from 64 megabits to 256 megabits, and further to 1 gigabit. Field effect transistors and capacitors functioning as active elements constituting a highly integrated memory must have miniaturized structures. The diameter of the contact with the impurity region of a semiconductor substrate is also reduced corresponding to miniaturization of the active elements.
The leakage current flowing from the contact to the semiconductor substrate will result in a great amount in one semiconductor device as the number of contacts formed in one device becomes greater in association with the integration of the active elements. In forming a highly integrated semiconductor device, the ratio of the leakage current to the entire power consumption will take a great value. Furthermore, there is a problem that the operating voltage of an active element, for example a field effect transistor, will be limited due to a lower junction breakdown voltage at the contact caused by increase in the impurity concentration of the semiconductor substrate by scaling of active elements.
FIG. 21 is a partial sectional view of a conventional contact structure. As shown in FIG. 21, an n type impurity region 106 including n type impurities is formed having a predetermined depth from the surface of a p type silicon substrate 101. A contact hole 116 is formed in an interlayer insulation film 115 so as to expose the surface of n type impurity region 106. A conductive layer 110, for example an electrode layer, a storage node of a capacitor, is formed so as to come into contact with the surface of n type impurity region 106 through contact hole 116.
In the above contact structure, ions for preventing leakage current are implanted, if necessary, after contact hole 116 is formed. Then, a conductive material such as polycrystalline silicon having n type impurities doped is introduced into contact hole 116 to form conductive layer 110.
FIG. 22 shows the impurity concentration profile at the position of XXII of FIG. 21. As shown in FIG. 22, silicon substrate 101 has an impurity concentration profile p(B) in which boron (B) is introduced as the p type impurity. N type impurity region 106 has an impurity concentration profile n(P) in which phosphorus (P) is introduced as the n type impurity. The junction point J where the curves of these two impurity concentration profiles cross each other has a concentration of approximately 1.times.10.sup.17 cm.sup.-3.
At the region of the silicon substrate including the above-described impurity concentration profile, a p type impurity region for adjusting the threshold voltage of a field effect transistor and a p type impurity region for preventing inversion, formed at a region beneath an element isolation insulation film, are formed so as to extend over an element formation region. In this case, the p type impurity concentration increases at shallow regions in the p type impurity concentration profile p(B). The position of junction point J is shifted towards a higher impurity concentration. When a voltage is applied to conductive layer 110, a depletion layer cannot easily spread since the impurity concentration is great at the pn junction to induce the possibility of electric field concentration. Particularly, the problem of reduction in the junction breakdown voltage due to increase in the impurity concentration at the pn junction is noted. There was also the problem of a greater leakage current in the contact structure due to increase in the impurity concentration at the pn junction.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/709,592 discloses a contact structure for preventing reduction in the junction breakdown voltage and increase in leakage current.
FIG. 23 is a partial sectional view of a contact structure disclosed in the aforementioned application. Referring to FIG. 23, a p type well formation dope region 103, a p type channel cut region (inversion prevention region) 104, and a p type channel dope region 105 (for adjusting threshold voltage) with respective predetermined depth are formed at a p type silicon substrate 101. An n type impurity region 106 is formed at p type silicon substrate 101. A contact hole 116 exposing the surface of n type impurity region 106 is formed in an interlayer insulation layer 115. A conductive layer 110 is formed so as to come into contact with the surface of n type impurity region 106 via contact hole 116.
FIG. 24 shows an impurity concentration profile at a position XXIV of FIG. 23. As shown in FIG. 24, a p type impurity concentration profile p(B) includes impurity concentration peaks respectively corresponding to p type well formation dope region 103, p type channel cut region 104, and p type channel dope region 105. An n type impurity concentration profile n(P)exhibits values higher than the respective impurity concentrations of p type channel cut region 104 and p type channel dope region 105 at predetermined depth thereof. N type impurity concentration profile n(P) has a junction point J in the proximity of a minimum value X of p type impurity concentration profile p(B).
As described above, the position of the pn junction is located at a low impurity concentration level in both the n type impurity concentration profile n(P) and p type impurity concentration profile p(B). Therefore, in comparison to the case where junction point J is located at a high impurity concentration level, the depletion layer is easily depleted to exhibit a greater expansion even when the voltage applied to conductive layer 110 is identical. The junction does not break down until the voltage applied to the contact becomes higher. Therefore, the junction breakdown voltage is improved. As a result, the electric field generated at the pn junction is mitigated to reduce the leakage current generated at the contact region.
FIG. 25 is a partial sectional view of a memory portion of a DRAM in which an impurity concentration profile as shown in FIG. 24 is applied. Referring to FIG. 25, a gate electrode 109 is formed on a p type silicon substrate 101 with a gate insulation film 108 thereunder. A pair of n type source/drain regions 106 and 107 are formed at a surface region of silicon substrate 101 at both sides of gate electrode 109. A storage node 110 is formed so as to come into contact with the surface of one source/drain region 106. A dielectric film 111 is formed so as to cover the surface of storage node 110. A cell plate 112 is formed so as to cover the surface of dielectric film 111. A capacitor is formed of storage node 110, dielectric film 111, and cell plate 112. A bit line 113 is formed so as to come into contact with the other source/drain region 107. Storage node 110 comes into contact with n type source/drain region 106 through a contact hole 116 formed in an interlayer insulation film 115. N type source/drain region 106 is formed of a region into which arsenic (As) is introduced, and a region including phosphorus (P) provided to improve the breakdown voltage of the pn junction and to suppress leakage current, as described above.
FIG. 26 shows the impurity concentration profile at a position XXVI of FIG. 25. As shown in FIG. 26, a p type impurity concentration profile p(B) has respective impurity concentration peaks corresponding to p type well formation dope region 103, p type channel cut region 104, and p type channel dope region 105. An n type impurity concentration profile n(P) exhibits an impurity concentration at the position between p type channel cut region 104 and p type channel dope region 105 higher than respective values thereat. N type impurity concentration profile n(P) has a pn junction point J in the proximity of a minimum value X of p type impurity concentration profile p(B). Thus, the junction breakdown voltage is improved, and the leakage current due to electric field mitigation is reduced. In FIG. 26, an n type impurity concentration profile n(As) in which arsenic (As) is introduced to form the original source/drain region is also shown.
In the memory portion of a DRAM having an impurity concentration profile as shown in FIG. 26, miniaturization of the field effect transistor is advanced according to increase of the storage capacity. In a DRAM having a memory capacity of approximately 1 gigabit, the gate has a length L of approximately 0.15 .mu.m in the field effect transistor shown in FIG. 25. The distance D between the sidewall of contact hole 116 and the sidewall of gate electrode 109 becomes as small as 0.075 .mu.m. In accordance with miniaturization of a field effect transistor, p type channel dope region 105 is formed so as to have a shallow and abrupt concentration gradient in FIG. 26. Therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 26, n type source/drain region 106 is formed to have an n type impurity concentration profile n(P) exhibiting a higher impurity concentration at the shallow region. As a result, the region of n type source/drain region 106 where phosphorus (P) is introduced to mitigate the electric field and to improve the junction breakdown voltage is formed so as to have a higher concentration at the shallow region and to spread laterally as indicated by the chain line with two dots in FIG. 25.
The formation of the above n type source/drain region 106 induces problems set forth in the following.
The lateral spread of n type source/drain region 106 indicated by the chain line with two dots in FIG. 25 causes the field effect transistor to be easily turned on at a threshold voltage lower than that of the designed value. In other words, the characteristic of the field effect transistor is altered. For example, the threshold voltage is reduced. As a result, electrons of storage node 110 will easily leak out.
Also, alteration in distance D in FIG. 25 causes variation in the level of the effect of the spread of n type source/drain region 106 indicated by the chain line with two dots on the characteristics of the field effect transistor. This means that the characteristics of the field effect transistor is altered by variation in the position of contact hole 116. Therefore, the characteristics of the field effect transistor is altered by variation in the step of forming contact hole 116 and the manufacturing process conditions. In other words, the characteristics of the field effect transistor is susceptible to the variation in the formation position of storage node 116.

