A semiconductor substrate allowing prevention of the breakdown voltage degradation of a gate oxide film and having a prescribed mechanical strength in order to cope with increase in the diameters of wafers corresponding to reduction in the dimensions of semiconductor devices and improvement in productivity, and a Bi-CMOS semiconductor device allowing electrical characteristics to be maintained in any of a bipolar transistor and a field effect transistor are provided. An epitaxial layer is formed on a silicon wafer formed by means of CZ method. A silicon wafer formed by means of FZ method is joined onto the epitaxial layer. An npn bipolar transistor is formed in the epitaxial layer. An n channel MOS transistor and a p channel MOS transistor are formed in the silicon wafer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices using a substrate formed of two semiconductor substrates joined such as a silicon wafer and manufacturing methods thereof, and more specifically, to a so-called Bi-CMOS semiconductor device in which a bipolar transistor and a field effect transistor are formed using two kinds of semiconductor substrates of different oxygen concentrations and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, silicon wafers are often used for semiconductor substrates in manufacturing semiconductor devices. Methods of manufacturing silicon wafers are roughly classified into CZ method (Czochralski method), FZ method (Floating Zone method), and MCZ method (Magnetic-field-applied Czochralski method). Silicon wafers manufactured according these three methods posses the following properties, respectively.
(i) CZ silicon wafer PA1 Oxygen concentration: 1.0-1.8.times.10.sup.18 atoms/cm.sup.3 PA1 High in mechanical strength PA1 (ii) MCZ silicon wafer PA1 Oxygen concentration: 2-8.times.10.sup.17 atoms/cm.sup.3 PA1 Medium in mechanical strength PA1 (iii) FZ silicon wafer PA1 Oxygen concentration: <1.times.10.sup.16 atoms/cm.sup.3 PA1 Low in mechanical strength
Among the above-stated three kinds of silicon wafers, mostly used for semiconductor substrates for use in large scale integrated circuit devices (LSI) recently are silicon wafers manufactured according to the CZ method. Especially in the case of a silicon wafer having a diameter of 8 inch or larger, use of a silicon wafer manufactured by the CZ method is inevitable for its strength so that the wafer will not be damaged in a manufacturing process.
When a wafer is manufactured by the CZ method, a quartz crucible is generally used. Accordingly, oxygen is supplied from the silicon crucible to silicon monocrystal in the manufacture, and a silicon wafer having a high oxygen concentration in the range from 1.0 to 1.8.times.10.sup.18 atoms/cm.sup.3 is produced. With oxygen taken up high in concentration, the mechanical strength of the wafer itself is enhanced. Therefore, a CZ wafer can be used for a wafer with a larger diameter for the purpose of improving productivity.
As described above, a CZ silicon wafer has a high oxygen concentration in the range from 1.0 to 1.8.times.10.sup.18 atoms/cm.sup.3. Accordingly, if a silicon oxide film is formed on a CZ silicon wafer, the silicon oxide film will have many defects. Therefore, when a silicon oxide film is used for a gate oxide film for a field effect transistor, for example, the breakdown voltage of the oxide film degrades in accordance with reduction of the size of a semiconductor device to be formed in a silicon wafer.
According to the FZ method, a silicon wafer having a low oxygen concentration can be manufactured. However, the mechanical strength of an FZ silicon wafer is poor as compared to a CZ silicon wafer because of its low oxygen concentration. Therefore, subjected to a treatment with a number of heat histories, an FZ silicon wafer is prone to be damaged. On the other hand, a high quality silicon oxide film with few defects can be formed on the FZ silicon wafer because of its low oxygen concentration.
In Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-46770, a semiconductor device of SOI structure is proposed which use a substrate formed of a CZ silicon wafer of high oxygen concentration and an FZ silicon wafer of low concentration thereon joined with each other. According to the semiconductor device, the property of a gate oxide film can be improved by forming a silicon oxide film on the FZ silicon wafer of low oxygen concentration even if size reduction further precedes. Furthermore, the CZ silicon wafer provides a high mechanical strength, and increase in the diameters of wafers can be achieved in order to further improve productivity.
A method of manufacturing a substrate for a semiconductor device having two silicon wafers directly joined with each other is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-183510.
Formation of an MOS semiconductor device including a field effect transistor having a substrate of a CZ silicon wafer and an FZ silicon wafer joined thereon provides a semiconductor device free from degradation in electrical characteristics by improvement of the breakdown voltage of a gate oxide film, etc., even if size reduction further proceeds. However, when a so-called Bi-CMOS semiconductor device in which a bipolar transistor and a field effect transistor are formed within a single substrate is formed on the above-stated joined FZ silicon wafer, the following problem is encountered. The problem will be further described while sequentially describing steps in a manufacturing method of a Bi-CMOS semiconductor device.
FIGS. 22-33 are partial cross sectional views sequentially showing manufacturing steps for forming a Bi-CMOS semiconductor device in an FZ silicon wafer joined on a CZ silicon wafer.
A silicon wafer is manufactured according to the CZ method. Another silicon wafer is manufactured according to the FZ method. The surface of each of the silicon wafers is washed, highly cleaned, and made hydrophilic. Thus treated CZ silicon wafer and FZ silicon wafer have their surfaces mechanically joined with each other. Thereafter, the joined wafers are subjected to heat treatment at a temperature in the range from 500.degree. to 1000.degree. C. and a dehydration condensation reaction takes place between the joined surfaces of CZ silicon wafer and FZ silicon wafer. Control of the heat treatment permits the joining of the CZ silicon wafer and the FZ silicon wafer to be enhanced. Thus, as shown in FIG. 22, a silicon substrate formed of a p type CZ silicon wafer 100 and a p type FZ silicon wafer 300a thereon joined with each other is manufactured.
Referring to FIG. 23, p type and n type impurity ions each in a dose about in the range from 10.sup.15 -10.sup.16 /cm.sup.2 are introduced into prescribed regions of the FZ silicon wafer 300a. Thereafter, heat treatment at a temperature from 700.degree. to 1100.degree. C. is conducted, whereby n.sup.+ buried diffusion layers 371, 374 and p.sup.+ buried diffusion layers 372, 373 are formed.
Referring to FIG. 24, an n.sup.- epitaxial layer 400 having a thickness in the range from 2 to 10 .mu.m is formed at a temperature in the range from 650.degree. to 1100.degree. C. on a surface of the FZ silicon wafer 300a.
As shown in FIG. 25, n type and p type impurity ions each in a dose of about in the range from 10.sup.12 to 10.sup.13 /cm.sup.2 are implanted into prescribed regions of the n.sup.- epitaxial layer 400. Thereafter, lamp annealing treatment is conducted at a temperature in the range from 600.degree. to 1000.degree. C. and n type well regions 401, 403, 405, and p type well regions 402, 404 are formed as a result. Thus, the well regions are formed as CMOS transistor formation regions.
As shown in FIG. 26, p type impurity ions in a dose of about in the range from 10.sup.12 to 10.sup.14 /cm.sup.2 are implanted in to the p type well region 402. Thereafter, lamp annealing treatment is conducted at a temperature in the range from 600.degree. to 1000.degree. C., and a p type isolation region formed of a p.sup.+ region 402, a p.sup.- region 406, and a p.sup.+ buried diffusion layer 372 is formed as a result.
Referring to FIG. 27, isolation oxide films 407, 408, 409 are formed so as to isolate a prescribed element formation region in the n.sup.- epitaxial layer 400. At that time, n regions 410, 411, 413, and a p region 412 are formed.
Referring to FIG. 28, n type impurity ions in a dose of about in the range from 10.sup.14 to 10.sup.17 /cm.sup.2 are implanted into a region of the n region 410. Thereafter, lamp annealing treatment is conducted at a temperature in the range from 600.degree. to 1000.degree. C., and an n.sup.+ collector wall 414 is formed as a result.
As shown in FIG. 29, gate oxide films 415 and 416 are formed in the p region 412 and the n region 413, respectively. Gate electrodes 417 and 418 having a polycide structure are formed on the gate oxide films 415 and 416, respectively. Using the gate electrode 417 or 418 as mask, n type and p type impurity ions each in a dose about in the range from 10.sup.15 to 10.sup.16 /cm.sup.2 are implanted. Thereafter, lamp annealing treatment is conducted at a temperature in the range from 600.degree. to 1000.degree. C., and n type source/drain regions 419 and p type source/drain regions 420 are formed as a result. Thus, an n channel MOS transistor 450 and a p channel MOS 460 are formed.
As shown in FIG. 30, p type impurity ions in a dose about in the range from 10.sup.13 to 10.sup.15 /cm.sup.2 are implanted into the n region 410. Thereafter, lamp annealing treatment is conducted at a temperature in the range from 600.degree. to 1000.degree. C. thereby forming a p.sup.+ base region 421.
As shown in FIG. 31, n type impurity ions in a dose about in the range from 10.sup.15 to 10.sup.16 /cm.sup.2 are implanted into a region of the p.sup.+ base region 421. Thereafter, lamp annealing treatment is conducted at a temperature in the range from 600.degree. to 1000.degree. C., thereby forming an n.sup.+ emitter region 422.
An npn bipolar transistor 470 is thus formed.
As shown in FIG. 32, an interlayer insulating film 423 formed of an oxide film is formed on the entire surface of the FZ silicon wafer 300a, covering the bipolar transistor 470, the n channel MOS transistor 450, and the p channel MOS transistor 460.
Finally, as shown in FIG. 33, contact holes are made in the interlayer insulating film 423. Through the contact holes, aluminum interconnection layers 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, and 430 are formed in contact with the surfaces of the collector region, the emitter region, the base region, the source region, and the drain region, respectively. As described above, a Bi-CMOS semiconductor device is formed in a substrate formed of the CZ silicon wafer 100 and the FZ silicon wafer 300a thereon joined with each other.
In the above-stated manufacturing steps, the epitaxial layer 400 is formed on the FZ silicon wafer 300a in order to form a bipolar transistor. At that time, a slip line is produced in the silicon wafer. FIG. 34 is a plan view showing slip lines produced in forming the epitaxial layer on the FZ silicon wafer 300a. FIG. 34 shows at (A) slip lines produced in a silicon wafer surface orientation (100). FIG. 34 shows at (B) slip line produced in a silicon wafer surface orientation (111). 380 represents an orientation flat. As can be seen from (A), slip lines 501 are produced in the peripheral portion of the FZ silicon wafer 300a. Referring to (B), it is observed that slip lines 502 formed in the peripheral part of the FZ silicon wafer 300a form a prescribed angle. Such a slip line is considered to be a gathering of dislocations each as a lattice defect of crystal.
FIG. 35 is an enlarged cross sectional view showing a bipolar transistor formed in an epitaxial layer including a slip line as described above. Referring to FIG. 33, a p.sup.+ base region 421 is formed in an n.sup.+ epitaxial layer 400. An n.sup.+ emitter region 422 is formed in the p.sup.+ base region 421. A depletion layer 431 is formed between the p.sup.+ base region 421 and the n.sup.+ emitter region 422. In this case, a slip line 500 extends from the p.sup.+ base region 421 to n.sup.+ emitter region 422. With the slip line 500 existing in a pn junction in this manner, current leakage is likely to take place. As a result, the electrical characteristic of the bipolar transistor deteriorates, resulting in an erroneous operation of the transistor. Accordingly, faulty Bi-CMOS semiconductor devices are produced. Faulty Bi-CMOS semiconductor devices are produced in the periphery of the FZ silicon wafer 300a with a slip line 501 or 502. Therefore, the peripheral portion of the silicon wafer with the faulty devices is cut away. This results in degradation in manufacturing yield for the Bi-CMOS semiconductor devices.

