An electron beam writing method is disclosed, which includes preparing electron beam writing data structured from writing pattern data expressed by both data of VSB shots which are units of shaping beams at the time of carrying out writing a pattern and data of CP shots serving as bases of a repeating pattern, and CP aperture data into which identification numbers IDs and opening positions of respective openings of a CP aperture having openings for VSB shots and openings for CP shots are described, inputting the electron beam writing data to an electron beam writing apparatus, and expanding the electron beam writing data into data of the respective shots defined in the electron beam writing data, determining irradiation times of the respective expanded shots while correcting shot positions, and outputting control signals corresponding to shot data to repeat a shot of a desired pattern, by the electron beam writing apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron beam direct writing technique by which circuit patterns of a semiconductor device are written by repeatedly exposing minute shaped beams, and in particular, to an electron beam writing method, an electron beam writing apparatus which draw patterns by using a variable shaped beam (VSB) and a character projection (CP), and a semiconductor device manufacturing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electron beam lithography, in particular, electron beam direct writing technique, when a circuit pattern is transcribed onto a resist on a semiconductor substrate, there in no need to prepare a corresponding mask of a circuit pattern for each of the devices having different circuit patterns. Further, the wavelength of an electron beam is much shorter than the wavelength of a light-source light used for light exposure writing, and it is therefore possible to form a fine pattern. Therefore, the electron beam direct writing technique is applied to the research and development of a prototype QTAT (Quick Turn Around Time) device, a fine edge device or the like.
In electron beam lithography, a circuit pattern is broken up into a plurality of basic graphic figures, which are units of exposure. Then, electron beams having shapes and sizes which are the same as those of the respective basic graphic figures are shaped by using a plurality of shaping apertures. The shaped electron beams are sequentially irradiated onto a resist. Each irradiation of an electron beam is called a shot. As methods for shaping electron beams, there are two types: a variable shaped beam (VSB) method and a character projection (CP) method. In the variable shaped beam (VSB) method, patterns broken up into a rectangle, a triangle, and a trapezoid, which are the basic graphic figures, are inputted and the overlapping of two shaping apertures is controlled to form rectangular and triangular electron beams. On the other hand, in the character projection (CP) method, openings having shapes which are the same as the basic shapes are formed in shaping apertures, the shape of the cross section of the electron beam is made into a basic shape (which is called a character), and an electron beam is deflected to pass through the corresponding opening of a shaping aperture when a pattern which is the same as a shape of an opening is inputted. In an electron beam writing apparatus using the CP method, generally, not only the CP method in which a shape of cross section of an electron beam is shaped into a basic shape (character) formed in a shaping aperture, but also the VSB method in which rectangular and triangular electron beams are shaped by controlling the overlapping of two shaping apertures are used. A shaping aperture having a character shaped opening is called a CP aperture, and the number of character openings selectable by deflecting electron beams is generally several to several hundred (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-284385, Jpn. Pat. Registration No. 2512184, and Jpn. Pat. Registration No. 2526326).
A conventional electron beam writing apparatus has an electron beam writing device having an electron gun, various deflection systems, various lens systems, and a stage system, or the like, and a writing control circuit 70 as shown in FIG. 7 which outputs a signal for controlling the deflection systems and the stage system of the electron beam writing apparatus corresponding to electron beam writing data.
The writing control circuit 70 has a pattern data expanding circuit 71, an irradiation amount correction circuit 72, a shot dividing circuit 73, an irradiation time determining circuit 74, and a shot position correction circuit 75.
Each pattern data in electron beam writing data expressed by basic graphic figures is expanded by the pattern data expanding circuit 71. The expanded pattern data is corrected with regard to the irradiation amount of electron beam by the irradiation amount correction circuit 72. The irradiation amount correction is typically proximity correction. The corrected pattern data is divided by the shot dividing circuit 73 into patterns having shapes and sizes of formable electron beams. For each pattern, an irradiation time of an electron beam irradiated onto the substrate is determined by the irradiation time determining circuit 74. On the other hand, for each pattern, the electron beam onto the substrate is corrected with regard to the shot position by the shot position correction circuit 75. Then, signals are outputted to a blanking control unit, an electron beam deflection unit, and a stage control unit.
Correction of the irradiation position is performed to correct misalignment of patterns, distortion due to the deflection of an electron beam, or the like. This correction is carried out by feeding an output control signal of the stage control unit for controlling a position of the stage back to the deflection system to correct a signal to be inputted to the writing control circuit 70.
However, there has been the following problem in this type of electron beam writing apparatus. Namely, the number of shots necessary for carrying out writing cannot be determined until electron beam writing data is inputted to the writing control circuit and the pattern data is expanded. Further, an irradiation amount of an electron beam in each shot cannot be determined until writing processing is started. Therefore, the time taken for writing processing cannot be known in advance of the writing processing. In order to know the time taken for writing processing, it is necessary to confirm the writing processing time by actually writing, or to determine the writing processing time by a simulation using electron beam writing data.
Determining the writing processing time by such methods means that writing processing which is not originally required is carried out, and processing carried out mainly by hardware (control circuit) at the time of writing is carried out by software in advance, which take extra time. These processing increase the raw process time (RPT) in electron beam writing in the lithography stage in the semiconductor manufacturing process.
Further, it is impossible to confirm whether or not each shot data generated in the writing control circuit is correct. Therefore, it is difficult to carry out detailed handling of correction of an irradiation amount with respect to a shot pattern.
In this way, conventionally, in an electron beam writing apparatus, in order to determine a writing processing time in advance of the writing processing, processings in which originally unnecessary writing processing is carried out, processing which is carried out mainly by hardware (control circuit) at the time of writing is carried out by software in advance are required. These processing have led to the problem that RPT by electron beam writing in the semiconductor manufacturing process is made longer. Further, there has been the problem that it is impossible to carry out detailed handling of correction of an irradiation amount or the like with respect to a shot pattern.

Electron beam writing method, electron beam writing apparatus and semiconductor device manufacturing method


A system, a method and a machine for treating threads or parts thereof, the machine having one or more cartridges each configured for containing thread treatment-material therein; one or more injectors, each injector being configured for applying treatment-material from its respective cartridge over a passing portion of the thread; drive means for operating the one or more injectors; and a communication and control unit for receiving treatment plan data indicative of at least one machine readable treatment related parameter associated with at least one treatment effect for each thread portion to be treated for controlling the treatment effect of each passing thread portion, according to the received treatment plan data. A designated application of the system may be used having a unique user interface allowing creating treatment plans.

