A method, structure, system of aligning a substrate to a photomask. The method comprising: directing light through a clear region of the photomask in a photolithography tool, through a lens of the tool and onto a set of at least three diffraction mirror arrays on the substrate, each diffraction mirror array of the set of at least three diffraction mirror arrays comprising a single row of mirrors, all mirrors in any particular diffraction mirror array spaced apart a same distance, mirrors in different diffraction mirror arrays spaced apart different distances; measuring an intensity of light diffracted from the set of at least three diffraction mirror arrays onto an array of photo detectors; and adjusting a temperature of the photomask or photomask and lens based on the measured intensity of light.

Current optical photolithographic techniques are unable to use light with a wavelength below 193 nm because fused silica (silicon dioxide) of conventional mask substrates is opaque to wavelengths below 193 nm. Substrate materials that are transparent to light with a wavelength below 193 nm have high thermal coefficients of expansion compared to silicon dioxide and thus expand and contract far too much to be used reliably in sub-193 nm lithography. Because the minimum feature size printable in an optical photolithographic system is a function of the wavelength of the actinic radiation (shorter wavelengths allowing smaller feature sizes) it would be useful to the industry to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.

Method and apparatus for measurement and control of photomask to substrate alignment

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for fabricating a polysilicon plug, to connect overlying metallizations, to underlying active device regions, has been developed. This process features filling a contact hole, to active device regions, with intrinsic polysilicon, and converting the intrinsic polysilicon to doped polysilicon, in all areas excluding the contact hole. The doped polysilicon is then selectively removed, leaving only the contact hole filled with intrinsic material. A doping process is then emoployed to lower the resistivity of the polysilicon in the contact hole.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the fabrication methods used for semiconductor devices, and more specifically to an optimized process for creating the interconnecting contact stud, between the active device region and the overlying metallization.
(2) Description of Prior Art
The trend in the semiconductor industry has been to manufacture silicon chips, featuring increasing device density and performance, while still however reducing, or maintaining costs. This has been accomplished by the ability of the semiconductor industry to continually reduce the size of device features, thus enabling greater densities to be achieved. The decreasing device dimensions have also benefitted performance objectives, in terms of allowing reduced capacitances and resistances to be realized.
The ability of the semiconductor industry to reduce critical device dimensions, to the sub-micron range, has largely been attributed to advances in several key semiconductor fabrication disciplines. For example achievements in photolithography, via the use of more sophisticated exposure cameras, as well as the development of more sensitive photoresist materials, have allowed micro-miniaturazation to proceed. In addition the rapid development of anisotropic dry etching procedures have allowed the sub-micron images, in masking photoresist, to be successfully transferred to underlying materials used in silicon chip fabrication processes. Other semiconductor fabrication disciplines, such as ion implantation as well as low pressure chemical vapor deposition, (LPCVD), have also been major contributors to the attainment of micro-miniaturazation.
Although these now achievable smaller devices can easily be manufactured, directly reducing cost and improving performance, specific vulnerabilities, in terms of reliability can exist. For example, contact studs, used to interconnect specific silicon device regions to overlying metallizations, can now be formed with diameters in the range of 0.25 to 0.50 micrometers. This reduction in the dimension of a critical device feature, although offering denisty improvements, also can create reliability concerns. For example if an aluminum based metallurgy were used for filling the narrow diameter contacts, the current density in the aluminum filled hole may exceed the capabilities of this material and lead to electromigration failures. In addition the solubility of silicon in aluminum, can lead to deletrious penetration failures, during subsequent processing heat treatments.
A material that can be used to successfully fill these small contact holes, without reliability, or penetration risks, is polysilicon. The current carrying capability of this material, and the ability to reduce the resistance of polysilicon, via conventional doping techniques, suggest this materitel as a excellent candidate for filling narrow contact holes. The problem the industry has been attempting to overcome, when using polysilicon contacts, is the ability to remove the unwanted material from areas other then the contact hole region. For example Bersom, et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,373, and Nakamo, et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,781, describe polysilicon contact processes, however without showing exact details needed to execute the fabrication of this structure. In addition Boyd, et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,998, show a polysilicon contact process using a chemical mechanical polishing procedure, used to remove the unwanted residual material. However this process, in addition to being complex, also can add significant cost to the process. This invention will describe a novel process, used to create a polysilicon contact, to a silicon device region, which is easy to implement, and without exhibiting significant process complexity or cost increases.

Fabrication method for polysilicon contact plugs

Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation


A hydrogen generator includes a water tank adapted to form a water chamber, and a water electrolysis cell disposed in the water tank. The water electrolysis cell includes a proton conductive membrane, an oxygen generator chamber side separator adapted to form an oxygen generator chamber, and a hydrogen generator chamber side separator adapted to form a hydrogen generator chamber, and a hydrogen outlet passage adapted to discharge generated hydrogen out of the hydrogen generator chamber. The oxygen generator chamber side separator includes a communicator passage adapted to communicate the oxygen generator chamber with the water chamber. The hydrogen generator obviates the manifolds of the conventional hydrogen generators in which the generated oxygen is likely to stagnate and hinder the water supply, and accordingly it can inhibit the hydrogen gas generating capability from deteriorating.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydrogen generator. In particular, the hydrogen generator comprises a water electrolysis cell which includes a proton conductor or membrane, or a plurality of the water electrolysis cells stacked together.
2. Description of the Related Art
Developments are now under way in the field of the hydrogen generation technology which utilizes the conduction phenomena or the ion exchange of cathode ions in polymer electrolytes.
FIG. 10 illustrates a construction of a conventional hydrogen generator which comprises a polymer electrolyte membrane (hereinafter referred to as a "proton conductive membrane"). For example, a proton conductive membrane 1 illustrated in FIG. 10 is made of a fluorocarbon resin having sulfonic acid groups, is provided with electrodes, e.g., platinum 2, 2, on both of the surfaces, and is a non-porous membrane. The conventional hydrogen generator comprises the proton conductive membrane 1 thus constructed, a pair of collectors 3, 4 holding the proton conductive membrane 1 therebetween, an anode terminal plate 5 connected with the collector 3, and a cathode terminal plate 6 connected with the collector 4.
Further, the conventional hydrogen generator is provided with an end plate 7 disposed therearound, and the end plate 7 is provided with a lower groove 8, a first upper groove 9 and a second upper groove 10 formed therein. Accordingly, the water to be subjected to electrolysis is introduced into the conventional hydrogen generator through a water supply port 8a of the lower groove 8, and is supplied to the collector 3 by way of the anode terminal plate 5. The collector 3 consumes some of the water to generate oxygen. The oxygen thus generated is discharged out through the first upper groove 9, again, by way of the anode terminal plate 5 together with the rest of the water.
The proton conductive membrane 1 conducts the hydrogen ions generated at the collector 3 to the cathode terminal plate 6 by way of the collector 4. The hydrogen ions thus conducted are converted into hydrogen gas at the collector 4, and are discharged out through the second upper groove 10 of the cathode terminal plate 6.
The thus constructed conventional hydrogen generator is disposed in a circulation circuit including a water tank. A predetermined voltage is applied between the anode and cathode terminal plates 5 and 6, thereby achieving a water electrolysis process which is affected less by the gas resistances and the ohomic losses. Thus, hydrogen can be generated continuously.
In the conventional hydrogen generator, when a fixed electric current flows in a unit area of the proton conductive membrane 1, the hydrogen generation increases in proportion to the area of the proton conductive membrane 1. However, the enlargement of the area of the proton conductive membrane 1 results in the increment in the overall amount of the electric current flowing in the proton conductive membrane 1, and eventually results in the upsizing of the electric power source. Consequently, the area of the proton conductive membrane 1 and the size of the electric power source are determined depending on the applications.
For instance, in the case of a conventional hydrogen generator to be boarded on a vehicle, the total area of a proton conductive membrane 1 is limited to about 100 cm.sup.2, and the electric current flowing in a unit area of the proton conductive membrane is restricted to fall in a range of from 200 to 300 mA/cm.sup.2. Even if such is the case, an electric current flows in an overall amount of from 20 to 30 A in such a hydrogen generator, and accordingly its battery consumes the electric current excessively.
Hence, a method has been devised in order to reduce the electric current consumed at the battery. In the method, the conventional hydrogen generator comprising the proton conductive membrane 1 is made into a cell, and a plurality of the cells are stacked. With this method, the cells can be connected in series or in parallel, and the area of the proton conductive membrane 1 per one cell can be reduced in each of the cells. Accordingly, the electric current can be consumed less at the battery while keeping a predetermined hydrogen generation. For example, in the case in which five cells are connected in series, the area of the proton conductive membrane 1 per one cell is one fifth of 100 cm.sup.2, e.g., 20 cm.sup.2, the unit voltage to be applied to one cell is from 2 to 2.4 V, the overall voltage to be applied is five times of the unit voltage, e.g., 10 to 12 V, and the electric current is from 4 to 6 A. As a result, the electric current capacity of the battery can be reduced remarkably.
FIG. 11 illustrates such a hydrogen generator comprising five stacked cells. As illustrated in FIG. 11, one of the cells comprises the proton conductive membrane 1, and collectors 3 and 4 disposed respectively on the bottom and top sides of the proton conductive membrane 1. The voltage is applied to the top and bottom cells by way of the terminal plates 5 and 6. Four bipolar electrode plates 11 are disposed between the cells. A manifold 12 adapted to supply the water is piped to each of the anode side collectors 3 on one of the sides (i.e., the right-hand side in the drawing), and a manifold 13 adapted to discharge the oxygen and the water is piped to each of the collectors 3 on the other side (i.e., the left-hand side in the drawing). A manifold 14 adapted to discharge the hydrogen is piped to each of the cathode side collectors 4 on one of the side (i.e., the left-hand side in the drawing).
Through the water supply manifold 12, the water is returned from the water tank (not shown) by way of an ion-exchange resin 15 and a check valve 16. The check valve 16 is operated so as to open and close depending on the pressures of the oxygen gas taken out of the discharge manifold 13. It is thus possible to control the water supply from the water tank to the hydrogen generator.
In the hydrogen generator comprising the five stacked cells, the hydrogen gas generated at the cathode sides of the cells is collected in and taken out of the manifold 14 by way of the cathode side collectors 4. The water to be subjected to electrolysis is divided into and supplied to each of the anode side collectors 3 through the manifold 12, and eventually is collected in and discharged out through the manifold 13 together with the generated oxygen.
However, in the case in which a plurality of the water electrolysis cells are stacked to use, and the generated gases are collected in the manifolds 13 and 14, there occur the differences in the gas generating capability among the cells when the contact resistances or the like fluctuate between the cells and the collectors 3, 4, between the collectors 3, 4 and the bipolar electrode plates 11, and between the bottom or top collector 3 or 4 and the bottom or top terminal plate 5 or 6, and accordingly there might arise a fear for the unbalance in the water supplies to the anode side collectors 3. The fear results from the following phenomena: Namely, the generated oxygen is usually released to the manifold 13, but it tries to go out through the water supply manifold 12. Then, when there arise the differences in the gas generating capability among the cells, the water in the manifold 12 is subjected to the oxygen gas pressure differences. As a result, it becomes hard to supply the water to the cells to which the generated oxygen exerts a large pressure.
Even when there occurs the unbalanced water supply at one of the five cells, the water can be supplied to the cell stack as a whole, as far as the other four cells are in their proper conditions, because the cells are connected by the water supply manifold 12. However, such an operation results in the further deterioration in the water supply to the particular cell, and, in an extreme case, there arises a cell to which no water is supplied at all. Thus, the operation adversely affects the overall hydrogen generating capability of the conventional hydrogen generator considerably.
In order to avoid this adverse operation, each of the cells may be provided with the check valve 16. However, if such is the case, the piping system becomes complicated, and accordingly, such a hydrogen generator is enlarged as a whole so that the advantages associated with the stacked cell construction have been lost.
In addition, the adverse operation resulting from the insufficient water supply occurs even in the conventional hydrogen generator having a single water electrolysis cell construction. Namely, there arises the circumstance that the oxygen is generated so excessively even in the single cell that the water supply cannot catch up with the excessive oxygen generation.


