A method to significantly accelerate sequential test generation algorithms by accurately computing signal constraints for large sequential circuits and using these constraints effectively during deterministic sequential test generation. The signal constraint computation technique is based on three key ideas: (1) unlike prior techniques (which compute line probabilities assuming only a 0 or 1 value for any signal), line probabilities are computed by allowing signals to assume values other than 0 or 1, (2) line justification techniques are employed to update line probabilities, and (3) symbolic simulation is iteratively used in conjunction with line probability computation and line justification to refine the set of values that a signal can assume. The method results in a significant reduction (more than 50%) in test generation time which is achieved without comprising the fault coverage than can be obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for deriving signal constraints to accelerate sequential test generation, and more particularly pertains to a method for accelerating sequential test generation algorithms for large sequential circuits by using signal constraints which provide information about sets of logic values that signals in the sequential circuit can or cannot assume for any input sequence. The method iteratively uses symbolic simulation in conjunction with 3-valued signal probabilities and line justification to refine the set of values that a signal can assume to efficiently compute the signal constraints.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Test generation for sequential circuits is significantly more difficult than combinational circuits due to the presence of memory elements. Hardware modifications like full scan design or partial scan design are being employed widely to alleviate the test generation problem. Design modifications render all or a subset of flip-flops to be completely controllable and observable. This implies that arbitrary logic values can be loaded into the scan flip-flops and circuit responses collected in any of the scan flip-flops can be observed. These modifications entail modest area and performance penalties but they can significantly increase the test application time and the size of the test set. Non-scan or partial scan designs may be more desirable because they incur fewer penalties than full-scan designs. However, these designs require a sequential test generator for deriving test sequences. The present invention speeds up sequential test generators without adversely affecting the fault coverages achievable using these tools.

Deriving signal constraints to accelerate sequential test generation


A package for an integrated circuit that is attached to a rigid substrate by the flip-chip method has a heat spreader that is attached to the IC by a thermally conductive, compliant adhesive and that is attached to the package substrate by a set of rigid posts of adhesive, the result of which is that the heat spreader is more closely parallel to the substrate than was the case for a stiffener bonded to the substrate by a thin film extending over a large area.

In the field of packaging ICs, it is conventional to attach a "heat spreader" meaning a plate, with or without fins, to conduct heat generated during circuit operation away from the IC.
The effect of bonding a substrate and a chip with different coefficients of thermal expansion at elevated temperatures is that the organic substrates are warped, so that the finished module does not satisfy the flatness and/or coplanarity requirements that have been specified.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,434 illustrates a common approach, in which a chip is bonded to a rigid structure that makes thermal contact with the back side of the chip and is bonded to the substrate over the periphery of the structure. There is thus an extensive area over which stresses can be spread, which should alleviate warping.
A publication (EN886-0459, Research Disclosures July 1988) illustrates the use of a sheet of polyimide that flexes in response to stresses, so the IC is not in mechanical contact with a rigid substrate.
There still remains, however, a considerably problem of warping the substrate.

Packaging integrated circuits with adhesive posts

International Business Machines Corporation


A light fixture includes a base having a recess defined in the top thereof and a first passage defined through the base and communicating with the recess. Two first holes are defined through the bottom and communicate with the outside of the base. A socket has a head portion inserted in the recess and a shank portion which extends from the underside of the head portion and inserted in the first passage. A shoulder portion is defined in the underside of the head portion and abuts the shank portion, and a second passage defined through the socket so as to receive a light therein. Two second holes are defined through the shoulder portion and communicate with the two first holes so that moisture or water in the recess or the socket will drain from the first holes and the second holes.

A conventional light fixture for a Christmas light is shown FIG. 6 and includes a base 50 to which a socket 56 is attached to the top portion thereof, the Christmas light 58 is then installed in the socket 56. The base 50 has a recess 52 defined in the top portion thereof so as to install the socket 56 therein and a passage 54 is defined through the base 50 from the bottom of the base 50 to the recess 52 so that a shoulder portion 520 is defined between the passage 54 and the recess 52, and the socket 56 is supported by the shoulder portion 520. When the Christmas light 58 is installed in the socket 56, two wires 582 from the Christmas light 58 extend through the passage 54 to connect to electrical parts (not shown) so as to form a circuit. Such Christmas lights 58 are connected in series so as to wind around a tree or other objects so that all the light fixtures are exposed to the weather. The interior of the socket 56 and the base could be wet by rain drops or dew which could result in a short circuit of the Christmas lights.
The present invention intends to provide a light fixture which has a drain hole defined through the socket and the base so that water or moisture will not be retrained therein. The light fixture effectively improves the shortcomings of the conventional light fixture.


A semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the semiconductor device employing mixed metal silicide technology is disclosed. A semiconductor device is provided having a doped silicon region, such as a source/drain. A first metal layer comprising titanium and a second metal layer comprising nickel are deposited over the semiconductor device. The device is subjected to rapid thermal annealing. The resulting device has a mixed metal silicide layer over the doped silicon region, the mixed metal silicide layer and the doped silicon region having smooth interface between them.

The present invention relates to semiconductor devices and methods for their manufacture. In particular, the present invention relates to formation of silicide on semiconductor devices with decreased roughness between a doped silicon region and a metal silicide region.
One of the major goals of integrated circuit design is to produce ever smaller integrated circuits without forfeiting performance. For instance, in designing metal oxide silicon (MOS) stransistors, manufacturing smaller components implies the need to design transistors with shorter gates. When the size of a MOS gate is decreased, it is necessary to decrease the size of the source and drain regions in order to reduce leakage current. However, this reduction in size of source and drain regions creates further problems, as electrical connections between the doped silicon of the source and drain regions and metal interconnects have high characteristic resitivity. Higher source/drain (S/D) resistivity results in slower operation of the semiconductor device. The gains obtained by producing semiconductor devices with reduced dimensions are offset by the decrease in device speed caused by increased source/drain resistivity.
One approach to addressing the problem of high source/drain resistivity is through self-aligned silicide (salicide) technology. Metal silicides have the advantage of having reduced resistivities as compared to doped-silicon alone. In general, this approach entails layering a metal such as nickel directly over the source and drain regions of a MOS device. An annealing process causes the metal to diffuse into the doped-silicon region of the device, where a metal silicide is formed. In the case of nickel, a nickel silicide (NiSi) is the metal silicide that is formed. This silicide layer segregates over the doped silicon S/D region. Unreacted metal is then stripped from the device, for instance with a 4:1 mixture of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), leaving a metal silicide layer over the source/drain regions. The silicide layer presents a much lower interface resistivity with respect to metal interconnects than does the doped silicon source or drain region. For example, TiSi2 has a resistivity of 15-20 xcexcxcexa9cm, CoSi2 has a resistivity of 17-20 xcexcxcexa9cm, and NiSi has a resistivity of 12-15 xcexcxcexa9cm.
A typical prior art method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using silicide technology may be envisioned with reference to FIGS. 1-4. A typical prior art semiconductor device 10 is depicted in FIG. 1. Semiconductor device 10 is a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) device comprising a silicon substrate 12, a doped silicon source region 14a, a doped silicon drain region 14b, a gate dielectric 18 and a gate electrode 16. Typically, source region 14a and drain region 14b will be doped with the same dopant material, such as As, P, or B, depending on whether the substrate 12 is crystalline silicon, p-doped silicon or n-doped silicon. Semiconductor device 10 also has spacers 180 that provide electrical isolation between the source/drain regions 14a, 14b and the gate electrode 16. The spacers 180 comprise an insulative material, such as silicon nitride (SiN), silicon dioxide (SiO2) or silicon oxynitride (SiON). The spacers 180 are added after source/drain extensions are implanted, and prior to implantation and activation of dopant, such as As, to form the source/drain regions 14a, 14b. The spacers 180 shield the source/drain extensions from further doping during the doping of the source/drain regions 14a, 14b.
As discussed above, a semiconductor device such as MOS device 10 will tend to exhibit relatively high resistivity at source 14a and drain 14b. A typical prior art method of overcoming this problem is through application of silicide technology. A first step of a prior art process employing silicide technology is depicted in FIG. 2. A metal layer 106, such as nickel (Ni), is applied to the surface of silicon substrate 12, source 14a, drain 14b, gate dielectric 18 and gate electrode 16. The device 10 is then subjected to one or more rapid thermal annealing (RTA) steps. After or between the RTA step(s), the unreacted metal layer is removed.
FIG. 3 depicts device 10 after the RTA and unreacted metal removal steps. Source 14a is overlaid with a metal silicide layer 104a, while drain 14b is overlaid with a corresponding metal silicide layer 104b. Gate 16 also has a metal silicide layer 116 formed at its top surface. The metal silicide layers 104a, 104b, 116 provide reduced resistivity to connects (not shown) that will be applied to the metal silicide layers 104a, 104b, 116 of device 10 in later fabrication steps.
However, silicide technology is not without its drawbacks. Among these drawbacks is the tendency of certain silicide layers to form a rough interface between the doped portion of the source/drain regions and their corresponding silicide layers. This has been particularly noted with respect to nickel silicides when used in conjunction with As-doped source/drain regions. FIG. 4 depicts a zoom view of part of a typical prior art device 10 employing silicide technology. The device 10 comprises silicon substrate 12, metal gate dielectric 18, gate electrode 16, doped silicon region 14 and silicide layers 104, 116. The interface between doped silicon region 14 and silicide layer 104 is a rough border 106. Such surface roughness results in greater than optimal resistivity and capacitive reactance, both of which negatively impact device speed. It is therefore desirable to form a smoother border between doped silicon regions and overlying metal silicide layers.
There is a need for a semiconductor device having a smooth border between doped source/drain regions and overlying metal silicide layers, and a method of forming such a semiconductor device when the silicide includes nickel, and the dopant is arsenic.
This and other needs are met by embodiment of the present invention, which provide a method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a silicide junction having a smooth border between a doped silicon region and a mixed metal silicide region, the method comprising providing a silicon substrate having a doped silicon region disposed thereon, applying a layer of titanium metal over at least the doped silicon region, applying a layer of nickel over at least the titanium layer, subjecting the silicon substrate, doped-silicon region, titanium layer and nickel layer to rapid thermal annealing, and removing the titanium and nickel layers to produce a semiconductor device having a silicide junction having a smooth border between a doped silicon region and a silicide region thereof.
The earlier stated needs are also met by embodiments of the present invention, which provide an integrated circuit device having a silicide junction, having a smooth border between a doped silicon region and a silicide region, comprising: a doped silicon region; a silicide region overlying the doped silicon region, the silicide and doped silicon regions forming a silicide junction having a smooth border between the silicide and doped silicon regions; wherein the silicide region comprises silicon, nickel and titanium atoms.
The foregoing and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Dual layer silicide formation using a titanium barrier to reduce surface roughness at silicide/junction interface