Semiconductor device with improved pn junction breakdown voltage


A water circulation system for air conditioning system and a control method thereof, wherein the water circulation loop comprises: a main loop provided with air-conditioning indoor units, air-conditioning outdoor units and an actuator, and a bypass branch connected between upstream and downstream of the air-conditioning outdoor units and provided with a bypass valve; the control method comprises: S100, starting the water circulation system after receiving a start command; S200, executing a PID control step after initialization and a first preset time period of the water circulation system; S300, executing a feed forward control step when the operating states of the air-conditioning indoor units and/or the air-conditioning outdoor units are changed, and going back to execute the PID control step after a second preset time period; and S400, executing a shutdown step of the water circulation system after receiving a shutdown command.

For some large commercial refrigeration systems, a water circulation system is typically configured as a medium to transfer heat between air-conditioning indoor units and air-conditioning outdoor units. Such a system generally has a plurality of air conditioning indoor units, a plurality of air conditioning outdoor units, and valves for individually controlling the opening and closing of the units. In addition, the entire system typically further comprises a main loop and a bypass branch, wherein a water pump for providing power is provided on the main loop, and a bypass valve for controlling diversion is provided on the bypass branch. For such a system with a variable water capacity, the water pump and the bypass valve also play a role in regulating the water flow rate to achieve energy savings and protect system components such as outdoor heat exchangers or water pipes. However, as there are state changes of a plurality of units in the operation process of the system, i.e., opening and closing control, it is difficult to control them well. Due to the nonlinear characteristic of the system, the problem of tight coupling of the actuator and pressure disturbance, a typical PID (proportional-integral-differential (controller)) control step can cause system vibration when applied in such systems and is unable to overcome serious disturbances, which will eventually lead to system shutdown or damage system parts and components such as outdoor heat exchangers or water pipes.
Therefore, how to provide a water circulation system that can maintain a stable pressure difference of the air conditioning outdoor units and a control method of the system is an urgent technical problem.

Water circulation system for air conditioning system and control method thereof


A motorcycle including at least two wheels. The at least two wheels include a front wheel and a rear wheel, the rear wheel defining a rotational axis. The motorcycle includes an engine for driving at least one of the wheels. A radiator assembly includes a radiator configured to receive coolant from the engine and dissipate heat from the coolant. The radiator assembly further includes an inlet guide configured to direct air toward the radiator. The inlet guide has an inlet opening positioned closer to the rear wheel than the front wheel. At least a portion of the inlet opening is positioned below the rotational axis of the rear wheel.

The present invention relates to motorcycles, and particularly to the positioning of a radiator on a motorcycle.
Many motorcycles have engines that are cooled using a liquid, commonly referred to as a coolant. The coolant typically is pumped through passageways in the engine to remove heat from the engine. The liquid is then pumped to a radiator, where the heat is transferred to ambient air.
It is common to mount the radiator up near the front of the motorcycle so that fresh air is forced through the radiator for cooling purposes. In some cases, a fan is positioned immediately in front of or behind the radiator in order to force air through the radiator.


A computer implemented decision support tool serves as a solver to generate a best can do (BCD) match between existing assets and demands across multiple manufacturing facilities within boundaries established by manufacturing specifications and process flows and business policies to determine which demands can be met in what time frame by microelectronics (wafer to card) or related (for example disk drives) manufacturing and establishes a set of actions or guidelines for manufacturing to incorporate into their manufacturing execution system to insure the delivery commitments are met in a timely fashion. The BCD tool has six major components, a material resource planning explode or "backwards" component, an optional STARTS evaluator component, an optional due date for receipts evaluator, an optional capacity available versus needed component, an implode "forward" or feasible plan component, and a post processing algorithm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer implemented planning resources and decision support tools and, more particularly, to a tool in which core production planning information is provided to a solver which generates a best can do (BCD) match between assets and demands. The invention generates a BCD match between existing assets and demands across multiple manufacturing facilities within boundaries established by manufacturing specifications and process flows and business policies to determine which demands can be met in what time frame by microelectronics (wafer to card) or related (for example disk drives) manufacturing and establishes a set of actions or guidelines for manufacturing to incorporate into their Manufacturing Execution System to insure the delivery commitments are met in a timely fashion.
2. Background Description
Within the complexity of microelectronics and related manufacturing, four related decision areas or tiers can be distinguished based on the time scale of the planning horizon and the apparent width of the opportunity window. To facilitate an understanding of the four decision tiers in semiconductor manufacturing, consider the following oven example, with reference to FIG. 1 which is a diagram associated with this example.
Within a zone of control 10, there is a coater machine 12, a work-in-progress (WIP) queue 14, and an oven set 16. Wafers move around the zone of control in groups of twenty-five, called a lot. All wafers in the lot are the same type. Each lot must pass through the oven operation ten times. Each oven set is composed of four ovens or tubes 161, 162, 163, and 164 and one robot 166 to load and unload the oven. It takes about ten minutes to load or unload an oven. The process time in the oven depends on the iteration. We will assume one lot to an oven at a time. Before a wafer enters into the oven, it must be coated by the coater machine 12. The coating process takes twenty minutes. The coating expires in four hours. If the coating expires, the wafer must be stripped, cleaned, and then recoated. This process takes four hours and often generates yield losses.
The first decision tier, strategic scheduling, is driven by the time frame or lead time required for the business plan, resource acquisition, and new product introduction. This tier can often be viewed in two parts; very long-term and long-term. Here, decision makers are concerned with a set of problems that are three months to seven years into the future. Issues considered include, but are not limited to, what markets they will be in, general availability of tooling and workers, major changes in processes, changes in or risk assessment of demand for existing product, required or expected incremental improvements in the production process, lead times for additional tooling, manpower and planning. In the oven example of FIG. 1, very-long-term decisions are made on whether the ovens are necessary to the production process, and if so the characteristics needed in the ovens. Long-term decisions are made about how many ovens to buy. Tools typically used in planning of this scope are models for capacity planning, cost/pricing, investment optimization, and simulations of key business measures.
The second tier, tactical scheduling, deals with problems the company faces in the next week to six months. Estimates are made of yields, cycle times, and binning percentages. Permissible substitutions are identified. Decisions are made about scheduling starts or releases into the manufacturing line (committing available capacity to new starts). Delivery dates are estimated for firm orders, available "outs" by time buckets are estimated for bulk products, and daily going rates for schedule driven product are set. The order/release plan is generated/regenerated. Reschedules are negotiated with or requested by the ultimate customer. In the oven example of FIG. 1, typical decision areas would include the daily going rate for different products, the allocation of resources between operations, the number of operators to assign, and machine dedication. Tools typically used in the planning and scheduling of this phase are forward schedulers, fast capacity checkers, and optimization of capacity, commits and cost.
The third tier, operational scheduling, deals with the execution and achievement of a weekly plan. Shipments are made. Serviceability levels are measured. Recovery actions are taken. Optimized consumption of capacity and output of product computed. Tools typically used in support of daily activities are decision support, recovery models, prioritization techniques and deterministic forward schedulers. Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are used for floor communications and control. In the oven example of FIG. 1, priorities would be placed on each lot arriving at the ovens based on their relevance to the current plan or record. If the ovens "go down", their priority in the repair queue would be set by decisions made in this tier.
The fourth tier, dispatch scheduling or response system, addresses the problems of the next hour to a few weeks by responding to conditions as they emerge in real time and accommodate variances from availability assumed by systems in the plan creation and commitment phases. Essentially, they instruct the operator what to do next to achieve the current goals of manufacturing. Dispatch scheduling decisions concern monitoring and controlling of the actual manufacturing flow or logistics. Here, decisions are made concerning trade-offs between running test lots for a change in an existing product or a new product and running regular manufacturing lots, lot expiration, prioritizing late lots, positioning preventive maintenance downtime, production of similar products to reduce setup time, downstream needs, simultaneous requests on the same piece of equipment, preferred machines for yield considerations, assigning personnel to machines, covering for absences, and reestablishing steady production flow after a machine has been down. In the oven example, the question should be which lot (if any) should be run next when an oven is free. Tools used are rule based dispatchers, short interval schedulers and mechanical work-in-progress (WIP) limiting constructions.
Of course, there is overlap and interaction between the four decision tiers, but typically different groups are responsible for different scheduling decisions. For example, maintenance may decide on training for their personnel, on work schedules for their people, preventive maintenance, and which machine to repair next. Finance and each building superintendent may make decisions on capital equipment purchases. Industrial Engineering may have the final say on total manpower, but a building superintendent may do the day-to-day scheduling. Marketing may decide when orders for products can be filled and what schedule commitments to make. For strategic and operational decisions, these groups and their associated decision support tools are loosely coordinated or coupled. Finance only requires an estimate of required new tools from each building to estimate capital purchase. Each building requires an estimate on new tool requirements from the product development people. Dispatch decisions must be tightly coupled. Lots only get processed when the appropriate tool, operator, and raw material are available. At dispatch rough estimates are no longer sufficient. If a machine is down maintenance must have the appropriately trained individual available to repair the machine. Manufacturing must have the appropriate mix of tools and workers to produce finished goods on a timely basis. At dispatch the decisions made by various groups must be in synchronization or nothing is produced. A manufacturing facility accommodates this tight coupling in only one of two ways; slack (extra tooling and manpower, long lead times, limited product variation, excess inventory and people, differential quality, brand loyalty, and so forth) or strong information systems to make effective decisions.
Within the second and third decision tiers, a major planning activity undertaken by microelectronic firms is matching assets with demands. This activity can be broken into three major types of matching that are used throughout Microelectronics to support decision making:
(a) Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) type of matching-- "Opportunity Identification" or "Wish list". For a given set of demand and a given asset profile what work needs to be accomplished to meet the demand. PA1 (b) Projected or Estimated Supply Plan (PSP/ESP). Given a set of assets, manufacturing specifications, and business guidelines this application creates an expected or projected supply picture over the next "t" time units. The user supplied guidelines to direct how to flow or flush assets "forward" to some inventory or holding point. PA1 (c) Best Can Do (BCD). Given the current manufacturing condition and a prioritized set of demands which demands can be met in what time frame. BCD generally refers to a large set of demands.
Arguably, the oldest type of matching is Material Requirements Planning (MRP). MRP is a system for translating demand for final products into specific raw material and manufacturing activity requirements by exploding demand backwards through the bill of material (BOM) and assets. Many authors have published papers and books on MRP. For example, Joseph Orlickly wrote Material Requirements Planning, published by McGraw-Hill, which has become a standard reference. As practiced in the microelectronics industry, MRP systems operate at a specific part number and inventory holding point level of detail.
The difficulty with traditional MRP is it does not provide an estimate about which demand will be met if insufficient resources are available and secondly how to prioritize manufacturing activity in light of insufficient resources. Therefore, it does not directly meet the business requirement filled by BCD. To overcome these limitations and answer the core BCD question, support tools were developed and added to MRP to examine the output of the MRP solution to help the user identify resource constraints, shift schedules to better utilize resources, and make limited suggestions on how to alter demand. These systems are often called extended MRP or MRP II. Historically, these tools have not evolved beyond the what-if stage and require much human intervention to create an intelligent feasible plan. The size and complexity the BCD question in semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing have made the "add on" tools for MRP very limited in their effectiveness.
Additionally, traditional MRP logic does not adequately handle binned parts. Multiple integrated circuit chips, such as microprocessors, are manufactured on a single semiconductor wafer and separated into individual chips by dicing the wafer. Although all the chips are manufactured on a single wafer, testing each chip will reveal that there are variances in the performances of the chips. Assume that the microprocessors are designed for a particular clock speed, say 200 MHz. However, testing the chips shows that there is only a 50% yield of chips meeting this criteria. Of the remaining 50% of the chips, some may perform at a slower but still fast clock speed, say 175 MHz, and others at a still slower clock speed, say 150 Mhz. Traditional MRP vastly over state the required wafer starts needed to meet demand in binning situations. However, for some time an optimization model has been known which minimizes wafer starts in binning situations. Traditionally, this optimization was used in a stand alone form or within another optimization routine. The binning optimization model has not been used within an MRP designed to support BCD.
Within the semiconductor industry, a type of matching called projected supply planning was developed to partially meet the BCD business requirement. This matching uses aggregated production specification information and simple algorithms to generate a feasible supply plan. Again, this matching has clear limitations in its effectiveness to meet the BCD requirement.
During the past ten years, a variety of attempts have been made to apply Linear Programming (LP) decision technology in stand alone mode to directly support the BCD requirement in the semiconductor and microelectronics industry. This work suffered two major deficiencies. First, it operated as a black box assigning due dates to demands disconnected from the MRP approach, and therefore it failed to provide users an easy path to understand what was needed to meet demands. Since the parameters such as cycle times, yields, due dates for receipts, etc. are estimates, a good planner can identify places where manufacturing performance can be improved if required to meet important demands. Second, the LP structures failed to deal with critical decision trade-offs (such as demand class) common in the semiconductor industry and forced it to solve only subsets of the BCD matching question.
During the past five years, a few simple heuristic approaches have been developed to replace the LP based solver in generating a BCD black box answer. These approaches suffered the same deficiencies as the LP solution in failing to be connected to the MRP approach and simplifying the model structure relative to the complex flows in semiconductor manufacturing.
Additionally, most providers of the direct black box BCD tools either provided an LP approach or a heuristic approach. A few provided access to both, but in a disconnected manner. They did not attempt to harness the powerful synergy between the two.