Semiconductor device resistant to slip line formation


A method for conserving power in an apparatus is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) disabling a subset of a plurality of debug operations using a clock signal at a first frequency while in a normal mode, (B) performing a plurality of debug operations using the clock signal at a second frequency while in a debug mode, wherein the first frequency is slower than the second frequency to conserve power, and (C) adjusting the clock signal to one of the first frequency and the second frequency in response to receiving a command generated external to the apparatus to transition to a respective one of the normal mode and the debug mode.

Power consumption is an important issue in conventional microprocessor-based embedded systems such as mobile telephone and personal digital assistant (PDA) products. Because of hardware and software complexity in such systems, a significant amount of power is consumed by a debugging capability built into the product. The debugging capability is useful for development and troubleshooting purposes by the manufacturer. However, the debugging capabilities are not used by the end consumer. Therefore, the conventional systems waste power performing background debugging operations that are of no interest to the consumer.

Increment power saving in battery powered wireless system with software configuration


Upon receiving a request to hibernate a hypervisor of a virtualization system running on a first computer, acts are carried out to capture a state of the hypervisor, where the state of the hypervisor comprises hypervisor logical resource parameters and an execution state of the hypervisor. After hibernating the hypervisor by quiescing the hypervisor and storing the state of the hypervisor into a data structure, the data structure is moved to a different location. At a later moment in time, the data structure is loaded onto a second computing machine and restored. The restore operation restores the hypervisor and all of its state, including all of the virtual machines of the hypervisor as well as all of the virtual disks and other virtual devices of the virtual machines. Differences between the first computing machine and the second computing machine are reconciled before execution of the hypervisor on the second machine.