A system and method for cooling and warming the central nervous system of a patient comprises a delivery tube with one of the ends couplable to a supply of fluid. A head structure is coupled to the other end of the delivery tube and cooling or warming fluid is directed through the tube to the head structure. The head structure is configured to be placed within the rectal cavity of a patient such that either a contact surface on the head structure or the fluid itself directly contacts a portion of the rectal mucosal membrane. A means for reversing the vertebral venous flow of blood through Batson's plexus supplies cooled or warmed blood directly to the vertebral structures. Unique methods of utilizing the system to selectively cool and warm the central nervous system structures of a patient are set forth herein.

Hypothermia, which is the condition of lowered normal body temperature in a warm blooded animal, has been used therapeutically for the treatment of human brain injury, spinal cord injury, and spinal cord ischemia for many years. Therapeutic hypothermia is used as a neural protectant in situations where there is central nervous system ischemia, trauma, or hypoxia. Such situations can occur from stroke, global ischemia, accidental trauma, or may be induced during surgery. The induction of therapeutic hypothermia followed by rewarming is now an integral part of modem surgery. In fact, many surgical procedures currently performed are successfully accomplished with the aid of hypothermia. Hypothermia as a medical therapy is recognized as a method of preserving brain tissue in the setting of focal and global ischemia.
Normal core temperature for humans is in the range of 36-38° C. Medical and surgical hypothermic therapy is considered "mild hypothermia" when the core temperature is cooled to approximately 32-35° C., and "deep hypothermia" when the core temperature is reduced below 32° C. Hypothermia has been shown in animal models to reduce the permeability of the blood brain barrier. It also causes a reduction in metabolic activity, along with decreased cerebral demand for glucose and oxygen. Other effects of hypothermia on the brain and spinal cord include decreased rates of high-energy phosphate depletion, decreased lactate accumulation, reduced biosynthesis, and decreased release and uptake of some neurotransmitters. Hypothermia also lowers intracranial pressure and can inhibit brain edema. Individual organ hypothermia, such as that used on transplanted organs, is also used to preserve organs other than the central nervous system.
Known techniques for inducing hypothermia involve both surface cooling and internal cooling, sometimes in conjunction with drugs that disable homeostatic responses. For example, some present methods for inducing hypothermia by surface cooling include externally applied cold packs, whole body ice, ice blankets, immersion in ice water, and chilled forced air refrigeration. Some internal cooling techniques include methods such as infusion of cold saline into veins, arteries, and/or into the peritoneum, and direct extracorporeal cooling.
Surface techniques for achieving and maintaining central nervous system hypothermia are generally unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. First, the organ that is generally the focus of cooling, the central nervous system, is actually cooled last with such techniques. Also, the time to cool the central nervous system can be in the order of four hours or greater. Further, the inertia produced by a steady drop in temperature can produce an "overshoot" condition in which organ damage from excessive hypothermia can occur. Additionally, surface cooling, especially for deep hypothermia, often requires supplemental internal cooling and pharmacological assistance. Cooling by cold blankets and dressings is also often uncomfortable and induces shivering in the patient. Furthermore, there is a risk of body surface injury, and the need to anesthetize for deep hypothermia is often required. Similar drawbacks occur in warming or re-warming the body, such as re-warming a patient after hypothermia.
Internal cooling, on the other hand, is an invasive process which is associated with other problems, including infection, thrombosis, arrhythmia, and cardiac ischemia. Another problem is that the entire body is unnecessarily cooled in situations where only the central nervous system should be cooled. Because there are such problems associated with current methods of inducing hypothermia, a non-invasive cooling system and technique that is focused on the target organ, most notably the central nervous system, would be desirable. It is also desirable to have a non-invasive system for warming the body selectively.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide targeted central nervous system cooling and warming. It is also an objective of the invention to provide a hypothermia/warming system and technique that minimizes or avoids an overshoot cooling or warming of the body. It is another objective of the invention to cool/warm the central nervous system in a non-invasive manner. It is further an objective of the invention to develop a hypothermia/warming system and technique, which can work concurrently and synergistically with existing cooling/warming systems.

System and method using the rectal mucosal membrane for inducing hypothermia and warming


An apparatus designed to separate mixtures of materials by use of a stack of spaced membrane elements (11) in the form of membrane cells having bore (112) through which the permeate (130) is discharged. The device (10) includes a feed inlet (14) for the mixture plus discharge outlets (16) for the retentate (17) and permeate (13), and the mixture flowing over the surfaces (110, 11, 180, 181) of the membrane elements (11) in chambers (150) between element (18). Fitted between each pair of membrane elements (11) or between the membrane (11) and deflection (18) elements is an annular support element (19) which surrounds the bore (112) through the membrane element (11) or deflection element (18), the seal between the support element (19) and the membrane (11) or deflection (18) element being formed by a sealing element (191) fitted round the outer circumference (190) of the support element (19).

The invention relates to an apparatus for separating components of mixtures of materials, by means of membrane elements which are spaced mutually apart and superposed, which membrane elements are in the form of pockets, flattened tubes, or the like, and which elements have a bore to allow outflow of the permeate, said apparatus being comprised of:
a feed opening to admit the mixture of materials, and PA1 outlet openings for outflow of the retentate and the permeate,
wherewith in said apparatus the mixture flows in essentially laminar flow along the surfaces of flow chambers for said mixture which chambers are formed between two membrane elements or between a membrane element and a guide element (or redirecting element).
An apparatus of this type is known (Ger. OS 40 30 657). This known apparatus is intended for high permeate flows. The superposed membrane arrangement is mounted in the apparatus with the aid of inner rings which are partially engaged on each side by one of the membrane elements and a drainage structure, respectively. The inner rings serve as spacers between the membrane elements, and in combination with the drainage structures form a superposed membrane arrangement which is resistant to pressure. In applications where the permeate flow is relatively small, wherewith the permeate outflow cross section of the known drainage structure is not fully exploited, the productivity per unit of apparatus volume of an arrangement of this type is unsatisfactorily low, with attendant high costs.