There are provided means for implementing an interface to view and explore socially relevant concepts of an entity graph including, for example, means of a social network system to perform operations including retrieving contextually relevant data for a plurality of concepts within an entity graph of the social network system; retrieving socially relevant data for a user's node within a social graph of the social network system; identifying intersects between the plurality of concepts within the entity graph and the social relevant data for the user's node within the social graph; selecting one of the plurality of concepts within the entity graph based on the intersects identified; and displaying the one of the plurality of concepts within the entity graph at a user interface associated with the user's node.

Within the sciences, a "social network" is a theoretical construct used to study relationships between individuals, groups, organizations, etc., in which such individuals, groups, and organizations are described within a social structure according to their respective interactions. Ties through which any given social unit connects represent the convergence of the various social contacts of that unit.
In modern times, social networks are now available to users of the public Internet as vast repositories of data between users of the social networks according to their respective relationships and interests, as well as providing a virtual on-line meeting place for such users of the social networks.
Users of these social networks can populate data about themselves, such as their interests, preferences, and so forth, and further establish express relationships between themselves and other users of the social network. These users, their preferences, interests, and relationships amongst other users within the social network represent what may be called a "social graph" within the social network.
Other data exists within these social networks which make it easier for users to share their interests and preferences in real-world concepts and places, such as their favorite movies, musicians, celebrities, soft drinks, hobbies, sports teams, activities, vacation destinations, cities visited, cities in which the users live, and so forth. This data about real-world concepts, places, and things represent what may be called an "entity graph" within the social network.
Unlike the social graph, however, which enjoys well established pages to display information particular to a given user of the social network, for example, the user's "profile" or home page, no such structure or means exists in the conventional arts when it comes to the "entity graph." Display of such information related to real-world concepts, places, and things within the entity graph of the social network is further complicated by the fact that no individual "user" owns or is responsible for a given real-world concept.
The present state of the art may therefore benefit from the systems, methods, and apparatuses for implementing an interface to view and explore socially relevant concepts of an entity graph as described herein.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for implementing an interface to view and explore socially relevant concepts of an entity graph


The optical device includes a light sensor positioned on a base. The light sensor is configured to receive an input light signal and outputs a passed light signal that includes light from the input light signal. The optical device also includes a return system located on the base. The return system is configured to receive the passed light signal from the light sensor and to return at least a portion of the light from the passed light signal back to the light sensor.

The use of optical and/or optoelectronic devices is increasing in communications applications. These devices can include light sensors that receive light signals from a waveguide. These light sensors use a light-absorbing medium that absorbs light received at the light sensor. The bandwidth of the light sensor is the range of wavelengths that can effectively be detected by the light sensor. The bandwidth of the light sensor is generally determined by the material used for the light-absorbing medium. For instance, many light sensors use germanium for the light-absorbing medium.
Light used for communications applications typically has a wavelength in the range of 1500-1600 nm. However, when the wavelength becomes longer than 1550 nm, the absorption of light by germanium decreases because the photon energy falls below the germanium bandgap. As a result, the light sensors that use germanium for detection of wavelengths longer than 1550 nm are typically long and/or use thick layers of germanium in order to increase the opportunity for the germanium to absorb the light. However, increasing the length and/or thickness of the germanium increases the capacitance of the light sensor and accordingly ends up reducing the bandwidth of the light sensor. As a result, there is a need for a light sensor construction that improves bandwidth without increasing capacitance.

Enhancing the bandwidth of light sensors on planar optical devices comprising a light sensor configured to output a passed light signal and to receive at least a portion of the passed light signal

Mellanox Technologies Silicon Photonics Inc.


An apparatus includes an overlay mark. The overlay mark includes a first portion including a first pattern and a second portion including a second pattern. The first pattern includes a plurality of first features and a first center feature each separated by a gap along a first direction. At least two gaps are the same but are different from the other gaps, and the first centers are symmetric with respect to the first center feature. The second pattern includes a plurality of second features and a second center feature each separated by a gap along the first direction. At least two gaps are the same but are different from the other gaps, and the second features are symmetric with respect to the second center feature. The first center feature of the first pattern is aligned with the second center feature of the second pattern along a second direction.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. However, these advances have increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed. In the course of integrated circuit evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased.