Best can do matching of assets with demand in microelectronics manufacturing

International Business Machines Corporation


A gaseous fuel injection system has a fuel metering body having a tubular injector chamber with an expansion chamber at one closed end thereof; the expansion chamber having openings for the passage of fuel from the chamber to the exterior of the fuel metering body. Additionally, a spool type silencer is positioned between the expansion chamber and a fuel injector located at the end of the silencer opposite that of the expansion chamber. The silencer has a hollow cylindrical core with an inlet to receive fuel from the injector and a multiplicity of outlets for the passage of the fuel to an outer annular region. The outer annular region has an upper wall for support of the injector within the tubular injector chamber and a lower wall having openings for passage of the fuel from the annular region to the expansion chamber. The central core, the annular region and the expansion chamber cooperate to expand and silence compressed fuel as it moves from the outlet of the injector to the exterior of the fuel metering body.

Electromagnetic fuel injectors are used in fuel injection systems for internal combustion engines because of the capability of this type of injector to effectively control the discharge of a precise metered quantity of fuel per unit time to an engine. In developing fuel injectors for use with gaseous fuels, such as compressed natural gas, the level of acoustic noise created by the high pressure gas discharging to atmospheric pressure may be objectionable. Use of sound attenuation means to control such noise is required.


A card guide is used in guiding a circuit board with respect to a chassis. The card guide includes a guide rail extending along the card guide in a first direction, an end portion configured for removably attaching the card guide to the chassis, and a finger extending in a second direction. The finger has a shape and size to allow interconnection with an adjacent card guide. The finger defines an endpoint of a space allowing airflow in a third direction past the card guide.

This invention relates to a card guide and method for use in guiding a circuit board with respect to a chassis.
Cards such as printed circuit boards (e.g., telecommunications line cards) are inserted into a computer system (e.g., a communications switch system) for connection to a mating connector within the computer system. When a card is inserted into a computer system for engagement with a connector, a significant degree of guidance is required in order to ensure that the connector is properly seated. The need for guidance is even more critical when the card being inserted has a substantial length. Also, as the number of pins of the mating connectors increases, the potential for damage to these pins is increased if guidance of the card is inadequate upon insertion. These factors also apply upon extraction of a card from a computer system so as to ensure proper disengagement of the mating connectors without damage to the pins of the connectors.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Card guide and method for use in guiding circuit board with respect to chassis


A telephone device such as a speaker phone or message recording device is remotely controlled either as a standalone device or as part of a security system. The telephone device can be controlled by a key fob or other user-operated transmitter that a user actuates to answer a call by speaker phone, end a call, place a call, or control functions of the message recording device such as playing back messages. The key fob transmits a wireless signal that is received and processed by a security system. In response, the security system controls the telephone device. The key fob may control security functions as well. In another approach, the key fob may control the telephone device directly without intervention of a security system. Or, the key fob may control the telephone device via a home automation network.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to telephone devices and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for remotely controlling a telephone device such as a speaker phone or telephone message recording device which is a standalone device or part of a security system.
2. Description of Related Art
Telephone devices such as a speaker phones and telephone message recording devices have become commonplace in home and business settings. The speaker phone allows the user to engage in a hands free conversation. To receive a call on a speaker phone, the user typically presses a function button on the base station or cordless handset to receive the call and activate the speaker phone microphone and speaker. To place a call, the user presses a function button to activate the speaker phone microphone and speaker. When a dial tone is heard, the user enters the telephone number on a keypad. However, the user is required to get up and walk over to the speaker phone to make, receive, or terminate a call. This may not be possible or convenient when the user is far away from the phone, is involved in other tasks, or has limited mobility. As a result, the user can be inconvenienced by missing a call or having a telephone message recording device being unnecessarily activated while trying to answer a call. Similarly, the user is required to get up and walk over to a telephone message recording device to perform functions such as playing back messages, changing the outgoing message, erasing messages, or leaving a voice memo for other family members, for instance.
A solution is needed that allows a user to remotely control a telephone device that addresses the above and other issues. It would further be advantageous to provide a solution that leverages the capabilities of a security system or a home automation network to allow a user to remotely control a telephone device.

