The invention comprises a system to alleviate conditions such as prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and the like. The system includes a probe for mechanically cutting tissue and a device for simultaneously tamponading, inducing hemostasis, and dilating a plurality of lumens while minimizing inflammation. The tamponading device has a plurality of balloons configured for inflation with a coolant fluid. Other components of the system include a luminally protective sheath, a microscopic end cauterizing probe, a surgical console, an identification-sensitive self-sealed cassette, and a plurality of flexible tubing lines with pinch valves thereon.

The invention relates to the art of medical devices, systems, and methods for cutting and removing tissue with the option of also providing auxiliary functions through the same instrument. More specifically, the invention is designed to mechanically core prostate tissue via a transperineal minimally invasive surgery. The invention is primarily directed at alleviating the condition of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) characterized by generally non-malignant (benign) proliferation of the cells making up the prostate gland in males but can also be used for removal of malignant tissue to treat prostate cancer.
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. The urethra passes through the prostate to the bladder neck. Commonly, as a man ages, the prostate begins to grow and this growth often results in the prostate squeezing the urethra within it. This proliferation of tissue in the prostate gland is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH causes urination problems when an enlarged prostate presses against the urethra narrowing the canal. BPH is estimated to affect over fifty percent of men over the age of sixty.
Approximately one-third of prostate tissue is anterior to the urethra and consists of fibromuscular tissue physiologically related to the urethra and bladder. Approximately two-thirds of prostate tissue is posterior to the urethra and consists of glandular tissue. BPH involves bilateral nodular expansion of prostate tissue in a transition zone between the fibromuscular tissue and the glandular tissue. Without treatment, BPH obstructs the urethra to cause a slow or interrupted urinary stream, nocturia, increased frequency of urination, a sense of urinary urgency, and incontinence. Occasionally, BPH is also responsible for more severe problems including uraemia, hydronephrosis, and urinary tract infections. Uraemia is retention in the bloodstream of waste products normally excreted in the urine. Hydronephrosis is the dilation of the branches of the pelvic cavity and the kidney, caused by an accumulation of urine resulting from obstruction of normal outflow.
Systems and methods exist to treat BPH. These include drug therapy, non-surgical procedures, and surgical procedures (i.e. prostatectomy).
Drugs often have side effects and must be taken long-term for continued effectiveness. For an example of pharmaceutical treatment of BPH, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,989,400 ("Treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia" by George Tidmarsh) assigned to Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. disclosing the administration of lonidamine.
Non-surgical (without mechanical cutting) conventional BPH procedures, such as thermotherapy, use various forms of energy (radiofrequency, microwave, ultrasound, etc.) to ablate the prostate tissue. The application of energy is usually overbroad and results in ablation-induced collateral damage and necrosis (cell death) of healthy urethral tissue. These non-mechanical energy delivery devices alleviate symptomatic pressure and widen the constricted urethra by coring out a new urethral channel formed by scar tissue. However, overly aggressive scar tissue proliferation occasionally results in some individuals, and can have side effects including seminal vesicle blockage (leading to reverse ejaculation, dry climax, etc.) and an increase in volume that creates pressure and undermines the achievement of volume reduction in the prostate. Other technologies such as TURP (TransUrethral Resection of the Prostate) and LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) also destroy healthy tissue including important muscles at the bladder neck. The bladder neck is a common target for treatment. The widening with both TURP and LASER damage the bladder's muscular structure that can lead to bladder incontinence and can also reduce or eliminate the bladder neck's ability to constrict upon sexual stimulation/ejaculation allowing the ejaculate to travel in reverse into the male's bladder, thus yielding him with reverse ejaculation.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,249 ("Transcatheter microwave antenna" by Arndt et al.) assigned to the U.S. Government as represented by NASA describes a system comprising a catheter with a small diameter, disk loaded, monopole antenna surrounded by fusion material. Microwaves from the antenna heat prostatic tissue to promote necrosing. The fusion material absorbs energy to keep the urethra cool. The pressure of the prostatic tissue against the urethra is relieved as the body reabsorbs the necrosed or dead tissue. (For reference to reabsorption by the body see Abstract, 13:7 and 15:42.) Resorption of tissue in transurethral prostate treatments is also referred to in U.S. Published Application No. (hereinafter U.S. Pub. App.) 20080125772 ("Tuned RF energy and electrical tissue characterization for selective treatment of target tissues" by Corbett W. Stone, et al.) assigned to Minnow Medical, Inc (San Diego, Calif.) at paragraph [0095]. Relying on the body to reabsorb or otherwise dispose of severed, damaged and/or dead tissue is risky and inconsistent as all patients heal differently. The time in which the patients can expect to experience relief from the procedure may take several weeks to realize, if at all. Other potential challenges are that the tissue can fail to disintegrate properly and can be transported to other regions of the body to cause complications there from blockage (i.e. thrombosis, lumen occlusion, obstruction at junctions to interfere with natural drainage, pressure accumulation, etc.).
Other drawbacks of microwave thermal therapy systems are addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,677 ("Gamma matched, helical dipole microwave antenna with tubular-shaped capacitor" by Rudie, et al.) assigned to Urologix, Inc. These include overbroad generation of heat that necroses healthy tissue also and unpredictable heating patterns and radiation lengths that are not easily adjusted (1:65-3:3). USP '677 also refers to necrosed tissue being "resorbed by the body" rather than removed (2:11-14). The only reference to removal is locally removing tissue by heating and necrosing rather than externally removing the necrosed tissue from the body (4:24-27).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,811 ("Benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment catheter with urethral cooling" by Reid, et al.) assigned to Urologix, Inc. discloses a similar system to that of the '249 patent in which a catheter having an antenna is used to heat tissue. USP '811 also discloses a "coolant fluid" to be circulated in a chamber between the catheter shaft and urethral wall to keep cool the body lumen.
Another non-surgical approach for ameliorating the symptoms of BPH without removing the problem at its source is a urethral stent. U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,128 ("Method and apparatus for treating hypertrophy of the prostate gland" by Robert Rosenbluth) assigned to Advanced Surgical Intervention, Inc. discloses an expandable tubular stent to be used with an expansion catheter and left in place for long-term patency of the urethral lumen. Other stents are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,456 ("Hydrophilic stent" by Thomas Silverstrini) assigned to Pfizer Hospital Products Group, Inc. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,952 ("Expandable polymeric stent with memory and delivery apparatus and method" by Michael Froix and unassigned).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,956 by Reddy et al. and assigned to American Medical Systems, Inc. discloses a "Prostate balloon dilator". The balloon dilator is part of a catheter and urine is drained through the catheter (6:16-17 and claim 7). The apparatus of USP '956 simply dilates the urethral lumen and is then removed without damaging any urethral tissue. The balloon in patent '956 is not used as a sheath for instrument delivery and retrieval, for urethral protection against irritation, and/or for urine drainage (rather, urine is drained through the catheter).
Conventional surgical systems for removal of the prostate (prostatectomy) are bulky and expensive and their use generally results in the loss of fertility. Prostatectomy is typically performed as an in-patient procedure requiring general anesthesia, a longer term hospital stay, and a significant recovery time before a patient returns to work.
The current gold standard therapeutic approaches include transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and laser surgery. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,049 ("Method and apparatus for transurethral resection of the prostate" by Lovato, et al.) assigned to Coherent Inc. discloses a TURP procedure and U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,764 ("Method and system for photoselective vaporization of the prostate, and other tissue" by Davenport, et al.) assigned to Laserscope discloses a laser surgery procedure. Both the TURP and LASER technologies destroy the urethral lining, prostatic capsule, and bladder neck's muscular structure as well as any other soft tissue with which they engage. TURP and LASER both have significant side effects, such as reverse ejaculation and pain/discomfort upon urination, as a result of built-up scar tissue and damage to the bladder neck's musculature.