Overlay mark and method of fabricating the same

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A drilling tool, in particular for use in axially striking drive machines for drilling in rock, concrete or the like, which drilling tool is designed from both a vibration point of view by varying the abrupt changes in cross-section and from a drilling point of view by optimising the transport of the drilling dust. In order to arrange, from a vibration point of view, the abrupt changes in cross section, caused by the flute webs, in asymmetrically arranged axial positions, the inclination of the conveying flute constantly changes its size within a lead. Furthermore, the radial, tangential and axial force vector which acts on the drilling dust constantly changes its size, the radial force vector also changing its direction. In this way, the drilling dust is subjected to a constantly changing acceleration.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a drilling tool according and more particularly for drilling in hard substances such as rock or concrete with axially striking drive machines.
2. Discussion of the Background
EP-B1-0,126,409 has disclosed a drilling tool of the type as defined in the preamble. In this known drilling tool, the drilling-dust flute does not run at constant inclination over its entire length. On the contrary, it has its smallest inclination in the area of the drill head, while it preferably has steadily increasing inclination in the remaining area. In this way, the uniform spacings, present in drilling tools having uniform inclination, between the abrupt changes in cross-section which result at the transition of the drilling-dust flute to the helix webs are avoided. According to the findings in this prepublication, uniformly spaced abrupt changes in cross-section result in disadvantages with regard to the superimposition of vibrations, resonance phenomena and sound emission. To optimally convert the striking energy of the striking impulse and thus to convert a higher cutting energy as well as to obtain a decrease in the sound emission, the known device therefore proposes a steadily changing inclination in the conveying helix. In particular exemplary embodiments, sectional areas are also provided with uniform inclination, but they extend over a different number of leads. However, the essential point of the known device is to obtain, in the area of the drill head, a conveying helix having small inclination and thus a large lateral supporting surface as a drill guide surface. However, this inclination is to increase steadily or continuously in the direction of the drill chucking shank.
Furthermore, in the known publication, it is stated in columns 5 to 7 that the drilling-dust flutes in the area of small angles of inclination, i.e. in particular in the area of the drill head, have a virtually rectangular cross-section, the respective back face or outer circumferential face of the flute web forming virtually a 90.degree. flank angle to the drilling-dust carrying surface. Accordingly, in the conveying-helix area having small inclination, relatively wide drilling-dust carrying surfaces for the accumulating drilling dust and thus reliable disposal flutes for the drilling dust are formed.
Furthermore, the known publication points out that the rectangular cross-sectional shape of the drilling-dust flutes is not necessary in the area of large flute inclination. As the inclination of the conveying helix increases in the direction of the chucking end of the drill, the drilling-dust carrying surface adjoining the lateral back face of the flute webs becomes narrower and narrower, the at first 90.degree. flank angle continually increases and finally forms merely a curved connection to the respective back face. Adequate feed and transport of the drilling dust is guaranteed by the large flute cross-section (at increasing inclination) (at increasing inclination) flute 90.degree., the drilling-dust flute.
In this respect, it is also pointed out in the known publication that, even in conveying-helix areas having a large inclination, the approximately rectangular cross-sectional shape of the disposal flutes could of course be retained, i.e. a rectangular cross-section over the entire length of the drilling-dust flute.
This known publication therefore shows drillingdust flutes with varying inclination, the carrying surface of the drilling-dust flute in areas of small inclination being designed as a wide carrying surface virtually at right angles to the lateral back face of the flute webs, while, as inclination increases, this carrying surface runs as a carrying surface which becomes narrower and has a gradually curved transition to the lateral back face of the flute webs. The surface normal, i.e. a perpendicular force vector on this drilling-dust carrying surface, therefore also changes in its direction when inclination changes.
Drilling-dust flutes of this type are described in German Patent Specifications No. 1,291,707 and 1,927,754. Here, the drilling-dust carrying surfaces are shown as undercut, bulbous or pocket-shaped rounded portions whose radially outer transition surface to the lateral circumferential face of the drill or back face encloses an acute flank angle which is likewise approximately 90.degree. , and preferably 75.degree. to 80.degree. (see Patent Specification 1,927,754, column 4, line 37 ff.) If this specified flank angle .beta. is<90.degree., the undercut drilling-dust flute is designated by a "positive" flank angle. If the transition of the carrying surface to the side surface forms an angle .beta.>90.degree., this is designated by a "negative" flank angle.
The change in the drilling-dust carrying surface arising in EP-No. 0,126,409 mentioned above, as a result of the changes in inclination therefore corresponds to a gradual transition of the neutral flank angle (.beta..apprxeq.90.degree.) to a negative flank angle (.beta.>90.degree.).


High productivity thin film deposition methods and tools are provided wherein a thin film semiconductor material layer with a thickness in the range of less than 1 micron to 100 microns is deposited on a plurality of wafers in a reactor. The wafers are loaded on a batch susceptor and the batch susceptor is positioned in the reactor such that a tapered gas flow space is created between the susceptor and an interior wall of the reactor. Reactant gas is then directed into the tapered gas space and over each wafer thereby improving deposition uniformity across each wafer and from wafer to wafer.

Currently, crystalline silicon has the largest market share in the photovoltaics (PV) industry, accounting for over 85% of the overall PV market share. The relatively high efficiencies associated with crystalline solar cells compared to most thin-film technologies, combined with the abundance as well as the environmentally benign and non-toxic nature of the material, garner appeal for continued use and advancement. Going to thinner crystalline silicon solar cells is understood to be one of the most potent ways to reduce PV manufacturing cost and the resulting Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) because of the relatively high material cost of crystalline silicon wafers used in solar cells as a fraction of the total PV module cost (being on the order of 50% of the total PV module cost). And while deposition of epitaxial silicon film has been in use in the semiconductor industry (for applications such as bipolar chips and smart power devices), the high-productivity production of epitaxial crystalline silicon layers, including the production of monocrystalline silicon utilizing a single or double sided epitaxial deposition process, for use in solar cells or other applications at high production volumes and at a low cost has posed many challenges.
In the monocrystalline silicon epitaxy (epi) process, the film is deposited using a mixture of a silicon source gas, such as trichlorosilane (TCS), and/or silicon tetrachloride, and hydrogen at temperatures typically ranging between 1050° C. to 1250° C. Since deposition may happen on any exposed heated surface after the precursor gases are heated, it is advantageous to reduce the chamber area allocated to gas heating as much as possible. However, as the number of wafers in a conventional batch epi chamber increases so does the gas flow rate and the total heat rate. And one problem with increasing the heating area to accommodate the total heat rate for the higher gas flow rate is that this exposes a larger portion of the chamber to unwanted or parasitic deposition.
Furthermore, it is desirable to reduce the heated epi chamber areas (parasitic deposition regions) that are not covered by the target silicon substrates. The lower the ratio of uncovered to covered areas, the higher the effective source gas utilization and, potentially in most cases, the less the maintenance cost of susceptor cleaning. For this and other productivity related reasons, it is desirable to increase the number of wafers (or the wafer batch size) within a given deposition chamber. Similarly, and for other reasons such as thermal budget considerations and substantially increasing the manufacturing productivity, it may be desirable to grow epi films on both sides of the silicon substrate—such as applications where epi films that are deposited on both sides of a reusable crystalline semiconductor template are harvested and lifted off for solar cell fabrication at essentially double the harvesting rate of the single-sided templates.
One of the most promising technologies to achieve high solar cell efficiency at low silicon usage is the use of deposition of silicon as a thin film or foil between a fraction of 1 micron and 100 micron (μm) thickness on carrier wafers (templates). These templates have a designated weak release or separation (or cleavage) layer or layer system, which may be a porous semiconductor or specifically porous silicon layer, for the subsequent removal of said deposited thin semiconductor film or foil, which may require the use of a reinforcement layer to prevent mechanical breakage due to the thin (≦100 μm) and large (≧100 cm2) substrate sizes of the thin film or foil. Thus, at least a portion of such porous layers are used as designated weak layers along which the deposited epi film may be lifted off from the substrate that it has been deposited on. However, current deposition equipment and processes are too costly and complex for large scale high volume deposition of epitaxial silicon thin film.
Another complication in high volume manufacturing of epi films is the amount of power required for each tool to heat the substrates and the gas to the necessary process temperature. Because the peak power required for each tool often reaches hundreds of kilowatts or even megawatts, individual or multi-tool start-ups can create huge electrical surges and sags in the plant if not managed.
Yet another concern for growing high quality epi film on a silicon substrate is the presence of moisture adsorbed or trapped in the substrate. This is particularly important if the substrate surface is made porous or contains several anodically etched porous layers, as is the case, for example, with thin monocrystalline silicon epitaxy films intended for subsequent lifting from the base material (reusable template) through the use of a sacrificial porous layer. This problem is confounded when epi films are deposited on bi-layer or multi-layer (or graded porosity) porous silicon structures.
Designing highly productive equipment requires a good understanding of the process requirements and reflecting those requirements in the equipment architecture. High manufacturing yield of thin film substrates requires a robust process and reliable deposition equipment. Thus, a highly productive, reliable, and efficient reactor is essential for the high-throughput production of low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells.

High productivity deposition reactor comprising a gas flow chamber having a tapered gas flow space


In an air conditioning system for an aircraft cabin, stale air is withdrawn from the cabin, then filtered, compressed and cooled in a recirculation loop which returns the reconditioned air to an air distribution manifold that supplies the cabin with fresh air. The compression stage moves the air through the recirculation loop and is provided by an air compressor driven by a power turbine that is in turn rotated by a flow of cabin air to an overboard exhaust nozzle caused by a cabin-to-ambient pressure differential. Cooling is provided by an air/air heat exchanger that transfers heat from the recirculation air, warmed by the compression stage, to cooler air discharged from the output side of the power turbine and flowing to the overboard exhaust nozzle. In one embodiment, the foregoing recirculation loop is integrated with an air cycle machine refrigeration stage of a conventional cabin air conditioning system supplied by fresh engine bleed air. The filtered, compressed and cooled recirculation air is combined with the fresh air delivered by the output turbine stage of the air cycle machine, and spent air from the discharge side of the recirculation power turbine is, prior to being discharged overboard, ducted through a primary heat exchanger used for cooling of the fresh engine bleed air that supplies the air cycle machine. In an alternate embodiment, the cabin-to-ambient pressure differential for driving the recirculation loop power turbine is obtained from pressurized air (normally dumped directly overboard) in an avionics compartment of the aircraft, and the supply of stale cabin air for recirculation is provided by air drawn from a cargo compartment of the aircraft, which has air that is normally cooler than cabin air, thus eliminating the need for post-compression cooling of the recirculation air.