Device for separating mixtures using stacked spaced membrane elements


A method for manufacturing a toner, including: dissolving or dispersing toner constituents including a resin, a colorant, a release agent, and a graft polymer including a polyolefin resin unit and a vinyl resin unit in a solvent, to prepare a toner constituent liquid; supplying the toner constituent liquid to a retention part configured to retain the toner constituent liquid; discharging the toner constituent liquid from the retention part to a granulation space through plural holes arranged on the retention part, while exciting the toner constituent liquid by a vibration means in contact with a part of the retention part, so that the discharged columnar toner constituent liquid is constricted to form liquid droplets; and converting the liquid droplets into solid toner particles; together with a toner manufactured by the above method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a toner and a toner for use in electrophotography.
2. Discussion of the Background
In electrophotography, electrostatic recording, electrostatic printing, etc., a developer is adhered to an image bearing member, such as an electrostatic latent image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and then transferred from the image bearing member onto a transfer medium such as a paper, and finally fixed on the paper. As the developer configured to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member, a two-component developer including a carrier and a toner and a one-component developer consisting essentially of a toner (e.g., magnetic toner and non-magnetic toner) are known.
As a dry toner for use in electrophotography, electrostatic recording, electrostatic printing, etc., a pulverized toner in which a toner binder such as a styrene resin and a polyester resin, a colorant, etc. are melt-kneaded and pulverized is widely used.
Recently, polymerized toners which are manufactured by polymerization methods such as suspension polymerization methods and emulsion polymerization aggregation methods are studied. Published unexamined Japanese patent application No. (hereinafter referred to as JP-A) 07-152202 discloses a polymer dissolution suspension method. In this method, toner components are dispersed and/or dissolved in a volatile solvent such as an organic solvent having a low boiling point to prepare a toner component mixture liquid. The thus prepared mixture liquid is emulsified in an aqueous medium containing a dispersant to form droplets of the mixture liquid. Finally, the volatile solvent is removed from the droplets to prepare toner particles while contracting the volume of the droplets. Unlike suspension polymerization methods and emulsion polymerization aggregation methods, the polymer dissolution suspension method has an advantage that various kinds of resins can be used. For example, a polyester resin, which is useful for obtaining a full-color image having transparency and smoothness, can be used for this method.
Since the polymerized toners are prepared in an aqueous medium containing a dispersant, the dispersant tends to remain on the surface of the toner and deteriorates chargeability and environmental stability thereof. In order to remove the remaining dispersant, a large amount of water is needed. Thus, the polymerized methods are not necessarily satisfactory.
In attempting to solve the above problems, JP-A 2003-262976 discloses a toner manufacturing method in which microdroplets of fluid raw materials are formed using piezoelectric pulse and then dried to become toner particles. JP-A 2003-280236 discloses a toner manufacturing method in which microdroplets of fluid raw materials are formed using thermal expansion of the nozzle and then dried to become toner particles. JP-A 2003-262977 discloses a toner manufacturing method in which microdroplets of fluid raw materials are formed using an acoustic lens and then dried to become toner particles. These methods have a disadvantage that manufacturability of the toner is poor because the number of the droplets discharged per unit time is small. In addition, it is difficult to prevent each of the droplets from uniting with each other, resulting in broad particle diameter distribution of the resultant particles. Thus, these methods are also not necessarily satisfactory.
JP-As 2006-28432 and 2006-28433 have disclosed methods in which a dispersion liquid, in which toner components including a light curing resin and a thermal curing resin, respectively, are dispersed in a dispersion medium, is intermittently discharged from a nozzle to form droplets, and then the droplets are aggregated while the light or thermal curing resin is cured to stably form particles. However, these methods also have poor manufacturability and the resultant particles have a wide particle diameter distribution. In addition, the cured resins do not impart satisfactory fixability to the resultant particles.
These methods have a feature that the dispersion liquid directly contacts a vibration part. In this case, when the number of holes and that of the vibration part are same, the resultant particles have a narrow particle diameter distribution. But when there are a plurality of holes and a single vibration part, the size of the droplet depends on the distance between the hole and the vibration part. Therefore, different holes produce particles having different particle diameters.
The dry toner is typically fixed on a recording medium (such as paper) upon application of heat by directly contacting a heat roller or belt. When the temperature of the heat roller or belt is too high, an offset problem tends to be caused in that excessively melted toner is adhered to the surface of the heat roller or belt. In contrast, when the temperature of the heat roller or belt is too low, the toner cannot be sufficiently fused and fixed.
In terms of energy saving and downsizing of apparatuses, a need exists for a toner which minimizes hot offset (this property is hereinafter referred to as hot offset resistance) and which can be fixed at low temperatures (this property is hereinafter referred to as low-temperature fixability). The toner is also required to have a property such that the toner does not cause a blocking problem even when the toner is stored at the temperature inside an apparatus (this property is hereinafter referred to as thermostable preservability). In particular, full-color copiers and printers are required to produce images having glossiness and color-mixing property, and therefore polyester resins are widely used as a full-color toner binder because of having low melt-viscosity.
Since such a toner easily causes hot offset, a silicone oil is typically applied to a heat member in the full-color copiers and printers. In this case, the apparatus needs an oil tank and an oil applicator, and therefore the apparatus must be larger and complicated. There is another problem such that the oil applied to the heat member tends to adhere to copier papers and overhead projection (OHP) films, resulting in deterioration of the color tone of the produced images.
In attempting to solve these problems, a technique in which a release agent (such as wax) is added to a toner is proposed and widely used to prevent the toner from adhering to the heat roller without applying an oil thereto. Releasability of the toner greatly depends upon dispersing conditions of the wax in the toner. When the wax is compatible with the binder resin used, the toner has no releasability. When the wax is incompatible with the binder resin and forms domains thereof in the toner, the toner has releasability. In this case, when the domains are too large, the amount of the wax existing near the surface of the toner relatively increases. Thereby, the toner particles tend to aggregate, resulting in deterioration of fluidity thereof. In addition, the wax tends to form films thereof on a carrier, a photoreceptor, and the like, after a long period of use, and therefore the image quality deteriorates. When the toner is a color toner, there is another problem that color reproducibility and transparency deteriorate. When the domains are too small, the wax is too excessively dispersed to impart good releasability to the toner.
Although it is necessary to control the dispersion diameter of the wax domain, there is no appropriate way. In particular, the dispersion diameter of the wax domain of the pulverized toner depends upon the shearing force applied when toner components are melt-kneaded. But it is difficult to apply a proper amount of shearing force to a polyester resin, which is widely used as a binder resin recently, due to its low viscosity. In this case, it is difficult to control the dispersion diameter of the wax domain.
In a pulverized toner, there is another problem that the wax tends to exist at pulverized sections, i.e., the wax tends to exist at the surface of the toner particles.
The wax is softer and has a larger adhesive property than the resin. Therefore, the wax tends to adhere to a photoreceptor and form a film thereof (this phenomena is hereinafter called to as filming problem) when a large amount of the wax is present at the surface of the toner.
In order to produce high definition and high quality images, toners are improved to have a smaller particle diameter and a narrower particle diameter distribution. Since conventional pulverized toner particles have irregular shapes, the toner particles tend to be excessively pulverized when mixed with a carrier in a developing device (when used for a two-component developer), or when contacting a developing roller, a toner supplying roller, a toner layer thickness controlling blade, a friction-charging blade, etc. under stress (when used for a one-component developer). As a result, the resultant image quality deteriorates because ultrafine particles are produced and a fluidizer is buried in the surfaces of the toner particles. Since such an irregular-shaped toner has poor fluidity, there is a problem that the toner needs a large amount of a fluidizer. There is another problem that a toner bottle must be larger because such an irregular-shaped toner cannot effectively fill up the toner bottle, resulting in disturbing downsizing of the apparatus.
A full-color transfer process in which a full-color toner image is transferred from a photoreceptor to a transfer medium or a paper is complicated. On the other hand, a pulverized toner has poor transferability due to its shape. When the pulverized toner is used for the full-color transfer process, the transferred image may have image defects and a large amount of the toner is consumed so as to compensate the image defects.
Therefore, there are demands for improving transferability of the toner to produce high quality images by reducing image defect and to reduce the running cost by reducing the amount of the toner consumed. If the toner has good transferability, the toner particles tend not to remain on the photoreceptor or the transfer medium, and therefore the apparatus does not need a cleaning unit. As a result, the apparatus can be downsized and the manufacturing cost thereof can be reduced. In addition, waste toner particles are not produced. In attempting to overcome the above drawbacks of the irregular-shaped toner, various methods of preparing a spherical toner have been proposed.
For example, in attempting to improve both low-temperature fixability and hot offset resistance of a toner, a technique in which a release agent (e.g., a polyolefin wax) having a low melting point is added to a toner has been proposed.
JP-A's 06-295093, 07-84401, and 09-258471 have disclosed toners including a wax having a specific endothermic peak measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). However, these toners do not sufficiently satisfy low-temperature fixability, hot offset resistance, and developability.
JP-A's 05-341577, 06-123999, 06-230600, 06-295093, and 06-324514 have disclosed toners including a release agent such as a candelilla wax, a higher fatty acid wax, a higher alcohol wax, natural plant waxes (a carnauba wax, a rice wax), and a montan ester wax. However, these toners do not sufficiently satisfy low-temperature fixability, hot offset resistance, developability (chargeability), and durability. In general, when a release agent having a low-melting point is added to a toner, fluidity of the toner deteriorates, and therefore developability, transferability, chargeability, durability, and preservability thereof also deteriorate.
JP-A's 11-258934, 11-258935, 04-299357, 04-337737, 06-208244, and 07-281478 have disclosed toners including two or more release agents so as to broaden the fixable temperature range (in which hot offset does not occur) thereof. However, these toners have a problem in dispersibility of the wax in the toner.
JP-A 08-166686 discloses a toner including a polyester resin and two offset inhibitors, each of which has an acid value and a different melting point. However, this toner has insufficient developability.
JP-A's 08-328293 and 10-161335 have disclosed toners including wax particles having a specific particle diameter. However, the existential condition and location of the wax particles are undefined, and therefore the toner has insufficient separativeness when fixed.
JP-A 2001-305782 discloses a toner, on the surface of which spherical wax particles are fixed. When the wax particles are present on the surface of the toner, fluidity thereof deteriorates, and therefore developability, transferability, chargeability, durability, and preservability also deteriorate.
JP-A 2002-6541 discloses a toner in which wax particles are locally present near the surface of the toner particle. However, hot offset resistance, preservability, and durability of the toner is not always satisfactory.
Published examined Japanese patent application Nos. (hereinafter referred to as JP-B) 52-3304 and 07-82255 have disclosed pulverized toners including a styrene resin as a binder resin, a polyolefin (such as a low-molecular weight polyethylene and a low-molecular weight polypropylene) as a release agent, and/or a polyolefin resin to which a styrene resin is grafted. Since the styrene resin does not impart low-temperature fixability to the resultant toner, these toners do not respond to a recent demand for energy saving.
JP-A's 2000-75549, 2001-249485, 2003-202698, and 2003-255589 have disclosed toners including a polyester resin which can impart low-temperature fixability to the resultant toner. These toners are pulverized toners which are prepared by melt-kneading toner components, followed by fine pulverization and classification. The shape and the surface structure of the pulverized toner depend on the pulverization property of the materials used and the pulverization condition, and it is difficult to easily control the shape and the surface structure. It is also difficult to narrow the particle diameter distribution because there is a limit to improve the classification ability and the manufacturing cost is raised. It is also difficult for the pulverized toner to have an average particle diameter of not greater than 6 μm considering yield, manufacturability, and cost.
On the other hand, in a toner manufacturing method in which toner components are discharged from a micronozzle, it is easy to form spherical particles having a smaller particle diameter. But there is a problem of nozzle clogging. In particular, when toner components include coarse particles or aggregations of a release agent, nozzle clogging easily occurs.
The present inventors have found that a toner having a nearly monodisperse particle diameter distribution can be prepared by a method including:
dissolving or dispersing toner constituents comprising a resin and a colorant in a solvent, to prepare a toner constituent liquid;
supplying the toner constituent liquid to a retention part configured to retain the toner constituent liquid;
discharging the toner constituent liquid from the retention part to a granulation space through plural holes arranged on the retention part, while exciting the toner constituent liquid by a vibration means in contact with a part of the retention part, so that the discharged columnar toner constituent liquid is constricted to form liquid droplets; and
converting the liquid droplets into solid toner particles.
In this method, the single vibration means entirely excites the retention part having plural holes. Thereby, a uniform vibration is applied to the toner constituent liquid, which is to be discharged from the retention part through plural holes, and an acoustic wave is generated therein. As a result, more than 100 liquid-droplet-forming phenomena can be simultaneously performed by the single vibration part. This method can solve the conventional problems such as hole clogging, poor manufacturability, and poor stability, and is capable of efficiently producing a toner having a narrower particle diameter distribution than ever before. Such a toner has little or no variation in toner properties (such as fluidity and chargeability) among each toner particles.
However, when the toner constituent liquid includes a wax, the holes are easily clogged with the wax, and therefore the resultant toner hardly has a narrow particle diameter distribution.