The advent of laptop computers ushered in the concept of hibernation on a computing machine. To implement hibernation on a laptop, when the lid of a laptop is closed, a signal is received by the operating system to "enter hibernation". The operating system in turn sets about to quiesce the machine (e.g., complete any in-process device I/Os, complete any in-flight database transactions, etc.), while preserving the state of the machine in a non-volatile location such that the state can be restored at a later moment in time (e.g., when the lid of the laptop is opened). The state of the machine might include a list of running applications, and for each such running application, the state might include a corresponding running state of the application, possibly including the existence and state of any networking resources and/or the existence and state of any other computing devices. When all of the applications have signaled a quiescent state, the operating system makes final updates to the non-volatile storage area that preserves the state of the machine and then powers down the machine until such time as the lid of the laptop is raised.
Computing systems have evolved around virtualization concepts and, at least since the advent of hypervisors, computer scientists have taken advantage of the capability of migrating a virtual machine (VM) from one computing node to another computing node. In some cases, migration is desired from a first virtualization environment having a first hypervisor type or architecture to a second virtualization environment having a second hypervisor type or architecture. For example, a virtual machine can be quiesced, then its quiesced state can be copied over to the node that hosts the second hypervisor type or architecture, after which the virtual machine can then be restarted. This is analogous to the foregoing laptop hibernation in that a complete machine (or virtual machine) goes into hibernation after quiescing the activities that were running on that machine.
There are times when a particular virtualization environment, including any/all of constituent virtualized entities (e.g., virtual machines, virtual disks, etc.) are not needed for extended periods of time. One approach would be to store the state of each individual VM, and when the functionality of the virtualization environment is again needed, then reconstruct all the relevant VMs back into the state they were in before the states were stored.
Unfortunately, implementation of the foregoing approach is very complex and, moreover, the procedures for reconstruction may incur a lengthy down time. What is needed is a way to quickly migrate a virtual machine or set of virtual machines from one computing environment to another computing environment without disturbing mission-critical computing processes and/or without detracting from a user's experience.


A mechanism is provided for storage enclosures to communicate with one another using pre-existing cables allowing the user to dynamically attach different types and speeds of Fiber Channel enclosures together. The mechanism uses a transmit disable line and receive loss of signal line of a small form-factor pluggable optical cable to provide a communication link between enclosures before the Fiber Channel loop is setup and stable. The mechanism on the transmit side pulses the transmit disable line to communicate configuration information. The mechanism on the receive side receives the configuration information on the receive loss of signal line. The transmit disable line and the receive loss of signal line operate as a one-wire communication scheme, providing a communication link to communicate configuration information before the Fiber Channel loop is established.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing system and method. More specifically, the present application is directed to communicating configuration information over a standard interconnect link.
2. Description of Related Art
Fibre Channel (FC) is a high-speed transport technology that is used to build storage area networks (SANs). Although Fibre Channel can be used as a general-purpose network carrying asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP), and other protocols, FC has been primarily used for transporting small computer system interface (SCSI) traffic from servers to disk arrays. The Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) serializes SCSI commands into Fibre Channel frames. IP may be used for in-band simple network management protocol (SNMP) network management. Fibre Channel not only supports single-mode and multi-mode fiber connections, but coaxial cable and twisted pair as well.
Fibre Channel can be configured point-to-point, via a switched topology or in a FC arbitrated loop (FC-AL) with or without a hub. In FC disk enclosure systems, there may be multiple units cascaded using optical cables to form large storage systems. Usually, there is no communication between enclosures before a valid and stable FC signal has been established. The process of establishing an arbitrated loop is referred to as loop initialization process (LIP).
There are, however, many situations where a need exists for storage enclosures to communicate with each other before a stable FC link is established. For example, storage enclosures may need to communicate speed of FC links used for negotiation and types of enclosure system, such as controller or expansion, in order to configure the system correctly before a stable FC link can be established.
Currently, the best solution is static configurations. Before enclosures are connected to each other, a user must configure the systems correctly, such as by using information stored in vital product data (VPD) to establish the configuration. Such methods require user intervention, which is not dynamic and is susceptible to operator error.

Communicating configuration information over standard interconnect link

International Business Machines Corporation


An apparatus can implement a frequency doubler with duty cycle correction in conjunction with, for instance, a phase-locked loop (PLL) to decrease phase noise. In an example aspect, an apparatus has a frequency doubler including a signal combiner, a first signal pathway, and a second signal pathway. The frequency doubler also includes a doubler input node and a doubler output node. The signal combiner is coupled to the doubler output node. The first signal pathway is coupled between the doubler input node and the signal combiner and includes a first adjustable delay cell. The second signal pathway is also coupled between the doubler input node and the signal combiner and includes a second adjustable delay cell.