Remote control of a speaker phone device as a standalone device or as part of a security system


The present invention provides a lead-free tin-silver-based soldering alloy which has a low melting point equal to alloy H without containing harmful lead, expensive In or the like, and has excellent mechanical characteristics, that is, a tensile strength, an elongation value and heat fatigue characteristic as compared with alloy H, and thus, is applicable to soldering work at a low temperature and can make products which have a high reliability and long useful life or durability. The lead-free tin-silver-based soldering alloy consists essentially of Ag: 2 to 4% by weight, Zn: 0.5 to 2% by weight, Bi: 2 to 6% by weight, and the balance being substantially Sn.

a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lead-free tin-silver-based soldering alloy, and more particularly, to a soldering alloy which has a low melting point equal substantially to alloy H, which is a general lead-free tin-silver-based soldering alloy, and is excellent in mechanical characteristic, that is, in a tensile strength, an elongation value and heat resistant fatigue characteristic.
b) Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, lead has been contained in a soldering alloy. In recent years, the lead has eluted from wasted IC chips, printed circuit boards or the like and, as a result, the groundwater has been contaminated. For this reason, there has arisen an environmental problem such as lead poisoning or the like. Under such circumstances, the study and development of a lead-free soldering alloy have been made, and then, various lead-free soldering alloys have been proposed. In general, alloy H (manufactured of Nippon Alpha Metals Co., Ltd.) has been well known as a lead-free soldering alloy which is used in the aforesaid IC chips, printed circuit boards, etc. Alloy H consists essentially of Ag: 2.0% by weight, Cu: 0.5% by weight, Bi: 7.5% by weight and a balance being Sn. Further, alloy H has a melting point of 212.degree. C., which is higher than a Pb-Sn eutectic solder, and has a melting point lower than a conventional silver-tin-based soldering alloy which does not contain Pb, Cd or the like, and has excellent melting characteristics. However, in alloy H, the elongation value is low in a tensile test and there exists a low temperature eutectic phenomenon. Further, if alloy H is kept at a high temperature, the elongation of alloy H deteriorates and, for this reason, alloy H has inferior heat fatigue characteristics. Further, alloy H cannot absorb the thermal expansion difference between the printed circuit board and components when a temperature cycle is applied to a soldering portion and, for this reason, there is the possibility that the soldering portion fractures.
Inventors of the present invention have made various studies in order to find a soldering alloy which does not contain harmful lead or the like and has an excellent melting characteristic, tensile strength and elongation value. Further, the inventors have previously proposed the invention (alloy) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 187590 (1996) or in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 19892 (1996). However, the invention (alloy) disclosed in these Publications was inferior to alloy H in melting characteristics. Moreover, the aforesaid alloy contains very expensive In and, for this reason, it was difficult to say that the disclosed alloy is a desirable alloy.

Lead-free tin-silver-based soldering alloy


A method for operating a book forming and pressing machine that includes a pressing device and a re-forming device to form a front cut of a book block. Values relating to the book block are determined with a higher order control along a book production line upstream of the book forming and pressing machine. The determined values are transmitted to the pressing device, the re-forming device and/or pressing plates of the pressing device for finishing the book block. A forming tool of the re-forming device is selected based on values that meet operational requirements for the processing of the front cut. The selected forming tool is moved in a plane or space to an operating position for forming the front cut of the respective book block. Movement of the pressing plates is controlled based on the measured book thickness and thickness of the book cover for the book block.

The invention relates to a method for operating a book forming and pressing machine which essentially consists of a re-forming device, a pressing device, and a loading device, wherein the loading device essentially is formed by a loading table and wherein the pressing device consists of a number of spaced-apart pressing plates and burn-in rails. The re-forming device is provided with a forming tool to shape or form the front cut on a book block, wherein the pressing device is operated with at least one station for accommodating a book block, and wherein the forming tool executes a series of movements in a plane or in space to form the front cut.
Known book forming and pressing machines are used in known book production lines for one of the last finishing steps in book production, meaning for the re-forming of a book block that has already been combined with a book cover.
A book forming and pressing machine is disclosed in German patent document DE 4422783 A1, which machine comprises a number of pressing devices with thereon arranged joint-burn-in devices, positioned on a rotor which is driven intermittently around a vertical axis of rotation. The books, which are supplied to a feed-in station of a pressing device that completely accommodates the books, are formed continuously via burn-in rail and are held by the same pressing plate until they are discharged at the discharge station. Between the feeding of the book blocks encased in covers and the discharge of the formed and pressed books, the rotor executes several intermittent rotational movements which are utilized as intervals for the pressing and/or burn-in operations.
The German patent document DE 19741755 A1 also discloses a method for setting up a book binding machine, comprising processing stations with servo components which are arranged along the material flow. The problem defined for this document is that the servo components are adjusted with computer control on the basis of specified adjustment variables. With respect to an improvement in the product quality and a shortening of the setup times, the document discloses that the results of individual functions of the process are determined with the aid of data recorders as actual values for a finished product and the resulting variables are then transmitted to a control computer for comparison. Empirical values stored in the control computer are used for adjusting the servo components, wherein the actual value of the finished product is compared in the control computer with the desired value for the finished product, taking into consideration an actual value for the fed-in product which is known to the station and is compared to the empirical values. In case of a deviation from the desired value, the servo components are automatically readjusted. However, one skilled in the art cannot find anywhere in the complete document a teaching describing the steps for a technical action because each operation for a book production is carried significantly by so-called empirical values which are stored in the control computer. This document consequently does not offer instructions to one skilled in the art for recreating the method.
Book forming and pressing machines which are known per se thus feed a book with the aid of a loading device into a pressing device and between two pressing plates. The books consist of book blocks encased in book covers and for the most part have a rounded book block back, with the front cut arranged opposite the back. The book block is positioned with its back resting on a loading table in the book forming and pressing machine and is subjected to a re-forming operation. In the process, joints are formed in the book, using burning rails, while the book is positioned in the book forming and pressing machine. The books are held in place between the pressing plates until they are discharged from the book forming and pressing machine.
A known re-forming device used for the re-forming operation is provided with a vertically adjustable forming tool, also called a loading punch or a die, which can be lowered onto the front cut. If the burn-in rails are closed only slightly and no pressure or only a slight pressure is exerted with the pressing plates onto the cased-in book block, the book block can be pressed into the back of the cover by lowering the forming tool against the front cut. The back insert and the flyleaf, as well as the two book cover sections, are pressed in a joint against the forming rails, so as to form a joint. With this method, it is important for the quality of the produced books that the forming tool faces the front cut and that its form matches the format of the book to be created.
With industrial book production lines, continuously changing book formats and small editions, up to the production of a single book, not only require frequent replacement of these forming tools but also require frequent replacements and more comprehensive adaptations of the book forming and pressing machine on the whole.
With the known methods and machines, the loading height for the book is individually adjusted during the loading of a book into the book forming and pressing machine, using a visual inspection, since the form of the book back and the thickness of the back insert influence the position of the book on the loading table, meaning the loading height must be changed.
Following the loading operation, a machine operator must take care to ensure that the forming edge has been positioned in a region for the burn-in rail and that the tools which must be replaced in the book forming and pressing machines have been selected to match the form of the book. According to the prior art, these forming tools are adjusted by sight.
A method of this type no longer meets the current order situation for an industrial book production line.