Treating threads such as for dyeing or coating thereof is typically done by soaking an entire thread in the treatment-material and optionally curing or drying it for allowing the material to set in and/or over the thread.
Many parameters and conditions influence a final treatment quality such as color or color tone (used herein interchangeably) of a thread used, e.g., for embroidery, quilting, weaving or sewing. These parameters include, e.g., the material from which the thread is made and the material of the dyes mixture used for dyeing thereof, the exposure time of the thread to the dye, absorption characteristics of the thread depending, e.g. on thickness and material. In order to achieve the exact desired color tone for each thread roll or for dyeing the same thread with multiple colors where each thread portion is of a different color, the thread dyeing machine has to be configured such as to allow releasing the exact quantity of each available dye thereof for the dyes mixture to fit the desired color tone while it dyes the thread.
Off-the-shelf available color tones of threads are limited, thus requiring a person engaged in sewing, embroidery, quilting etc., to use only colors that can be bought nearby or through the internet.
Often, a person wishes to have a thread of a color tone of some fabric they need to fix or use or an object that he/she cannot get the exact tone of color from the off-the-shelf available rolls of threads, and cannot compare the actual color to a virtually displayed one from a website presenting the available thread rolls of a company.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,618 teaches a method of continuously dyeing a yarn, which comprises heating a running yarn to a temperature above the boiling point of a solvent in a dye and contacting said heated yarn with one or more dye applicators having a dye discharge aperture while discharging a dye through said aperture and onto said yarn.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,552 teaches a mechanism for dyeing yarns as they are fed from their cones into a knitting machine. Each yarn passes through a container with a liquid dye of a specific color. Although a quick-drying dye is used, to insure that each yarn is completely dry prior to its reaching a knitting needle, a jet of air is also used as the yarn exits the dye container.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,373,470, 1,922,511 and 3,570,275, teach methods and machines for crimping yarn by dipping thereof in a dyeing bath or by spraying or injecting dye thereover.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,254 teaches methods and apparatus for treating yarn with a fluid material. The apparatus includes a chamber through which the yarn is advanced and an injection nozzle for impinging fluid on the yarn as it advances through the chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,254 describes the possibility of applying fluid treatment-material according to a selected pattern, or to impinge treatment-materials having different characteristics, such as dyes of different colors.
WO 2016/204687 describes devices and methods for in-line thread treatment for use with a consuming device, e.g. an embroidery- or sewing-machine, the devices comprise (i) a thread feeding unit followed by; (ii) a treatment unit for dispensing material onto the passing thread; and (iii) a fixation unit for fixing the material prior to thread passage to the consuming device.
WO 2016/204687 describes thread treatment device and method for controlling fixation of a treatment-material applied to a thread during a continuous in-line thread consuming process. The device comprises mainly: (i) a treatment unit; (ii) a fixation unit; and (iii) a control unit.
US 2011/0016842 discloses a method for manufacturing dyed threads, while both dyeing and improving the thread properties.
US 2003/135931 describes thread treatment devices, integrated systems and methods of using same for treating a thread and use thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,833,283 relates to an inkjet printhead which can be integrated with, e.g., a sewing- or embroidering-machine, for dyeing a thread as it passes through.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,989 discloses an integrated system for treating a thread and using same, the system comprises: (i) a printing means for dyeing a thread; (ii) a scanning means for moving said printing means and said thread relative to one another; (iii) a thread applicator configured for using the treated thread; and (iv) a control unit.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,868,010 and 5,802,649 describe a device and method for dyeing a thread, said device comprises: (i) a dye applicator; (ii) a heating element for drying the thread; and (iii) a winding means.
GB 2324541 describes a combination of an embroidery machine with a yam dyeing apparatus for generating a multi-colored yarn. The combination comprises (i) a dyeing head designed to dye the thread according to the embroidery speed; (ii) a thread velocity monitor; and (iii) a central control unit.
GB 1120787 describes a method for dyeing threads, comprising: (i) applying a solution of a surface modifier on the thread; (ii) heating said thread to remove solvent; (iii) dyeing the thread with a dye solution; and (iv) re-heating the thread to fix the dye.

System, machine and method for treating threads or parts thereof


An enhanced resolution successive-approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is provided that includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a comparator and enhanced resolution SAR control logic. The DAC includes analog circuitry that is configured to convert an M-bit digital input to an analog output. The comparator includes a plurality of coupling capacitors. The enhanced resolution SAR control logic is configured to generate an M-bit approximation of an input voltage and to store a residue voltage in at least one of the coupling capacitors. The residue voltage represents a difference between the input voltage and the M-bit approximation of the input voltage. The enhanced resolution SAR control logic is further configured to generate an N-bit approximation of the input voltage based on the stored residue voltage, where N>M.

In a conventional SAR ADC, increasing the resolution results in a corresponding increase in area and power consumption. For example, a 1-bit increase in resolution typically results in a doubling of the number of components in a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) array for the SAR ADC. In order to increase the resolution without a considerable increase in power and area, one solution is to incorporate oversampling in the ADC. However, the conventional use of oversampling results in a reduced input signal bandwidth, a reduction in ADC speed, and degraded linearity performance.

Enhanced resolution successive-approximation register analog-to-digital converter and method


A multi-axis microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) is fabricated in a vacuum sealed single packaged device. An FM vibratory gyroscope and an FM resonant accelerometer both for generating FM output signals is fabricated in the silicon chip using MEMS. A signal processor is coupled to the an FM vibratory gyroscope and to the FM resonant accelerometer for receiving the FM gyroscopic output signals and the FM accelerometer output signals. The signal processor generates simultaneous and decoupled measurement of input acceleration, input rotation rate, and temperature and/or temperature distribution within the IMU, self-calibration of the biases and scale factors of the IMU and its support electronics against temperature variations and other common mode errors, and reduction of the cross axis sensitivity by reducing acceleration errors in the gyroscope and rotation errors in the accelerometer.