The present invention pertains to the recirculation of cabin air in an air conditioning system for a pressurized aircraft of the type in which fresh air is initially supplied to the cabin by bleeding air from one or more of the aircraft's engines and then conditioning such bleed air before introducing it into the pressurized fuselage shell.
Most turbojet aircraft used by commercial carriers and by the military, have cabin air conditioning systems that tap engine bleed air, condition it in a refrigeration pack, and then introduce the fresh air into the pressurized compartments of the aircraft. Typically, the fresh air conditioning is done in an Air Cycle Machine (ACM) refrigeration pack in which the bleed air is cooled by a combination of exchanging heat between the hot bleed air and cooler outside ambient air, and extracting work from the bleed air. First, the bleed air is compressed, and it is then allowed to expand in an expansion turbine, which cools the bleed air and in doing so performs work that is harnessed to drive the compressor. In some modern versions of ACM (three-wheel machines) part of the turbine work is absorbed by a fan that induces ambient air through the heat exchangers. In other aircraft air conditioning systems the bleed air is conditioned by a Vapor Cycle Refrigeration pack.
It has long been recognized that the use of bleed air in conjunction with ACM refrigeration has a number of shortcomings, including a primary disadvantage resulting from the amount of fuel that must be burned by the engines to support the aircraft's air conditioning system. The ACM expends fuel both in terms of the amount of engine bleed air that must be supplied to it, and in terms of the amount of drag on the aircraft attributable to the quantity of cooler ambient air that must be ingested for providing heat sinking for the bleed air. Although numerous improvements have been proposed, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,177,679 by D.F.J. Quick et al., in an effort to improve the overall efficiency of this type of aircraft air conditioning system, the inherent characteristics of cooling engine bleed air by an ACM result in a significant fuel burn penalty that thus far has not been satisfactorily overcome.
The above disadvantage of available air conditioning systems becomes even more acute when they are used in conjunction with today's high-bypass ratio engines, as contrasted with the now less popular low-bypass ratio engines. A high-bypass ratio engine has significantly greater constraints on the amount of bleed air that can be safely tapped from the engine before seriously interferring with the engine's performance. Thus, in order to provide a suitable cabin ventilation rate it is necessary to compete with the limited availability of bleed air that can be supplied by a high-bypass engine while still maintaining optimum performance.
Improvements have been proposed for reducing the dependence of cabin ventilation on the availability of engine bleed air to reduce operating penalty and engine thrust loss. For example, on the Model 747 aircraft, manufactured by The Boeing Company of Seattle, Wash., passenger cabin air is recirculated by electrically-powered ventilation fans that withdraw stale air from the cabin, force it through air filters and return it to the cabin. The electrically-powered recirculation fans do not provide additional cooling capacity. They in fact, impose additional cooling load on the ACM due to the energy they expend in recirculating cabin air. Also, the electrical power consumed by the recirculation fans adds to the fuel-burn penalty attributed to the air conditioning system since the on-board electrical generators are powered by the aircraft engines during flight.
Other known air conditioning systems have provided for recirculation of cabin air by withdrawing stale air from the cabin, compressing it and mixing the thusly compressed recirculation air in with the primary flow of fresh air derived from engine bleed air. Typically, the mixing point for the bleed air and the compressed cabin air is at a point upstream of one or more expansion turbines associated with an ACM refrigeration pack. Various versions of this kind of cabin-air recirculation system are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,477,931 issued to King; 2,491,462 issued to Wood; 4,021,215 issued to Rosenbush and 3,097,508 issued to Leech et al. Like the fan-powered recirculation system discussed above, the use of a compressor to recirculate the cabin air as part of the primary ACM refrigeration system achieves air recirculation only at the expense of fuel burn.
In other air conditioning systems, it is known to use the potential energy available from the differential pressure that exists between a pressurized aircraft cabin and ambient air, in order to power, at least in part, certain of the fresh-air supplying components of an air conditioning system. However, a turbine powered in this manner is typically used to augment the drive for one or more of the compressor stages of the primary fresh-air supplying system, such as an ACM, or to drive a simple fresh air supply that draws in fresh, ambient air. Examples of air conditioning systems in which the primary supply is in part powered by a cabin-to-ambient pressure differential are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,767,561 issued to Seeger; 2,734,356 issued to Kleinhans; and 2,777,301 issued to Kuhn.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to reduce, in an overall efficient manner, the amount of engine bleed air required to supply conventional, aircraft cabin air conditioning systems used on pressurized aircraft without degrading ventilation rate. A related object is to provide a net reduction of the fuel burn needed to operate the aircraft's air conditioning system at an operational level that supplies adequate amounts of conditioned air to the passenger cabin for pressurization, heating and cooling, and circulates such air for adequate smoke removal and ventilation.
Another object is to provide a cabin air conditioning system that achieves the foregoing objectives and is capable of being easily and inexpensively retrofitted to pressurized cabin aircraft having ACM or Vapor Cycle Refrigeration packs.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention are to provide method and apparatus for conditioning recirculation air in a manner that does not require any additional, external power, electric or pneumatic, for its operation; and does not require a complex or expensive control system.

Cabin-air recirculation system powered by cabin-to-ambient pressure differential


An auxiliary heating means for improving the melting efficiency of melter kettles used to melt thermoplastic pavement marking materials. The auxiliary heating means includes a tube assembly through which thermoplastic material received from the bottom of the melter kettle is transferred to the top of the melter kettle. The tube assembly comprises an odd number of tubes having augers therein. The tube assembly is coupled to a side portion of the melter kettle and located within a heat chamber through which hot combustion gases from a combustion chamber at the bottom of the melter kettle flow and transfer heat into the tube assembly. The heat chamber comprises an extended portion of a heat chamber that surrounds the melter kettle.