There are minimal reference art patents covering surgical approaches to BPH that rely on transurethral mechanical coring atherectomy probes and even less that apply to transperineal access procedures. Atherectomy generally refers to the mechanical removal of material from a body lumen by a rotating, reciprocating, end cutting, or guillotine cutting device typically inserted through a catheter that then aspirates out the separated tissue. Only two patents were found referring to "benign prostatic hyperplasia" in the "Abstract" and to "transurethral" in a claim and both of these (U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,426 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,869) use heating/microwave methods rather than mechanical cutting (searches performed on Mar. 12, 2008, same results on Sep. 17, 2008). In the context of the present application and invention mechanical cutting is used to refer to cutting via a structurally sharp blade rather than, for example, severing or resecting tissue with current in cauterizing or electrosurgical electrodes. Only one other U.S. patent was found to contain the term combination "atherectomy probe" (search performed on Sep. 9, 2008). U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,089 ("Atherectomy advancing probe and method of use" by Andrew F. Fan) assigned to Interventional Technologies Inc. (San Diego, Calif.) is primarily concerned with removing obstructive tissue and plaque from the lumens of arteries to restore blood flow. There is no mention of application to the prostate's core transurethrally or transperineally through a micro puncture of the urethral wall and/or a micro puncture of the prostatic capsule. The objective is incremental advancement (including use of advancement tape) rather than cutting and removal mechanisms. A rotating cutter is disclosed but there is no disclosure of the following cutting mechanisms: radial reciprocating, guillotine and end-cutting. Although a suction system for tissue removal during the procedure and a port for injecting medicinal fluids are briefly disclosed, there is no enablement as to potential or optimal designs or how these would operate in conjunction with the rotating cutter (3:38-42, 8:10-18).
U.S. Pub. App. 20080125772 of Stone, et al. (fully cited above) also teaches the combination of more than one therapy (i.e. drugs, medicinal fluids, or radiation) in a single device (see paragraphs [0098], [0099], [0118], and [0138]). However, the published application does not teach mechanical cutting/coring with a sharp blade and thus does not include this component in any of the combinations. Rather, U.S. Pub. App. '772 emphasizes electrosurgical energy delivery by electrodes (see Abstract, claims 9, 11, 18, 26, 33, etc.). Further, the publication teaches using the different features or therapies sequentially while in the present invention they could be administered simultaneously. In fact, in the present invention it is expected that suction removal will be performed simultaneous with coring to provide a continuous process that does not provide severed tissue with the opportunity to migrate before external removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,130 ("Atherectomy and prostectomy system") by John B. Simpson, et al. assigned to Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.), unlike USP '089 above and as its title implies, specifically refers to use of the cutting tool on prostate tissue and not just for relieving blockages in the arteries. Like the present invention, USP '130 is directed to "precisely deliver a sharp cutting action to the diseased portion of . . . the gland with optimal efficiency" (2:38-40). However, the present invention teaches a device with a greater variety of: (i) cutting mechanisms including several different range of motion (ROM) patterns, (ii) power sources for activation, and (iii) auxiliary therapies that can be provided together with mechanical cutting. USP '130 does refer to a reciprocating blade (i.e. see claims 4, 5 and 10) but it is not a radially reciprocating motion as is possible with the present invention. The blade has a "relatively straight cutting edge" and the disclosure actually teaches away from a curved blade finding this does not match up well with the shape of lumens (at least in arteries) resulting in cutting into the lumen too deeply in parts to create an uneven inner surface (see Abstract, claims 5, 3:59 and 1:53-2:8.) There is also no disclosure of a rotating, circular, guillotine, or end cutting motion. Rather, the cutting mechanism disclosed in USP '130 results from one or more straight edged blades sliding or reciprocating back and forth across a rectangular cutout window at the distal end of a housing, severing atheromas or tissue as it closes the window. The straight cutting blade or blades are as long as the cutout window. Thus, in the cutting position in which the window has just closed, the straight cutting blade(s) completely occlude the window so that no more tissue can enter or exit (3:9-15). USP '130 also refers only to electrical activation of the cutting elements while the present invention also includes manual mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and solar-powered electrical activation. More specifically, USP '130 describes electrically heating one or more elements on the blade for ablating tissue when adapting the device for prostatectomy (2:9-19 and 7:53-63) and is self described as a device for performing the TURP procedure "in which an enlarged or diseased prostate gland is removed" (2:10-11). This implies the blade must be moved slow enough to allow time for heat transfer to the tissue. A heating element on the blade suggests tissue is ablated with heat rather than mechanically severed.
Thus, the common approaches to BPH treatment are not minimally invasive and result in trauma to and the removal of the urethral lining, crucial bladder neck musculature, and the prostate's capsule, as well as an unnecessarily large section of the prostate or the entire prostate. Common approaches damage the urethra which results in scar tissue that may occlude the seminal vesicle with the reduction or potential loss of fertility and possibly increase the potential for reverse ejaculation, resulting from the blockage and reduced smooth lining of a natural urethra. Damage to the smooth lining of the urethra caused by these approaches results in increased pain, discomfort, extended catheterization, additional time off from work (recovery), increased dependence on pain medications and extended (and expensive) in-patient hospital stays. The present invention is designed to be used with the prostate access technology of commonly owned co-pending application Ser. Nos. 61/048,427 and 61/086,775 (and their future continuations and other applications claiming benefit of priority to them) to completely eliminate (or at least minimize) urethral damage and destruction of bladder neck musculature, while preserving the prostatic capsule with a small micro puncture in order to gain access to the core of the targeted bulk tissue of the prostatic lobes.
Recent prostate treatment probes have focused on newer energy therapies while an understanding of how to precisely control them to selectively remove tissue remains to be mastered. Mechanical cutting/coring of prostate tissue has remained largely unconsidered recently. The reference art that does deal with mechanical cutting atherectomy probes for the prostate is old, crude, and rigid. The present invention refines mechanical cutting and combines it with other therapies to provide a flexible, adaptable device, taking full advantage of advances in the mechanical, biomedical, and electrical arts.
Minimally invasive therapies are not without side effects. A recent study demonstrated the impact of four different types (standard transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in 55 cases, transurethral microwave thermotherapy in 34, interstitial laser coagulation of the prostate in 42 and transurethral needle ablation in 42) of BPH treatment on post-treatment quality of life and sexual function. The study found a statistically significant association between ejaculatory dysfunction and an adverse impact on sexual activity following the procedures. However, there was no correspondingly significant change post-procedure in either sexual desire or erectile function with these same therapies. Accordingly, post-treatment sexual dysfunction and the corresponding impairment in quality of life appear to be largely attributable to ejaculatory problems. (See Y. Arai, Y. Aoki, et al. "Impact of Interventional Therapy for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia on Quality of Life and Sexual Function: A Prospective Study" in The Journal of Urology, Vol. 164, Issue 4, pp. 1206-1211.) Ejaculation loss or severe decrease in ejaculate volume was reported by 48.6%, 28.1%, 21.6% and 24.3% of the patients in the four treatment groups referred to (TURP, microwave, laser, needle ablation), respectively. Thus, there is a need in the art for minimally invasive procedures that do not negatively impact quality of life with reduced or eliminated ejaculation (or changes in volume, pressure, direction, etc.).
Another important consideration in BPH treatment is to address the problem early. This is in contrast to the "watchful waiting" approach that typically coincides with drug therapy while putting off surgery until symptoms become unbearable and conclusively demonstrate irresponsiveness to drugs. The easier and safer the surgical procedure becomes the less it is something to be put off and avoided. There are significant benefits to be obtained in early intervention in the form of preserved bladder muscle tone and function. The longer an individual with a developing hypertrophic prostate waits before having surgery (to remove the hypertrophic portion) the more likely it is the hypertrophic tissue will begin to obstruct the bladder neck which leads to all sorts of complications as the bladder reacts to try and achieve a higher pressure to pass fluid through the constricted neck. These complications include: permanent loss of detrusor contractile ability, involuntary detrusor contractions, partial denervation of the bladder smooth muscle, bladder irritability and instability, early termination of voiding, intermittency of the urinary stream, higher residual urine volume, loss of bladder compliance, and overall bladder mass increase with less muscle tone and more collagen deposition. See Leslie, Stephen W, MD, FACS, (Founder and Medical Director of the Lorain Kidney Stone Research Center, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Urology, Medical College of Ohio) "Transurethral Resection of the Prostate" especially under heading "Pathophysiology" as published on eMedicine from WebMD (updated Oct. 3, 2006) accessible at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/449781, accessed on Mar. 10, 2009. As the body reacts to the obstruction the internal and external sphincters can also be damaged and worn down. The loss of involuntary muscle response that accompanies damage to the internal sphincter generally cannot be reacquired through training (whereas training is sometimes effective to reverse damage to voluntary muscles). Thus, damage to the internal sphincter from waiting too long for surgery and/or from other less selective procedures can cause irreversible reverse ejaculation.