1. Field of the Technology
The disclosure relates to the field of multi-axis MEMS inertial measurement units (IMU) and in particular to units that exhibit temperature and vibration immunity, which are inherently quasi-digital, have ultra-high precision, stability, and wide dynamic range and wide measurement bandwidth.
2. Description of the Prior Art
All inertial measurement units (IMUs) are based on a combination of inertial sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers. The performance parameters of an IMU are defined by the parameters of the individual inertial sensors, as well as the method of processing the individual measurements together. Current MEMS IMUs do not meet the navigation grade requirements, and very few systems are reaching the tactical grade due to limitations in temperature and vibration sensitivity, signal stability, resolution, dynamic range, and bandwidth.
Conventional methods to create a compact MEMS IMU fail into three general regimes. The most common approach is to use off-the-shelf single-axis sensors mounted onto printed circuit boards (PCBs) and assembled into a three dimensional configuration. Single-axis sensors optimized to reject off-axis inputs are typically used, benefiting the overall IMU performance compared to using multi-axis sensors with a single proof mass. The approach is also well supported by the mature PCB technology. This approach does not allow further miniaturization and cost reduction since individual dies have to be fabricated, packaged, and tested separately. Also, conventional sensors based on analog amplitude modulation do not provide the necessary stability and immunity to vibration and temperature.
Another emerging but conventional method for creating micro IMUs involves chip-stacking. Each sensor is fabricated independently and then known-good dies are stacked together onto a single chip. In comparison to the PCB and common substrate approaches, the overall size of the IMU is reduced to a smaller footprint. However, for both methods alignment errors will vary for each device due to temperature, ambient vibrations, shock, accelerations, life span of IMU, limiting the effectiveness of factory calibration. This method also suffers from the inherent limitations of the conventional MEMS sensors operating based on analog amplitude modulation of signals.
A third alternative conventional method used to create a chip-level IMU is to fabricate all sensors onto a single die. This allows the footprint of the system as a whole to be small enough for chip-level packaging. Despite these advantages, there are significant drawbacks to this IMU architecture. First, creating conventional gyroscope(s) and accelerometer(s) requires very different packaging parameters. High precision gyroscope required high vacuum for operation; at the same time, accelerometers operate at atmospheric or above atmospheric pressure to provide the necessary bandwidth. This fundamental difference between packaging of high performance MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers makes true co-fabrication and co-packaging impossible, preventing true integration.
All commercially available silicon MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers rely on amplitude modulation of the input stimulus, where the inertial input produces a proportional change in the sensor output voltage. In other words, the inertial input is amplitude modulated. In this approach, the final output signal of a sensor is proportional to the true input, as well as a number of device parameters, including the stiffness of the spring, pick-up electronics gain, and so on. These additional contributors to the sensor bias and scale factor require calibration of each individual sensor. Variation of these internal parameters with time and with varying environment produces unpredictable drifts in the sensor output.
Another inherent disadvantage of conventional MEMS sensors using amplitude modulated signals comes from the limited dynamic range (the ratio between the full scale linear range and the smallest useful signal). In the best case scenario, AM capacitive readout with preselected low-noise electronic components can only achieve a resolution of 1×10−6 of the full scale, with a practical limit of 1×10−5. This means that achieving a 106 dynamic range and 1 ppm stability (requirement of the navigation grade) is practically impossible with conventional MEMS sensors. These fundamental limitations on the dynamic range and output stability prevent the use of MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers in many important applications. AM architecture of sensors also presents tradeoffs between sensor noise and bandwidth (classic gain vs. bandwidth tradeoff of analog AM systems). The conventional AM based inertial sensor operation is also sensitive to temperature, resulting in significant response drifts over ambient temperature and pressure variations. The stability of the analogue signal reference is limited by 10−6, that fact creates irresolvable limitations on the AM devices stability.
For gyroscopes in particular, mode matching of high-Q angular rate gyroscopes increases the signal-to noise-ratio at the tradeoff of linear range and measurement bandwidth (10 deg/s range, sub-Hz bandwidth typical for Q˜100 k). These constraints stem from a fundamental Q versus bandwidth tradeoff and dynamic range limitations of analog amplitude modulation (AM) systems (in conventional MEMS gyroscopes, the sense-mode response is excited by the input angular rate amplitude-modulated by the drive-mode velocity). The conventional AM based gyroscopes operation is also sensitive to the value of the sense-mode Q-factor, resulting in significant response drifts over ambient temperature and pressure variations.
At the same time, the conventional AM type accelerometer must have very low Q-factor (single digit values—100,000 less than Q of a gyroscope) to provide bandwidth, which requires encapsulating it in air or high pressure. The fact that conventional MEMS gyroscopes are inherently resonant devices while conventional MEMS accelerometers are inherently non-resonant devices makes it impossible to truly integrate them together. As a result conventional wide bandwidth, high precision accelerometers and gyroscopes are fabricated separately.
In response to the foregoing problems a frequency modulated accelerometer has been proposed in the art, where induced acceleration changes the resonant frequency of the device due to changes in the total effective stiffness (combination of positive mechanical stiffness and negative electrostatic spring). The main challenge to overcome in this approach is temperature sensitivity of the resonant frequency, caused by the dependency of the silicon's Young's modulus on temperature.

Multi-axis chip-scale MEMS inertial measurement unit (IMU) based on frequency modulation

The Regents of the University of California


A molybdate-free antifreeze composition having improved thermal stability is provided. In one embodiment, the antifreeze concentrate composition comprises from 50 to 99 wt. % of a glycol-based freezing point depressant selected from the group of: alkylene glycols, glycol monoethers, glycerins, and mixtures thereof; 0.01 to 10 wt. % of at least one of a 2-ethylhexanoic acid, isononanoic acid and 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoic acid; and 0.01 to 5 wt. % of at least one of heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, neodecanoic acid, 2-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-terbutylbenzoic acid, and mixtures thereof. In one embodiment, the composition is employed as a concentrate in admixture with 10 to 90 wt. % water.

It is known to use antifreeze compositions in heat exchanging systems and/or for de-icing applications. In these applications, the antifreeze compositions come in contact with various metals, alloys, and other components forming the different parts of the heat exchanging system or the system to be de-iced. Efforts have been made towards the protection from corrosion of parts and components in contact with the antifreeze compositions. Prior art solutions include the addition of various corrosion inhibitors and/or the use of different organic acids for multiple metal protection systems.
Corrosion protection is critical at all temperature ranges. However, at low temperatures, other factors important to the performance of antifreeze compositions come into play, including the unwanted formation of scale and/or deposits. Water is often used to dilute antifreeze compositions. Water quality varies greatly with geographic location, population and degree of industrialization. When hard water is used, scales can be formed from alkaline earth metal carbonate and phosphate deposition. These inorganic films tend to inhibit thermal transfer and thus reduce the heat transfer efficiency of the system. Besides the use of hard water, the use of certain corrosion such as molybdates inhibitors contribute to the formation of deposits, e.g., silicate gellation. In certain additive packages for coolants, silicate/phosphate corrosion inhibitors are used to help protect metal cooling system parts and also as a buffer to control the pH of the antifreeze. When a composition containing silicates/phosphates is mixed with hard water, copious precipitates develop in a short period of time. These precipitates may clog a cooling system, resulting in reduced antifreeze/coolant flow, increased engine operating temperatures and shorter service life. Deposit formation can also result in the physical damage of soft material parts, e.g., water pump seals, engine head seals, hoses, etc. used in the parts and components of the system.
To alleviate the silicate deposit problem, silicate stabilizers can be added to antifreeze compositions. However, at low operating temperatures, e.g., sub-freezing, some additives are not soluble thus further compounding the problem. Ideally, antifreeze compositions should remain transparent and free of insoluble materials in operation as the unwanted formation of deposits/soluble materials decreases the heat transfer property of the composition.
There is still a need for an antifreeze composition, i.e., a glycol based composition, having improved thermal stability at low temperatures with minimal salt/deposition formation. A molybdate-free antifreeze compositions possesses the required characteristics.

Molybdate-free antifreeze concentrate and coolant compositions and preparation thereof


This invention relates to a process to prepare a trialkylaluminum treated support comprising: 1) combining a support with first trialkylaluminum compound(s), where the alkyl groups have at least 2 carbon atoms; then 2) calcining the combination of the support and the trialkylaluminum compound(s); then 3) combining the calcined support with second trialkylaluminum compound(s), where the alkyl groups have at least 2 carbon atoms; where the first and second trialkylaluminum compound(s) may be the same or different. This invention further relates to catalyst systems comprising catalyst compounds and such supports, as well as processes to polymerize unsaturated monomers using the supports in combination with catalyst compounds.