The present invention relates generally to melter kettles that are designed and used to melt thermoplastic materials that are applied to pavements such as roadways, airport runways, parking lots, bicycle paths and other surfaces requiring pavement markings. More particularly the present invention is directed to systems and methods to improve the melting efficiency of melter kettles.
Thermoplastic materials are the product of choice for many types of pavement marking operations. However, unlike most other types of marking materials thermoplastic materials must be melted to very high temperatures that can reach up to about 420° F. in order to be fluid enough to be applied.
Early types of thermoplastic material application equipment applied the thermoplastic material at slow rates. Therefore, the long melting times it took to melt thermoplastic materials in melter kettles were not a problem. Melter kettles could keep up with the low output of application equipment.
Eventually improvements in the designs of melter kettles achieved reductions of melting times. However, over time application equipment was improved to the point at which thermoplastic material could be applied at much faster rates than the improved kettles could keep up with melting the thermoplastic material. The present invention increases the efficiency of melting thermoplastic in melter kettles that can be mounted on either thermoplastic trucks, nurse trucks, trailers or the like.
For some time heat domes, also called heat risers or heat tubes, have been installed in melter kettles. The dome structure is formed by a tube of variable diameter that is attached to a hole in the base of a kettle where the OD of the dome base matches the ID of the hole in the base of the kettle. The top of the dome is closed by a metal disc. The dome reduces the heating surface area of the base. However, the dome provides additional circumference surface area that compensates for the loss of the heating area in a kettle with no dome and compensates for the lost surface area of the base within a few inches of dome height. From this point the dome adds melting (heat transfer) surface area to the kettle with a dome as compared to a kettle without a dome thereby increasing the overall heating surface area in the kettle that acts on thermoplastic material in the kettle. This reduces the ratio of thermoplastic material to melting (heat transfer) surface area of the kettle which improves heating efficiency. Additionally, heating thermoplastic material in a melter kettle from the middle of the kettle in an outwardly direction is more efficient than heat transfer from the outside of the kettle in an inward direction. Heat domes have reduced melting times in kettles. However, heated air in the dome cools as heat transfers through the dome wall and into the thermoplastic kettle. Melting times are reduced with the use of domes but still needed to be improved.
A recent improvement in melter kettle efficiency has been developed by the present inventor and is disclosed in U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/291,316, entitled "HEAT DOME TEMPERATURE REGULATING SYSTEM," filed Feb. 4, 2016. In this copending application a heat dome chimney stack tube is attached to the top center of a heat dome about which an agitator drive shaft tube rotates. Hot combustion gases travel from the heat dome up the center of the heat dome chimney tube stack and vent into a top tube drive shaft heat chamber that has driveshaft tube relief vents through which combustion gases vent into the atmosphere. The venting of the combustion gases can be regulated by providing a rotational vent relief collar about the top tube drive shaft heat chamber. This system exhausts combustion gases from the dome that has been heat depleted thereby allowing a continual flow of hot combustion gases to maximize/optimize efficient temperature in the dome such that the maximum amount of heat is transferred through the dome and chimney stack surface areas into the thermoplastic material in the kettle. In this system the heat dome chimney stack tube and rotational drive shaft become heating surfaces through the centerline of the melter kettle. This system improves the rate of thermoplastic melting.
Another recent improvement in melter kettle efficiency developed by the present inventor is disclosed in U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/322,640, entitled THERMOPLASTIC MELTING KETTLE MATERIAL CIRCULATION SYSTEM, filed Apr. 14, 2016. In this improvement a single vertical material transfer tube is affixed to the side of the thermoplastic melter kettle either directly to the kettle side wall or to the outer insulation skin. The tube is attached to ports at the bottom and top of the melter kettle and an auger rotated by a direct drive motor within the vertical material transfer tube moves molten material from the bottom of the kettle to the top. When the vertical material transfer tube is connected directly to the kettle outer wall the bottom interface is within the heat chamber's outer wall.
When the vertical material transfer tube is affixed to the outer insulation skin there is an extended heat chamber surrounding the vertical material transfer tube. A port larger in diameter than the lower material transfer tube allows heat from the combustion chamber to contact the vertical material transfer tube.
Another recent improvement in melter kettle efficiency developed by the present inventor is disclosed in U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/291,309, entitled THERMOPLASTIC KETTLE AUXILIARY HEAT EXCHANGER SYSTEM, filed Feb. 4, 2016. This invention combines an odd number of interconnected vertical tubes within an oil bath through which heated heat transfer oil flows. The function of the system is to increase the temperature of molten thermoplastic moving through the circuit of interconnected heat transfer tubes by action of an independent high BTU output furnace that heats circulated heat transfer oil that circulates around the interconnected tubes. Molten thermoplastic enters the base of the first tube through a kettle bottom material flow port and the tube bottom material flow port both of which are isolated from the oil bath. The molten thermoplastic reenters the kettle at the top center through the top flow tube that connects to the top of the discharge tube that is above the level of the kettle top and is isolated from the oil bath. Each tube contains an auger. The augers are interconnected by a gear train. A single hydraulic motor attached to any auger drives each gear and auger in a counter rotational direction. This circulates the molten thermoplastic material from the bottom of the kettle where it is hottest through the kettle bottom material flow port into the bottom of the first tube then up and down the plurality of tubes. The material flows up the last tube and through a tube top port which is isolated from the oil bath and through the top material flow tube located at a level above the top of the kettle. The molten thermoplastic is deposited near the top center of the kettle where it heats and displaces downward the thermoplastic at the surface of the kettle. The heat transfer oil enters the oil bath tub adjacent the thermoplastic discharge port where both the oil and thermoplastic are at their hottest temperature and is directed through and leaves the system adjacent the thermoplastic inlet port where it is heat depleted. When the system is disengaged and circulation ceases the hydraulic motors are run in a reverse direction to purge as much thermoplastic from all tubes except for the inlet tube. This will leave solid material in only the first tube so that when the system is restarted it will take less heat and hydraulic energy to engage the system and begin moving molten material.
There is a limit to the various available energy outputs of mobile equipment systems that can be incorporated in thermoplastic equipment such as heat, electrical, engine, hydraulic air and other systems. Some serious draw backs to thermoplastic oil bath auxiliary heat exchanger systems are that they require a separate high BTU boiler system, separate hot oil circuits as well as oil expansion chambers designed for use with exotic heat transfer oils some of which require inert gas blanket interfacing. The high BTU output boilers required need more space than is available on most thermoplastic application trucks. Where they can be used they require special designs and fabrication. Motors to run the hydraulics and oil circulation systems also are subject to space limitations. Weight is also a serious consideration. For each pound that the system weighs the carrying capacity of the thermoplastic application truck is reduced by a similar amount. Costs are high for all of the system components.

Thermoplastic kettle auxiliary heat exchanger system


A hand-held machine tool has an electric-motor drive and a machining tool. The electric-motor drive has an electronically commutated electric motor, and the electric-motor drive is provided to drive the machining tool. The electronically commutated electric motor has an outer diameter, and a ratio of the outer diameter of the electronically commutated electric motor to a diameter of the machining tool is a maximum of 0.42.

The prior art discloses hand-held machine tools, in particular angle grinders comprising an electronically commutated electric motor. Hand-held machine tools of this kind are available in various sizes and power classes. They are often difficult to design because, in particular, the geometric sizes of the components and the masses to be incorporated result in hand-held tools which are ergonomically unfavorable in terms of handling.

Hand-held machine tool having an electronically commutated electric motor as direct drive


An organic solvent-based ink for ink-jet printer comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of an aromatic sulfonamide and a hydroxybenzoic acid ester and an oil-soluble dye dissolved in an organic solvent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic solvent-based ink for use in an ink-jet printer.
2. Prior Art
Several systems have been proposed for ink-jet recording; electric field controlled jet that is ejected under an electrostatic attractive force; drop-on-demand ink (impulse jet) that is ejected under the oscillating pressure created by a piezoelectric transducer; and thermal ink jet that is ejected under the pressure created by air bubbles formed and grown with heat. These and other known methods of ink-jet recording are capable of producing an image with a very high degree of resolution.
Inks used in ink-jet printer are generally of two types: water-based inks which employ water as the principal solvent, and organic solvent-based inks which employ organic solvents as the principal solvent. Images printed with water-based inks are usually low in water resistance whereas organic solvent-based inks are capable of providing printed image with improved water resistance and the prints produced have excellent quality.
Whichever type of inks are used in ink-jet printer, abnormal ink ejection frequently occurs for various reasons such as nozzle clogging, filter clogging and time-dependent changes in ink properties. Since this has been a major cause of limited application of ink-jet recording systems, it is very important to develop inks, particularly organic solvent-based inks for ink-jet printer, that can be ejected in a more consistent way and many proposals have been put forth to meet this need. For example, with a view to stabilizing the dissolution or dispersion of coloring materials used in inks, Japanese Patent Publication No. 344/1982 and Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 78050/1980, 3871/1982, 3873/1982 and 36381/1986 (a term "OPI" herein means unexamined Japanese Patent Publication) have proposed improvements centering on the solvents to be incorporated in organic solvent-based inks. However, the experiments conducted by the present inventors have shown that these prior art organic solvent-based inks cannot always be ejected in a consistent way.

Organic solvent-based ink for ink-jet printer


A slot-closing device for closing a slot in a stator or a rotor of an electric machine includes a closure element which contains a ferromagnetic material. An adhesive layer disposed on the closure element is designed to expand and harden when heated. The adhesive layer contains a thermally activatable blowing agent configured as an expansion element which contains a closed cavity filled with gas. The cavity is partially enclosed by a thermoplastic resin in the expansion element.

The invention relates to a slot-closing device for closing a slot in a stator or rotor of an electric machine. The slot-closing device enables electrical conductive elements, for example copper bars, by means of which a three-phase winding is formed, to be fixed or retained in position in the slot. Also included in the invention are a device which can be embodied as a stator or rotor and a method for closing a slot of the stator or rotor.
The slots of electric machines serve to accommodate the insulated electrical conductive elements or, as the case may be, an arrangement of such conductive elements. The slots generally have a slot opening which is directed toward the air gap of the electric machine. The conductive elements can be inserted into the slot by way of the slot opening during the manufacture of the electric machine. In particular in the case of high-voltage machines, the practice is to make use of what are termed open slots, in which the slot opening extends over the entire slot width.
Once the conductive elements have been inserted, the slot opening must be closed in order to prevent the conductive elements from working their way out of the slot during the operation of the electric machine. The slot closure is usually achieved by means of solid slot closure elements, known as slot wedges. Said slot wedges may be fabricated for example from technical laminated materials by mechanical processing. Equally, they may be fabricated from thermoplastic or duroplastic molding materials by means of strand extrusion or injection molding.
The slot closure materials can be non-magnetizable composites, which therefore make no effective contribution to the magnetizability of the stator, as a result of which the power factor, efficiency and heat buildup, and consequently resistive losses, can exhibit unfavorable values.
In order to improve the magnetic flux guidance in the region of the slot opening, slot closures can be embodied in part using soft-magnetic materials, for example by means of iron-filled ferritic laminated materials. Such a slot-closing device is known from EP 2 706 649 A1, for example.
A major disadvantage with soft-magnetic slot-closing devices is that on account of the hard material used it is not possible to guarantee the permanent tightness of fit in the slot, because the soft-magnetic material executes a proper motion due to the magnetic alternating loads during the operation of the machine in combination with thermal load, thermomechanical alternating load and environmental influences, as a result of which proper motion the slot-closing device can shake itself loose.
In this regard it is known from DE 15 38 935 A to insert a slot wedge together with a plastic part into the slot, the plastic part being designed to increase its volume upon being heated and to maintain the increased volume even upon subsequently cooling down. A disadvantageous aspect with this arrangement is that in order to close a slot, a precise arrangement of the plastic part between a slot wall and the slot wedge is necessary initially before the fixing is possible by heating the plastic part. This makes the operating step of arranging the slot wedge in the slot very complicated and time-consuming.
JP S56 161486 A discloses a method for laminating wooden layers by means of an adhesive agent and bonding the laminated wooden layers together. The wooden layers are joined together by introducing heat in a press. The adhesive agent cures in the process. The adhesive agent itself contains microspheres.