Electronic devices include traditional computing devices, such as desktop computers, notebook computers, smartphones, wearable devices like a smartwatch, internet servers, and so forth. However, electronic devices also include other types of computing devices, such as personal voice assistants, programmable thermostats, automotive electronics, robotics, medical equipment, intelligent devices embedded in other machines such as refrigerators and industrial tools, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and the like. These various electronic devices provide information, entertainment, social interaction, security, safety, productivity, transportation, and other services to human users. Thus, electronic devices play crucial roles in many aspects of modern society.
Many of the services provided by electronic devices in today's interconnected world depend at least partly on electronic communications. Electronic communications can include those exchanged between or among separate or remote electronic devices using wireless or wired signals that are transmitted over one or more networks, such as the Internet or a cellular network. Electronic communications can also include those exchanged between or among different printed circuit boards, modules, chips, or even cores or other circuit portions of a given integrated circuit that are located within a housing of a single electronic device. Regardless, electronic communications are usually accomplished by generating or propagating electrical or electromagnetic signals. Such electronic communications are typically made using at least one signal that is designed to have a specified characteristic, such as a particular frequency. Generally, the signals of electronic communications are more likely to be correctly transmitted and received, as well as properly interpreted, if the specified characteristic is accurately and reliably produced.
With regard to a frequency characteristic of a signal, a frequency synthesizer can be used to create, or synthesize, a desired frequency. Thus, electronic devices employ frequency synthesizers to synthesize signals having desired frequencies. Typically, a frequency synthesizer includes a frequency generator, such as a locked loop (LL). Examples of locked loops include a phase-locked loop (PLL) and a delay-locked loop (DLL). In operation, a locked loop receives a reference signal having a reference frequency and applies the reference signal to a loop with a feedback control mechanism. Using a feedback loop, the circuitry of the locked loop generates an output signal that oscillates at a desired frequency based at least on the reference frequency of the reference signal.
A locked loop of an electronic device therefore outputs an oscillating signal to provide some synthesized frequency. The electronic device can use the synthesized frequency of the oscillating signal in one or more stages of a communication scenario. Example stages for communicating a signal include generating, transmitting, receiving, and interpreting a communication signal. In an example signal-generation stage, a frequency generated by a locked loop can be used to modulate a communication signal. The modulation entails encoding or adding information—such as data representing a text and an associated photograph—to the communication signal or signals. In an example signal-transmission stage, a frequency generated by a locked loop can be employed to upconvert a frequency of a modulated communication signal using a mixer that is part of a transmit chain. With an up-conversion operation, the mixer increases a frequency of the communication signal. The increased frequency enables the communication signal to be transmitted wirelessly as a radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic (EM) signal that travels through the air, e.g., between a smartphone and a cellular base station.
A locked loop can also be used with the stages of a reception side of a typical communication scenario. For example, a locked loop can be used to down-convert a frequency of a received communication signal using a mixer that is part of a receive chain. After frequency down-conversion, a locked loop can be used to demodulate the down-converted communication signal to interpret the signal and thereby recover encoded information—such as the text message and the associated photograph. Additionally, a locked loop can be used to generate a frequency for a clock signal that controls a rate of operation of clock-synchronized circuitry of an integrated circuit. Examples of an integrated circuit that may use a clock signal for synchronized operations include a system-on-chip (SoC), a modem baseband that processes a communication signal, and a graphics chip that processes video data that is being displayed to a user.
Thus, a locked loop can be employed in any of multiple stages of a communication scenario to support electronic communications with electronic devices. A locked loop can also be employed in a synchronously-operated circuit scenario to support coordinated interoperations among different components of electronic devices. Unfortunately, a degree to which a locked loop is both stable and accurate while generating a clean frequency can vary. This variability can adversely impact the electronic communications or coordinated interoperations that the locked loop is supporting. Consequently, electrical engineers and other designers of electronic devices strive to improve the functionality, stability, and output signals of the locked loops that are used to facilitate the electronic communications and high-speed synchronous operations of electronic devices.

Frequency doubler with duty cycle correction


A phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer system is provided using fractional frequency division and a fractional control number for phase modulating an output of the frequency synthesizer using an incoming information signal. The apparatus includes a delta-sigma converter which adjusts a divisor of the frequency divider by operating upon a magnitude modulated fractional frequency control number. The system further includes a differentiator which provides the magnitude modulated input stream to the delta-sigma modulator by modulating the fractional control number with detected differences in the incoming information signal.

Frequency synthesizers are generally known. As known, a frequency synthesizer is a device which generates an output frequency that is typically an integer multiple of a reference frequency. Such devices have wide application in communication systems in transmitters and receivers as a means for changing a transmitting or receiving channel.
A commonly known frequency synthesizer uses a phase locked loop (PLL), where an output signal is compared with a reference signal and the phase difference used to control the output. A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is used to generate the output signal. A frequency divider is used to divide the frequency of the output signal by some integer value. The divided signal is then compared with a reference signal in a phase comparator. The output of the phase comparator is scaled, low-pass filtered and applied as a frequency controlling input to the VCO.
Recent innovations have included the development of fractional frequency dividers. The development of fractional frequency dividers has dramatically improved the utility of frequency synthesizers. In the past, a PLL frequency synthesizer could only synthesize frequencies that were an integer multiple of the reference frequency. The development of a fractional divider now means that virtually any frequency can be provided by any PLL frequency synthesizer using a fractional divider.
While the name "fractional frequency divider" suggests division by some fractional value, the actual division is fractional only in terms of an average value. To accomplish fractional frequency division, a divisor within the fractional frequency divider is incrementally changed over the course of a timing interval in such a way as to correct for the fractional differences caused by integer division.
In practice, a fractional frequency divider may include an integer divider, a summer and a delta-sigma converter. The divider divides the frequency of an incoming signal based upon some fractional control number N.F. The fractional control number is in turn made up of an integer portion N and a fractional portion F. The delta-sigma converter receives the fractional portion as an input and provides a series of integer value corrections as an output. The integer value corrections are summed with the integer portion in the summer and the result used as the divisor for fractional frequency division.
The output signal of the fractional frequency divider is then compared with a reference signal in a phase comparator. Any phase difference detected in the phase comparator is scaled and low-pass filtered. The scaled, low-pass filtered difference signal may then be applied to a VCO to achieve the desired synthesized frequency.
While frequency synthesizers using fractional frequency dividers are effective in fixed frequency applications, there are many situations where a modulation scheme also requires phase control. Accordingly a need exists for a method of imposing phase control on a frequency synthesizer using fractional frequency division.

Digital phase modulation of frequency synthesizer using modulated fractional division


Inline optical sensor which includes a modular flowcell block with a flow passageway of predetermined diameter, interchangeable adapters for connecting flow lines with different internal diameters to the block, and an optical pathlength that can be adjusted both in fixed increments with window spacers and continuously with vernier adjusters, and a light source and an optical detector in modular housings which can be aligned both radially and axially. Thermal isolation is provided between the housings and the flowcell body, and air circulation further reduces temperature and condensation within the housings.

1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains generally to inline optical sensors and, more particularly, to an inline optical sensors having a modular flowcell that can accommodate different line sizes and different optical pathlengths.
2. Related Art
Flowcells are used widely in inline optical sensors for monitoring the properties of product streams in the biotechnology field and in other sanitary applications. The flow lines employed in such applications typically have internal diameters ranging in size from ⅛ inch to ¾ inch (approximately 3 mm to 19 mm), and heretofore it has been necessary to manufacture flowcells with passageways corresponding to the different line sizes. With passageways of smaller diameters, proper drainage can be a problem even if the flowcell is mounted with the passageway extending vertically.
Such instruments typically have optical windows positioned on opposite sides of the product stream, with a light source outside one of the windows for directing a beam through the stream and a detector outside the other for receiving the beam. The light can be in the ultra violet, visible or near infrared spectrums. The length of the optical path through the fluid stream is determined by the spacing between the windows, and heretofore the only way to change the pathlength significantly has been to use windows of different lengths. That requires a different pair of windows for every pathlength, and varying an optical pathlength from 0.5 mm to 20 mm could, for example, require as many as seven sets of windows. Moreover, the O-ring gaskets typically utilized in sealing such windows can be difficult to sanitize with commonly used clean-in-place (CIP) and steam-in-place (SIP) cleaning procedures.
Another problem with optical sensor flowcells is alignment of the light source and detector along the optical axis. While some existing flowcells may permit proper axial alignment, radial alignment is generally not possible.