Metallocene olefin polymerization catalyst systems typically use an activator (also called a co-catalyst) to generate the active catalytic species. In general, there are two catalyst activator families: partially hydrolyzed aluminum alkyl complexes and non-coordinating anions (NCA's). Some of the most commonly employed activators used today are the partially hydrolyzed aluminum alkyls, more specifically, alumoxanes, such as methylalumoxane (MAO). In general, metallocene olefin polymerization systems that utilize NCA-type activators are more active than their MAO counterparts, but are also quite costly and sensitive to poisons which present a problem in catalyst synthesis, handling, storage and reactor operation. Alternatively, MAO-based systems are more robust than their NCA-type counterparts, but they suffer from the high cost of MAO production, the fact that MAO is typically used in large excess (relative to the amount of metallocene) and the limited shelf life of MAO.
In order to enhance polymer morphology, metallocene polymerization catalysts operated in industrial slurry and gas phase processes are typically immobilized on a carrier or a support, such as alumina or silica. Metallocenes are supported to enhance the morphology of the forming polymeric particles such that they achieve a shape and density that improves reactor operability and ease of handling. However, the supported versions of metallocene polymerization catalysts tend to have lower activity as compared to their homogeneous metallocene counterparts without a support. In general, metallocene and single-site catalysts are immobilized on silica supports.
Thus there is a need in the industry to find faster, cheaper and more efficient ways to activate metallocene catalyst compounds and there is also a need in the industry to find faster, cheaper and more efficient ways to support metallocene catalyst compounds.
Others have treated a calcined silica support with triethylaluminum and used it without further calcination as a support for metallocene catalyst systems.
Of possible interest is U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,293 which discloses a catalyst for polymerization which comprises a late transition metal complex, optionally an activator compound, and a support which has been impregnated with titanium or aluminum and then calcined after impregnation. Another reference of possible interest is US 2003/0228971 which describes treating silica with hydrophobicizing agents (such as hexamethyldisilazane or trimethylmethoxysilane) followed by calcining. This support is then used to support metallocene/ionic activator catalysts, dried, and then treated with metal alkyls (see Ex. 1, 2 and 4) to "prealkylate" the catalyst.
Other references of interest include those where an undehydrated (or dried and then treated with water) silica support is treated with trimethylaluminum and used without further calcination as a support for metallocene catalysts, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,912,075, 4,914,253, 4,925,821, 4,935,397, 4,937,217, 4,937,301, 5,008,228, 5,086,025, 5,147,949, 5,238,892, EP0739360, U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,888, EP0170059, US20010044374-A, and EP1125952.
Other references of interest include those that disclose treatments of silica, silica-alumina, or alumina with chemicals other than organoaluminum species (e.g. fluorides, chlorides, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium, zinc, boron, titanium, zirconium, nickel, sulfates, triflate, bentonite, etc.), followed by calcination, loading with metallocene and triethylaluminum (or other organoaluminum species), and use thereof for polymerization, including WO0144309, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,300,271, 6,376,415, 6,391,816, 6,395,666, 6,524,987, 6,531,550, 6,548,441, 6,548,442, 6,576,583, 6,613,712, 6,613,852, 6,632,894, US20030232716, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,667,274.


In a capillary used in a wire bonding apparatus that has a wire threading hole through which a bonding wire of 10 to 30 .mu.m diameter passes and is provided with two chamfers, i.e., lower and upper chamfers, near the tip end of the wire threading hole, the upper chamfer has a chamfer angle of 3 to 19 degrees and a depth of 20 to 50 microns.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capillary used in a wire bonding apparatus.
2. Prior Art
A typical wire bonding method in the process of manufacturing, for instance, semiconductor devices, includes the steps shown in FIGS. 4(a) through 4(g).
First, as shown in FIG. 4(a), a ball 3a is formed by a spark discharge created by an electric torch 5 on a wire 3 which extends from the lower end of a capillary 4, and then the electric torch 5 is moved in the direction shown by the arrow. Next, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the capillary is moved to a point above the first bonding point 1a; and then as shown in FIG. 4(c), the capillary 4 is lowered, the ball 3a on the tip end of the wire 3 is pressed against the first bonding point 1a, and an ultrasonic vibration is applied to the capillary 4 by a horn which has thereon the capillary 4 so as to bond the ball 3a to the first bonding point.
Afterward, as shown in FIG. 4(d), the capillary 4 is raised and as shown in FIG. 4(e) moved in the looping direction A so as to be positioned at a point above the second bonding point 2a. Next, as shown in FIG. 4(f), the capillary 4 is lowered, the wire 3 is pressed against the second bonding point 2a, and an ultrasonic vibration is applied to the capillary 4 by the horn so as to bond the wire 3 to the second bonding point 2a. Then, after the capillary 4 is raised to a given position, a damper 6 is closed, the capillary 4 and damper 6 are raised together, and the wire 3 is cut as shown in FIG. 4(g).
The connection of one wire is thus completed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. S57-87143 and Japanese Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. H1-26531 disclose examples of the wire bonding methods described above.
The capillary 4 described above is taught by, for instance, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. H1-42349 and Japanese Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. H3-780. The details of the structure of a capillary of this type is described in FIG. 3.
In FIG. 3, two chamfers, i.e., lower and upper chamfers 11 and 12, are formed near the tip end of a wire threading hole 10 of the capillary 4 through which a bonding wire passes. In FIG. 3, the reference numeral 13 referrs to a portion where the lower chamfer 11 is formed continuously to the upper chamfer 12; and in addition, HD indicates the diameter of the wire threading hole 10, T indicates the tip diameter of the capillary 4, CD.sub.1 indicates the diameter of the lower chamfer 11, .theta..sub.1 indicates the chamfer angle of the lower chamfer 11, .theta..sub.2 indicates the chamfer angle of the upper chamfer 12, .alpha. indicates the face angle, and OR indicates the outer radius. When d is the diameter of a bonding wire 3, HD is d+(8 to 12) .mu.m (microns); and .theta..sub.1 is 80 to 100 degrees, and .theta..sub.2 is 20 to 40 degrees.
In the prior art capillary 4 described above that has two chamfers, the lower and upper chamfers 11 and 12, when the ball 3a is bonded to the first bonding point 1a shown in FIG. 4, the excess portion of the ball flows toward the wire threading hole 10 through the upper chamfer 12 and wells up inside the capillary 4. As a result, the diameter of the press-bonded ball is reduced. However, pads on pellets are installed at finer pitches due to today's demand of higher integration of semiconductor IC chips; and as a result, both the diameter of the wire 3 and the size of the ball 3a are also required to be reduced. The prior art described above can be used in cases where the diameter d of the wire 3 is in the range of 20 to 80 .mu.m; however, if the diameter d of the wire 3 is as small as in the range of 10 to 30 .mu.m, various problems arise.
When the chamfer angle .theta..sub.2 of the upper chamfer 12 is large, i. e., if it is in the range of 20 to 40 degrees, then it is likely that the amount of ball material which wells up into the capillary 4 (i.e. the amount of ball material that enters the inside of the capillary 4) during press-bonding of the ball increases. As a result, the amount of ball material that is crushed and press-bonded by the lower chamfer decreases, and the pressing force during press-bonding of the ball to the first bonding point 1a by the capillary 4 decreases, resulting in a drop in the bonding force. Furthermore, since material of the ball 3a enters the wire threading hole 10 of the capillary 4, friction is caused when the capillary is raised; and this results in a force which causes peeling of the press-bonded ball bonded to the first bonding point and further a force which reduces the press-bonding force.


A network node transmits a scheduling configuration, over a Single Cell Multicast Control Channel, that indicates whether a single transport block or multiple transport blocks of a Single Cell Multicast Traffic Channel are scheduled. The network node may then transmit a transport block in accordance with the scheduling configuration. Correspondingly, a user equipment receives the scheduling configuration. The UE may then receive a transport block in accordance with the scheduling configuration.