The present invention provides several methods of synthesis and separation in which organic/fluorous phase separation techniques are used to effect separations. The present invention also provides novel compositions of matter comprising fluorous Si, Sn and Ge compounds.

Organic compounds are purified on a daily basis in uncounted numbers of research and commercial laboratories and plants around the world. Purification costs account for a significant fraction of the expenses for organic compounds developed and sold by chemical, pharmaceutical, and other industries. Chromatographic methods of purification are immensely important, yet they are also expensive and time consuming. Simpler but sometimes less effective methods are based on techniques of phase separation. Four phases are commonly used in standard laboratory separation methods: a gas phase, a solid phase, and two liquid phases--organic and aqueous. Among the phase separation techniques, liquid--liquid extractions play a time-honored role in the purification of organic compounds. These extractions are almost always conducted with an organic solvent and water. Most frequently, they are used to separate (that is, purify) organic compounds from inorganic compounds. A less frequent but still important application of organic-water extractions is an acid-base extraction.
It is not widely recognized by synthetic organic chemists that there is a "third liquid phase", the fluorocarbon (or "fluorous") phase, whose members are not miscible in either water or many organic solvents. See, for example, Hudlicky, M. "Chemistry of Organic Fluorine Compounds", Ellis Horwood: Chichester (1992). As used herein, the term "fluorous liquid phase" refers to a liquid phase comprising one or more solvents rich in carbon fluorine bonds. A fluorous liquid phase is substantially immiscible with an "organic phase" and forms a liquid-liquid biphasic mixture with an organic phase.
As used herein, the term "fluorous", when used in connection with an organic (carbon-containing) molecule, refers generally to an organic molecule having a domain or a portion thereof rich in carbon-fluorine bonds (for example, fluorocarbons, fluorohydrocarbons, fluorinated ethers and fluorinated amines) . Such portion or domain may comprise part of a fluorous compound or the entire fluorous compound. In general, compounds comprising a relatively high weight percentage of fluorine partition preferentially into the fluorous liquid phase in a fluorous/organic liquid biphasic mixture. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,082. As used herein, the terms "fluorocarbons" and "perfluorocarbons" include organic compounds in which all hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms have been replaced by fluorine atoms. The terms "fluorohydrocarbons" and "hydrofluorocarbons" include organic compounds in which at least one hydrogen atom bonded to a carbon atom has been replaced by a fluorine atom. Saturated perfluorocarbon fluids have important applications in surface chemistry, biology, and engineering. Most organic compounds are completely or substantially insoluble in fluorocarbon fluids, and many organic solvents are immiscible therein, although this miscibility depends somewhat on the fluorous-organic pairing. Solvents like carbon tetrachloride, ether, and THF have the highest solubilities in fluorocarbon fluids, and pairings of fluorocarbon fluids with these solvents are either miscible or can be made miscible by slight warming.
There are a wide assortment of fluorocarbon fluids commercially available under trade names like "FLUTEC" and "FLUORINERT.TM.". These fluids are made industrially by chemical or electrochemical fluorination processes. Most of these are mixtures of fluorocarbons with similar boiling points (sometimes with small amounts of fluorinated ethers). These mixtures are roughly analogous to the "petroleum ether" solvents often used in organic chemistry. Fluorinated ethers and fluorinated amines are also commercially available.
Although rarely referred to as such, these fluorocarbon "fluids" are effectively solvents. The first application of fluorocarbon solvents in the area of 30 traditional organic synthesis appeared in 1993 when D. W. Zhu described a series of transesterification reactions in the Fluorinert fluid FC-77.TM. (a fluorocarbon mixture containing mostly isomers of C.sub.8 F.sub.18, bp 97.degree. C.). Zhu, D. W., Synthesis, 953-54 (1993). As illustrated in the following example, low boiling alcohols were replaced by high boiling ones, and phase separation was used at two stages. ##STR1## First, an "inverse Dean-Stark" trap was used to separate the low-boiling alcohol from the reaction mixture and thereby drive the equilibrium. Second, the product ester separated from the FC-77 on cooling. Another common fluorocarbon fluid is FC-72.TM., a mixture of C.sub.6 F.sub.14 isomers with a boiling point of 56.degree. C. FC-72 and FC-77 are commercially available from 3M.
Shortly after the work of Zhu, Horvath and Rabai described the synthesis of a "fluorous" phosphine ligand and used this to generate a rhodium catalyst for a standard hydroformylation reaction. Horvath, I. T. and Rabai, J., Science, 266, 72-75 (1994). See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,082; and Gladysz, J. A., Science, 266, 55 (1994). The hydroformylation was conducted in a liquid biphasic mixture of perfluoromethylcyclohexane (fluorous solubilizing solvent) and toluene (organic solubilizing solvent) under a CO/H.sub.2 atmosphere as illustrated below. ##STR2## The products were separated from the catalyst by separation of the two liquid reaction phases, and the recovered catalyst from the fluorinated phase was successfully reused in another hydroformylation.
The distinctive physiochemical properties of a fluorous liquid phase can be used advantageously to provide unexpected solvent effects including altered and improved product yields, reactivities and/or selectivities. Likewise, physiochemical differences between fluorous molecules and organic (that is, non-fluorous) molecules provide a valuable tool to effect separation.
It is, therefore, very desirable to develop additional fluorous reaction components, reaction systems, reaction schemes and separation schemes.

Fluorous reaction and separation systems


A piece of furniture has a seat back having a front face and a headrest having a front face and positioned above the seat back with the front faces both facing forward. A guide forces displacement of the headrest relative to the seat back in a continuous and synchronous tipping/sliding movement between a lower position with the headrest relatively closely juxtaposed with the seat back and with the front faces generally parallel and an upper position with the headrest spaced above the seat back and the front faces forming a large acute angle. An upholstery cover is stretched as a single piece over the front faces of the headrest and the seat back.

It is standard to provide a seat back with a headrest that can be vertically raised and lowered, and that can also be tipped, that is rotated or pivoted about a horizontal axis. Such a headrest is provided in a motor-vehicle seat, for example. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,681,088 and 6,045,181.
When, however, a tippable seat back is used in a piece of furniture having upholstery or a cover that extends over both the seat back and the headrest, and where the headrest forms in the lower position a straight continuation of the seat back, the result is normally unsatisfactory. As the headrest tips forward, the upholstery crumples or folds together at the front, since the straight-line distance from the front top edge of the headrest to the front bottom edge of the seat back decreases. This is not only unattractive, but can create a bump that makes the headrest uncomfortable to use.

Stanzwerk Wetter Sichelschmidt GmbH & Co. KG


An embolic protection and filtration device (EFD) that is deployable within the aortic arch of a patient to prevent emboli from entering the coronary arteries. The device includes a collapsible tubular chassis having enlarged opposing end portions and a midsection of smaller radial dimension. A filtration membrane is disposed at least on upstream and midsection portions of the chassis and is configured to filter and shunt large emboli down the descending aorta and away from the coronary arteries. A retrieval device is provided for retrieving the EFD from within the patient. The retrieval device automatically compensates for elongation of the EFD as the EFD is radially contracted such that the EFD is not moved or drug along the aorta as it is collapsed and retracted into a retrieval catheter.