Inline optical sensor with modular flowcell


A nasal aspiration device for clearing nasal passages is provided. The nasal aspiration device comprises a housing having a proximal end and a distal end. A plurality of slots are formed in the proximal end of the housing. A fan is mounted within the housing and a power mechanism powers the fan. An activation mechanism activates the power means. A nose cone is removably connectable to the distal end of the housing, the nose cone having an opening wherein upon powering the fan, air travels into the opening in the nose cone, through the housing, and out of the housing the slots.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a nasal aspiration device and, more particularly, the invention relates to a nasal aspiration device featuring a battery operated nasal respirator that facilitates a more comfortable and sanitary method of clearing nasal passages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Helping infants and toddlers less than four years old clear a stuffy nose is a difficult challenge for most parents. Babies cannot blow their noses at all, and small children rarely blow their noses with the force to properly clear their nasal passages (they are still very young, after all). Parents are constantly wiping runny noses with tissues, and then continually administering medicines to stop the flow of mucus generated by colds.
To help clear clogged nasal passages in infants and children, parents typically use a manual nasal aspirator. Basic in design, these instruments essentially consist of a tapered insertion tube connected to a bulbous squeeze apparatus. As such, a parent need only insert the tube into a child's nostril, and repeatedly squeeze the bulb to create suction action. The mucus is then transferred from the child into the aspirator, and the unit is emptied by squeezing out the mucus into a trash container. As can be imagined, these manual devices present more than a fair share of challenges. Particularly, this method of clearing a child's nose is hardly sanitary, resulting in extremely unpleasant messes. Additionally, the design of the manual aspirator can be very uncomfortable for the child, resulting in a screaming, squirming baby who makes it even more difficult to complete the task.


A roller conveyor including a plurality of driven rollers disposed in two parallel tracks. With each driven roller a separate drive motor is associated, which takes the form of a low voltage motor. The drive motors are supplied from at least one low voltage source. They are preferably hub motors, which are operated with direct current. By virtue of the low voltage technology, less expensive components may be used and the safety requirements may be reduced.

Roller conveyors are used to transport goods carriers such as e.g. pallets. In the automobile industry they are often used to transfer vehicle bodies or parts of vehicle bodies between individual processing stations. The vehicle bodies are in said case fastened on so-called skids. This term is used for transport racks that have two mutually parallel skid runners. During the conveying operation the skid runners rest on rollers of the roller conveyor, which are disposed successively in conveying direction along two tracks. When the rollers are set in rotation, the skid with the vehicle body fastened thereon is fed in conveying direction, wherein it is sufficient to provide only some of the rollers with a rotary drive.
Known roller conveyors of the initially described type, such as are currently known from the market, are composed of individual roller conveyor modules, which contain a plurality of driven rollers and in each case a single electric drive motor. The drive motor is disposed as a rule between the two parallel tracks, which are composed of roller rails, in which the rollers are accommodated. Mostly, the torque generated by the drive motor is distributed by belts to the driven rollers of one of the two roller rails. These rollers are connected by axles rigidly to the rollers on the other roller rail.
In these known roller conveyors, therefore, the number of drive motors is lower than the number of driven rollers.
The voltage used to operate the drive motors is identical to the system voltage that is available in each case and is therefore generally between approximately 200 V and approximately 600 V. Because of the relatively high operating voltage it is necessary to take considerable safety measures, this being associated with costs. Costs are further increased by the fact that the semiconductor components, to which the high operating voltage is to be applied, are relatively expensive and have a relatively high loss factor.
The present invention is provided to solve these and other problems.


A method of controlling data processing logic which causes a data value to be rotated by a number of bits in order to generate a rotated data value; a number of least significant bits of the rotated data value are masked with other bits of said rotated data value not being masked in order to generate a masked rotated data value; a selected bit of said rotated data value are masked with other bits of said rotated data value not being masked in order to generate a bit preset rotated data value; and said sign-extended bit field extracted data value to be generated by subtracting said masked rotated data value from said bit preset data value or said zero-extended bit field extracted data value to be generated by performing a logical exclusive-OR operation with the masked rotated data value and said bit preset data value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bit field manipulation, and in particular to techniques for bit field extraction and bit field insertion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bit field manipulation techniques are known. These techniques are typically employed by a data processing apparatus when seeking to manipulate predetermined bits of a data value. Typical examples of bit field manipulation techniques include bit field insertion operations and bit field extraction operations.
In a bit field extraction operation, a data value is provided and the data processing apparatus is arranged, in response to a bit field extract instruction, to extract a predetermined sequence of bits from that data value. The extracted data bits can then be used thereafter in subsequent data processing operations. For example, a typical bit field extraction instruction may cause bit 3 to bit 10 (i.e. 8 sequential bits) to be extracted from a 32 bit data value and make the extracted data bits to be available for subsequent data processing operations.
In a typical bit field insertion operation, a predetermined sequence of bits from one data value is inserted into another data value. For example, a typical bit field insertion instruction may cause an 8 bit data value to be inserted into a 32 bit data value starting at bit 3 of the 32 bit data value and make the resultant data value available for subsequent data processing operations.
It will be appreciated that these two operations enable a wide range of useful data manipulation operations to be performed on data values.
In order to support these bit field manipulation operations, the data processing apparatus typically is provided with dedicated hardware arranged to perform such operations. When a bit field manipulation operation is required, the data processing apparatus will pass the data values to be manipulated to that dedicated hardware in order to perform the particular operation required. Typically, the bit field manipulated data value will then be returned to the data processing apparatus for subsequent operations.
It is desired to provide an improved technique for performing such bit field manipulation operations.