In the field of wireless communications, typically a network node specifies to connected devices which time and/or frequency resources of the downlink will be used to transmit data, and which time and/or frequency resources of the uplink are allocated for the device to transmit on the uplink. In this way, the time and/or frequency resources of the air interface are well managed, collisions are avoided, devices need not attempt to decode resources in which transmissions are not scheduled, and other efficiencies are realized.
Traditionally, scheduling of the uplink and/or downlink is performed dynamically. Dynamic scheduling of the uplink and/or downlink refers to scheduling in which a schedule is provided for each transmission opportunity (e.g., a schedule of the resources of a subframe is provided for at least every subframe in which a transmission will occur).
An alternative to dynamic scheduling is Semi-Persistent Scheduling (SPS). SPS allows for a single schedule to be applied to multiple transmission opportunities. For example, an SPS scheme may provide an uplink and/or downlink schedule, and that schedule of resources is to be used for each subsequent transmission opportunity, until further notice (e.g., cancellation of SPS scheduling or modification of the schedule). This often reduces signaling overhead between the network node and connected devices because the transmission of scheduling information generally does not need to be provided as frequently.
In legacy releases of Long Term Evolution (LTE), SPS is connected to a bearer with certain characteristics. This simplifies both configuration and activation of a service scheduled with SPS. When there is traffic on the configured bearer, SPS can be triggered in the scheduling information. In Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), many of the characteristics of Legacy LTE are missing. Accordingly, SPS in NB-IOT cannot rely on such missing characteristics.
Techniques for configuring SPS in NB-IoT and other next generation radio technologies are not presently known or available. Discussed herein, among other things, are example embodiments that provide techniques for configuring (e.g., activating, deactivating, modifying) SPS in NB-IoT, and which may also be useful in other next generation radio technologies.

Scheduling a single cell multicast traffic channel via a single cell multicast control channel


A process is provided for the preparation of 4-amino-1-hydroxybutylidene-1,1-bisphosphonic acid or salts thereof which comprises of:. a) reacting 4-aminobutyric acid with phosphorous acid and phosphorus trichloride in the presence of a polyalkylene(glycol); and PA1 b) recovering said 4-amino-1-hydroxybutylidene-1,1-bisphosphonic acid or salts thereof.

This invention relates to an improved industrial process for the preparation of 4-amino-1-hydroxybutylidene-1,1-bisphosphonic acid or salts thereof, in which the end product is obtained in a exceptionally pure form.
Several methods have been reported for preparation of .omega.-amino-1-hydroxyalkylidene-1,1-bisphosphonic acids in general and 4-amino-1-hydroxybutylidene-1,1-bisphosphonic acid in particular. The syntheses basically consist of reacting the corresponding .omega.-amino acid with a mixture of phosphorous acid and one of the three phosphorus chlorides--phosphorus trichloride, phosphorus oxychloride or phosphorus pentachloride, then quenching the reaction mixture with water or a non-oxidizing aqueous acid followed by heating to hydrolyse the phosphorous intermediates to the final product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,761 (Blom et al.) to Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft teaches how to prepare also 4-amino-1-hydroxybutylidene-1,1-bisphosphonic acid beside other bisphosphonic acids. The reaction is carried out at about 100.degree. C. in chlorobenzene as a diluent which does not solubilize the reaction components and serves only as a heat carrier. The reaction starts as a two phase system, in which the melt gradually thickens into a non-stirrable mass. This semisolid sticky mass finally turns into a hard, rigid material coated on the walls of the reaction vessel which is preventing smooth heat transfer. The process might be suitable for laboratory preparation of gram quantities of the product, however, for industrial production it is not acceptable and is not reasonable even for a modest scaleup.
The above described flaws of the process were acknowledged by Kieczykowski et al., who in Application For Canadian Patent 2,018,477 and 2,044,923 to Merck & Co. revealed a solution to the solidification problem. Methanesulfonic acid was used to solubilize the reaction components and keep it fluid up to completion of the reaction. Although the problems with physical characteristics of the reaction were solved, a safety problem surfaced. Methanesulfonic acid reacts with phosphorus trichloride and under adiabatic conditions the reaction becomes self-heating at 85.degree. C. and an uncontrolled exotherm occurs at >140.degree. C. This fact was recognized by the authors of the invention and in Example 1 of both Applications For Canadian Patent (2,018,477 and 2,044,923) caution is raised. The safety concern in somewhat more detail is mentioned by the authors (Kieczykowski et al.) in an article of J. Org. Chem. 1995, 60, 8310-8312.
The present invention solves both, the solidification and the safety problems by the use of a poly(alkylene glycol) or its derivative. Poly(alkylene glycols) solubilize the reaction components and do not react with the reactants to cause any uncontrolled reactions. The process is suitable for commercial manufacturing and can be scaled to large vessels with no danger of temperature escalation. The reaction can be carried out also at elevated temperatures. Since polyalkylene glycols and its derivatives are soluble in water, the reaction mixture can be quenched into water, the intermediates subsequently hydrolysed and the final product directly isolated.

Process for the production of 4-amino-1-hydroxybutylidene-1,1-bisphosphonic acid or salts thereof


There is provided methods, devices and computer program products for distributing a plurality of virtual IEEE 802.11 wireless networks through a heterogeneous infrastructure. A terminal sends a service provider request to an access point. The service provider request is forwarded to a master server which searches for available service providers. Acknowledgement information relating to available service providers capable of operatively connecting the terminal to the data communications network via the access point is sent by the master server to the access point. The access point forwards this information to the terminal. The access point may thus distribute a plurality of virtual IEEE 802.11 wireless networks, their number only constrained by the number of distinct identifiable service providers and the memory of the master server. A data connection may be established in the absence of a direct service agreement between the service provider of the terminal and the operator of the access point.

The main technologies for mobile broadband are High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Worldwide Inter-operability for Microwave Access (WiMAX). These technologies are based on the traditional cellular network architecture; base stations (which may be installed e.g. in radio towers) may cover an area of a few square kilometres (a so-called macrocell) and are usually operatively connected to base station controllers and the core network through Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) or a similar backhaul technology.
Much of the cost of such networks lay in planning the network, installing base stations and providing backhaul. Deals have to be negotiated with property owners and equipment must be purchased, installed and serviced. To improve capacity and reduce cost most mobile broadband technologies also support so-called picocells. For picocells a very small base station operatively connected to a base station controller and the core network through the customers' existing broadband Internet connection is installed in a customer home or office.
IEEE 802.11 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) compatible technology may also be used to provide service access (e.g. to the Internet) outside of the home or office. A location with IEEE 802.11 compatible access points providing service access to the public is often referred to as a "hotspot" while a larger area, such as a neighbourhood with continuous coverage, is often referred to as a "hot zone". While the IEEE 802.11 standard supports strong authentication and encryption these features are often disabled in a public network to allow potential customers to access information about the network and its services. The most common technical solution, known as the Universal Access Method (UAM), is that the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests from an unauthenticated terminal are redirected to a captive portal where users are requested to authenticate themselves using a web browser by entering their user credentials before they are authorized to access the desired service (e.g. the Internet) through the network.