Method for operating a book forming and pressing machine


A semiconductor device includes an external terminal, an input buffer having an input terminal connected to the external terminal, a voltage generating circuit configured to generate a test voltage supplied to the input terminal, and a control circuit configured to determine whether the input buffer is deteriorated based on the test voltage supplied to the input terminal and an output level of the input buffer responding to the test voltage.

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device, for example, the present disclosure is applicable to diagnosing deterioration of input buffers.
Generally, the micro controller unit (MCU) includes at least one CPU, at least one memory and peripheral circuits, and is constituted of Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) circuits. The peripheral circuits include, for example, an input/output port (I/O port) (also referred to as an IO buffer) for transmitting signals between the CPU and an external circuit or an input-only port. The I/O port generally includes an output buffer for outputting a signal to an external terminal, an input buffer for inputting a signal of an external terminal, or the like. The input-only port includes an input buffer for inputting a signal of an external terminal, or the like.
When the I/O port is used as an input port, the signal transmitted from the external circuit to the external terminal of the MCU is transmitted to the input terminal (internal input terminal) of the input buffer. At this time, an enable signal IBE is applied to the other input terminal of the input buffer, and the input buffer is enabled. The input buffer of the I/O port or the input-only port recognizes the input signal as a high level (hereinafter, referred to as H level) when the input voltage becomes VIH (Input High Voltage) or higher, and recognizes the input signal as a low level (hereinafter, referred to as L level) when the input voltage becomes VIL (Input Low Voltage) or lower. Here, when the power supply potential of the input buffer is VDD and the ground potential is VSS, then VDD>VIH>VIL>VSS.

Semiconductor device and self-diagnostic method of semiconductor device


A technique for tuning an ion implanter system is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for tuning an ion implanter system having multiple beam-line elements. The method may comprise establishing one or more relationships among the multiple beam-line elements. The method may also comprise adjusting the multiple beam-line elements in a coordinated manner, based at least in part on the one or more established relationships, to produce a desired beam output.

Ion implantation is a process of depositing chemical species into a substrate by direct bombardment of the substrate with high-energy ions. In semiconductor fabrication, ion implanters are used primarily for doping processes that alter the type and level of conductivity of target materials. A precise doping profile in an integrated circuit (IC) substrate and its thin-film structure is often crucial for the IC performance. To achieve a desired doping profile, one or more ion species may be implanted in different doses and at different energy levels. A specification of the ion species, doses and energies is referred to as an ion implantation recipe.
FIG. 1 depicts a prior art ion implanter system 100. As is typical for most ion implanter systems, the system 100 is housed in a high-vacuum environment. The ion implanter system 100 may comprise an ion source 102 and a complex series of components through which an ion beam 10 passes. The series of components may include, for example, an extraction manipulator 104, a filter magnet 106, an acceleration or deceleration column 108, an analyzer magnet 110, a rotating mass slit 112, a scanner 114, and a corrector magnet 116. Much like a series of optical lenses that manipulate a light beam, the ion implanter components can filter and focus the ion beam 10 before steering it towards a target wafer 118. For illustration purposes, these components are hereinafter referred to as "beam-line elements."
In semiconductor manufacturing, an ion implanter system often has to process many batches of wafers based on various recipes. For wafer batches processed with a common recipe, it is critical that the ion implanter system maintain a consistent ion beam output. Thus, at the beginning of each batch, it is necessary to tune the ion implanter system to reproduce an ion beam that is substantially the same as produced in the past batches with the same recipe.
However, due to a number of deficiencies, existing methods for tuning an ion implanter system often fail to achieve a consistent ion beam output in an efficient manner. For example, to repeat a previously successful ion beam setup, it is typical for existing tuning methods to rely on a single set of beam-line element settings recorded in the previously successful setup. Yet, many factors in the ion implanter system can change the ion beam condition even if the beam-line element settings are maintained the same. For instance, an ion source usually has a lifetime during which the ion generation gradually degrades. Therefore, even with identical beam-line element settings, the ion beam current can be quite different depending on the length of time the ion source has been in use. Since the previously recorded single set of beam-line element settings often cannot reproduce a desired ion beam condition, the ion implanter system has to be re-tuned for every wafer batch, which is quite time-consuming for reasons described below.
Existing tuning methods also tend to use ion beam current as the only criterion to optimize the ion beam. However, identical ion beam currents do not necessarily guarantee identical ion beam conditions. For example, identical ion beam currents can be produced with several different combinations of beam-line element settings. These different combinations often cause different ion beam dimensions, positions and angles. As a result, single-parameter approaches that rely solely on ion beam current can lead to inconsistent ion beam geometries. Further, due to different ion beam geometries, extra time must be spent, for each batch, on ion beam measurement, parallelism setup, uniformity setup, and implant dose control.
In existing tuning methods, the beam-line elements are usually adjusted, one at a time, to maximize the ion beam current. Since each beam-line element may have several settings, an ion implanter system with multiple beam-line elements can have numerous combinations of settings. The one-element-at-a-time approach is effectively a blind search in a vast data universe and therefore is very time-consuming. This approach also tends to ignore the correlations among the various beam-line elements. Since a small change in one beam-line element often results in a shift of an optimal point in another, the one-element-at-a-time approach can easily mistune the ion implanter system.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a solution for tuning an ion implanter system which overcomes the above-described inadequacies and shortcomings.

Technique for tuning an ion implanter system


An interexchange carrier (IXC) switch and an associated database route qualified calls dialed to local service provider (LSP) subscribers onto interconnecting facilitiies with local access settlement rates, thereby allowing a local rather than toll cost structure. The IXC switch and associated database operate with existing toll features including those features which translate a private dialed number into a public number. The IXC switch and associated database classify the call into a jurisdictional classification from a customer billing and feature application perspective, and from a routing perspective independent of the customer billing and feature application classification. The jurisdictional classification can include, example, local, toll, interLATA toll or intraLATA toll.

Conventional system for originating and receiving telephone calls, particularly long distance or international telephone calls, typically involve routing through the facilities (e.g., switches) of a local service provider (LSP), i.e., local exchange carrier (LEC) in the United States. With respect to outgoing calls placed from a subscriber location, the LSP switch serving the subscriber's customer premises equipment (CPE) senses an off-hook condition and extends dial tone. Alternatively, the CPE may extend dial tone to the end user, analyze the dialed digits, seize an appropriate trunk for routing the call and send the dialed digits to the LSP switch. When the dialed digits are received in the LSP switch, any features associated with the originating subscriber, such as speed dialing, are applied to the call, and the call is then routed to the desired destination. If the call is a long distance call that is thereafter routed to a long distance or interexchange carrier (IXC) such as AT&T, then the IXC will pay the LSP for servicing the call, in the form of an "access charge", and the subscriber pays the IXC for the call, and pays the LSP and/or IXC for any originating features provided.
With respect to incoming calls received at a called party location, a similar condition prevails. Long distance calls destined for a called party are routed by the IXC to the terminating switch or associated tandem switch operated by the LSP that services the called party location. At the LSP terminating switch, any features associated with the called subscriber location, such as call forwarding and distinctive ringing, are applied to the call, and the call is then completed. Again, the IXC will pay the LSP for servicing the call, in the form of an "access (or egress) charge", and the subscriber will pay the LSP for any terminating vertical services provided.
One prior art system has attempted to allow the CPE to exchange information directly with the IXC switch while bypassing the access/egress charges associated with routing calls through LSP switches. U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,111 issued to Schlanger, on Jul. 2, 1996 and assigned to AT&T Corp., herein incorporated by reference, utilizes a "virtual pipe" to establish a virtual connection between the CPE and the IXC switch through the LSP network. Once the virtual pipe is established, the subscriber can originate calls to the IXC switch without being detected by LSP and without affecting the connection that exists through the LSP switch. The Schlanger system, however, suffers from routing the call through the LSP switch and, therefore, relying on the LSP to provide the hardware connection at reasonable access rates.
In addition to being connected through a traditional connection to a LSP switch, a business' CPE, such as a private branch exchange (PBX), can also be connected through a nodal connection to an IXC switch, for example a 4ESS.TM.. A nodal connection is a direct transmission path from the CPE to the IXC switch without being routed through a LSP switch. By taking advantage of the direct connection between the CPE and the IXC switch and by allowing the IXC switch to support at least a subset of local call functionality, the disadvantages of the prior art can be overcome while allowing the IXC to route some calls as local calls that otherwise would be routed to the LSP switch at toll rates.
Several problems, however, prevent an IXC switch from easily supporting at least a subset of local call functionality to customers connected by a nodal connection. First, the IXC switch must distinguish a local call from a toll call from any other type of call. Typical interconnection arrangements between carriers define higher access rates for toll calls delivered to an LSP for completion, compared to the corresponding rate for local calls. Because an IXC switch supporting at least a subset of local call functionality would receive both toll calls and local calls, the IXC switch must distinguish a local call from a toll call from any other type of call or else the IXC switch cannot support routing with local access rates and would be limited to the IXC toll access rates with the LSP.
Second, to develop competitive offers to customers, an IXC switch supporting at least a subset of local call functionality must classify a call as local or toll for customer billing and billing related features independent of whether a call is eligible for delivery to the LSP network for completion at local or toll rates. For example, a call eligible for delivery to another LSP for completion only at toll access rates may be billed to the customer as either a local or toll call, depending on the calling offer the IXC has extended to the customer. Similarly, a call eligible for delivery to the LSP for completion at local access rates may be billed to the customer as either a local or toll call, depending on the calling offer the IXC has extended to the customer.