Method for manufacturing toner and toner


A crane gear for the transport of web rolls with a winding core, provided with a passage hole, exhibits a support frame, which is attached to a cable and which is provided with receiving units. The support frame comprises an upper yoke carrier with legs, which point in the downward direction and whose ends are provided with hooks and from which a support rod, which is slid through the passage hole, can be suspended.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a crane gear for the transport of web rolls with a winding core, provided with a passage hole, preferably for the transport of paper rolls, with a support frame, attached to a cable, with receiving units.
2. Description of the Related Art
Web rolls, for example made of paper, that can exhibit a weight of one ton and more, are usually transported by means of floor conveyors, for example fork lift trucks, provided with a carrying mandrel, in order to put them, for example, into unwinding units. Paper webs are drawn off, for example, from paper rolls, suspended in unwinding units, in order to produce from them tubular sections for the purpose of producing sacks or to print on them in the printing machines. It is difficult, especially under crowded room conditions, to maneuver a roll of paper hanging from a receiving mandrel of a fork lift truck.
The invention proceeds from the recognition that in the typical operations and production halls there are cranes, which can be moved to arbitrary places in the halls. Moreover, it is easier to maneuver the paper rolls, hanging from a crane hook; and thus it is easier to transport them to the unwinding units and optionally they may be conveyed away from the unwinding units.
Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a crane gear of the class described in the introductory part of the specification, into which it is easy to suspend the web rolls and from which it is easy to remove again the web rolls from the same.
The invention solves this problem in that the support frame of the crane gear comprises an upper yoke carrier with legs, which project in the downward direction and whose ends are provided with hooks. A support rod, slid through the passage hole, can be suspended from the legs. Thus, the inventive crane gear comprises in its simplest design a U-shaped support frame with downwardly projecting legs, with which the ends of the support rod that protrude on both sides beyond the passage hole of the web roll can be coupled together.
For the purpose of attaching the web roll to the support frame and also of uncoupling it again from the same, a preferred embodiment provides that the yoke carrier has a passageway therethrough in which a boom rod can be slid. One end of the boom rod that projects beyond the yoke carrier is connected to a support arm, projecting in the downward direction. One end of the support rod can be coupled to the support arm, while the other end of the support rod lies in such a manner in the hook of a leg that the support rod can be forced into engagement with the hook of the other leg by moving the support arm and the boom rod through the passageway in the yoke carrier. In this inventive improvement, the outer end of the support rod is connected to the support arm of the extended boom rod, whereby the other end of the support rod rests in the hook of a leg so that the crane gear can be aligned in such a manner in relation to the paper roll over the crane that the support rod lies in front of the passage hole and aligns with said hole. By simply moving the support arm with boom, the support rod can be slid in such a manner through the passage hole of the web roll that it engages in such a manner with the hook of the other leg that the legs enclose the paper roll and the support rod is suspended from the hooks.
The eye of the crane gear is located in principle in the vertical center plane between the legs of the support frame. If, however, the boom is extended to one side, said boom exerts on the support frame a moment that tries to swing the support frame into an inclined position, in which it is difficult to simply attach the web roll. Therefore, a further development of the present invention provides that a guide rod, which runs parallel to the yoke carrier, is attached to the brackets of the yoke carrier. On the guide rod can be site a counterweight, which is connected in such a manner to the boom rod by means of connecting means that the crane gear is located, in almost all outward thrust positions of the boom rod, essentially in the balance of moments about a horizontal cross axis, running through the eye. Thus, a support frame that is provided with the inventive counterweight can be coupled in a simple manner to the web roll, because in every position of the boom the legs, provided with hooks, are located, as a rule, in their vertical position.
Preferably the connecting means comprise a cable, whose ends are fastened to the yoke carrier or the brackets and whose strands are reeved, like a block and tackle, on both sides of a fixed point to the boom rod between rollers, located on both sides of the counterweight and the yoke carrier or the brackets. In this design the counterweight is automatically coupled in such a manner to the boom rod by means of the cable reeving that, when the boom rod is moved, the counterweight exerts a movement, opposite the movement of the boom rod.

Crane gear for the transport of web rolls


A gas flow in a load-lock type preliminary chamber is improved. A load-lock type substrate treating apparatus contains a processing chamber (34) for storing and processing a substrate (1); a preliminary chamber (23) continuously arranged to the processing chamber (31); a substrate holding jig mechanism (40) for carrying in and carrying out a substrate holding jig (50) holding multiple substrates (1), to and from the processing chamber (31); an inert gas supply port (61) for supplying inert gas to the preliminary chamber (23); a first exhaust port (71) provided above the inert gas supply port (61) in the preliminary chamber (23) to exhaust the inert gas: a second exhaust port (81) to draw a vacuum in the preliminary chamber (23); and a controller (100) for performing control so that the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply port (61) is exhausted only from the first exhaust port (71), while maintaining the preliminary chamber (23) drawn a vacuum from the second exhaust port (81) at a specified pressure after raising the pressure.