Access point, a server and a system for distributing an unlimited number of virtual IEEE 802.11 wireless networks through a heterogeneous infrastructure


A cap for eyeliner makeup is disclosed with a guide edge that can be used to apply the eye liner. The cap may include a beveled section adjacent to the guide edge, and finger indents to assist in holding and positioning the guide edge. The cap may be used to protect an applicator tip of liquid, gel or pencil eyeliner makeup. A method of using a cap for eyeliner makeup is also disclosed.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to implements for personal grooming, and specifically eyeliner containers and implements for applying eyeliner.
2. Background Art
Eyeliner makeup is commonly used to enhance the look of the eyes. Eyeliner makeup can be difficult to apply. One popular style of applying makeup is to make a "wing" or "cat-eye" (referred to as a cat-eye) at the outer edge of each eye. The desired cat-eye look includes a balanced cat-eye at the corner of each eye, with both cat-eyes being about the same size. Some eyeliner makeup is difficult to remove after it is applied, and may require makeup removal cream or other methods to remove. If a cat-eye is applied to the face and the user wants to change it, they may be required to wash off the cat-eye, which might disturb other makeup already applied. An improved method and tool is needed to assist in applying eyeliner with a cat-eye look.


An information recording apparatus (1) is provided with: a first judging device (191) for judging whether or not a tracking error signal is greater than or equal to a first threshold value; a detecting device (192) for detecting, as a detection angle, a rotation angle of an information recording medium (100) when it is judged that the tracking error signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold value; and a second judging device (193) for judging whether or not the judgment that the tracking error signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold value is performed at the same detection angle.

An information recording medium including a CD, a DVD, and the like has become popular. Such an information recording medium has a recording film, such as an organic dye film and a phase change film, formed on a substrate by spin coating or the like, and a light transmissive film with a thickness of 0.6 mm to 1.2 mm formed on the recording film by the spin coating or the like.
In recording data onto the information recording medium, tracking control is performed in order to irradiate a laser beam at a preferable position. The tracking control is performed to irradiate the laser beam substantially near the center of a recording track. More specifically, the tracking control is performed on the basis of a push-pull signal, which indicates a difference between a right-side signal component and a left-side signal component of reflected light of the laser beam, with respect to a recording direction.
The tracking control needs to be performed preferably when a disturbance, such as an impact, is exerted on an information recording apparatus and even when there is a defect, such as a scratch and dusts, on the surface of the information recording medium. For example, when the disturbance is exerted, a tracking error signal used for the tracking control is significantly deteriorated, so the tracking control is performed according to the deterioration (in other words, so as to eliminate the deterioration). When there is the defect, although the laser light is irradiated near the center of the recording track, the tracking error signal is significantly deteriorated. Thus, with reference to a defect detection signal generated on the basis of a sum signal (or a RF signal), the tracking control is performed to hold tracking servo. As a method of performing the tracking control when there is such a disturbance and a defect, for example, methods in patent documents 1 and 2 are listed.    Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. Hei 11-39678    Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. Hei 8-147721

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Information recording apparatus and method, information reproducing apparatus and method, and computer program


A video messaging system facilitates a video messaging session between a client device and a remote device. A remote device provides information (e.g., a link) to a client device for connecting to a video messaging session. The client device uses the provided information to connect to the video messaging session between the client device and the remote device. The video messaging session generally includes two-way communication, with at least video information being transmitted by the client device to the remote device, and instructions describing video operations being transmitted by the remote device to the client device. The video operations may include annotating the video, rewinding the video, pausing the video, and various other modifications to the video. The video messaging system may mirror operations performed on one device (e.g., the remote device) on the other device (e.g., the client device) in the video messaging session.

Customer service interactions, such as voice calls or online chat sessions, involving issues with physical products (e.g., computer hardware or other devices) traditionally require a customer to describe a configuration of a physical product to a customer service representative (e.g., a hardware configuration). Likewise, the customer service representative is required to ask questions about the configuration or describe a potential reconfiguration solution to the customer. However, this process can be awkward and confusing for a customer not otherwise well-versed in the physical product, which can increase a length and/or decrease a likelihood of success of a customer service call. Existing systems do not provide a solution to overcome these limitations of customer service interactions.

Remote controlled video messaging session


A power turbine is provided in the form of a set of plates that cooperate to form a housing, with a set of spaced apart disks mounted on a shaft within the housing. Some of the plates and disks cooperate to allow gas or steam to be injected to provide a driving force on the shaft, while others of the disks and plates cooperate to form one or more integral pumps. The pumps are used to pull cooling liquid or water into the housing, and to cool the driving disks. In this way, the steam that drives the disks is condensed while still in the housing, with a water level maintained on the driving disks. In operation, the steam directly acts on the disks toward the outer circumference of the disks, but more toward the center of the disk, the steam transfers its energy to the water, and the water transfers the energy to the disk. Since water is less compressible and able to efficiently transfer energy to the disks, the power turbine is able to operate at relatively slow speeds, has good low-speed torque, and still has excellent conversion efficiency.

The field of the present invention is the construction and use of power turbines, which in one example, may be used to drive an electrical generator.
Power turbines are essential to modern life. They are used to drive electrical generators, power vehicles, and drive industrial equipment. Generally, a power turbine uses an energy source to generate a mechanical kinetic power that may be used in another process. Often, the power turbine is driven by steam from a boiler, or may be driven by water, for example, at a hydroelectric facility. In converting the energy source into usable power, the power turbine also consumes some of the energy, and may allow some of the energy to be wasted in the conversion process. Accordingly, all power turbines have an energy conversion efficiency rating, which is a measure of how effectively the power turbine converts energy to usable power.
To more effectively utilize energy sources, and to reduce the size of the power turbines, it is desirable to use turbines with higher conversion ratings. Accordingly, the power turbine industry is continually advancing turbine technology to develop more efficient and better performing power turbines. One such advancement was the Tesla turbine. The Tesla turbine was developed in the early 1900's, and was touted as having very high efficiency ratings, possibly even well over 90%. The Tesla design is well known, but generally uses a set of closely aligned disks in a housing. Steam is injected at the circumference of the disks, which spirals to the center, where the steam is ejected. The spiraling seam uses a molecular adhesion process to transfer energy to the disks, which drive a central shaft. In order to achieve good efficiencies, the spiraling path has to made as long as possible, which requires that the Tesla turbine spin very fast, for example, at 30,000 to 40,000 rpm. This also meant that if the turbine slowed when under load, the turbine would quickly and dramatically lose power, leading to catastrophic failure of the drive process. Further, the fast rotational speed also meant that complex and sophisticated transmission systems had to be employed to bring the speed down to a more usable rate.
With these practical limitation to the Tesla turbine, it has failed to achieve widespread adoption. Instead, the Tesla technology is primary used as a pump. As a pump, liquid is pulled into the center of the disks, and the rotating disks use a centrifugal force to drive the liquid to the outer circumference, where the liquid is extracted. The Tesla pump is widely used, and is recognized as being capable of reliably pumping many types of liquids.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a power turbine with better efficiency.

Efficient power turbine and electrical generation system


A band may include a first strap and a second strap. The first strap may include a first strap body, a first connection portion and a first mating portion. The first strap body may define a connection hole between the first connection portion and the first mating portion. The second strap may include a second strap body, a second connection portion, a second mating portion and a buckle. The second mating portion may be arranged between the second connection portion and the buckle. The buckle is configured to be inserted into the connection hole to connect the first strap body and the second strap body. The second mating portion may be configured to be attracted to and coupled with the first mating portion.

A band of a wearable apparatus such as a smart watch may be configured to enable a user to wear the wearable apparatus onto the user's wrist. The band may generally include a strap body, a buckle structure and a strap hoop. The strap body could pass through the buckle structure and engage with the buckle structure to adjust a dimension of a space enclosed by the band. The strap hoop could move along the strap body to fasten a free end of the strap body.