Method and apparatus for providing combined communication services including local service and toll service


A semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor layer, a charge accumulation layer on top of the semiconductor layer, a doped region in direct physical contact with the semiconductor layer; and a device layer on and in direct physical contact with the charge accumulation layer. The charge accumulation layer includes trapped charges of a first sign. The doped region and the semiconductor layer forms a P−N junction diode. The P−N junction diode includes free charges of a second sign opposite to the first sign. The trapped charge in the charge accumulation layer exceeds a preset limit above which semiconductor structure is configured to malfunction. A first voltage is applied to the doped region. A second voltage is applied to the semiconductor layer. A third voltage is applied to the device layer. The third voltage exceeds the first voltage and the second voltage.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to gate charge neutralization, and more specifically, to charge neutralization in semiconductor structures.
2. Related Art
In a typical semiconductor structure comprising an oxide layer, holes may be trapped in the oxide layer causing the semiconductor structure to malfunction. Therefore, there is a need for a structure (and a method for operating the same) that allows for neutralizing the trapped charges.

Neutralization of trapped charge in a charge accumulation layer of a semiconductor structure

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for forming a chromium-rich layer on the surface of a nickel alloy workpiece containing chromium includes heating the workpiece to a stable temperature of about 1100xc2x0 C., and then exposing the workpiece to a gaseous mixture containing water vapor and one or more non-oxidizing gases for a short period of time. The process conditions are compatible with high temperature annealing and can be performed simultaneously with, or in conjunction with, high temperature annealing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to increasing the corrosion resistance of austenitic alloys such as nickel-based alloy materials, and more particularly to the formation of a chromium-rich, protective oxide layer on the surface of nickel-based alloy tubing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nickel-based alloys containing chromium, such as Alloy 600 (UNS designation N06600) and Alloy 690 (UNS designation N06690), are commonly used in nuclear reactor systems, for example as tubing in nuclear steam generators. Release of nickel from the tubing during operation contributes to radiation fields in the primary circuits of water-cooled nuclear reactors. This is undesirable, since it increases the exposure of service personnel to radiation during maintenance.
The formation of an oxide layer on materials used in a nuclear reactor environment is known to inhibit corrosion during operation, thereby reducing radiation levels. Chromium-rich oxide surface layers are especially desirable, since they form self-healing, protective surface layers on nickel-based alloys. Iron oxide and nickel oxide layers on nickel-based alloys are not self-healing, and are therefore less desirable than chromium oxide layers. In addition, a chromium-rich oxide is a more effective barrier to the transport of nickel from the base metal. Thus the reduction of nickel release through controlled oxidation, or passivation, to produce a chromium-rich surface is a desirable goal.
Oxide layers can be formed on metal surfaces by exposure to aqueous environments at low to moderate temperatures, or by exposure to gaseous environments at moderate to high temperatures. Because of a focus on the treatment of tubing in completed and installed steam generators, efforts within the industry have been directed primarily toward aqueous oxidation processes or moderate temperature steam oxidation. Processes are known to build up a protective oxide layer on an Alloy 690 tube surface by exposing the surface to an aqueous solution containing lithium and hydrogen at 300xc2x0 C. for 150 to 300 hours, or by exposure to wet air at 300xc2x0 C. for 150 to 300 hours. In another known process, Alloy 690 surfaces are exposed to a gaseous Arxe2x80x94O2xe2x80x94H2 mixture at intermediate temperatures of 573 to 873xc2x0 K. (300-600xc2x0 C.) for times between 15 and 480 minutes in a microwave post-discharge to produce a chromium-rich, protective oxide layer.
The above approaches suffer from long processing times and may impose risks to completed vessels during processing. A further problem is the relatively thin oxide layer [typically 10-50 nm and usually  less than 100 nm] that is formed.
Austenitic alloys containing appreciable amounts of chromium are often annealed under conditions specifically selected to retain a bright surface condition, with little or no oxidation or discoloration. The annealing process conditions are normally chosen to minimize oxide formation, rather than to deliberately produce an oxide of controlled thickness. A common way of achieving this is to use hydrogen gas with a very low moisture content, as measured by a low dew point of xe2x88x9240xc2x0 C. or lower, during the annealing process.
From the preceding discussion it is apparent, that a rapid method for producing a protective layer on nickel-based alloys would be welcomed by industry.
The present invention employs a controlled mixture of water in otherwise pure non-oxidizing gas to produce a protective, chromium-rich layer on a nickel-based alloy workpiece containing chromium, such as Alloy 600 and Alloy 690 nuclear steam generator tubing. The chromium-rich layer is produced from chromium already present in the workpiece. No external sources of chromium are required eliminating the need to buy, handle and dispose of unused amounts of this potentially hazardous material. The relatively thick chromium oxide layer provides a long term barrier to the release of nickel. The process conditions of the invention are compatible with high temperature annealing manufacturing steps. The invention can therefore be practiced simultaneously or in conjunction with high temperature annealing operations, for example during the manufacture of nuclear steam generator tubing. The invention thus provides a rapid and low cost method of passivating a nickel-based alloy workpiece containing chromium and preventing release of nickel into nuclear reactor primary coolant, while maintaining short construction schedules. Performing the passivation during tube manufacture also avoids the risks and penalties of passivating tubing in the finished vessel.
Accordingly one aspect of the present invention is drawn to a method of forming a chromium-rich layer on a surface of a nickel-based alloy workpiece that contains chromium. The chromium contained in the workpiece is oxidized by heating the workpiece to a temperature sufficient to oxidize the chromium, and exposing the workpiece to a gaseous mixture of water vapor and one or more non-oxidizing gases.
Another aspect of the invention is drawn to a method of forming a chromium-rich layer, including chromium oxide, on a surface of a nickel-based alloy workpiece that contains chromium, by heating the workpiece to a temperature of about 1100xc2x0 C., and exposing the surface of the workpiece to a flowing gaseous mixture of hydrogen and water having a water content in the range of about 0.5% to 10% for at least about 3 to 5 minutes.
Yet another aspect of the invention is drawn to a method of forming a chromium-rich layer consisting essentially of chromium oxide, on a surface of a nickel-based alloy workpiece that contains chromium, by heating the workpiece to a temperature of about 1100xc2x0 C., and exposing the surface of the workpiece to a flowing gaseous mixture of hydrogen and water having a water content in the range of about 0.5% to 10% for at least about 3 to 5 minutes.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by it use, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

High temperature gaseous oxidation for passivation of austenitic alloys


The invention relates to a zoom lens and an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a slimmed-down zoom lens well fit for imaging apparatus inclusive of video cameras and digital cameras. The zoom lens comprises, in order from its object side, a first lens group having negative refracting power, a second lens group having positive refracting power, a third lens group having negative refracting power and a fourth lens group having positive refracting power. The first lens group consists of one negative component wherein one negative lens and one positive lens are cemented together. Upon zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end and the second lens group moves toward the object side with a decreasing spacing between the first lens group and the second lens group, a changing spacing between the second lens group and the third lens group and a changing spacing between the third lens group and the fourth lens group.