Self-adhesive slot-closing device for an electric machine


A digital memory system adapted to store samples of a received radio frequency signal and enable retransmission of a radio frequency signal from such stored samples, such retransmitted radio frequency signal having a frequency related to the frequency of the received radio frequency signal. The received signal is heterodyned to a periodic sinusoid video frequency signal having a predetermined average level. A sequence of one-bit logical signals representative of the amplitude of the video signal relative to a predetermined level other than the predetermined average level is stored. The stored samples are returned and converted to a radio frequency signal having a frequency of the received signal. By using a non-average level as the threshold voltage, the spectrum of the signal retrieved from the memory will have reduced harmonic components relative to the fundamental frequency component.

This invention relates generally to digital memory systems and more particularly to digital memory systems which are adapted to store radio frequency signals and to enable subsequent retransmission of such signals.
As is known in the art, it is frequently desired to store a received radio frequency signal and later retransmit such signal. In one such system the received radio frequency signal is periodically sampled at or above the Nyquist frequency, each sample is next converted into a corresponding digital word and each digital word is then stored in a digital memory. When it is desired to retransmit, the stored digital words are sequentially read from the memory in the sequence in which they were stored and such digital words are converted into corresponding voltages to produce a radio frequency signal which is amplified and retransmitted.
With such arrangement the degree to which the retransmitted radio frequency signal resembles the received radio frequency signal is related, inter alia, to the degree of quantization of the samples, i.e. the number of bits in each digital word. On the other hand, the cost, weight and size of the memory system increases as the degree of quantization increases. In particular, as the number of bits representing each sample is reduced the retransmitted radio frequency signal will, as a result of the quantization error, include, in addition to a radio frequency signal having the frequency of the received signal, unwanted harmonics or spurious signals which distort and cause undesirable responses in the received signal which may interfere with the intended communication.


A device for controlling an AC motor for a fork lift truck comprises a detector to detect direction of rotation of an AC motor. The direction of rotation thus detected is compared with a desired direction of rotation of the AC motor, and the AC motor is controlled such that the AC motor operates in a power running mode when the actual direction of rotation of the AC motor is equal to the desired direction of rotation of the AC motor, but it operates in regenerative braking mode when said actual direction of rotation of the AC motor fails to be equal to the desired direction of rotation of the AC motor. The desired direction of rotation of the AC motor may be set manually by an operator or a driver of a vehicle drien by the AC motor.

The present invention relates to a device for controlling an AC motor which is used for driving a vehicle.
The AC induction motors are attracting attention as a promising substitute of a DC motor of an electric motor driven wheeled vehicle although the DC motors have been widely used due mainly to the fact that they are easy to control. As compared to the DC motors, they are simple in construction, easy to handle, of maintenance free because no brushes that are subject to wear are used, compact, light in weight, and suited for mass production. Besides after one charging operation, the motor vehicle with an AC induction motor can travel longer than with a DC motor. It is also possible to cause the AC motor to produce a drive torque as large as that required by the motor vehicle if appropriately controlled.
According to a known device for controlling an AC induction motor, if it is desired to change the direction of rotation to the reverse during forward running with the AC motor rotating in forward direction, a driver should step on a brake pedal to cause the AC motor to start regenerating braking to give a braking torque that is variable in proportion to the amount of brake pedal depression, and after the vehicle has come to a halt, he shifts a manipulator to the reverse to switch the direction of rotation of the motor by switching two motor drive signals among three-phase alternating drive signals.
The above mentioned copending U.S. application Ser. No. 810,686 discloses a device for controlling an AC induction motor. According to this proposed device, if a forward-reverse changeover switch is manipulated and the reverse is selected while the vehicle is travelling forward, the AC motor is caused to start regenerative braking. When the motor vehicle has come to a halt due to this regenerative braking, the two phases of the three phase motor drive signals are interchanged and the AC motor is caused to start power running. Since the regenerative braking of the motor is initiated upon recognizing a shift in position of the changeover switch, the processing of recognizing the shift in position of the change-over switch is needed. This processing requires a step of comparing the stored data for the position of the change-over switch with previously stored data for the position of the change-over switch.


A method for the treatment of wood by a wood preserving agent in a liquid or paste-like form, to be positioned (inserted) in a recess in the wood, which recess is subsequently sealed off.. The wood preserving agent contains a water-expelling agent, a water-repellent agent and a biocide.

The invention relates to a method for the treatment of wood using a wood preservative in liquid or paste-like form. Such a method for the treatment of wood using a biocide in a liquid medium is already known. One difficulty of this known method is that the penetrating capacity of the composition containing the biocide into the wood is extremely low. Attempts had been made to improve this by executing treatment under pressure and some small improvements has been achieved, but even so this is inadequate to provide a treated wood which, when exposed to weather conditions, will remain unattacked by fungi and other micro-organisms.
One further difficulty of the known methods is that the personnel who have to carry out the treatment are directly exposed to the effects of the composition, so that if this contains toxic fungicidal substances, special precautions have to be taken.
One further difficulty of the known methods is that under the influence of weathering, the fungicidal substances can be leached out of the wood very quickly, so that the wood is again exposed to the unimpeded action of fungi, with all the associated disadvantages. The treated wood can be sealed off by a covering layer, but particularly at the angle joints of window frames, where two frame sections are connected with each other, even a short period after application of the paint layer a seam forms as a result of expansion and contraction due to high or low external temperatures.
As a result of the latter-mentioned phenomenon, in spite of good maintenance of many buildings, wood rot is observed in window frames and door frames at the angle points on these frames. Repairs to these attacked locations incur high costs and cannot be undertaken immediately.
The present invention relates to a method for the treatment of wood using a liquid wood preservative whereby all the abovementioned difficulties are avoided.

Method for the treatment of wood by a wood preserving agent, as well as wood treated with such a wood preservative agent


In a public cloud environment, each consumer's/guest's workload is encrypted in a cloud service provider's (CSP's) server memory using a consumer-provided key unknown to the CSP's workload management software. An encrypted consumer/guest workload image is loaded into the CSP's server memory at a memory location specified by the CSP's workload management software. Based upon the CSP-designated memory location, the guest workload determines expected hardware physical addresses into which memory mapping structures and other types of consumer data should be loaded. These expected hardware physical addresses are specified by the guest workload in a memory ownership table (MOT), which is used to check that subsequently CSP-designated memory mappings are as expected. Memory ownership table entries also may be encrypted by the consumer-provided key unknown to the CSP.

In cloud services environments today, the cloud service provider's host workload management software (such as a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) in a virtualization environment) has full control over the guest workloads (such as guest Virtual Machines) that the host workload management software manages on behalf of a consumer of cloud services. The host workload management software can read or write to guest memory, modify the control flow of software executing the guest workload, read or modify guest register state, read or modify guest control structures, such as register values, and so on. This complete control of the execution of a guest workload poses a security risk that the host workload management software is compromised and may modify the guest workload such that consumer's secrets and data residing within the guest workload are exposed.