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


Glucose oxidase enzymes are provided, including novel variants of galactose oxidase enzymes. The polynucleotides that encode these novel variants can be expressed in recombinant host cell expression systems. The novel variant oxidase enzymes are capable of oxidizing compounds towards which wild-type galactose oxidase (e.g. D-galactose: oxygen 6-oxidoreductase, GAO; EC 1.1.3.9) has little or no activity. Preferred galactose oxidase variants are those which that have improved capability to oxidize secondary alcohols and/or D-glucose relative to the wild-type enzyme.

Enzyme catalysts have a myriad of existing and potential applications. Various techniques for creating new and improved enzyme variants are now available, allowing for the creation of large libraries of mutants or variants that can be screened for desired properties. For example, directed evolution has been successfully applied to improve a variety of enzyme properties, including substrate specificity, activity in organic solvents, and stability at high temperatures, which are often critical for industrial applications (Arnold, F. H. Accounts Chem. Res. 31, 125 (1998)). The directed evolution approach uses DNA shuffling for simultaneous random mutagenesis and recombination to generate a variant having an improved desirable property over the existing wild-type protein. Point mutations can be generated, for example, using the intrinsic infidelity of Taq-based polymerase chain reactions (PCR) associated with reassembly of nucleic acid sequences. In one example, Stemmer and coworkers applied this technique to the gene encoding for green fluorescence protein (GFP), which resulted in a protein that folded better than the wild type in E. coli (Crameri, A.; et al. Nature Biotechnol. 14, 315 (1996)). However, the need for new enzymes having new or enhanced biological properties remains. For example, to date, there are no known enzymes that selectively oxidize the 6-hydroxyl group of D-glucose. Such enzymes would be useful, particularly for chemical synthesis applications.
Galactose oxidase (D-galactose: oxygen 6-oxidoreductase, GAO), designated EC 220.127.116.11 by the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is an oxidation enzyme containing a single copper ion. GAO is secreted by a number of fungal species, but no bacterium has been reported to produce the enzyme (Aisaka, K., and Terada, O., (1981), Agric. Biol. Chem., 45(10), 2311–2316).
GAO from one particular fungal species, Fusarium NRRL 2903, formerly known as Dactylium dendroides, has been extensively studied (Borman, C. D. et al. (1997) J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 2,480–487). Fusarium GAO is a glycoprotein with a carbohydrate content of about 1.7% and consists of a single polypeptide chain of 639 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 68 kD (the cDNA sequence is depicted in SEQ ID NO:1, which corresponds to nucleotide residues 962 to 2878 of GenBank Accession No. M86819; and the amino acid sequence in SEQ ID NO: 2, which corresponds to amino acid residues 42 to 680 of GenBank accession No. AAA16228.1 (Mendonca, M. H., and Zancan, G. T. (1987) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 272, 507–514; Ito, N., et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 238, 794–81477).
The reaction catalyzed by galactose oxidase (GAO) is the oxidation of primary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes, coupled to the two-electron reduction of O2 to hydrogen peroxide (Whitaker, M. W., and Whitaker, J. W. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 6074–6080). See FIG. 1. Galactose oxidase (GAO) is capable of oxidizing the hydroxyl group of the sixth carbon of D-galactose. The kinetic parameters of GAO for the oxidation of galactose are: Km=67 mM, kcat=3,000 sec−1, kcat/Km=45×103 M−1sec−1 (Baron, A. J. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 25095–25105). GAO exhibits prochiral specificity (only the pro-S hydrogen is abstracted) as well as enantiomeric specificity for galactose (only D-galactose is oxidized by the enzyme) (Avigad, G., et al. (1962) J. Biol. Chem. 237, 2736–2743, Maradufu, A., et al. (1971) Canad. J. Chem. 49, 3429–3436).
In addition to D-galactose, GAO oxidizes a broad range of substrates. For example, GAO also accepts alpha- and beta-galactopyranosides, oligo- and polysaccharides and considerably smaller molecules, such as glycerol and allyl alcohol, as well as many other kinds of sugars and primary alcohols. However, in spite of the broad substrate specificity of GAO, it discriminates against D-glucose, the C-4 epimer of D-galactose, as a substrate or ligand. D-glucose does not bind to GAO, even at concentrations as high as 1M (Avigad, G., et al. (1962) J. Biol. Chem. 237, 2736–2743; Wachter, R. M., and Branchaud, B. L. (1996) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 118, 2782–2789).
GAO has one copper (II) ion associated with its active site and related to its oxidation properties. The GAO enzyme has three predominantly beta-structure domains (Ito, N., et al. (1991) Nature 350, 87–90). The copper ion lies on the solvent-accessible surface of the second and largest domain (residues 156–532) (Ito, N., et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 238, 794–814; Ito, N., et al. (1995) Methods Enzymol. 258, 235–262). Tyr-272, Tyr-495, His-496, His-581 and a water molecule are the copper ligands at pH 7.0. The crystal structure also reveals a novel thioether bond linking Cys-228 and Tyr-272 and supports the presence of a tyrosine free radical at the active site (Whitaker, M. W., and Whitaker, J. W. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 6074–6080). A 3-D model of GAO and its active site structure is shown in FIG. 2.
Structure and amino acid residues related to GAO catalysis have been characterized and reported (Borman, C. D., et al. (1997) J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 2, 480–487; Ito, N., et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 238, 794–814; Wachter, R. M., and Branchaud, B. L. (1996) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 118, 2782–2789; Baron, A. J., et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 25095–25105; Ito, N., et al. (1991) Nature 350, 87–90; Reynolds, M. P., et al. (1997) J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 2, 327–335; McPherson, M. J., et al. (1993), Biochem. Soc. Transact., 21, 752–756. (See also FIG. 2). For example, site-directed mutagenesis of Tyr-495 and Cys-228 have confirmed their involvement in galactose oxidation (Baron, A. J., et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 25095–25105; Reynolds, M. P., et al. (1997) J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 2, 327–335). In addition, models illustrating residues involved in galactose binding have been proposed. For example, tryptophan 290 (W290) has been identified as a component of the free radical site of galactose oxidase (Baron, A. J., et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 25095–25105). The crystal structure also demonstrated that four residues, (histidine 496 and 581 (H496 and H581) and tyrosine 272 and 495 (Y272 and Y495) coordinate the cooper ion of galactose oxidase (Ito, N., et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 238, 794–814). A pocket containing phenylalanines 194 and 464 (F194 and F464) interacts with the D-galactose backbone. See FIG. 2. These models may explain why galactose oxidase cannot oxidize D-glucose to any significant extent. For example, it has been hypothesized that arginine 330 (R330) may be important for hydrogen bonding of GAO and 0–4 of D-galactose, and that steric hindrance may prevent this bond forming between GAO and glucose (Ito, N., et al. (1991) Nature 350, 87–90).
For general literature describing GAO, its structure, and its enzyme activity, see Bibliography section entitled "GAO Literature."
Galactose oxidase is currently used mainly for assays of D-galactose and D-galactosamine. The enzyme oxidizes the hydroxyl group in the substrate to an aldehyde, which is reactive. Therefore, the enzyme is implicated for use in production of non-natural sugars and derivatives of sugars (Arts, S. J. H. F., et al. (1997), Synthesis, June 1997, 597–613; Kosman, D. J. (1984), in Lontie, R., Eds., Copper proteins and copper enzymes, Vol. 2., CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., 1–26; Root, R. L., et al. (1985) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 107, 2997–2999; Mazur, A. W., and Hiler, G. D. (1997) J. Org. Chem. 62, 4471–4475.; Martin, B. D., et al. (1998), Biomaterials, 19(1–3), 69–76). The Fusarium NRRL 2903 galactose oxidase gene has been cloned (McPherson, M. J., et al. (1992), J. Biol. Chem., 267(12), 8146–8152) and expressed in Escherichia coli (Lis, M., and Kuramitsu, H. K. (1997), Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 41(5), 999–1003).
GAO has been used in a wide variety of applications, ranging from analytical and food chemistry to chemoenzymatic synthesis and clinical testing. For example, biological sensors based on GAO have been developed to determine the content of galactose (Tkac, J., et al. (1999) Biotechnology Techniques 13, 931–936), lactose and other GAO substrates (Vega, F. A., et al. (1998) Anal. Chim. Acta 373, 57–62) in biological samples. Such biosensors have also been used for quality control in dairy industries (Adanyi, N., et al. (1999) European Food Research and Technology 209, 220–226; Mannino, S., et al. (1999) Italian Journal of Food Science 11, 57–65), online bioprocess monitoring (Szabo, E. E., et al. (1996) Biosensors & Bioelectronics 11, 1051–1058) and analysis of blood samples of patients with suspected galactosemia (Vrbova, E., et al. (1992) Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications 57, 2287–2294). Additionally, GAO is also used for the detection of the disaccharide D-galactose-beta-(1→3)-N-acetylgalactosamine (Gal-GalNAc), a tumor marker in colonic cancer and precancer, and provides a cost-effective screening test for patients with neoplasia or at the risk of developing neoplasia (Yang, G. Y., and Shamsuddin, A. M. (1996) Histol. Histopathol. 11, 801–806; Said, I. T., et al., (1999) Histol. Histopathol. 14, 351–357).
GAO has also found applications in food chemistry, for example, in oxidized guar manufacture (Marrs, B. L. in IBC's Fifth Annual World Congress on Enzyme Technologies (2000) Las Vegas, Nev.) and to treat the oligosaccharide fraction contained in honey (Martin, I. G., et al. (1998) Food Chemistry 61, 281–286). Additionally, GAO has been used to oxidize the cell surface polysaccharides of membrane-bound glycoproteins containing terminal non-reducing galactose residues: this is an essential step in the successful radiolabeling of these glycoconjugates (Calderhead, D. M., and Lienhard, G. E. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 12171–12174; Gahmberg, C. G., and Tolvanen, M. (1994) Methods Enzymol. 230, 32–44).
The stereospecificity and substrate specificity of GAO have been exploited in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of L-sugars from polyols (Root, R. L., et al. (1985) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 107, 2997–2999), which are usually difficult to prepare by chemical methods (Dahlhoff, W. V., et al. (1980) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 19, 546–547; Koster, R., et al. (1982) Synthesis, 650–652). GAO has also been used to make sugar-containing polyamines (Liu, X. C., and Dordick, J. S. (1999) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121, 466–467) and 5-C-(hydroxymethyl) hexoses (Mazur, A. W., and Hiler, G. D. (1997) J. Org. Chem. 62, 4471–4475).
In spite of its attractive properties and broad applicability, GAO applications in synthesis have been limited by a relatively low activity toward a large number of primary alcohols (Arts et al. (1997) Synthesis-Stuttgart 6, 597–610). The normal range of substrate specificity of GAO enzymes hampers its use for various practical applications. For example, a galactose oxidase showing activity towards new substrates such as polymeric materials and glucose would be desirable. However, previous attempts to engineer GAO to improve its activity towards D-glucose have met with difficulties, as no mutant with sufficiently improved activity towards D-glucose could be found (Sun, L., et al. (2001) Protein Eng. 14, 699–704).
Thus, there is a need to develop GAO enzymes with improved substrate specificity towards useful substrates. For example, there is a need for variant GAO enzymes with an improved ability to oxidize the 6-hydroxyl group of D-glucose. The invention addresses these and other needs in the art.