Bit field extraction with sign or zero extend


A semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a semiconductor substrate; an isolation structure formed in a trench, formed in the semiconductor substrate, through a semiconductor oxide film; a floating gate formed on the semiconductor substrate between the isolation structures through an insulating film; a gate oxidation protection film formed on a side surface, on the isolation structure side, of the floating gate so that each of a part of a side surface and a bottom surface of the gate oxidation protection film contacts the insulating film; and a control gate formed on the floating gate through an inter-gate insulating film.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having a floating gate formed therein, and a method of fabricating the same.
According to a conventional method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a floating gate formed therein, after a buried trench through which an isolation structure is intended to be buried in a silicon substrate is formed, oxidation is performed for the purpose of restoring an inner wall of the buried trench having an etching damage received thereby. However, there is encountered a problem that even polycrystalline silicon of which a floating gate is made is oxidized, so that a bird's beak occurs in the floating gate.
The occurrence of the bird's beak in the floating gate may cause such problems that shapes of peripheral portions of the floating gate vary, that a short channel effect becomes easy to occur, and that the reliability of the semiconductor device is reduced. In addition, an influence of the bird's beak is further actualized along with the progress of scale down of the circuits.
A technique for preventing crystal grains of silicon from spreading to an isolation structure side due to a heat treatment after completion of processing for a floating gate electrode (floating gate) by forming a nitride film on a sidewall of the floating gate electrode made of polycrystalline silicon or amorphous silicon, especially, on a sidewall of the floating gate electrode along a channel length direction is reported as conventional one. This technique, for example, is described in Japanese Patent KOKAI No. 2004-186185. However, this technique is not developed for the purpose of suppressing the bird's beak, and thus cannot suppress the occurrence of the bird's beak in the floating gate.

Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same


A vehicle seat weight classification system includes a recalibration strategy to ensure sensor accuracy over time. A controller preferably is programmed to periodically sample outputs of the sensors when a seat is unoccupied. Average sensor output information is compared to a currently stored calibration value. If the newly determined average value meets selected criteria, then the sensor is recalibrated using the new information. The system and method of this invention compensates for changes in sensor performance over time caused by changes in system characteristics, such as material offset drift.

This invention generally relates to weight classification systems for vehicles. More particularly, this invention relates to a calibration method for calibrating sensors used in a vehicle seat weight classification system.
Vehicle safety restraint systems have changed over the years. Seat belts have proven effective at minimizing injuries during accidents. Additional safety devices have been introduced such as air bags. While air bags provide additional benefits, it has become apparent that individualized air bag control would be beneficial. More recently, systems for classifying the weight of a seat occupant have been developed that allow for individualized control of an air bag.
One example weight classification system includes a plurality of sensors within a seat base portion of the seat. The sensors provide electrical signals indicative of the seat occupant""s weight. These signals are processed and utilized to determine an air bag deployment strategy according to selected guidelines.
One issue presented by such weight classification systems is the possibility for the sensors to become less accurate over time. One issue that must be accommodated is the possibility for material offset drift, which may have an effect on the accuracy of the weight determination. Because the characteristics of a vehicle seat change over time, the performance of the sensors associated with that seat may also change. Therefore, there is a need to recalibrate or accommodate changes in the system over time.
This invention addresses the need for automatically recalibrating a weight classification system to compensate for changes in system performance such as material offset drift.
In general terms, this invention is a system and method for recalibrating a vehicle seat weight classification system. A system designed according to this invention includes a plurality of sensors in the vehicle seat that provide signals indicating the weight of a load on the seat. A controller communicates with the sensors. The controller also determines when a calibration condition exists. The controller samples outputs of each of the sensors, preferably when there is no load on the seat. The sample sensor outputs preferably are taken intermittently over a selected period of time. The controller determines an average value of the sensors outputs. The average value is then compared to a current calibration value and, if selected conditions are met, the new average value is substituted for the calibrated value. Accordingly, each sensor of the weight classification system can be individually recalibrated to compensate for changes in the system over time.
A method of this invention includes several basic steps. The method preferably begins by determining when a calibration condition exists. If the calibration condition exists, a plurality of outputs of the system sensors are sampled over a selected period. An average output of each sensor is determined using the sampled outputs. If the average is within a selected range then the corresponding sensor is recalibrated using the average value.
The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.

Calibration for a vehicle weight classification system


A cartridge device applied to production lines for automatic screen printing is revealed. The cartridge device includes a frame, a plurality of cartridges for loading articles to be printed, two cartridge lifting members for driving the cartridge to move up/down, two cartridge convey member for driving the cartridge move horizontally, two printed substrate (articles) delivery members for delivering the articles to be printed, and two shift mechanisms for taking out or putting in the articles to be printed from the cartridge or the printed substrate delivery members. By one shift mechanism, the article to be printed on a work line is moved from the printed substrate delivery member into the cartridge for running material collection or the article to be printed is moved from the cartridge to the printed substrate delivery member for performing material feeding. Thus the two work lines of the production line can perform automatic material feeding, collection and storage simultaneously or respectively.

The present invention relates to a cartridge device applied to production lines for automatic screen printing, especially to a cartridge device with a plurality of cartridges and a plurality of transmission mechanisms toward different directions so as to make the production lines perform automatic material feeding, collection and storage simultaneously or respectively.
In early days, an automatic feeding device of the screen printing machine uses a carrier plate to precisely send the printed articles that have been corrected to a printing unit for performing printing process. This is a material feeding process. At the same time, the articles already printed are synchronously sent to a material collection area (this is material collection process). However, once the material feeding device is stopped and maintained, the screen printing machine also needs to be shut down.
Refer to FIG. 1, recently the material feeding device for the screen printing machine further uses a cartridge 10a to lodge articles to be printed. A convey member sends the cartridge 10a to a material load area and then the articles to be printed in the cartridge 10a is pushed out by a thrust member to another convey member. However, while the thrust member moving the articles to be printed, there is a friction between the bottom of the articles to be printed and the cartridge that causes abrasion. However, while the thrust member pushes the articles to be printed, the friction between the bottom of the articles and the cartridge causes abrasion. For the articles to be printed on both sides, the negative effect is especially obvious. Moreover, the material feeding device generally includes two separate work lines for material feeding and material collection. Thus no matter the cartridge 10a is empty or full, it is replaced manually.


Novel wood preservatives comprising. at least one copper compound and polyaspartic acid or a derivative of the same,. a triazole compound and. if appropriate at least one synergistically complementing other fungicide and/or insecticide. if appropriate an emulsifier and/or a small amount of alkanolamine.