Batch type vertical hot wall depressurizing CVD apparatus are widely used in film-forming processes in IC manufacturing methods for depositing silicon nitride (Si3N4), silicon oxide (SiOx) or polysilicon on wafers.
This batch type vertical hot wall depressurizing CVD apparatus contains a process tube forming a processing chamber for forming film via a thermal CVD reaction on the wafer stored inside; a boat for loading/unloading multiple wafers held in arrayed state into/from a processing chamber; a standby chamber formed directly below the process tube for maintaining the boat for loading/unloading into/from the processing chamber in standby; and a boat elevator for raising and lowering the boat and carry them in or out of the processing chamber.
In the prior art, CVD apparatus of this type are load-lock batch type vertical hot wall depressurizing CVD apparatus (hereafter called load-lock CVD apparatus) including a standby chamber formed as a vacuum container (hereafter called, load-lock type chamber) capable of withstanding pressures below atmospheric pressure. See patent document 1 and patent document 2 for examples.
The load-lock method is a method that uses a valve such as a gate valve to isolate the processing chamber from preliminary chamber (standby chamber), prevents the inflow of air into the processing chamber, and stabilize the process by reducing external disturbances such as from temperature and pressure.
Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Non-examined Publication No. 2003-151909
Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Non-examined Publication No. 09-298137

Substrate treating apparatus and semiconductor device manufacturing method


Disclosed herein are various exemplary mechanisms by which external forces applied to doors and their locking mechanisms are deflected or directed away from the critical components of the locking system thereby preserving the integrity of the locking system and preventing unauthorized entry. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.

The claimed inventions relate generally to locking mechanisms, particularly those for doors, and more particularly, to safe or security doors. The claimed inventions concern mechanisms that improve the ability of such doors and their locking systems to withstand external forces intended to disable the locking systems and allow unauthorized entry.


Disclosed is a method, a communication system, and a communication device for transmitting data to a first subscriber, within the framework of a connection signaling from a first primary service communication device of the first subscriber to a second primary service communication device, a primary address information message associated with the first primary service communication device and a secondary address information message associated with a first secondary service communication device of the first subscriber is transmitted to the second primary service communication device. The transmitted address information messages are identified and stored via the primary service communication device. For the transmission of data to be transmitted to the first subscriber, the stored secondary address information message is transferred from the second primary service communication device to a second secondary service communication device, and is transmitted based on the transferred secondary address information message during transmission to the first secondary service communication device.

In known voice communication systems, when a connection is being set up from a calling communication facility to a called communication facility, a call number of the calling communication facility is often signaled and can be displayed on a display unit of the called communication facility. Voice communication systems of this type are for example ISDN-based exchanges (ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network) and ISDN telephones, which can be linked by way of these, it being possible for the exchanges to be arranged in the public telephone network or private communication networks belonging to companies or organizations. The transmission and display of incoming call numbers is also standard for mobile radio communication.
Modem communication facilities also frequency allow, in addition to the display on the display unit, terminal-specific storage of transmitted call numbers and further connection data for incoming connections in call logs. Lists of caller call numbers of incoming accepted and/or not accepted calls are frequently stored in such call logs.
When call logs are used, it is generally possible with known communication facilities to use the connection data stored in the call logs to initiate the setting up of a further connection from the called communication facility to the originally calling communication facility. Such setting up of a further connection is generally initiated manually by the called subscriber, by selecting an entry from a call log on the display and by way of an input means on the originally called communication facility, and initiating the setting up of the further connection for this. It is thus possible for a subscriber for example, who identifies that he/she has been called in his/her absence, to call the original caller back in a simple manner.
A further known communication service is an email communication, wherein a subscriber—using an email address for addressing purposes—can transmit a text-based message to a further subscriber. An email address as transmission destination can hereby be taken for example from a previous email traffic, in which the further subscriber took part.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method, communication system and communication terminal for the transmission of data


The fishing reel comprises: a fishing line take-up drive mechanism (16) which is disposed in a reel main body (12) and drives a spool (10) so that the spool (10) takes up a fishing line therearound; a reversal preventive mechanism (18) which is disposed in the reel main body (12) and can be switched selectively between a reversal preventive state for preventing the reversal of the fishing line take-up drive mechanism in a fishing line play-out direction and a reversal allowable state for allowing the reversal of the fishing line take-up drive mechanism; and, a reversal prevention switching mechanism (22) which is disposed in the reel main body (12) and, by operating an operation part (20), switches the reversal preventive state and reversal allowable state of the reversal preventive mechanism over to each other. And, the reversal prevention switching mechanism holds the reversal preventive mechanism in the reversal preventive state while the operation part thereof is not operated, and can switch the reversal preventive mechanism from the reversal preventive state over to the reversal allowable state only when the operation part is operated.

The present invention relates to a fishing reel and, in particular, to a fishing reel which comprises: a fishing line take-up drive mechanism which is disposed in a reel main body and, when a drive force is input therein, allows a fishing line to be wound around a spool; a reversal preventive mechanism which is disposed in the reel main body and can be switched selectively between a reversal preventive state for preventing the reversal of the fishing line take-up drive mechanism in a fishing line play-out direction and a reversal allowable state for allowing the reversal of the fishing line take-up drive mechanism; and, a reversal prevention switching mechanism which is disposed in the reel main body, includes an operation part, and, by operating the operation part, switches the reversal preventive state and reversal allowable state of the reversal preventive mechanism over to each other.
As a conventional fishing reel of the above-mentioned type, for example, there is known a fishing reel which is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 51-153293 of Showa. In the conventional fishing reel of the above-mentioned type, normally, the reversal preventive mechanism is set in the reversal preventive state. And, the reversal prevention switching mechanism, by means of the manual operation of the operation part thereof, sets the reversal preventive mechanism selectively in either of the reversal preventive state or reversal allowable state.
In the conventional fishing reel of the above-mentioned type, (1) in order to prevent the fishing line from being wound onto the spool excessively and (2) in order to adjust the position of the terminal tackles of the fishing line with respect to the position of a shelf in a fishing spot, the reversal preventive mechanism can be switched from the reversal preventive state over to the reversal allowable state by means of operation of the operation part of the reversal prevention switching mechanism.
However, in the conventional fishing reel of the above-mentioned type, after the reversal preventive mechanism is switched from the reversal preventive state over to the reversal allowable state by means of operation of the operation part of the reversal prevention switching mechanism, the operator of the fishing reel sometimes can forget to return the reversal preventive mechanism from the reversal allowable state back to the reversal preventive state through the operation of the operation part of the reversal prevention switching mechanism.
Or, when the fishing line is entangled around the operation part of the reversal prevention switching mechanism or when something is butted against the operation part, the operation part can be sometimes switched from the reversal preventive state over to the reversal allowable state unexpectedly while the operator of the fishing reel does not notice it.
And, if the reversal prevention switching mechanism remains set in the reversal allowable state, then (1) when a fish catches a hook and the fishing line is thus pulled strongly by the fish, the spool or rotor can be rotated reversely at high speeds so that the fishing line can be played out excessively and can be thereby entangled, or the handle of the fishing line take-up drive mechanism can be turned reversely so that fingers of the operator of the fishing reel can be damaged, and (2) when the operator of the fishing reel moves to other places in the fishing spot, the hook, terminal tackles or fishing line can be entangled around rock, plants, or other person(s) so that the fishing line can be played out excessively and can be thereby entangled, or the fishing line can be played out naturally, which can enhance the possibility that the hook, terminal tackles or fishing line can be entangled around rock, plants or other person(s).