One of the largest unmet needs in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures is stroke prevention. As the mechanical valve is deployed—either by balloon catheter or by a self-expanding valve structure—it crushes the old stenotic valve, releasing a shower of debris known as emboli into the blood stream. These embolic particles are subsequently swept into the nearby arteries that supply blood to the brain, often leading to stroke and death.
Studies have shown that "the 30-day incidence of major or disabling stroke is 3.4% to 8%, and most of these events occur within the first 24 to 48 hours after TAVR." Diffusion-weighted MRI scans have also revealed that the occurrence of "silent" embolisms—those that present no immediate side effects but have unknown long-term effects—is anywhere from 50% to 80% of patients. Although the frequency and/or severity of these events may be mitigated by improved surgical procedures, there is general consensus that no procedural efforts can eliminate the threat of stroke.
One of the newest directions in TAVR valve development is the ability to manipulate and reposition the valve to secure a tighter seal and better performance. Although this represents a significant potential improvement for long-term health outcomes, this repositioning also represents the potential unleashing of even more emboli, further emphasizing the need for an embolic protection system.
These risks limit expansion of TAVR to all aortic valve replacement patients and are a driver for embolic protection accessories. Clinicians need a device to use in conjunction with a valve that is able to provide effective and reliable cerebral protection in an easy to use platform without introducing additional risk or morbidity.
Previous Design Iteration
To meet the clinical need described above an embolic filtration device (EFD) has been developed that, when deployed within the aortic arch, deflects emboli down the descending aorta to prevent neurological dysfunctions such as stroke. This EFD is described in detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2014/0330305 to Rood et al. filed Jul. 3, 2014 and 2015/0112377 to Arnone et al. filed Nov. 7, 2014 the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. One embodiment of such device is depicted in FIG. 1 and referred to generally as the EFD 10.
As described in the '305 and '377 publications, the known EFD 10 consists of a shape-memory nitinol stent supporting an elastic, biologically compatible filtration membrane and a retrieval system. The stent is characterized as a braided, self-expanding tube with a generally bi-conical configuration in which the cross-sectional area of the device varies with respect to length so that, when fully expanded, only segments of the device near the ends thereof are in contact with the aorta. This configuration reduces the risk of further embolic formation, reduces tissue irritation at the cerebral vessel junctions, and lessens the potential for the device and additional catheters to mechanically dislodge emboli from vessel walls. The stent structure is configured to provide a stiffness that is sufficiently rigid to maintain its shape and stability while implanted while also not posing a risk of arterial rupture from stent spring-back. The stent diameter within the mid-section is large enough for additional catheter passage during surgery, but small enough to avoid direct contact with the aorta.
The filtration membrane of the known EFD 10 extends along the mid-section of the EFD 10. The membrane may be fabricated by laser-drilling a polycarbonate urethane membrane that may be bonded directly to the stent. The filtration membrane is configured to maximize mechanical integrity while allowing it to be drilled with holes that will not significantly deform or tear. Laser drilling of the membrane provides 100-micron pore size that has negligible effect on blood flow to the brain, yet deflects potential stroke-causing emboli down the descending aorta without harmful consequences (the general consensus is emboli less than 100 microns in size have minimal or no potential for causing stroke).
As further described by the '305 and '377 publications, the bi-conical shape of the EFD 10 provides outwardly flaring end portions joined together by the mid-section which comprises an elongate cylindrical form. The conical, outwardly flaring ends are at least partially covered or coated with a non-porous membrane or jacket that encloses the end portion and directs fluid flow toward and through the mid-section. This configuration of the end portions may transmit hemodynamic forces in the radial direction, which may aid to further anchor the device in place without relying solely on the radial force provided by expansion of the stent.
As further described in the '305 and '377 publications, this known EFD 10 is introduced into the aortic arch via trans-femoral catheterization at the beginning of the procedure, and remains completely detached from the outside environment for the operation's duration. Once placed in the desired position, the EFD 10 can remain completely detached from any outside anchoring device (i.e. the delivery catheter). This not only frees up the "work space"—within the aorta as well as the on the operating table—but also allows for short-term implantation following a TAVR procedure. The EFD 10 may remain implanted for several hours following surgery in order to continue filtering debris away from the patient's brain, which will eliminate virtually all of the post-operative strokes currently faced by this procedure.
Removal is then made possible through the use of the magnetic retrieval system. This feature entails a "drawstring" that is looped though the distal end of the stent with a small neodymium magnet connected to the end. When deployed in the aorta, the magnet dangles in the wake of the device—within the descending aorta downstream from the stent. Once the TAVR procedure is complete and at the point that embolic protection is no longer necessary, a retrieval catheter is used to remove the device from the patient.
A corresponding magnet at the tip of a retrieval-catheter makes the initial attachment to the EFD 10, even under limited or no fluoroscopic visibility. A mechanical latching mechanism may then be used to fully secure the magnetic connection. Slightly pulling back on the catheter by the surgeon pulls the drawstring and causes the drawstring to substantially completely close the diameter of the stent at the distal end. A slider on the catheter handle can then be advanced to retract the drawstring into the catheter while the surgeon advances the catheter toward and over the entire EFD 10, collapsing it in place. Translation of the EFD 10 within the aorta as it is captured by the retrieval-catheter is preferably limited in order to minimize the potential for tissue damage. Once the EFD 10 is sufficiently enclosed within the retrieval catheter, the catheter is removed from the femoral artery. This removal technique eliminates risks associated with current methods, which involve "fishing" with a hook, which may lead to an increased risk of arterial damage and extended procedure duration.
Although the known EFD 10 devices described by the '305 and '377 publications and depicted in FIG. 1 make great strides toward increasing patient safety in TAVR procedures, several drawbacks remain. In the known EFD 10, the drawstring configuration has a tendency to become entangled with the stent structure and/or with itself. Further, the non-porous jacket or membrane on the ends of the EFD 10 can cause difficulties during deployment when interacting with blood flow through the aorta which can damage the EFD 10 and temporarily impede blood flow to the patient. And the retrieval methods described in the '305 and '377 publications rely on manual movement of the catheter by the surgeon to collapse the EFD 10 and to accommodate elongation of the EFD 10 as it is collapsed. If such movements are not precise, the EFD 10 may be dragged along the interior wall of the aorta which can lead to irritation and/or damage thereto.

Epic Medical Concepts & Innovations, Inc.


An imaging lens substantially includes six lenses, constituted by: a first lens having a negative refractive power; a second lens having a positive refractive power; a third lens having a positive refractive power; a fourth lens having a negative refractive power; a fifth lens having a positive refractive power; and a sixth lens having a negative refractive power, a concave surface toward an image side, and at least one inflection point in the surface toward the image side; provided in this order from an object side. The imaging lens satisfies a predetermined conditional formula.

Accompanying the recent spread of personal computers in households, digital still cameras capable of inputting image data such as photographed scenes and portraits into personal computers are rapidly becoming available. In addition, many cellular telephones and smart phones are being equipped with camera modules for inputting images. Imaging elements such as CCD's and CMOS's are employed in these devices having photography functions. Recently, miniaturization of these imaging elements is advancing, and there is demand for miniaturization of the entirety of the photography devices as well as imaging lenses to be mounted thereon. At the same time, the number of pixels in imaging elements is increasing, and there is demand for high resolution and high performance of imaging lenses. Performance corresponding to 5 megapixels or greater, and more preferably 8 megapixels or greater, is desired.
In response to such demands, imaging lenses having a five lens configuration, which is a comparatively large number of lenses, have been proposed. Further, imaging lenses having a six lens configuration, which is an even greater number of lenses, have been proposed to further improve performance. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,335,043, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-294910, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-258294 disclose imaging lenses having six lens configurations, including a first lens having a negative refractive power, a second lens having a positive refractive power, a third lens having a positive refractive power, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, and a sixth lens having a negative refractive power, provided in this order from an object side.

Imaging lens and imaging apparatus equipped with the imaging lens


A hanger device for securely hanging a purse, backpack or similar item from a variety of elevated surfaces, such as a table top or chair. The hanger device consists of a C-shaped continuous-piece frame having swiveling lower hook portion which may be locked into a desired position and an upper female receiver portion to which interchangeable end pieces for releasably securing the device to a surface are releasably engaged via a spring-release locking mechanism in the locking portion of each end piece. The end piece has a non-slip pad on its bottom side to prevent damage to a surface upon which its rests. The hanger device is preferably constructed of a metal, such as aluminum, or, alternatively, durable plastic. An alternative embodiment provides an end piece having a telescopic extension portion to adjust the length of the end piece for securing the hanger device surface of varying widths or depths.

Many support hangers have been developed in the past for suspending a weight from a horizontal surface or other types of surfaces. Such support hangers are generally either a type of hanger than includes a hook designed to engage or otherwise interact with an object from which the support hanger is suspended to counteract the tendency of the weight to disengage itself from the relatively stationary object to which the support is fixed, or a type of hanger which relies on the weight which is to be suspended to be directly below the point of engagement between the hanger and the object from which it is to be suspended in order to enable the hanger to have a relatively simple engagement portion with the object from which the weight is to be suspended. However, what is needed is a hanger device having a swiveling hook portion and a receiver portion along with interchangeable end pieces having a quick-release connector for adapting the device for use in connection with various elevated surfaces. End pieces containing a locking mechanism through which the desire end piece may be secured to a receiver portion are also needed. The present hanger device is versatile in its employment to keep a purse and its contents, or similar items such as a backpack, conveniently within reach, leaving both hands free for other purposes and which may be adapted for use on various types of surfaces. The present hanger device addresses the foregoing needs by being convenient and providing a swiveling hook portion and interchangeable telescopic end pieces, which may easily be adjusted to adapt such device for use on various surfaces in order to hang a purse, backpack, or similar item from or on a chair, table, or other surface.