A torque screwdriver includes: a main body having a transverse handle section and a vertical tubular section, the handle section being formed with an internal passage having two cavities respectively formed on two sides of the tubular section; the tubular section being formed with an internal axial space; an operation stem, several ratchets and several recesses being disposed at a top end of the operation stem, each ratchet having a long tooth face and a short tooth face, the long tooth face having a slope smaller than a slope of the short tooth face; the operation stem being mounted in the main body; two elastic abutment assemblies respectively mounted in the two cavities to elastically press two abutment members to elastically contact the operation stem; and at least two support rings disposed between the operation stem and the main body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a hand tool, and more particularly to a torque screwdriver.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional torque tool 10. The torque tool 10 includes a main body 12. Two sides of the main body 12 are respectively formed with two cavities 13. A top end of an operation stem 14 is pivotally rotatably connected in a shaft hole 121 of the main body 12. The circumference of the operation stem 14 is formed with six teeth 15 and six locating troughs 16 between the six teeth 15. Two elastic abutment assemblies 17 are disposed in the two cavities 14. Each elastic abutment assembly 17 includes a steel ball 18 and a spring 19. The spring 19 applies an elastic force to the steel ball 18 to make the steel ball 18 elastically abut against the circumference of the operation stem 14.
In general, the steel ball 18 is positioned in the locating trough 16 as shown in FIG. 2. The torque tool 10 is used to screw a screw or a nut or the like. When the torque of the tool is about to reach a set torque value, the spring 19 is compressed as shown in FIG. 3. At this time, the steel ball 18 is moved along the tooth face 151 of the tooth 15 to the tooth crest and the main body 12 is rotated around the operation stem 14. When the steel ball 19 is moved to the tooth crest, the tool 10 provides a maximum torque. In the instant of reaching the maximum torque, the steel ball 18 slides over a tooth 15 to fall into the next locating trough 16 and restore to the state as shown in FIG. 2. The click of falling into the locating trough 16 can alert a user that the torque of the tool has reached the set torque value.
The above torque tool 10 is a two-way torque tool, which can be operated clockwise and counterclockwise. However, in order to operate the torque tool 10 in two directions, the width of the tooth 15 is narrowed so that the tooth face 151 is quite steep. The tooth face 151 has a large slope and quite short length. Therefore, when reaching the set torque value, the steel ball 18 will abruptly move from the tooth valley, (that is, the locating trough 16 as shown in FIG. 2), to the tooth crest in a very short time. Also, the spring 19 is abruptly compressed in a very short time. Therefore, in operation of the tool, the torque of the tool will instantaneously greatly change. As a result, the torque tool can hardly provide a precise torque.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the top end of the operation stem 14 of the tool 10 is pivotally disposed in the shaft hole 121 of the main body 12. The operation stem 14 is not well supported and is likely to shake. Also, the operation stem directly abrades the wall of the shaft hole 121 against a great frictional force. Therefore, the torque value of the conventional torque tool is unstable and the torque tool can be hardly smoothly operated.
In addition, the tool has no waterproof design so that the internal components are apt to rust or culture bacteria. In this case, the tool cannot be used in an environment requiring high sanitary condition.