Fishing reel having a reversal preventative mechanism


An ion source (1) to be used in optical thin film deposition by IAD process includes a discharge chamber (10), a gas source, an actuator (11), a grid assembly (20) and an outer shell (30). The grid assembly includes a screen grid (21), an accelerator grid (22) and a decelerator grid (23). The screen grid is kept at anode potential and is disposed near the ions. The accelerator grid is kept at cathode potential and is spaced from the screen grid. The decelerator grid is equal to the ground and is disposed beyond the accelerator grid. Each grid has a curved central portion (24) defining a plurality of apertures aligned with those of the other two grids to form extraction channels for an ion beam (40). When disposing the grid assembly at one end of the discharge chamber, the curved central portions of the three grids are arranged in an inwardly curved manner toward the interior of the discharge chamber, and thus the ion beam is extracted from the grid assembly in a converged manner to have a sequentially reduced cross-sectional area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ion source, and particularly relates to an ion source with a particular grid assembly, which is intended to be used in optical thin film deposition.
2. Description of Prior Art
Currently, optical thin film coating technology has been widely applied in high technology fields, such as laser optics and fiber communications fields. A thin film coating can be either a single-layer or a multi-layer coating on a substrate where several thin films are deposited on top of one another to achieve the required reflection/transmission via interference effects. The substrate may be a glass, metal, ceramic, or plastic substrate. An optical glass substrate is the most commonly used substrate. Each layer of the thin film coating is very thin, typically in the range between several nanometers and several microns. The number of layers may be one or a few hundreds. One of the applications of optical thin film coating is the optical filter, which is formed by depositing multiple layers of metal or medium materials on an optical substrate.
PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) are two most common types of optical thin film coating method. PVD embraces evaporative deposition, sputtering and ion plating in reactive or inert environments. The evaporative deposition is generally carried out under a pressure of 10−3 to 10−4 Pa. The following sequential basic steps take place during evaporative deposition: a vapor is generated by boiling or subliming a source material; the vapor is transported from the source to the substrate; and the vapor is condensed to a solid film on the substrate surface. Sputtering deposition applies an inert gas at 10˜1 Pa in the vacuum chamber. The material to be sputtered is the cathode. The substrate to be coated is placed on the grounded anode. A glow discharge is formed by applying a high voltage between the anode and cathode. An electron source supports ionization of the inert gas, and the positively charged ions are accelerated towards the cathode. These ions bombard the cathode material with high energy and force atoms and molecules to break away from the cathode by virtue of their kinetic energy. Some of these sputtered particulates are intercepted by the substrate and form a uniform thin film layer. Ion plating is based on the evaporative deposition technology. In ion plating process, positive ions are produced in a glow discharge and are attracted to the substrate, which is connected as the cathode. The ions are typically made by evaporation.
As the quality requirements for optical thin film on optical components are becoming more and more stringent, an ion source (ion gun) is typically employed in the film coating process to improve the film quality. The film coating processes applying ion source include Ion Assisted Deposition (IAD), reactive ion plating, and so on. The IAD process has been especially effective in depositing dense coatings for optical coating applications. Bombardment can be done using a beam of condensable "film-ions" from an ion source (ion gun) disposed in a vacuum chamber and being independent from the source material. Ion bombardment of the substrate and the growing film adds thermal energy to the surface region without having to heat the bulk of the material. The ion bombardment also causes atomic rearrangement in the near-surface region during deposition, which increases the film density. This technology has the advantage of providing excellent control of deposition parameters. In addition, the coating of temperature-sensitive substrates, such as plastic, glass and semiconductor substrates, is possible with IAD processes because heating of the substrates is no longer necessary.
Broad beam ion sources used in IAD technology include Kaufman-type ion sources (referring to U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,403), cold hollow cathode type broad ion sources, RF ion sources, and gridless End-Hall ion sources. The type of ion source to which the target is connected depends heavily on the element to be ionized. Another important quantity is the beam purity that the ion-source selection most often determines.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional high-frequency ion source for explaining the operational functions of such a high-frequency ion source. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional representation of a discharge chamber of a conventional high-frequency (or radio-frequency) ion source 9 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,290, which is an improvement on that shown in FIG. 1. This conventional ion source 9 of the '290 patent includes a discharge chamber 90 at a closed end, a source 94 (shown in FIG. 1) for the gas to be ionized, a gas inlet 91 for supplying into the discharge chamber 90 the gas to be ionized, a high-frequency coil 92 surrounding the discharge chamber 90, a high-frequency generator 95 (shown in FIG. 1) connected to the high-frequency coil 92, for generating a high-frequency electromagnetic alternating field which ionizes the gas present in the discharge chamber 90, and an acceleration grid assembly 93 arranged at an open end of the discharge chamber 90 and connected to an acceleration voltage source 96 (shown in FIG. 1). The discharge chamber 90 is made of an electrically non-conductive material. The high-frequency coil 92 generates a high-frequency field, which ionizes a propellant present in the discharge chamber 90, preferably an inert gas. To ignite the discharge, free electrons supplied by an external electron source are accelerated through the high-frequency field, and collide with neutral propellant particles, i.e., inert gas atoms. When the discharge has ignited, it sustains itself, there is no need for any external supply of electrons. A plasma, comprising ions, electrons and neutral propellant, is finally generated in the discharge chamber 90. The fraction of ions in the plasma is determined by the output provided by the high-frequency field. Ions present near the acceleration grid assembly 93 are accelerated by the electrical field generated by the acceleration voltage, with a focused ion beam being formed. The acceleration grid assembly 93 comprises two to three thin plates each made of an electrically conductive material, with a plurality of holes provided therein. These holes are arranged so as to form extraction channels, which focus and accelerate the ions in the form of an ion beam emanating from the discharge chamber 90. Configurations of the plates forming a conventional acceleration grid assembly are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,467.
A schematic diagram of a conventional radio-frequency (RF) ion source is shown in FIG. 3 to further illustrate the working status of such an RF ion source in detail. This RF ion source 8 comprises a discharge chamber 80 of an electrically non-conductive material, a gas inlet 81 communicating with the discharge chamber 80, an RF coil 82 surrounding the discharge chamber 80, a grid assembly provided at an open end of the discharge chamber 80, and an outer shell 83 surrounding the discharge chamber 80 and the RF coil 82. The outer shell 83 serves to provide shielding to the exterior of the electromagnetic fields generated in the discharge chamber 80, and to provide heat dissipation to the exterior of the loss heat arising during ionization. The grid assembly includes a screen grid 84 having apertures and disposed near the plasma in the discharge chamber 80, an accelerator grid 85 having apertures aligned with those of the screen grid 84, and a decelerator grid 86 beyond the accelerator grid 85. The screen grid 84 is kept at anode potential, the accelerator grid 85 is kept at cathode potential, and the decelerator grid 86 is equal to the ground. When the ions reach the screen grid 84, a strong electrical field generated between the screen grid 84 and the accelerator grid 85 extracts and accelerates the ions in the form of an ion beam. The decelerator grid 86 is adapted to better control the focusing of the ion beam, yield better uniformities and reduce erosion of the accelerator grid 85.
The above ion beam accelerated by the grid assembly will directly bombard the substrate and the growing film on the substrate, thereby adjusting the surface characteristics of the substrate. However, the ion beam tends to diverge or becomes larger due to the mutual repulsion of ions bearing the same charge. U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,326 discloses such an ion beam, which may be called a diverged ion beam. FIG. 4 shows another conventional ion source 7 used in the IAD process for filter manufacturing. Materials of high reflectivity and low reflectivity are sublimed and deposited on a glass substrate 70. The grid assembly 71 of the ion source 7 consists of three grids. Each grid is made of molybdenum and is curved at a central portion 72 thereof. The three grids of the grid assembly 71 are stacked with one another, and are spaced and insulated from one another by insulators positioned therebetween. The grid assembly 71 is disposed at an open end of the discharge chamber 73 in an outwardly curved profile, whereby the ion beam 74 diverges outwardly from the grid assembly 71 with a sequentially increased cross-sectional area. Although the surface area of the substrate 70 is entirely covered by the ion beam 74, this large cross-sectional area of the ion beam 74 disadvantageously causes energy loss and thus loss of adhesion of the resultant layer over the substrate 70 due to deposition density reduction. This results in reduced yield and throughput, which is unwanted.
Accordingly, an improved grid assembly for IAD application is desired to increase the yield and throughput of the resultant product.