A method for designing a semiconductor integrated circuit while minimizing any increase in the area of its logic circuit under test. Circuit data about the semiconductor integrated circuit are received, and transition signal occurrence probabilities of all scanning function-equipped storage elements involved are computed by use of the circuit data. In keeping with the transition signal occurrence probabilities thus computed and based on predetermined parameters, the method permits selection of scanning function-equipped storage elements that may be replaced by delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit for testing logic circuits and a method for designing a circuit for performing such tests.
Generally, logic circuits that operate at high speeds each include an additional test circuit called a scan circuit for readily testing the logic circuit in question. Because the scan circuit runs on a scan clock, i.e., on a clock signal for testing purposes, tests cannot be conducted on a system clock (design frequency) on which the logic circuit normally operates. Tests performed by use of the system clock on which the logic circuit usually runs are called delay tests. For enhanced reliability, the delay tests must be carried out.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 4-118570 discloses flip-flops for executing delay tests, the flip-flops being arranged to store system data in keeping with a system clock, accommodate scan data by use of a scan clock, and store scan data based on the system clock. In operation, the flip-flops are connected to an input and an output terminal of each circuit path under test. With the system clock in use, the flip-flop at the input terminal reads scan data while the flip-flop at the output terminal acquires system data in keeping with the system clock.
There exists a method for performing delay tests on the logic circuit through the use of not a specifically added circuit but function test patterns that have been created using a string of operating instructions. The method involves having the function test patterns entered through external input pins of the logic circuit to get the logic circuit running on the system clock, before output patterns are acquired through output pins of the circuit. Delay tests are carried out by making comparisons between output patterns obtained beforehand through logic simulations or the like on the one hand, and patterns that are output when the logic circuit in question is operated on the other hand.
The above-cited known techniques have the following major problems:
First of all, there is a lack of consideration for arranging the flip-flops in a manner suitable for performing the delay tests discussed in the publication. To execute the delay tests requires using flip-flops capable of storing system data in keeping with the system clock, retaining scan data based on the scan clock, and accommodating scan data by use of the system clock. Such flip-flop arrangements tend to have a large scale of circuitry. If the flip-flops are connected to all input and output terminals of the circuit under test, the whole circuit area will become inordinately large.
As a second disadvantage, the flip-flops must be initialized using the scan clock, scan data must be input to the paths under test, and the results of having passed data through the paths under test must be acquired before the delay tests can be conducted. The scan clock and system clock must be switched during a single system clock cycle by use of a switching signal. If the circuit under test is large enough in scale and if flip-flops are connected to all paths to be tested, delays in the propagation of the switching signal can prevent the system clock and scan clock from getting switched during the single clock cycle. The clock switchover can also be thwarted if the clock period is sufficiently short.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above and other deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit capable of permitting delay tests while minimizing any increase in its circuit area. It is another object of the invention to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit allowing highly accurate delay tests to be carried out.
In achieving the foregoing and other objects of the present invention and according to one aspect thereof, there is provided a semiconductor integrated circuit constituted by a logic circuit made of logic elements, by scanning function-equipped storage elements, and delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements. The scanning function-equipped storage elements store system data based on a system clock and retain scan data in keeping with a scan clock. The delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements store system data by use of the system clock and accommodate scan data based on the scan clock or system clock. When the semiconductor integrated circuit includes the scanning function-equipped storage elements and the delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements, the logic circuit is tested on the basis of the system clock with a reduced number of delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements. This structure helps prevent the circuit area from expanding.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor integrated circuit constituted by a logic circuit made of logic elements and by delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements capable of internally switching a system clock and a scan clock for storing scan data. When the system clock and scan clock are internally switched, there is no need to have a switching signal input from the outside; hence no need for the conventional switching signal wiring. This makes it unnecessary to consider delay times of switching signal propagation in the presence of a plurality of delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements. This structure allows highly accurate tests to be conducted while preventing the circuit area from getting larger.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for designing a semiconductor integrated circuit constituted by a logic circuit made of a plurality of logic elements and by a plurality of scanning function-equipped storage elements, wherein the likelihood of a transition signal occurring on an output signal line of each scanning function-equipped storage element is obtained every time a system clock signal is applied to the scanning function-equipped storage element in question, the obtained likelihood being used as a basis for determining which of the plurality of scanning function-equipped storage devices may be changed.
In one preferred variation of the semiconductor designing method according to the invention, the changeable scanning function-equipped storage elements may be utilized as delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements constituting a semiconductor integrated circuit. When this preferred method is adopted, there is no need to assign the delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements to all outputs of the logic circuit. This helps prevent the circuit area from expanding.
In another preferred variation of the semiconductor designing method according to the invention, the number of changeable scanning function-equipped storage elements may be varied as desired or depending on the rate of error detection. When this preferred method is employed, the exact number of delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements may be determined as required by the designer for the tests involved.
In a further preferred variation of the semiconductor designing method according to the invention, circuit data may be output to represent delay test-ready scanning function-equipped storage elements, scanning function-equipped storage elements and a logic circuit which constitute a semiconductor integrated circuit designed by the method. Using the output circuit data, other designers may also design semiconductor integrated circuits that have a reduced circuit area.

Semiconductor integrated circuit and method of designing the same


A semiconductor apparatus that has a first parallel pn-layer formed between an active region and an n+-drain region. A peripheral region is provided with a second parallel pn-layer, which has a repetition pitch narrower than the repetition pitch of the first parallel pn-layer. An n−-surface region is formed between the second parallel pn-layer and a first main surface. On the first main surface side of the n−-surface region, a plurality of p-guard ring regions are formed to be separated from each other. A field plate electrode is connected electrically to the outermost p-guard ring region among the p-guard ring regions. A channel stopper electrode is connected electrically to an outermost peripheral p-region of the peripheral region.

1. Field
This invention relates to a semiconductor apparatus that is applicable to an active element, such as a MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor), an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), and a bipolar transistor, and to a passive element, such as a diode, and that which can achieve both higher breakdown voltage and higher current capacity.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a semiconductor apparatus is classified as a horizontal element having an electrode formed on one surface of a semiconductor substrate or as a vertical element having electrodes on both surfaces of a semiconductor substrate. In the vertical semiconductor apparatus, the direction of flow of a drift current in an on-state is the same as the direction of extension of a depletion layer caused by reverse bias voltage in an off-state. In an ordinary planar n-channel vertical MOSFET, a portion serving as a high-resistance n− drift layer works as a region that causes drift current to flow vertically in the on-state. Shortening a current path in the n− drift layer, therefore, reduces drift resistance, offering an effect of reducing the substantial on-resistance of the MOSFET.
The portion serving as the high-resistance n−-drift layer, however, is depleted of carriers in the off-state, increasing breakdown voltage. If the n−-drift layer is thinned, the expansion of a drain-base depletion layer that starts from the pn-junction between a P-base region and the n−-drift layer becomes smaller in width, causing the MOSFET to quickly reach a critical electric field, which reduces breakdown voltage. Conversely, a semiconductor apparatus with high breakdown voltage has a thicker n−-drift layer, which increases on-resistance, inviting greater loss. In this manner, on-resistance and breakdown voltage have a mutual relationship of trade-off.
It is known that this trade-off relationship exists in a similar manner in such a semiconductor apparatus as an IGBT, a bipolar transistor, and a diode. The trade-off relationship is also commonly observed in a horizontal semiconductor apparatus in which the direction of flow of the drift current in the on-state is different from the direction of expansion of the depletion layer caused by reverse bias.
A superjunction semiconductor apparatus is known as a solution to a problem posed by the trade-off relationship. This superjunction semiconductor apparatus includes a drift layer that is composed of a parallel pn-structure with enhanced impurity concentration constructed by repeatedly joining alternately arranged n-regions and p-regions (see, e.g., Patent Documents 1, 2 and 3). According to the semiconductor apparatus having such a structure, although the parallel pn-structure has high impurity concentration, a depletion layer expands laterally from vertically extending pn-junctions of the parallel pn-structure to be depleted of carrier in the entire drift layer, which achieves high breakdown voltage.
To achieve the high breakdown voltage of a semiconductor apparatus, a peripheral structure is needed. A lack of the peripheral structure results in a drop in breakdown voltage at the termination of a drift layer, which makes achieving high breakdown voltage difficult. To solve this problem, a structure has been proposed that at the peripheral region, another parallel pn-structure with smaller repetition pitch than that of the parallel pn-structure in the active region is disposed in a region closer to the surface of the active region (see, e.g., Patent Document 4). According to the proposed structure, a surface electric field near the outermost active region is eased to maintain high breakdown voltage.
A semiconductor apparatus has been proposed, which includes a first-conductive (n-type) first semiconductor layer, a first-conductive (n-type) first semiconductor pillar region formed on a main surface of the first semiconductor layer, a second-conductive (p-type) second semiconductor pillar region that is formed on the main surface of the first semiconductor layer in adjacent to the first semiconductor pillar region so that the second semiconductor pillar region and the first semiconductor pillar region jointly form a periodic arrangement structure in a direction substantially parallel to the main surface of the first semiconductor layer, a first-conductive (n-type) second semiconductor layer formed above the first semiconductor layer at the peripheral region having an impurity concentration lower than the impurity concentration of the first semiconductor pillar region, and an embedded guard ring layer made of a second-conductive (p-type) semiconductor that is selectively embedded in the second semiconductor layer (see, e.g., Patent Document 5).
A semiconductor apparatus has been proposed, which includes a RESURF layer formed on the surface of a semiconductor intermediate layer in a peripheral region, a termination contact semiconductor region formed on the part of the RESURF layer surface that is closer to an active region, a field oxide film formed on the RESURF layer surface that has a thickness thinner on the portion closer to the active region while thicker on the portion farther in the opposite direction to the active region, and a field plate extending from the surface of the termination contact semiconductor region to pass over the thin part of the field oxide film to reach the surface of the thick part of the field oxide film (see, e.g., Patent Document 6).
A semiconductor apparatus has been proposed, which includes a peripheral structure having a parallel pn-structure constructed by repeatedly joining alternately arranged vertical first-conductive (n-type) regions oriented in the direction of thickness of a substrate and vertical second-conductive (p-type) regions oriented in the direction of thickness of the substrate and a field plate formed on an insulating film on a first main surface of the peripheral structure, where in the parallel pn-structure, the impurity concentration at the first main surface side of the vertical second-conductive (p-type) regions located outside a leading edge of the field plate is higher than the impurity concentration at the first main surface side of the second vertical first-conductive (n-type) regions adjacent to the second-conductive (p-type) regions (see, e.g., Patent Document 7).
A semiconductor apparatus has been proposed, which includes a first-conductive (n-type) pillar region formed along a direction parallel to semiconductor substrate and a peripheral structure having a second-conductive (p-type) semiconductor region formed to encircle an active region and extend from the active region to the first-conductive (n-type) pillar region, wherein a first-conductive (n-type) semiconductor region is formed in the second-conductive (p-type) semiconductor region, and average impurity concentration given by subtracting the average impurity concentration of the first-conductive (n-type) semiconductor region from the average impurity concentration of the second-conductive (p-type) semiconductor region is determined to be 2.5*1014 cm−3 or less (see, e.g., Patent Document 8).
A semiconductor apparatus has been proposed in the form of a power MOSFET having a superjunction structure in which the impurity concentration of a p-RESURF layer has a distribution (gradient profile) of reducing the impurity concentration in the direction of depth, which distribution suppress the breakdown voltage drop caused by the imbalance between the impurity volume of the p-RESULF layer and the impurity volume of an n−-drift layer more significantly than in a conventional case (see, e.g., Patent Document 9).
Below is a list of related art publications:
                Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,275        Patent Document 2: U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,215        Patent Document 3: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H9-266311        Patent Document 4: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-224273        Patent Document 5: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-4643        Patent Document 6: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-5516        Patent Document 7: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-204065        Patent Document 8: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-335658        Patent Document 9: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-119611
For conventional semiconductor apparatuses as discussed and noted above, the robustness against charges on breakdown voltage is not taken into consideration. A semiconductor apparatus having low robustness against charges manages to secure initial breakdown voltage but gradually loses its breakdown voltage as time elapses, which poses a problem of difficulty in ensuring breakdown voltage reliability. For example, the semiconductor apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 5 has no parallel pn-layer under an n−-layer of the peripheral structure, which poses a problem of difficulty in achieving high breakdown voltage. The semiconductor apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 6 has no n−-layer on the surface of the peripheral structure, which poses a problem that securing breakdown voltage is difficult when negative charges are present at the surface of the peripheral structure. The semiconductor apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 7 poses a problem that electric field concentration occurs at a stopper electrode, deteriorating breakdown voltage when negative charges are present at the surface of the peripheral structure. The semiconductor apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 8 poses a problem that with the termination working actually as the second-conductive (p-type) termination, charge imbalance toward the second-conductive type (p-type) causes the breakdown voltage of the peripheral region to become lower than that of the active region.
FIG. 54 is a diagram of the simulation results of robustness against surface charges on breakdown voltage in a conventional semiconductor apparatus. These simulation results are obtained with regard to the semiconductor apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 4 (FIGS. 17 to 19). As depicted in FIG. 54, the presence of positive charges (positive ions) on an oxide film between a field plate electrode and a channel stopper electrode results in a drop in breakdown voltage. This happens because of the following reason. In the semiconductor apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 4, a parallel pn-layer having a narrow structural pitch and low impurity concentration is disposed closer to the semiconductor surface in the peripheral region. This parallel pn-layer allows a depletion layer to easily expand, thus relaxing an electric field strength at a field plate end to enable higher breakdown voltage. The presence of positive charges (positive ions) on the oxide film of the peripheral region, however, makes expansion of the depletion layer difficult, thus causing an electric field at the field plate end to intensify. As a result, breakdown voltage drops.
FIGS. 55 to 57 depict electric potential distributions of an off-state in the conventional semiconductor apparatus. FIG. 55 depicts the electric potential distribution in the case that a surface charge quantity on the oxide film of the peripheral region is −1.0*1012 cm2. FIG. 56 depicts the electric potential distribution in the case that the surface charge quantity is 0.0 cm−2. FIG. 57 depicts the electric potential distribution in the case that the surface charge quantity is +1.0*1012 cm−2. These figures reveal that the depletion layer expands sufficiently between the filed plate electrode and the channel stopper electrode when charges are negative charges (negative ions) but the depletion layer concentrates on the field plate end when surface charges are positive charges (positive ions). In FIGS. 55 to 57, intervals between electric potential lines represent 50 V (as in FIGS. 10 to 12, 20 to 22, and 31 to 33).
This invention was conceived to solve the problems posed by the conventional ones, and it is therefore an object of embodiments of this invention to provide a semiconductor apparatus capable of improving robustness against charges on breakdown voltage.