1. Field of the Invention
This application is 37/PCT/EP/96/01434, filed Apr. 1, 1996.
The application relates to alkanolamine-free/low-alkanolamine wood preservative comprising at least polyaspartic acid or derivatives thereof, a copper compound, a triazole compound which forms a synergistic complement to optionally one further fungicide and/or insecticide, and, if appropriate, an emulsifier and/or small amount of alkanolamine.
2. Description of Related Art
Wood preservatives based on inorganic copper compounds with alkanolamines as chelating agents have been disclosed (EP 89 958). Despite high copper contents in comparison with known copper- and chromate- containing salts with a comparable copper content, the efficacy of these compositions against wood-destroying Basidiomycetes is insufficient.
Wood preservatives based on copper compounds and alkanolamines which comprise a triazole compound and an emulsifier or which comprise a phosphonium compound and which are effective against wood-destroying Basidiomycetes have also been disclosed (DE 4 112 652/WO 93/02557/WO 91/11306).
Synergistic mixtures for the protection of wood based on, for example, propiconazole and tebuconazole (EP 393,746, EP 385,076, EP 413,909, EP 548,759, WO 93/02557), if appropriate with the use of an insecticide as a component in the mixture, have also been disclosed.

Timber preservative containing a copper compound


The first molded structure of the present invention is formed from ethylene copolymer compositions comprising (A) 50-80% by weight of an ethylene/unsaturated ester copolymer, and (B) 50-20% by weight of an ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer having an apparent melt viscosity, as measured at 220.degree. C. and a rate of shear of 100 sec.sup.-1, smaller by 300-1000 Pa.multidot.s than that of said ethylene/unsaturated ester copolymer (A), said molded structures having a stratiform structure wherein said ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer (B) has been dispersed into said molded structure in the form of thin layers.. The first ethylene copolymer compositions according to the invention are the same as those mentioned above, except that parts of the above-mentioned component (A) have been replaced by a graft modified product (C) of an ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer, and are excellent in heat stability, film forming properties and extrusion kneading properties.. The second molded structures according to the invention are formed from the first ethylene copolymer compositions as mentioned above, and have the same stratiform structures as in the first molded structures.. The first and second molded structures mentioned above are excellent in gas barrier properties and pinhole resistance.

When molded into film or the like, ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers containing vinyl alcohol structural units in a high proportion exhibit excellent gas barrier properties, and hence they are used widely as packaging material. However, the ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers have such problems that they are liable to water absorption, poor in drawability as well as in heat resistance, and are difficult to mold at high temperature. In the molded articles obtained from the above-mentioned copolymers, there are such problems that they deteriorate in gas barrier properties on account of the water absorption properties of said copolymers, they are insufficient in impact resistance in a dry state and, moreover, they are poor in pinhole resistance.
On that account, the ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers as mentioned above are used singly rarely if ever and are used usually in combination with other materials. As an example of the combination use referred to above, there may be mentioned a multi-ply laminates prepared by laminating an interlayer composed of the ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer with other materials. Further, there have been proposed numbers of methods intended to obtain modified compositions by blending the above-mentioned copolymers and other resins. In the blending methods as mentioned above, however, it is difficult to obtain ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer compositions in which the defect of said copolymer has been removed markedly when the ethylene/vinyl alcohol is used as a main component of the resulting blend. On the other hand, when the resin other than the ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer is used as a main component of the resulting blend, it has heretofore been difficult to obtain compositions excellent in gas barrier properties owing to the ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer.
In recent years, there have been proposed molded articles excellent in gas barrier properties, said molded articles being obtained from ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer compositions prepared by blending ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers and other resins. For example, Japanese Patent Publn. No. 30104/1976 proposes molded structures having a stratiform structure and different in content of an ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer in the direction of thickness, said structures being obtained by molding a composition comprising polyolefin and ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers into a desired shape under specific conditions. Further, Japanese Patent L-O-P Publn. No. 121017/1980 discloses a stratiform molded article of polymer composition containing 60-95% by weight of polyolefin, vinyl alcohol (co)polymer and alkylcarboxyl-substituted polyolefin. The copolymers of polyolefin and ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers as disclosed in the publications cited above, however, are poor in compatibility and tend to become poor in moldability, and it is therefore not always easy to mold these polymers into thin-layer films, and the thin-layer films obtained, if any, are required to show a further improvement in gas barrier properties.
The present invention is intended to solve such problems involved in the prior art as mentioned above, and an object of the invention is to provide ethylene copolymer molded structures excellent in gas barrier properties, pinhole resistance and the like.
A further object of the invention is to provide ethylene copolymer compositions excellent in drawing properties, film-forming properties and heat stability at the time of molding thereof and, at the same time, excellent in gas barrier properties and pinhole resistance.

Ethylene copolymer molded structure and ethylene copolymer composition


A wireless communication network limits the service areas within the network by transmitting time registration flag information in each of a plurality of network service areas. The flag information indicates whether registration for a given broadcast service currently is required for mobile stations in the service area that desire access to the broadcast service. Thus, the transmitted flag information may be used to prompt for such registrations and detecting whether any registrations are timely received in response to such prompting permits the network to timely deactivate one or more broadcast services. Each service area controls one or more service zones, each of which may include multiple member service areas and, preferably, the network activates a requested broadcast service per service zone and deactivates that service per service area. The timing of such deactivations may be made compatible with mobile stations that do not recognize transmitted registration flag information.

The present invention generally relates to information services provided on a broadcast basis within a wireless communication network, such as a cellular communication network, and particularly relates to controlling the number of service cells used to support such services for one or more mobile stations.
One of the most striking points regarding the evolution of Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs), such as cellular voice and data networks, is the increasing variety and sophistication of the available services. One of the newer services associated with the expanding data capabilities of current and planned wireless networks is broadcast/multicast service. With that service type, an information stream, such as a streaming news report, is "broadcast" on a commonly available channel within one or more cells of the network such that a plurality of mobile stations may simultaneously receive the information stream by "tuning" to the broadcast/multicast channel.
Because the intent of such services is to provide essentially "blanket" coverage at least within a defined service area, such broadcast channels are resource intensive in terms of the transmit power allocated to them. In this sense, a broadcast channel signal is similar to a paging channel signal in that it is transmitted with a relatively high transmit power to ensure adequate reception throughout the coverage area of a given radio base station. However, the data rate of the average broadcast channel signal is much higher than that of the average paging channel, e.g., 64 Kbps versus 4.8 Kbps, so the transmit power required to achieve similar coverage for the broadcast channel is potentially much higher than that used for standard paging channels.
Several practical considerations thus arise when providing such broadcast channels within a cellular communication network. First, because such channels are so resource intensive, the capacity of the network is unduly compromised and resources that might otherwise be used to support other services for other users are wasted unless the region(s) in which a given broadcast channel is activated is reasonably restricted to the areas in which mobile stations are actually tuned to the broadcast channel. That is, the number of network transmitters used to transmit the broadcast channel signal would ideally be restricted to just the cell or cells where the mobile stations tuned to the service are located.
However, the idealized service area restrictions may not yield acceptable service from the perspective of mobile station users interested in receiving the broadcast service. For example, assume that a mobile station within a network service cell registers for an information stream, and the network activates a broadcast channel signal for that stream in response. If the broadcast channel signal is transmitted only within the mobile station's current cell, then service disruptions will result if the mobile station moves out of the current cell's coverage area into the coverage area(s) of one or more neighboring cells.
Thus, to minimize such disruptions, the network operator may activate the service not only in the current cell but also within a range of neighboring cells. Establishing the range of neighboring cells that are activated is, however, a key challenge in balancing the desire to avoid (or at least minimize) service interruptions for a moving mobile station with the desire to efficiently use network resources. In current approaches, the range of neighboring cells in which the service is activated includes those within a geographic range that is set according to a periodic service registration timer in the mobile stations. Using a shorter periodic registration timer enables the use of smaller geographic ranges but increase the signaling overhead in the network.