Ion source with particular grid assembly


An apparatus for facilitating the collection of leaves and/or yard debris using a portable vacuum device is provided. The apparatus includes a top surface and side walls defining an open-bottom chamber. An intake hose leading to the open-bottom chamber receives materials expelled from an exhaust outlet of the portable vacuum device and routes the expelled materials into the open-bottom chamber. The apparatus can be positioned within a yard waste disposal bag. When the apparatus has been filled with yard waste, it can be removed from the disposal bag, leaving the collected yard waste behind in the bag.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the collection of leaves and other yard debris, and specifically to a device to facilitate the deposition of leaves and other yard debris into a disposal bag.
2. Background Art
Leaves and other yard debris are commonly collected into receptacles, such as garbage cans or bags, for disposal. While leaves can be collected manually using a rake to collect leaves into piles and transfer the piles of leaves into disposal containers, this process is labor-intensive and can be time-consuming for individuals seeking to collect leaves from a large area containing a number of trees. A less labor-intensive technique for collecting leaves involves the use of a portable air blower to arrange the leaves into piles. However, such blower techniques still typically require the collection of leaves into piles, followed by the manual transfer of the leaves into containers for disposal.
More recently, portable leaf blowers have been equipped with a vacuum function, whereby a portable vacuum device can be configured to vacuum up leaves and deposit the leaves into a portable container attached to an exhaust port on the device. A mulching function can optionally be provided whereby the leaves drawn into the vacuum device are mulched, thereby reducing the volume of yard waste for disposal. Such leaf vacuum products are typically supplied with a small receptacle configured for easy portability, such that the receptacle can be carried around the yard by the user. Thus, prior to disposal, the leaves must still be transferred from the portable receptacle to another, typically larger container for disposal.
Therefore, an apparatus that permits the direct transfer of leaves from a leaf vacuum into a disposal receptacle may be desirable in many applications. Furthermore, it may be desirable to provide an apparatus that is adapted to operate in conjunction with a wide variety of standard portable leaf vacuum units, without requiring proprietary features.
The disposal of leaves and other yard waste is also commonly subject to regulations implemented by many towns and local governments. Amongst such regulations may be requirements to use particular yard waste disposal bags. Therefore, it may also be desirable to provide a device which can deposit leaves and yard waste into a variety of different disposal bags or other receptacles.


A thin film transistor including a gate, a gate insulating layer, a semiconductor layer and a source/drain is provided. The gate is disposed over a substrate, wherein the gate comprises at least one molybdenum-niobium alloy nitride layer. The gate insulating layer is formed over the substrate to cover the gate. The semiconductor layer is disposed over the gate insulating layer above the gate. The source/drain is disposed over the semiconductor layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor device and a method of forming the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a thin film transistor and a method of forming the same.
2. Description of Related Art
A thin film transistor (TFT) typically includes a gate, a gate insulating layer, a channel layer, a source/drain, and is usually used as a switching device in displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Usually, the TFT is formed by sequentially forming a gate, a gate insulating layer, an α-Si channel layer and a source/drain on a substrate. The gate is made of a single metal layer of aluminium (Al), chromium (Cr), tungsten (W), tantalum (Ta) or titanium (Ti), or made of multiple metal layers.
However, when a single-layer of the above-mentioned metal is used to form the gate, the surface of the layer can be easily eroded and reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere to form metal oxide, such that the subsequent etch process cannot be performed effectively. On the other hand, when the gate is made of multiple metal layers, such as molybdenum (Mo)/Al/Mo, oxidation and erosion can be prevented, but the process for forming multiple metal layers is surely more complex because more than one sputtering targets or deposition chambers are required. Moreover, the above problems also arise in the process for forming the source/drain.

Thin film transistor and method of forming the same


An anchor for masonry. The anchor is relatively smooth walled and is forcibly driven into a hole formed in masonry or other suitable material for purposes of attaching fixtures. When driven into the hole, a shaped portion of the anchor is deformed in such a manner as to facilitate a 360 degree or greater bearing surface with the holes of wall. The walls of the hole impose forces onto the shank along this bearing surface which tend to deform shank into alignment with the hole by primarily elastic deformation so that the resulting frictional forces between the shank and the wall resist dislodgment from the hole.

Anchors for masonry or other structure are known, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,963,062 and 4,828,445 to Giannuzzi. In these anchors, one or more undulations may be formed in the shank. The undulations function as a means for providing a tight fit in the hole for purposes of securing the shank within the hole. The anchor's shank is forcibly driven into the hole. As the shank is forced into the hole, the shank undulation is elastically deformed as it comes into contact with the wall. A frictional fit of the shank in the hole results from the pressure forces exerted on the wall by the shank as it attempts to return to its original shape.
It would be desirable to have an anchor that provides increased surface area contact between the shank and hole wall resulting from an elastic deformation of the anchor as it is driven into the hole, in a relatively simple manner, without excessive manufacturing or other associated costs, and without requiring a high degree of skill in order to use the anchor in practice. Among the benefits of such an anchor are improved retention forces for the shank within the hole over the same length shank. It would also be desirable to have a 360 degree or greater frictional hold between the shank and the hole in the event that the hole wall becomes weakened, such as by fracture of the mating material in the vicinity of the hole.


The invention relates to composite multilayer lithium ion battery anodes that include a porous metal alloy foam, and a lithium ion conductor coating applied to the metal alloy foam. The metal alloy foam can include structurally isomorphous alloys of lithium and, optionally, lithium and magnesium. The lithium ion conductor coating can include ternary lithium silicate, such as, lithium orthosilicate. Lithium ions from the ternary lithium silicate may be deposited within the pores of the metal alloy foam. Optionally, the lithium ion conductor coating may include a dopant. The dopant can include one or more of magnesium, calcium, vanadium, niobium and fluorine, and mixtures and combinations thereof.

Various technological advancements, such as, the development of various mobile applications, depend on the amount of energy that can be carried onboard. For example, it is typical for electric cars to run for 100-300 miles and cell phones to be in use for 24 hours or less, before the batteries need to be charged. Improvements in energy storage capacity per unit mass/volume is needed to expand the limits of these technologies. Lithium has shown to be an ideal ion for shuttling in a battery electrolyte system. However, electrolyte breakdown, volumetric change and dendrite formation resulting in cell-shorting during cycling are major problems associated with the use of lithium metal anodes (LMA).
It is known that the use of lithium metal anodes (LMA) for battery applications is largely hindered by the massive volumetric change and inhomogeneous nucleation associated with lithium plating/deplating processes. This process inevitably results in the formation of sharp structures with high local current densities, referred to as lithium dendrites. These sharp structures tend to act as growth sites. Thus, large lithium dendritic structures are often responsible for cell shorting and eventual failure due to separator puncture. Dendrite formation in lithium has been seen as a major stumbling block halting the progress and commercialization of high energy battery systems, such as lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries.
In addition, the loss of coulombic efficiency as a result of lithium reacting with electrolyte (on account of high local current densities) results in the formation of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) (a passivating layer), which is also known to occur.
There is a considerable effort in the development of all solid-state electrolytes as a replacement to traditional liquid electrolyte used in current lithium ion batteries (LIBs). These solid-state electrolytes should meet the high ionic conductivity demands along with low leakage currents, as well as provide a wide electrochemical operating window and chemical compatibility with electrodes. The materials also require an easy manufacturing procedure that is environmentally friendly to facilitate scalability.
Research focused on solid electrolytes has identified various different classes of materials that partially satisfy the above demands. Single crystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous ceramics are found to exhibit good Li-ion conductivity. These solid electrolytes generally contain monovalent protons, divalent ions, lithium and/or fluoride ions. These ceramic compounds conduct ions by the movement of ionic point defects, the creation and movement of which requires energy. As a result, the conductivity of these compounds increases with increased temperature. However, ionic conduction in some compounds is reasonably high even at relatively low temperatures, so several types of lithium-ion conducting inorganic ceramic sulfides, phosphates and oxides have been investigated for use in lithium-ion batteries.
Phosphate based inorganic ceramic electrolytes of LIPON and NASICON-like compounds exhibit a wide electrochemical stability window and are chemically compatible with lithium electrodes. But, the conductivity of these compounds is low (˜10−6 S cm−1) at room temperature. Sulfide-based ceramic ionic conductors fall under the Li2S—Li2P5 and the LiSICON class of compounds. On the other hand, Li10GeP2S12 (LGPS), and different variants of the super-ionic conductor, have a reported ionic conductivity of ˜12 mS cm−1 at room temperature that rivals many liquid electrolytes, and appears to be stable over a relatively wide operating voltage range. However, the expensive nature of germanium, the hygroscopic nature and the rapid decomposition of these sulfides upon exposure to atmospheric moisture forming toxic H2S gas restricts handling of these materials in ambient air. The perovskite (La,Li)TiO3 (LLTO) and garnet oxides based on Li5La3Ta2O12 are promising solid ionic conductors. However, these oxides have a tedious, cumbersome and comprehensive synthesis procedure that poses serious scalability issues.
The most primitive and age-old solid lithium ion conductor is Li4SiO4 and its derivatives. The unit cell of Li4SiO4 contains two SiO4−4 tetrahedra linked by eight lithium ions, which are distributed over 18 possible sites. The conductivity of pure Li4SiO4 is rather low (˜10−12 S cm−1) at room temperature. A three to four orders of magnitude improvement in ionic conductivity could be obtained by forming simple solid solutions with Li3PO4 at 100° C. with no significant improvement in room temperature ionic conductivity. The advantage of these oxide-based compounds are their compatibility with lithium electrodes and exceptional chemical stability under atmospheric conditions. Moreover, these oxide-based ionic conductors are compatible with commercial liquid electrolytes that contribute to the development of hetero structures, which could prevent polysulfide dissolution. Composite multilayer electrodes have been prepared using Li4SiO4 and tested in commonly used organic liquid electrolytes, which successfully demonstrated the possibility of using a layer of Lithium Ion Conductor (LIC) to prevent polysulfide from dissolving into the electrolyte solution. Although the fade rate was decreased using the LIC, the initial discharge capacity was lower than the theoretical capacity of sulfur, due to the low ionic conductivity of LIC. To improve the initial capacity of the sulfur cathodes, the conductivity of LIC needs to be further improved. Doping is a strategy that has been widely used in improving the ionic conductivity of crystals. Cation doping of LaFeO3, RbNO3, lanthanum silicates, ZrO2 and Li7La3Zr2O12 have shown to improve the ionic conductivity of the respective compounds.
It has been demonstrated that the activation energy for lithium ion hopping is lowered by the introduction of vacancies during doping which results in an increase in the ionic conductivity. However, the room temperature ionic conductivity of Li4SiO4 is very limited necessitating the identification of novel dopants to make high ionic conductivity LIC materials for use as coatings on sulfur cathodes.
Thus, there is a need in the art to design and develop alloys and methods to effectively mitigate both dendritic growth and volumetric changes associated with plating/deplating of large volumes of lithium. The invention provides lithium-rich, structurally isomorphous alloys (SIA) with magnesium (an element of divalent ionic radius similar to that of Li-ion and Mg—Li-alloys) that are capable of undergoing lithiation/delithiation without loss in phase. Further, provided are crystallographic structures for stable dendrite-free cycling having outstanding capacities.
The highly efficient alloys and methods of the invention are effective for reversibly storing and cycling lithium absent of dendritic growth that can provide high power lithium-anode based batteries.