Cryptographic memory ownership table for secure public cloud


To provide the possible largest number of representative images of the image data recorded on the recording medium on the surface of a recording medium which is limited in size.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a representative image providing system and a representative image providing method for providing the surface of a recording medium such as a DVD-R on which pieces of image data are recorded with representative images respectively representing the pieces of image data recorded on the recording medium, and a computer program for causing a computer to execute the representative image providing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prints printed from silver-salt photographic film have been employed for various purposes such as to check the conditions of photos, to show the prints to user's friends to communicate with them, to enlarge the photos for decoration, to apply them to an album, or the like. However, the prints printed from silver-salt photographic film is disadvantageous in that they soon form a mass when ordering is neglected and it is difficult to search for a desired one or to make additional copies of a desired one in the mass. Especially, when prints have formed a mass, since the prints are generally disorderly arranged without taking into account the order of photographing, ordering of the prints becomes harder.
If ordering is frequently done, application of the prints may be facilitated. However, classification of a mass of prints by the order of photographing or theme takes a very long time. Further, even if the prints are ordered and applied to an album, it is difficult for the prints to be enjoyed by many people or by remote people since usually the album is only one.
Further, when ordering of prints is neglected, not only the prints but also the negatives form a mass. In such a case, the negatives are frequently left as they are, and even if ordering of prints is carried out, the negatives are frequently disorderly stored in a box or a bag. Further as the user or the photographer ages, and his or her family becomes large due to his or her children or grandchildren, prints or negatives increase at a high rate, and accordingly, when ordering is neglected, a very large mass of prints or negatives is left. Prints or negatives are seldom discarded since additional prints and/or negatives cannot be printed if prints or negatives are once disposed, and accordingly, many families are now in a difficulty with how to order prints and/or negatives or where prints and/or negatives are to be placed.
There has been proposed a photo service system where the images recorded on the negatives or the prints are read out by an image reading unit such as a scanner, and image data representing the images is stored in a recording medium such as a CD-R so that the images can be enjoyed through a reproduction system such as a personal computer or can be output as a print in response to user's request. (See, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 10(1998)-150538 or 10(1998)-150541. Further, there has been proposed a network photo service system where image data is transferred to an image storage server, which stores image data, by way of a network such as the internet so that the images can be enjoyed through a terminal unit remote from the image server or variously processed according to the print orders or the like. See, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11(1999)-154218.
However, in the image storage system described above, since the step of developing and printing the negatives involves reading the images recorded on the negatives and storing the obtained image data by film rolls, work of linking the customer who requested storage of the image data with each film roll is troublesome. Further, since in the system, images are only read from negatives and stored, when images are read from a vast amount of negatives or prints left in the home, a very large mass of image data comes to be stored without ordering. In this case, the very large mass of image data must be ordered by the customer himself or herself who has accessed the image storage server and the work is very troublesome as the order of prints or negatives, whereby the system is very inconvenient to use.
Accordingly, there is proposed, as disclosed, for instance, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030151767, a photo-mining service system where image data is obtained from a recording medium such as prints or photographic film on which images are recorded and the obtained image data is stored linked with recording medium information representing the recording medium from which the image data is obtained customer by customer on the basis of customer information. With this system, the customer can refer to a vast amount of negatives or prints, which have been left in a mass in his or her home, in a state ordered on the basis of the recording medium information by only requesting reading of images to a shop.
In the system disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030151767, it is conceivable to provide to the customer a recording medium such as a DVD-R on which image data representing images obtained by read-out is recorded. At this time, it is possible to generate image data in a slide show format on the basis of the image data and record it on the recording medium together with the image data. With this, the customer can enjoy a slide show through his or her DVD player as well as to enjoy the image represented by the image data through a terminal unit such as a personal computer.
Whereas, one sometimes wants to deliver image data recorded on a recording medium to others. For example, parents want to deliver their child images related to the child out of the images recorded on a recording medium when the child marries. In such a case, the parents will deliver the recording medium to a shop and the shop reads out from the recording medium image data including the name of the child in the comment attached thereto on the basis of the comments attached to the image data and records the image data read out and image data in a slide show format on a new recording medium.
When the customer repeats the order for photo-mining service, he or she comes to possess a plurality of recording media. In this case, the customer delivers the plurality of recording media to a shop and the shop reads out from the recording media image data including the name of the child in the comment attached thereto on the basis of the comments attached to the image data and records the image data read out on a new recording medium.
Further, there has been put into practice to provide the surface of a recording medium with representative images respectively representing the pieces of image data recorded on the recording medium. With this arrangement, by viewing the surface of the recording medium, what kinds of image data are recorded on the recording medium can be known.
When providing the surface of a recording medium with representative images respectively representing the pieces of image data recorded on the recording medium, it is preferred that all the representative images on the original recording media be provided on the surface of the new recording medium together with the representative images for the image data recorded on the new recording medium. When a recording medium on which desired image data or desired animation data is recorded is searched for among a plurality of recording media on which a large number of pieces of image data are recorded, it is preferred that approximate period at which the desired image data is obtained be easily known. However, since the surface of the recording medium is limited in size, it is difficult to provide all the representative images on the original recording media and the representative images for the image data recorded on the new recording medium on the surface of the new recording medium.

Representative image providing system and representative image providing method

Abstract: When recording image data recorded on two DVD-Rs on a new DVD-R, a lenticular image synthesis is carried out on the representative images D1 and D2 provided on the surface of the original DVD-Rs and a representative image D3 of the new DVD-R to generate one synthetic representative image D10 and the synthetic representative image D10 is printed on the surface of the new DVD-R.


The present invention relates to dry cleaning system and method thereof. According to the present invention, the dry cleaning system and method provide more economical, safe, convenient, and/or eco-friendly washing.

Dry-cleaning apparatuses (systems) are known which comprise a rotary drum for containing articles, means for feeding and draining a solvent, and a closed circuit for circulating air for drying the articles contained in the drum and configured to allow air to flow through the drum. There is a need for new dry-cleaning apparatuses and methods that can clean articles more cost-effectively and/or safely and/or conveniently and/or environment-friendly.


A method for requesting a closure of a track section and a closure revocation by way of a closure signal sent by a communication device, having a monitor on the track section, to a signal box and by way of a sent closure revocation signal. In order to render such a method more secure, the sent signals are secured by way of a secure computer module that can be optically coupled to the monitor, and a signal box is used which is expanded in such a way that the signal box detects the sent and secured signals and sends confirmation signals to the secure computer module. There is also provided an assembly with a communication device having a monitor on a track section.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for requesting a closure of a track section and a closure revocation by means of closure signal sent by means of a communication device having a monitor on the track section to an interlocking and by means of a sent closure revocation signal.
In a known, long-practiced method of this type a telephone is used as the communication device, with which for example a closure signal for the track section is transferred in the form of a telephone call to the operations center of the interlocking responsible by a maintenance gang sent out to do repair work at the track section for example, in order to obtain a closure of the track section for rail traffic. Unless there are reasons for not doing so, the track section is closed by the operations center of the interlocking and this closure is confirmed to the maintenance gang by telephone. A similar procedure is used for the closure revocation, i.e. the withdrawal of the closure. In this method non-secure components are used throughout and security is only created via procedural security. Ultimately communication is only conducted with confirmation by voice. This even applies if, in a contemporary context, a communication device with a monitor is used, such as a smartphone for example.

Method for requesting a closure of a track section and a closure revocation and assembly having a communication device on a track section