The present invention relates generally to a zoom lens and imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a zoom lens that is made much more compact and so lends itself to imaging apparatus inclusive of video cameras and digital cameras.
In recent years, attention has been paid to digital cameras as the next-generation cameras superceding film cameras. Those cameras have some wide categories from commercial high-end types to portable low-end types.
For digital cameras or video cameras falling under the portable low-end type category, there are mounting demands toward depth direction size reductions while making sure high image quality. The depth direction of a camera is significantly affected by the thickness of a lens system from an object-side surface to an imaging plane. Zoom lenses in particular tend to increase in terms of that thickness as images are being taken. For this reason, use of the so-called collapsible lens mount is now in vogue, in which the zoom lens is let out of a camera body as images are being taken while it is put away in the camera body as it is carried around.
Among compact zoom lenses so far known in the art, there is a so-called negative-power-ahead type zoom lens comprising, in order from its object side, a first lens group having negative refracting power, a second lens group having positive refracting power and a third lens group having positive refracting power, with its examples set forth in:
Patent Publication 1: JP(A)2002-142484
Patent Publication 2: JP(A)2003-177315
Patent Publication 3: JP(A)2007-65590
However, the zoom lens of Patent Publication 1 works against size reductions of a camera, because the first lens group having negative refracting power includes two lenses with an air spacing between them: the thickness of the first lens group on an optical axis is likely to increase, so that the thickness direction size of a lens barrel is not sufficiently thin even upon received at a lens mount.
The zoom lens of Patent Publication 2 may work for size reductions, because the first lens group having negative refracting power is made up of one negative lens. However, the use of one negative lens alone is likely to give rise to some considerable fluctuations of astigmatism and chromatic aberrations at the wide-angle end or during zooming, rendering it difficult to obtain high zoom ratios.
The zoom lens of Patent Publication 3 may work for size reductions and reductions of chromatic aberrations at the first lens group, because the first lens group having negative refracting power is made up of one lens component having a negative lens and a positive lens (the lens component here is defined as a lens block wherein surfaces contacting air on the optical axis are only two, i.e., an entrance surface and an exit surface). However, it works against making sure the angle of view and brightness because it is difficult to hold back fluctuations of astigmatism and so on.
In view of such problems as mentioned above, one object of the present invention is to provide a zoom lens that goes in favor of size reductions upon received at a lens mount, and enables optical performance to be easily kept intact even when the zoom ratio, brightness, and angle of view is ensured as desired.
Another object is to provide an imaging apparatus equipped with such a zoom lens.


The present invention concerns a pharmaceutical composition comprising an alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist for preventing or treating inflammatory pain and diseases in mucosa of oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. In another aspect the present invention provides mucosal bioadhesive slow release carriers for the extended and controlled release of alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonists that can be used on mucosal surfaces for preventing or treating inflammatory pain and diseases in mucosa of oral cavity.