A system receives a description of a first set of elements representing physical and/or logical entities in a geographic area to be displayed on a digital map. The system determines current boundaries of a viewport within which the digital map is to be displayed and generates a metric indicative of how frequently the elements in the first set occur within the current boundaries of the viewport relative to at least a second set of elements displayed on the digital map. The system determines one or more visual attributes for the first set of elements based at least in part on the generated metric and displays representations of the first set of elements on the digital map in accordance with the determined one or more visual attributes.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Today, numerous user devices can display interactive digital maps. Typically, the same contrast level is used to display feature of a similar type, such as walking paths or railroad lines. Similarly, location markers for search results typically are displayed as identical dots or other shapes. A single dot can be easily "lost" on a display among other map features, so that the user cannot immediately see the dot. On the other hand, a large number of dots create clutter and similarly make it difficult for the user to quickly identify the desired location.

Viewport-based contrast adjustment for map features


A heat exchanger extracts heat from a two-phase fluid coolant so that the coolant changes from a vapor state to a liquid state. Two valves have respective inlets which communicate with the coolant in the heat exchanger, and which are physically spaced from each other. Valve control structure responds to the presence of liquid at the inlet to either valve by opening that valve, so that the liquid coolant flows through the valve to a discharge section. A different feature involves a housing with a heat exchanger therein, the heat exchanger having a plurality of coolant conduits that are axially spaced. A flow of air travels axially within the housing, then flows transversely past the conduits to the other side thereof, and then resumes flowing axially on the other side of the conduits.

There are a variety of applications in which a heat exchanger is used to transfer heat from one medium (such a coolant) to another medium (such as an airflow). As one example, an aircraft may have a phased array antenna system which is cooled using a coolant, where the coolant is then routed through a heat exchanger that extracts heat from the coolant. While existing heat exchangers have been generally adequate for their intended purposes they have not been satisfactory in all respects.
More specifically, vehicle movement, such as the pitch and roll of an aircraft, can make it difficult to ensure that, in the case of a two-phase coolant, the coolant leaving the heat exchanger is primarily liquid coolant and contains little or no vapor coolant. A further consideration is that a heat exchanger should be lightweight and compact, especially in an airborne application. However, this often means that the heat exchanger is configured so that the air passes successively through several sets of coils or fins, which collectively produce a relatively high pressure drop between the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger. Where a fan is used to facilitate this air flow, the relatively high pressure drop means that the fan needs a relatively high amount of input power in order to generate a suitable airflow, and this level of power consumption is undesirable in an airborne application.
Still another consideration is that different applications need heat exchangers that have different capacities, and a heat exchanger developed for one application cannot be easily reconfigured to have a different capacity suitable for a different application.

Method and apparatus for efficient heat exchange in an aircraft or other vehicle


An electronic control device is disclosed for controlling a plow. The control device includes a pendant control structured and arranged such that an operator of the plow is permitted to control the plow by operation of the pendant control. A plurality of switches is mounted on the pendant control for selective operation by the operator. At least one of the switches of the plurality of switches being a multi stage switch which permits the operator to activate to different current driven settings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic control device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic control device for controlling a plow.
2. Background Information
The present invention relates to an electronic control for use in controlling a plow used in the snow and ice control industry.
The proportional multi stage switch according to the present invention allows the user to activate to different Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) or Current driven settings. The user activates the first setting by pressing the switch to the first setting. Then the user activates the second setting by pressing through the first setting to the second. Additional proportional settings can be achieved by adding additional activation points to the mechanical design. The proportional settings are programmed into the controller through the use of a user interface that is either part of the control system in the vehicle, a calibration tool or from a device that runs a Windows based operating system. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Inc. Settings are adjustable from 0-100% of PWM or current control settings.
Therefore, the primary feature of the present invention is the provision of an electronic control device for controlling a plow that overcomes the problems associated with the prior art controls and which makes a significant contribution to the snow and ice control industry.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision of an electronic control device for controlling a plow that is easier and less costly to manufacture when compared with prior art rod holder devices.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art by a consideration of the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention contained herein.


An electroluminescent display substrate and a manufacturing method thereof, and an electroluminescent display apparatus, are disclosed. The display substrate includes: a base substrate; an electroluminescent element on the base substrate, the electroluminescent element including a first electrode layer, a light-emitting layer and a second electrode layer which are disposed in sequence on the base substrate; an encapsulating layer disposed on the base substrate and covering the electroluminescent element; an aperture, the aperture at least penetrating the encapsulating layer; and at least one eave structure on the base substrate, the at least one eave structure surrounding the aperture, and being located between the aperture and the electroluminescent element. Each eave structure includes at least one undercut at one end of the eave structure close to the base substrate, and at least one of the light-emitting layer and the second electrode layer is disconnected at the at least one undercut.