High capacity, air-stable, structurally isomorphous lithium alloy multilayer porous foams

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH—OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION


A tailgate support is provided for a cargo box having a floor, opposite sidewalls and a rear wall with the latter being defined by a tailgate which is mounted for pivoting about a horizontal axis located adjacent the floor, between an upright closed position and a recumbent open position. The tailgate support includes an arm mounted beneath the floor and movable between a stored position wherein the arm is disposed beneath the floor and a support position wherein the arm extends beyond the floor in a direction of horizontal extension of the tailgate as considered when the tailgate is in its open position. The tailgate rests on the arm when the arm is in its support position and the tailgate is in its open position. A latching mechanism is provided to secure the tailgate in its open position. A stop is provided to limit the pivotal movement of the arm beyond its stored and support positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to utility hauling vehicles and more particularly relates to latches and supports for tailgates on cargo boxes of such vehicles.
2. Description of Related Art
Various hauling vehicle designs are known which include a cargo box having sidewalls and a tailgate which forms a rear wall thereof, the tailgate being mounted for pivoting about a horizontal axis at its bottom end between raised closed and lowered open positions.
Typically, a latch is provided at each upper corner of the tailgate for retaining the tailgate in its closed position and a flexible element, such as a cable, is provided which extends between each upper corner and the upper rear portion of each sidewall of the box for retaining the tailgate in an open position wherein it forms a horizontal extension of the bed or floor of the box.
These known tailgate latches and supports include many parts which, in most cases are either not designed or are not tight enough to keep the tailgate from rattling while the vehicle is operated with the tailgate open. For example, flexible cables suspend the tailgate but don't provide support against upward pivoting. Therefore, the tailgate (and cargo resting on the tailgate) may flop up and down as the vehicle travels across uneven terrain.
At least one such utility vehicle has sidewalls which also may be pivoted about a horizontal axis. Such a utility vehicle may be used, for example, to carry miscellaneous cargo or to transport injured and/or sick individuals from an off-road site to an ambulance or medical treatment facility.
Where the sidewalls are also pivotable to horizontal positions, however, cables may not be used in a conventional manner to support a tailgate because there is not an upright structure adjacent to the tailgate from which the tailgate can be suspended. One utility vehicle having sidewalls and a tailgate pivotable to transform the cargo box into an extended flat bed includes a complex system of pins, slots and slides used to hold the tailgate and sidewalls in a generally horizontal position. Such a system represents a relatively large cost to manufacture and maintain. Also, conversions from cargo box to flat bed, and vice versa, require substantial time and effort. In addition, the sliding movement of components requires a relatively precise alignment between parts. The relative sliding encourages wear of painted surfaces, which promotes rust. Dents in components or a moderate amount of dirt and debris may further hinder efficient operation.


A method of switching working modes, the method includes: supplying a storage unit, therein the storage unit stores at least two working modes, alarm information, and alarm time, the alarm information includes indicating information and determining information; detecting whether a system time matches the alarm time; outputting the indicating information when the system time matches the alarm time; receiving input; determining whether the input matches the determining information; controlling the electronic device to switch from one working mode to another working mode when the input matches the determining information. An electronic device with working modes switching function is also provided.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electronic device with working mode switching function that can switch working modes after confirmation.
2. General Background
Many electronic devices include a plurality of working modes, and can switch among different working modes, e.g. a normal working mode and an energy-saving mode. Under a normal working mode, an electronic device works under normal configurations; under an energy-saving mode, it can, for example, change a display background according to light. When there is little ambient light, the display need low brightness and contrast, and the electronic device can adjust accordingly to save energy.
But switching between different working modes is usually done automatically. Thus, if a user wants to use a different working mode, he or she must manually reset working mode settings, which is inconvenient.
Therefore, an electronic device that prompts for confirmation from a user before switching working modes is needed.

Electronic device with working mode switching function and method of switching working mode

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A lamp assembly for an automotive vehicle includes a remote laser light source coupled with a light transmitting fiber optic light guide which illuminates a unitary thin sheet optic having a diffractive optical element portion, a manifold section, and a kicker section.

Conventional light transmission systems used for vehicle head lights or tail lights typically use a bulb and reflector system. In a bulb and reflector system the filament of the bulb is placed at or near a focal point of a parabolic reflector. The light emitted by the bulb filament is collected by the reflector and reflected outward to form a light beam. A lens is used to shape the light beam into a specified pattern to satisfy vehicle lighting specifications. Typically, in an automotive application, a conventional bulb and reflector system collects and reflects only thirty percent of the light emitted from the bulb filament into the useful lighting area.
Bulb and reflector systems have several disadvantages, including aerodynamics and aesthetic styling; e.g., the depth of the reflector along its focal axis and the height of the reflector in directions perpendicular to the focal axis greatly limited attempts at streamlining vehicle contours. Additionally, thermal energy given off by the bulb during operation must be considered and the size of the reflector as well as the material used in its construction vary depending upon the amount of thermal energy generated by the bulb filament. Decreasing the size of the reflector requires use of materials with high thermal resistivity for the reflector.
One approach to develop an automotive lighting system for use with the newer streamlined body designs is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,754, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which discloses the combination of a fiber optic light guide which transmits light from a remote light source, through a light manifold, and to a reflector. There are a number of problems associated with such an approach. First, remote lighting to date is typically a high intensity discharge source coupled with a reflector. The light is focused into a large diameter light guide which transmits the light to the desired location. The high intensity discharge source produces a substantial amount of heat which tends to degrade the light guide. Environmental factors have a further degrading effect on conventionally used light guides. The light guide typically must be 8-12 mm thick in order to capture the requisite amount of light from the source. These guides are very expensive and difficult to work with. Further, this structure requires assembly of a lens, a multifaceted reflector, and a manifold portion to form the vehicle tail light. Also, the manifold portion must be indexed relative to the reflector portion. The manifold is required to expand the incoming light for distribution across the lamp surface. This results in a substantial portion of unlit area required for the manifold and hence a larger foot print of the overall lamp, which results in lighting design inflexibility.
A laser illuminated thin sheet optical element lighting device as disclosed in attorney docket no. 196-0014 entitled Laser Illuminated Lighting System, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, addressed a number of deficiencies in the vehicle lighting arts. However, problems still remain, one of these problems being the large amount of unlit area required for the manifold portion. Also, when using laser light, the light transmitted will vary in intensity from the cross sectional center to the perimeter of the light beam. The intensity variation must be accounted for when designing the manifold section to avoid hot spots of illumination across the lamp surface, adding design cost to the lighting assembly.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a laser illuminated, unitary thin sheet optic tail lamp assembly for a vehicle which accommodates manufacturing and thermal considerations as well as the space limitations dictated by vehicular aerodynamic and styling requirements.

Laser illuminated lighting system utilizing a diffractive optical element