Signal charges generated by a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are transferred to first and second horizontal charge transfer registers via corresponding vertical charge transfer registers. The first and second horizontal charge transfer registers transfer the signal charges to first and second output portions, respectively. The first and second output portions convert the signal charges into voltages. The first and second output portions respectively include first and second signal charge detectors, first and second transistors each having a source, a drain, and a gate, and first and second charge sweeping regions, each having a charge sweeping control gate and a charge sweeping drain. The first signal charge detector, the source, the drain, and the gate of the first transistor, and the charge sweeping control gate and the charge sweeping drain of the first charge sweeping region are almost congruent to the second signal charge detector, the source, the drain, and the gate of the second transistor, and the charge sweeping control gate and the charge sweeping drain of the second charge sweeping region, and the former components are overlaid almost completely on the latter components by a translational movement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to solid-state imaging devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an example of a known solid-state imaging device. In a solid-state imaging device 102 shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements 106 are disposed in a matrix with a gap therebetween on a photodetector region 105 of a silicon semiconductor substrate 104. A vertical charge transfer register 108 having a charge coupled device (CCD) structure is disposed for each column of the photoelectric conversion elements 106 in the vertical direction (indicated by the arrow V in FIG. 1 of the photoelectric conversion elements 106. A horizontal charge transfer register 110 also having a CCD structure is disposed at one side of the individual vertical charge transfer registers 108 in the horizontal direction (indicated by the arrow H in FIG. 1) of the photoelectric conversion elements 106. An output portion 112 is formed at one end of the horizontal charge transfer register 110.
In the above-configured solid-state imaging device 102, upon receiving light, signal charges are generated by each column of the photoelectric conversion elements 106, and are supplied to the corresponding vertical charge transfer register 108 via a read area (not shown) which intervenes between the photoelectric conversion elements 106 and each of the vertical charge transfer registers 108. Then, the vertical charge transfer register 108 sequentially transfers the signal charges to the horizontal charge transfer register 110. Upon receiving the signal charges from the individual vertical charge transfer registers 108, the horizontal charge transfer register 110 then transfers the signal charges to the output portion 112. The output portion 112 converts the signal charges into a voltage signal, amplifies it, and outputs the amplified signal.
In the solid-state imaging device 102, in order to obtain a higher level of resolution of captured images, the number of pixels should be increased. To achieve this, it is necessary to dispose more photoelectric conversion elements 106 on the semiconductor substrate 104. However, an increased number of photoelectric conversion elements 106 prolongs the time required for transferring the signal charge, and it becomes difficult to ensure the sufficient frame frequency required for displaying captured images.
In order to overcome the above-described drawback, a solid-state imaging device has been proposed in which the photoelectric conversion elements 106 are divided into two groups, which then transfer signal charges by using two horizontal charge transfer registers. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating such a solid-state imaging device. In a solid-state imaging device 114 shown in FIG. 2, a photodetector region 105 on a semiconductor substrate is divided into first and second photodetector areas 116 and 118, and a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements disposed in a matrix are divided into a group disposed in the first photodetector area 116 and a group disposed on the second photodetector area 118. The signal charges generated by the photoelectric conversion elements in the first and second photodetector areas 116 and 118 are respectively transferred to first and second horizontal charge transfer registers 120 and 122 by using the corresponding vertical charge transfer registers. The photoelectric conversion elements and the vertical charge transfer registers are not shown in FIG. 2.
Upon receiving the signal charges from the vertical charge transfer registers, the first and second horizontal charge transfer registers 120 and 122 simultaneously transfer the signal charges in the opposite directions so as to supply them to first and second output portions 124 and 126, respectively, formed at the corresponding ends of the first and second horizontal charge transfer registers 120 and 122. Then, signals indicating images captured by the photoelectric conversion elements disposed in the first and second photodetector areas 116 and 118 are simultaneously output from the first and second output portions 124 and 126, respectively. Accordingly, in the solid-state imaging device 114, the time required for transferring the signal charge is decreased to one half the time for a solid-state imaging device using only one horizontal charge transfer register.
FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating details of the first and second output portions 124 and 126 disposed at the corresponding ends of the first and second horizontal charge transfer registers 120 and 122, respectively, shown in FIG. 2.
The first and second output portions 124 and 126 respectively include first and second signal charge detectors 128 and 130, first and second transistors 132 and 134, and first and second charge sweeping regions 136 and 138.
Each of the first and second horizontal charge transfer registers 120 and 122 includes a transfer passage 140, which is, for example, an n-type region formed on the surface of a p-type semiconductor substrate, and transfer electrodes (not shown) disposed on the transfer passage 140 in the charge transfer direction. The transfer passage 140 is formed to be narrower, as shown in FIG. 3, as it goes to the end of each of the first and second horizontal charge transfer registers 120 and 122. Each of the first and second signal charge detectors 128 and 130 is formed as, for example, an n-type region on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, at the vicinity of the front end of the transfer passage 140.
Each of the first and second transistors 132 and 134 includes a gate 142, a source 144, and a drain 146. The gate 142 is formed of, for example, polysilicon, and is formed such that one end thereof overlaps with the corresponding signal charge detector 128 or 130. In this example shown in FIG. 3, the gate 142 of the first transistor 132 extends upward toward the upper left side, while the gate 142 of the second transistor 134 extends upward toward the upper right side. The source 144 and the drain 146 of each of the first and second transistors 132 and 134 are formed as, for example, n-type regions on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, across the gate 142.
Each of the first and second charge sweeping regions 136 and 138 includes, as shown in FIG. 3, a charge sweeping drain 150 and a charge sweeping control gate 152. The charge sweeping control gate 152 is disposed adjacent to the gate 142 of each of the first and second transistors 132 and 134, and the charge sweeping drain 150 is formed as, for example, an n-type region on the surface of the semiconductor, at a position opposite to the gate 142 across the charge sweeping control gate 152.
As shown in FIG. 3, the first signal charge detector 128, the first transistor 132, and the first charge sweeping region 136 are symmetrical to the second signal charge detector 130, the second transistor 134, and the second charge sweeping region 138, respectively, with respect to an imaginary line 154 drawn orthogonally to the direction in which the first and second horizontal charge transfer registers 120 and 122 are extended.
With this configuration, signal charges transferred from the first and second horizontal charge transfer registers 120 and 122 are converted into voltage signals having a magnitude according to the amount of charge by the first and second signal charge detectors 128 and 130, and the first and second transistors 132 and 134 amplify the voltage signals and output them from the drains 146.
The charge sweeping control gates 152 are controlled to be ON or OFF in synchronization with the charge transfer operation of the first and second horizontal charge transfer registers 120 and 122, and signal charges which have become unnecessary in the first and second signal charge detectors 128 and 130 are transferred to the charge sweeping drains 150 via the charge sweeping control gates 152.
The first and second transistors 132 and 134 and the first and second sweeping regions 136 and 138 which form the first and second output portions 124 and 126, respectively, are formed on a semiconductor substrate according to a known semiconductor processing technique, which has a plurality of steps. During the processing, a plurality of masks, such as photoresist or silicon nitride film, are formed in each step according to, for example, a photolithographic technique. As a result, the sources 144, the drains 146, and the gates 142 are formed in predetermined configurations at predetermined positions on the semiconductor substrate.
When a mask is formed by using, for example, a photoresist, according to a photolithographic technique, a photoresist film on a semiconductor substrate is exposed via a reticle, and is then developed so as to be formed into a mask pattern. Generally, however, the mask formed as described above is slightly displaced vertically, horizontally, to the left side, or to the right side from a correct position, on the mask surface within a predetermined allowance.
Accordingly, if, for example, a mask for forming the gate 142 of the first or second transistor 132 or 134 is slightly displaced with respect to a mask for forming the source 144 and a mask for forming the drain 146 of the corresponding transistor 132 or 134, the gate 142 is displaced from the correct position with respect to the source 144 and the drain 146. Such a displacement of the gate 142 adversely influences the characteristics of the corresponding transistor 132 or 134, which changes, for example, the degree of amplification of the transistor.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are partial plan views illustrating the gates 142 of the first and second transistors 132 and 134, respectively, which are formed slightly rightward from the correct positions due to displacements of the corresponding masks.
Since the mask for forming the gate 142 is displaced rightward, as shown in FIG. 4A, the gate 142 of the first transistor 132 is also formed rightward. As a consequence, the area of the drain 146 of the first transistor 132 is smaller than it should be, while the area of the source 144 is larger than it should be.
In contrast, as shown in FIG. 4B, since the gate 142 of the second transistor 134 is formed rightward, the area of the drain 146 is larger than it should be, while the source 144 is smaller than it should be.
Accordingly, such displacements of the masks from the correct positions change the characteristics of the first and second transistors 132 and 134 in different manners. For example, if the degree of amplification of one transistor is increased, the degree of amplification of the other transistor is decreased.
If the degree of amplification is different between the first and second transistors 132 and 134, the levels of the signals output from the first and second transistors 132 and 134 also become different. As a result, when captured images are displayed based on these signals, the brightness or the contrast becomes different between the left side and the right side of the screen.
The same applies to the first and second signal charge detectors 128 and 130, and the first and second charge sweeping regions 136 and 138. Thus, the levels of the signals output from the first and second output portions 124 and 126 become different.
Accordingly, in order to solve the above-described problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a solid-state imaging device in which output portions provided for individual charge transfer registers can be formed without differentiating the electrical characteristics when transferring signal charges generated by photoelectric conversion elements in different directions by the charge transfer registers.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a solid-state imaging device including: a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; first and second charge transfer registers for transferring signal charges generated by the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; first and second signal charge detectors, each being disposed in the vicinity of one edge of each of the first and second charge transfer registers, respectively; and first and second transistors. The above-described components are disposed on a semiconductor substrate. The first and second charge transfer registers transfer the signal charges in opposite directions. The first and second signal charge detectors receive the signal charges from the first and second charge transfer registers, respectively, and output voltages having a magnitude in accordance with the amount of charge. Each of the first and second transistors includes a gate into which the voltage output from the first or second signal charge detector is input, a source, and a drain, both of which are formed adjacent to the gate. The first signal charge detector, the source, the drain, and the gate of the first transistor are almost congruent to the second signal charge detector, the source, the drain, and the gate of the second transistor, respectively, when viewed from above. The first signal charge detector, the source, the drain, and the gate of the first transistor are overlaid almost completely on the second signal charge detector, the source, the drain, and the gate of the second transistor, respectively, by a translational movement.


A method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying, by a computing device, content in a document, wherein the content includes a language expression. A context of the language expression is determined from a defined range of the content in the document. An action item associated with the language expression is generated based upon, at least in part, the context of the language expression.

Unstructured and/or semi-structured messages (e.g., emails, instant messages, SMS, documents, etc.) may include implicit or explicit calls to action (e.g., requests for information). For example, an email sent to a receiving user by a sending user may be lengthy and include one or more questions, such as, "what do we have to bring to the meeting on Friday?". With the increasing numbers and types of messages, users may become overwhelmed, causing them not to read everything in each message carefully, or at all.
For example, users may resort to skimming, hoping to glean sufficient information about the content of the message without reading the whole message in depth. This may result in lost information, missed responsibility, and incomplete work, which may lead to errors, failures, and social embarrassment.