In recent years, with the advancement of science and technology, special-shaped screens and full-screens have gradually come into our vision. Not only the special-shaped screens but also the full screens are intended to increase a screen ratio of a display apparatus. Thus, to achieve a higher screen ratio, some opening regions (for example, apertures) are needed to be reserved in some positions on the display screen for some additional elements (for example, cameras, sensors, etc.).
An electroluminescent display apparatus such as an OLED display apparatus generally comprises an OLED element sensitive to water and oxygen. An organic light-emitting layer and a cathode layer which are both formed through evaporation would form an invasion path through which the aperture is in communication with the OLED element, thereby causing water and oxygen invading into an interior of OLED element from a side surface of the aperture and along the invasion path. As a result, the performance and the service life of the OLED element may be adversely affected. Thus, the focus of research and development personnel researching the display apparatus of this kind is to increase the encapsulation dependence of the display apparatus providing with apertures.

Electroluminescent display substrate, manufacturing method thereof and electroluminescent display apparatus

CHENGDU BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A container cover for use with a container having a neck. The cover includes a lid, a skirt extending downward from the circumference of the lid, a concentric plug seal extending from the lid inside the skirt. The cover also may include vent holes in the lid. The skirt preferably includes at least two lock panels. The sides of the lock panels are defined by vertical slots in the skirt, and each lock panel features at least one inwardly-projecting locking wedge. When the cover is locked on the container, the locking wedges engage a lip on the container neck. When a user wishes to remove the cover, the user pulls up on the edge of a lock panel, disengaging the locking wedges from the container lip and removing the cover.

It is known to provide a removable cover for a container, such as a container of food or drink. Many such containers can be placed in a microwave oven to heat their contents. The cover or closure functions to prevent the contents of the container from spilling when the container is moved, or splattering when being heated in the microwave. However, many prior art container covers have suffered from deficiencies. Depending on their construction, they may be difficult to put on or to remove, or may be too easily detached, thereby resulting in inadvertent removal of the cover. Many prior art container covers suffer from distortion when heated in the microwave. As a result, the attachment of the cover to the container is impaired or the quality of the seal between the cover and the container is reduced.
A need, therefore, exists for a cover which is easier to put onto and take off of a container, inhibits inadvertent removal, and that seals more dependably.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Removable locking container cover with slotted outer skirt


This invention relates to a new and distinct variety of strawberry plant named ‘Rotem’. ‘Rotem’ is primarily adapted to the climate and growing conditions of the Hod Hasharon, Sharon costal plain, Israel, and is primarily characterized by:                1. Difference in size between primary and secondary fruit.        2. Semi-erect fruiting trusses.        3. Firm fruit.        4. High yield.        5. Low acidity.        6. Tolerance to powdery mildew.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct strawberry variety named 'Rotemi'. The new strawberry 'Rotemi' is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventors at Hod Hasharon, Israel. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new strawberry varieties with quality fruit, high yield and tolerance to diseases. 'Rotemi' is a result of a controlled cross made by the inventors in 2005 of female parent 'EF 14' (unpatented) and male parent 'EF 7' (unpatented). The parentage of 'EF14' and 'EF7' is unknown.
The new strawberry 'Rotemi' was discovered and selected by the inventors as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Hod Hasharon, Israel. After its selection, the new variety was asexually propagated by stolons and was extensively tested over the next several years in Hod Hasharon, Israel. This propagation has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new variety are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.


An array antenna capable of use with a single signal feed has a transmission line oriented substantially parallel to a ground plane, which transmission line has a multiplicity of sequential sections with each sequential section having a different spacing from the ground plane than each of its immediately adjacent sequential sections. This stepped or varied impedance transmission line forms an array in which the sections spaced further from the ground plane become active antenna elements. Controlling an electrical spacing between the ground plane and transmission line provides relative phase control between the active elements and thereby phased-array directional control of the antenna.

The present invention relates to antennas and, more specifically to multi-element antennas or array antennas.
In the past, efficient antennas have typically required structures with minimum dimensions on the order of a quarter wavelength of the radiating frequency. These dimensions allowed the antenna to be excited easily and to be operated at, or near a resonance frequency. This limited the energy dissipated in resistive losses and maximized the transmitted energy. Even at relatively high frequencies, these antennas tended to be large at the resonant wavelength. Further, as frequency decreased, the antenna dimensions had to increase in proportion.
In order to address the shortcomings of traditional antenna design and functionality, a new class of antennas was developed, known as meander line loaded antennas (MLAs). One such meander line loaded antenna is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,080 for MEANDER LINE LOADED ANTENNA, issued Aug. 4, 1998 to the present inventor, John T. Apostolos, and is hereby incorporated by reference.
An example of a meander line loaded antenna is shown in FIG. 1. The antenna consists of two vertical conductors 102 and a horizontal conductor 104. The vertical and horizontal conductors are separated by gaps 106. Also part of the antenna are meander lines 108, shown in FIG. 2, which inter-connect the vertical and horizontal conductors at the gaps 106. The meander lines 108 are designed to adjust the electrical length of the antenna. In addition, the meander slow wave structure permits switching of lengths of the meander line in or out of the circuit quickly and with negligible loss. This results in selectively changing the effective electrical length of the antenna. Such negligible-loss switching is possible because the meander line 108 includes alternating high and low impedance sections, with active switching devices located in the high impedance sections. This limits the current through the switching devices and results in very low dissipation losses in the switch. Accordingly, high antenna efficiency is maintained.
The meander line loaded antenna, as well as antennas in general, have had certain limitations when used in arrays. Currently, array antennas are very expensive because each antenna receives its own, separate signal. These signals, typically, are generated by using an external corporate feed network. These limitations are further magnified in the case of phased array antennas which achieve directional control by varying the phase of the transmission signal between different array elements, thus requiring phase control for each element. There is a need for an antenna with a fixed or directable pattern that has only a single feed point.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,011 entitled ANTENNA ARRAY USING SIMPLIFIED BEAM FORMING NETWORK discloses an example of an antenna array, or multi-element antenna and the feed network used for steering signals transmitted or received through the array. The signals coupled to and from each antenna element 51-58 are adjusted in phase by a network of r.f. hybrid devices 62.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,319 entitled PLANAR SUBSTRATE FERRITE/DIODE PHASE SHIFTER FOR PHASED ARRAY APPLICATIONS is an example of a phase shifter which can be used for an individual antenna element within an array. The patent shows the use of this shifter for each antenna element of a phased array.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,474 entitled TWO DIMENSIONAL ARRAY ANTENNA discloses a phase control network for the elements of a two dimensional array.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,303 entitled MOVABLE DIELECTRIC BODY FOR CONTROLLING PROPAGATION VELOCITY IN A FEED LINE discloses a single phase shifter for use with multiple array elements. As shown in FIG. 1, a feed conductor line 3 includes a source input 6 and multiple antenna element outputs T1-T4. A moveable dielectric material located between the feed line 3, or the carrier plate 5 thereof, and a ground plane 4, controls the propagation velocity of signals coupled through the feed line 3. In this manner a mechanical adjustment is made which determines the phasing of multiple antenna elements.
The prior art very clearly shows the level of complexity that is required for the use of multiple element antenna arrays, both in the need for individual connections as well as the requirements for phase control. They demonstrate the need for simplified coupling and phase control approaches.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an inexpensive, array antenna having only a single feed point.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide an array antenna having only a single feed point, which includes phase control for individual array elements.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an array antenna capable of use with a single signal feed and including a transmission line oriented substantially parallel to a ground plane, which transmission line has a multiplicity of sequential sections with each sequential section having a different spacing from the ground plane than each of its immediately adjacent sequential sections. Once interconnected, these sequential sections may be referred to as a stepped or varied impedance transmission line in which the sections spaced further from the ground plane become active antenna elements. In one embodiment, an electrical spacing between the transmission line and ground plane affects impedances of the transmission line. Varying this electrical spacing enables relative phase control between the active elements and phased-array directional control of the antenna.

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


Disclosed herein are aminoplast resin-based coating compositions that provide formable, abrasion-resistant, and weatherable coatings when cured on the substrate. The coating compositions comprise an aminoplast resin; a curing catalyst; a first polyol having an average molecular weight greater than 300; a second polyol having an average molecular weight less than or equal to 300; and at least 5% by weight solids of at least two 2-hydroxyphenol benzotriazole (HPBT)-containing compounds based on the total solids of the coating composition. Also disclosed herein are articles comprising coatings cured from such coating compositions.