The mucosa (or mucous membranes) lines various body cavities that are exposed to the external environment. It is at several places continuous with skin: at the nostrils, the lips, the ears, the genital area, and the anus. The mucosa is composed of nonkeratinised stratified squamous epithelium. Its function is to serve as a barrier to protect the underlying tissues and organs.
Inflammation is a complex biological response of vascular tissues and immune cells to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, like for instance chemotherapeutic agents or radiotherapy. It is characterized by five signs: rubor (redness), calor (increased heat), tumor (swelling), dolor (pain), and/or functio laesa (loss of function). Many kind of inflammatory disorders of the mucosa can appear. Some non limiting examples of inflammatory disorders are: mucositis, stomatitis, lichen planus, periodontal disease, aphtous ulcers, oesophagitis, rectitis, rectocolitis, and Crohn's disease. Inflammation is often cause of pain, like orodental and orofacial pain.
The function of mucosa, as described above, is particularly important for the oral mucosa (the mucous membrane of the inside of the mouth), the pharynx mucosa and the larynx mucosa. Indeed, the oral cavity, the pharynx and the larynx are an entrance to the digestive tract or the respiratory organ and are susceptible to many stimulations and injuries and cause many kinds of inflammation such as mucositis, stomatitis, lichen planus, periodontal disease, aphtous ulcers, orodental and orofacial pain. These painful inflammation diseases occur, in particular in the case of anticancer therapies.
One frequent complication of radiotherapy and chemotherapy is the damage called mucositis that occurs in the mucosa, and more particularly in the mucosal lining of the mouth, the pharynx and/or the larynx.
Oral ulcerative mucositis is a common, painful, dose-limiting toxicity of drug and radiation therapy for cancer (Scully C. Sonis S, Diz P D. Oral mucositis. Oral Dis 2006; 12:229-41). The disorder is characterized by breakdown of the oral mucosa that results in the formation of ulcerative lesions. In granulocytopenic patients, the ulcerations that accompany mucositis are frequent portals of entry for indigenous oral bacteria often leading to sepsis or bacteremia (Donnelly J P, Bellm L A, Epstein J B, Sonis S T, Symonds R P. Antimicrobial therapy to prevent or treat oral mucositis. Lancet Infect Dis 2003; 3:405-12).
Mucositis occurs to some degree in more than one third of patients receiving anti-neoplastic drug therapy (Sonis S T, Elting L S, Keefe D, et al. Perspectives on cancer therapy-induced mucosal injury: pathogenesis, measurement, epidemiology, and consequences for patients. Cancer 2004; 100:1995-2025). The frequency and severity are significantly greater among patients who are treated with induction therapy for leukemia or with many of the conditioning regimens for bone marrow transplant (Vera-Llonch M, Oster G, Ford C M, Lu J, Sonis S. Oral mucositis and outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation in patients with hematologic malignancies. Support Care Cancer 2007; 15:491-6). Among these individuals, moderate to severe mucositis is not unusual in more than three-quarters of patients. Moderate to severe mucositis occurs in virtually all patients who receive chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy for tumors of the head and neck.
Clinically mucositis progresses through three stages:                1. Early, painful mucosal erythema, which can be palliated with local anesthetics or non-narcotic analgesics.        2. Painful ulceration with pseudomembrane formation and, in the case of myelosuppressive treatment, potentially life-threatening sepsis, requiring antimicrobial therapy. Pain is often of such intensity as to require parenteral narcotic analgesia.        3. Spontaneous healing, occurring about 2-3 weeks after cessation of anti-neoplastic therapy.
The complexity of mucositis as a biological process has only been recently appreciated (Sonis S T. Pathobiology of oral mucositis: novel insights and opportunities. J Support Oncol 2007; 5:3-11), indicating that the fundamental mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of mucositis are much more complex than direct damage to epithelium alone. Mechanisms for radiation-induced and chemotherapy-induced seem to be similar. It has been suggested that the condition represents a sequential interaction of oral mucosal cells and tissues, reactive oxygen species, pro-inflammatory cytokines, mediators of apoptosis and local factors such as saliva and the oral micro biota. While epithelial degeneration and breakdown ultimately result in mucosal ulceration, it appears that the early changes associated with radiation-induced mucosal toxicity occur within the endothelium, and connective tissue of the submucosa.
Standard therapy for mucositis is predominantly palliative and focused on pain control and maintenance of nutrition. However, recent data indicates that even opiods are often insufficient to control mucositis pain. Currently, the only approved treatment for mucositis is palifermin (Kepivance®), and its application is limited to mucositis in patients undergoing conditioning regimens prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
In addition to the symptoms of mucositis and its impact on quality of life, mucositis adversely affects a variety of other health and economic outcomes. The duration of hospitalization and risks of serious infection are significantly increased in patients with oral mucositis, which results in an increase of use of resources and higher costs. Mucositis also threatens the efficacy of treatment plans by necessitating breaks in radiation therapy, reductions in doses of drugs used in chemotherapy and modifications in the selection of antineoplastic agents. There are currently many different treatments that are known to prevent or treat inflammatory pain and diseases in mucosa in the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx These treatments can be generally categorized as general oral care protocols, interventions to reduce the mucosal toxicity of chemotherapy drugs, mouthwashes with mixed actions, immunomodulatory agents, topical anesthetics, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agents, cytoprotectants, mucosal cell stimulants, psychotherapy and analgesics.
As the general oral care protocol regimens including dental work to eliminate caries and existing gum disease, as well as the frequent cleaning of the oral cavity can be undertaken.
Cryotherapy or allupurinol mouthwash can be used to minimize or prevent mucositis, as well as mouthwashes with mixed actions such as those containing benzydamine hydrochloride, corticosteroids and/or chamomile. Mucosal barriers such as sucralfate which binds electrostatically to ulcers, including gastric and oral ulcers is also being used in patients at risk of getting mucositis.
Cytoprotectants such as beta-carotene, vitamin E and oxpentifylline have also been tried to ameliorate mucositis in cancer patients. Low energy laser treatments, silver nitrate and glutamine have also been tried to decrease the duration of mucositis. Analgesics such as opioids are also generally used to reduce pain. Immunomodulatory agents such as granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), keratinocyte growth factor-1 and granulocyte stimulating factor (G-CSF) have been administered and can be effective in reducing and preventing the duration of mucositis. Topical anesthetics, antiseptics, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agents have also been used to treat or prevent mucositis.
These different treatments are still insufficient for preventing and treating inflammatory pain and diseases in mucosa. It is therefore extremely important that inflammatory pain and diseases in mucosa, particularly in mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and the larynx, be prevented or treated to reduce the severe conditions of the patients. Among inflammatory pain and diseases, the mucositis, and particularly mucositis of the oral cavity, the pharynx and the larynx, needs the development of new treatments.
Alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonists play a key role in smooth muscle contraction and neurotransmitter inhibition. Alpha-2-adrenergic agonists crossing the blood-brain barrier have a hypotensive effect and are called sympatholytic and centrally acting hypotensive drugs.
Clonidine hydrochloride, also known as Catapressan® is a centrally acting alpha-2 adrenergic agonist that stimulates the alpha-2 adrenoreceptors in the brain stem. It is generally used as an anti-hypertensive agent. However recently new uses for clonidine are under consideration for a variety of ailments. For example, clonidine can be used to treat insomnia or menopausal symptoms. It can also be used to treat some types of neuropathic pain (Joel B. Epstein and al, Journal of Orofacial pain 1997, volume 11, number 4 pp 346-352). However, the causative mechanisms of neuropathic pain are different compare to those of inflammation pain. Indeed neuropathic pain is produced by damage to, or pathological changes in the peripheral or central nervous systems. Examples of pathological changes include prolonged peripheral or central neuronal sensitization, central sensitization related damage to nervous system inhibitory functions, and abnormal interactions between the somatic and sympathetic nervous systems. The hallmarks of neuropathic pain are chronic allodynia and hyperalgesia. Examples of neuropathic pain include: monoradiculopathies, trigeminal neuralgia, postherpetic neuralgia, phantom limb pain, complex regional pain syndromes and the various peripheral neuropathies. Neuropathic pain tends to be only partially responsive to opioid therapy. In other applications clonidine is used to treat attention-deficiency hyperactivity disorder, as well as Tourette syndrome. However clonidine has never been used to treat inflammatory pain and diseases in mucosa, particularly mucosa of the oral cavity, pharynx or larynx and more particularly oral mucositis.
There are many different systems known in the art to deliver alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonists, besides the regular pill formulations. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,211 describes a therapeutic system in the form of a skin patch that administers clonidine transdermally in an initial priming dose of 10 to 300 μg/cm2 of skin that brings the concentration of clonidine in the blood to a level sufficient to elicit alpha-adrenergic stimulation without intolerable side effects, followed by a substantially constant continuous dosage in the range of 0.1 to 100 μg/hr that maintains this level. The system is a four-layer laminate of, from the top: a protective backing; a gelled, mineral oil-polyisobutene-clonidine reservoir lamina that is the source of the clonidine for the continuous constant dosage; a microporous membrane that controls the constant dosage rate; and a gelled, mineral oil-polyisobutene-clonidine contact adhesive layer that is the source of the clonidine for the priming dose and the means by which the system is attached to the skin. This patent describes the use of clonidine to treat hypertension.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,052 describes an adhesive tape preparation of clonidine comprising a polytetrafluoroethylene porous sheet having an air permeability of from 10 to 500 seconds having thereon an active ingredient-containing layer comprising a pressure-sensitive adhesive obtained by copolymerizing a monomer mixture comprising from 40 to 80% by weight of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, from 20 to 60% by weight of 2-methoxyethyl acrylate, and 0 to 40% by weight of vinyl acetate, the pressure-sensitive adhesive containing clonidine to treat hypertension as an active ingredient. The preparation achieves sustained release of clonidine and exhibits long-term preservability while minimizing skin irritation and maintaining sufficient adhesion to the skin.
A clonidine preparation for percutaneous administration comprising a support having provided thereon an active ingredient-containing layer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,974. The active ingredient-containing layer contains an acrylic polymer having a glass transition temperature of from −70° C. to −10° C. and pressure-sensitive adhesion at room temperature as a base, at least one of clonidine and clonidine hydrochloride as an active ingredient, and a decomposition inhibitor. The active ingredient can be stably maintained within the preparation without being decomposed, and, therefore, can be effectively released over a prolonged period of time.
There is disclosed a polymeric diffusion matrix for the sustained release of clonidine to treat hypertension by transdermal delivery to a patient wherein the matrix comprises a polar plasticizer, polyvinylalcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and a pharmaceutically effective amount of clonidine in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,303.
However, none of the above patents describe the mucosal delivery of at least one alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist or the use thereof to prevent or treat inflammatory pain and diseases in mucosa, and notably mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and/or the larynx. Thus, there is a need in the art to prevent or treat inflammatory pain and diseases in mucosa, and notably mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and/or the larynx in an effective manner and especially in cancer or immunodepressed patients or mammals such that cancer treatment can be maintained in successive treatments.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to prevent or treat inflammatory pain and/or diseases in mucosa, and notably, but not only, mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and/or the larynx, using at least one alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist and/or at least one pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to prevent or treat mucositis using clonidine, clonidine hydrochloride, clonidine derivatives or mixtures thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mucosal bioadhesive slow release carrier for mucosal delivery of at least one alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist, and/or at least one pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a mucosal delivery bioadhesive slow release carrier in which the at least one alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist and/or at least one pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof can be administered to prevent or treat inflammatory pain and diseases in mucosa and notably, but not only, mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and/or the larynx.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a mucosal bioadhesive slow release carrier that can contain a bioadhesive agent of synthetic, vegetal or animal origin, preferably from milk proteins or of pea protein origin that contains at least one alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist, and/or at least one pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to prevent or treat inflammatory pain and/or diseases in mucosa and notably, but not only, mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and/or the larynx.
Yet another object of the present invention is a method for delivering at least one alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist, and/or at least one pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to a mammal to prevent or treat inflammatory pain and/or diseases in mucosa and notably, but not only, mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and/or the larynx.
Methods of preventing or treating inflammatory pain and/or diseases in mucosa and notably, but not only, mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and/or the larynx are also objects of the present invention using at least one alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist and/or at least one pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
Use of the mucosal bioadhesive slow release carrier for the manufacture of medicaments containing at least one alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist, and/or at least one pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to prevent or treat inflammatory pain and/or diseases in mucosa and notably, but not only, mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and/or the larynx, is also an object of the present invention.
Yet another object is the use of at least one alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist, and/or at least one pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for preventing or treating inflammatory pain and/or diseases in mucosa and notably, but not only, mucosa of the oral cavity, the pharynx and/or the larynx.
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention as evidenced by the summary of the invention, description of the preferred embodiments and the claims.

Treating inflammation and inflammatory pain in mucosa using mucosal prolonged release bioadhesive therapeutic carriers