Transparent plastic materials, e.g., high molecular weight organic polymers, have been widely used in a variety of optical and glazing applications. Polycarbonate sheets are popular for use in such applications due to their formability, high transparency, and high impact resistance. Polycarbonate polymers can be represented by the general chemical structure shown in Formula (I).

Due to its aromatic moieties, polycarbonates and other plastics having aromatic moieties are susceptible to weathering, which is the degradation of the polymer from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. To improve the service life, and hence, weatherability of these plastics, a coating containing a UV-absorber may be applied to the plastic. Major classes of UV absorbers include, but are not limited to, the following three chemical groups: 1) 2-hydroxy-benzophenones (BPs), 2) 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-benzotriazoles (HPBTs), and 3) 2-hydroxyphenyl-s-triazines (HPTs).
Certain transparent plastic materials, such as polycarbonates, are soft and tend to scratch or mar quite easily. Scratching or marring results in impaired visibility and poor aesthetics, and often may require the replacement of the transparent plastic. To prevent such scratching or marring, the plastic can be coated with an abrasion resistant coating as a protective coat over the material. Coatings that are "harder" or have a "firmer" surface provide more resistance to abrasion than "soft" or "tacky" coatings.
Certain transparent plastic materials, such as polycarbonate polymers, are formable. Formable materials are those in which the starting material is made pliable in some manner, and is then formed (shaped) and set into a desired, finished shape. Thermoforming is one type of forming process that may be used on formable materials. Thermoforming is a manufacturing process where a plastic sheet is heated to a pliable forming temperature, formed to a specific shape in a mold, and trimmed to create a usable product. More specifically, the sheet, or "film" when referring to thinner gauges and certain material types, is heated in an oven to a sufficiently high temperature that it can be stretched into or onto a mold and cooled to a finished shape. In many glazing and optical applications, it may be beneficial or even necessary to apply an abrasion resistant or weatherable coating to the transparent plastic material prior to forming the plastic into the finished shape. However, not all such weatherable and abrasion resistant coatings are compatible with the forming processes, such as thermoforming, because the coatings may crack or craze when the underlying transparent plastic substrate is subjected to changes in shape.

Formable aminoplast resin-based coating compositions


A method of compensating performance of a thin film transistor including a gate electrode, source and drain electrodes that are spaced apart from each other and insulated from the gate electrode, and an active layer to form a channel between the source and drain electrodes, includes applying a negative voltage to the gate electrode to compensate deterioration of the active layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor, a method of compensating for performance deterioration of the thin film transistor, and a liquid crystal display including the thin film transistor.
2. Discussion of the Background
With the advent of information technologies, the demand for high-performance display apparatuses capable of displaying various types of information, such as videos, graphics, and characters, has increased. Therefore, the display industry has grown rapidly.
Particularly, because a liquid crystal display (LCD) may have low power consumption, may be slim and lightweight, and may suppress harmful electromagnetic waves as compared with a cathode ray tube, LCDs have become a next-generation high-technology display apparatus. In addition, LCDs have been extensively employed in various fields, such as electronic clocks, electronic calculators, personal computers, and television sets.
Recently, the need for a display apparatus to have improved portability has increased. Therefore, consumers may pursue a flexible display apparatus that can be folded or rolled.
Since plastic may be deformed in a high temperature environment, all processes are performed at temperatures lower than the glass transition temperature in order to manufacture a display apparatus including flexible plastic. However, when a thin film transistor is manufactured at a low temperature, the characteristics of the thin film transistor may be deteriorated.

Thin film transistor, method of recovering performance of the same, and liquid crystal display employing the same


The present invention pertains to methods of depositing low wet etch rate silicon nitride films on substrates using high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition techniques at substrate temperatures below 600° C. The method additionally involves the maintenance of a relatively high ratio of nitrogen to silicon in the plasma and a low process pressure.

The present invention relates to nano-manufacturing technology solutions involving equipment, processes, and materials used in the deposition, patterning, and treatment of thin-films and coatings, with representative examples including (but not limited to) applications involving: semiconductor and dielectric materials and devices, silicon-based wafers, flat panel displays (such as TFTs), masks and filters, energy conversion and storage (such as photovoltaic cells, fuel cells, and batteries), solid state lighting (such as LEDs and OLEDs), magnetic and optical storage, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS), micro-optic and optoelectronic devices, architectural and automotive glasses, metallization systems for metal and polymer foils and packaging, and micro- and nano-molding. More particularly, the invention relates to the application of thin films onto a surface. Even more particularly, the invention relates a method of formation of high density thin films by chemical vapor deposition ("CVD").
Conventional thermal CVD processes supply reactive gases to the substrate surface where the heat from the surface induces chemical reactions to produce a film. Improvements in deposition rate and film properties have been achieved through the use of plasma sources to assist the chemical reactions. Plasma enhanced CVD ("PECVD") techniques promote excitation, dissociation, and ionization of the reactant gases by the application of radio frequency ("RF") energy to a reaction zone near the substrate surface, thereby creating a plasma. The high reactivity of the species in the plasma reduces the energy required to activate a chemical reaction. This effectively lowers the substrate temperature required for PECVD processes as compared to conventional thermal CVD processes. Reducing the substrate temperature is attractive because it lowers the chances of diffusion or other mass transport effects which may cause a reduction in the yield of the manufacturing process.
Further improvements have been enabled by high density plasma ("HDP") CVD techniques, in which a dense plasma is formed at low vacuum pressures so that the plasma species are even more reactive. HDP-CVD allows the use of lower partial pressures of reactant gases while maintaining a higher ionic concentration. HDP-CVD also allows the accelerating energy to be controlled independently of the ionization energy. There are a number of material changes that result from depositing films with a high density plasma in addition to distinctions associated with patterned wafer processing. When films are deposited with HDP-CVD method the resultant film may possess a higher density than other CVD methods. Denser films can be attractive as they may exhibit greater homogeneity and can be used more effectively as an etch or polishing stop layer.
A material commonly used in the fabrication of integrated devices is silicon nitride. Two common applications for silicon nitride films in the front end processing of integrated circuits include the formation of spacer structures around delicate integrated devices and the formation of contact etch stop layers, such as the barrier layer between premetal dielectric layer and the semiconductor substrate. When used as an etch stop layer, the ability of the film to exhibit a low wet etch rate "WER" during a silicon oxide etch process is desirable.
The presence of impurities within a silicon nitride film often correlates with a higher etch rate and decreased utility as an etch stop. One impurity which incorporates easily into a growing silicon nitride film is hydrogen. Growing silicon nitride with conventional thermal CVD methods has succeeded in reducing the hydrogen content to below ten percent, however, the substrate temperatures for chemical vapor deposition are in the range of 700° C. to 1000° C. The higher temperatures can degrade and even ruin material properties and devices built in earlier processing steps.
There accordingly remains a general need in the art for a method of depositing low WER silicon nitride films on substrates at reduced deposition temperatures.


The described embodiments include a system for performing data compression. The system includes a compression mechanism with N channels, and an internal decompression mechanism in the compression mechanism that accepts N channels of fixed-length packets. The compression mechanism is configured to receive an input bit stream that includes a set of data words. In response to receiving a request from the internal decompression mechanism identifying at least one of the channels for which a fixed-length packet is to be appended to the output stream, the system fills a fixed-length packet for the identified channel with compressed data words; appends the fixed-length packet to the output stream; and forwards a copy of the fixed-length packet to the internal decompression mechanism. The internal decompression mechanism decompresses fixed-length packets for each of the channels to determine a next fixed-length packet to be appended to the output stream.

1. Field of the Invention
The described embodiments relate to data processing systems. More specifically, the described embodiments relate to techniques for compressing and decompressing data.
2. Related Art
Many modern electronic devices can operate on large amounts of data (i.e., data files or data streams from a network). For example, these electronic devices can operate on multimedia files such as digital video files, document files such as scanned text documents, simulation files, and other types of files. Because large files can consume significant amounts of memory, and transferring large files across a network can consume considerable amounts of network bandwidth, compression techniques have been developed to reduce the size of the data files. Some compression techniques involve compressing the data using "lossless" compression techniques. Lossless compression techniques remove redundant information from the data in a manner that does not compromise the integrity of the data, thereby allowing for bit-accurate reconstruction of the original data from the compressed data.
Some lossless compression systems replace fixed-length words with shorter variable-length codes when compressing data files. In such systems, shorter codes can be assigned to words that are used more frequently, and longer codes can be assigned to words that appear less frequently. For example, some lossless compression systems use Huffman coding, context-adaptive variable length coding (CAVLC), or context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC) to compress data files. Lossless compression typically produces a dense bit stream of variable-length compressed data words. Because maximal compression is the primary goal, designers have given little consideration to the processing required to decompress the data. Thus, existing systems are forced to decompress data serially, which is time-consuming.
Hence, what is needed is a method for compressing and decompressing data without the above-described problem.

Method and apparatus for compressing and decompressing data