Information service broadcast control in a wireless communication network


A highchair assembly includes a seat supported by a plurality of legs with an upstanding back wall and opposite first and second side walls. An access device is mounted to one of the side walls. The access device has an upper end located generally at the one side wall and the lower end for placement on a support surface. A child can enter and exit the highchair through use of the access device.

Traditional highchairs tip easily and typically have many dangerous angles and steel bars. Children inherently attempt to climb into or out of their highchairs, shopping carts and so forth; this is why most of such devices have seating straps.
It would be desirable if a highchair could be provided that would safely permit a child to climb into or out of the highchair without rendering the highchair dangerous.

Child's highchair with access attachment


A method for supplying power to detected devices coupled to a conductive backplane includes: supplying a plurality of sensing signals at a plurality of transmit impedance values to the conductive backplane; analyzing a plurality of return signals received from the conductive backplane, the return signals corresponding to the sensing signals; detecting the presence of a sink device coupled to the conductive backplane based on the analyzed return signals; and supplying power from a power supply to the sink device via the conductive backplane after detecting the presence of the sink device.

Modern soldiers and other professionals carry and utilize many portable electronic devices to perform their duties, ranging from communications equipment, vision aids (e.g., night vision goggles and binoculars), sensors, and navigation devices. Use of such portable electronic devices is only expected to grow. These devices generally utilize dedicated or device-specific batteries and generally intercommunicate using interconnecting cables, thereby adding weight and operational complexity to already-overloaded dismounts (e.g., the equipment a soldier carries when not on connected to supporting infrastructure such as a vehicle). For example, a standard dismount for a 72 hour mission often requires 70 batteries of 7 different types amounting to 16 pounds of additional weight.
As discussed above, modern professionals working in the field (e.g., soldiers and firefighters), often carry an array of electronic devices when performing their duties. These devices may include communication devices (e.g., phones and radios), navigation devices (e.g., GPS devices), lights (e.g., flashlights), vision aids (e.g., binoculars and night vision goggles), and other specialized tools. These electronic devices may have different power requirements (e.g., different operating voltages, wattages, and impedances) and therefore each generally includes a dedicated battery designed to meet the particular energy requirements of the device.
However, batteries generally require frequent charging or replacement, resulting in additional burden on logistics and training. For example, replacement and backup batteries need to be carried or stocked to replace drained units and a large number of charging systems need to be provided to recharge the dedicated batteries. In addition, the wide range of mutually incompatible types of batteries further increases logistical burden.
The electronic devices typically communicate with one another using interconnected cables. However, cables can interfere with movement, interconnects (e.g., the connectors or connection points between cables or between cables and devices) can degrade reliability, and device swaps can be time consuming and inconvenient. Fixed cable lengths and device placements are not scalable for various soldier sizes and may be incompatible with the movement habits of those soldiers.
Recent efforts in smart textiles, in which conducting wires are woven into clothing, only address cabling and power distribution. However, smart textiles provide only a partial solution because the textiles impose fixed locations on electronic devices. Furthermore, these textiles have inherent reliability issues due to the fragile interconnect wiring. Wireless solutions cannot distribute significant power to devices, have low signal transfer efficiencies, and, in many instances simply will not work in the field. Better batteries reduce weight but leave the user managing the batteries for each individual device.
Existing R&D efforts view these problems as independent, and have pursued piecemeal incremental improvements. One example of this is the Modular Universal Battery Charger (MUBC) (Thales, 2012)), which is able to use a variety of power sources, including car batteries and solar panels provides configurability and intelligence in charging. However, the Thales MUBC still requires separate charging of each device and still leaves a soldier tied in complex cabling and subject to operational disruptions to his mission.

System and method for electrical charge transfer across a conductive medium


An illumination device (1) comprises: at least one low-power light source (50); a power input stage (20) suitable for receiving AC low voltage from an electronic transformer (ET); a power buffer stage (30) having an input (31) connected to the input stage output (29); a driver (40) for driving the light source and receiving electric power supply from the power buffer stage. The power input stage generates output current pulses for charging the power buffer stage at a relatively low frequency, and during each output current pulse, the power input stage draws input current, the input current always having a current magnitude higher than a minimum load requirement of the electronic transformer.

In the field of lighting, many different types of light sources have been developed for illumination purposes. Depending on application, each type of light source may have specific advantages and disadvantages. In any case each type of light source has particular specifications, and power sources (or drivers) for such light sources have been developed for meeting the particular specifications.
A recent development is the high-power LED as light source for illumination purposes. While of course drivers for illumination devices utilizing LEDs as light sources have been and are being developed, there is also a desire to utilize LEDs as replacement for the light sources in existing illumination devices (retrofit), in which case the electrical input signal to the lamp is generated by an existing driver adapted for meeting the particular specifications of the existing (non-LED) light source. This leads to several problems and/or difficulties.

Etienne Nicolaas Kathalijntje Paulus Marie


Technologies and implementations for facilitating and participating in bandwidth auctions are generally disclosed. Examples may include transmitting a bandwidth bid request including a bandwidth request quantity, a bandwidth request timing, a bandwidth request bid price, and a bandwidth request location to a bandwidth auction provider in response to a bandwidth need notification, receiving a bid win notification including a bandwidth bid win quantity, a bandwidth bid win timing, a bandwidth bid win location, a bandwidth bid win price, a bandwidth provider and a bandwidth activation token from the bandwidth auction provider, transmitting a bandwidth request including the bandwidth activation token to the bandwidth provider in response to the bid win notification, and receiving bandwidth from the bandwidth provider based at least in part on the bandwidth activation token.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Current mobile data service may have a limited capacity such that the quality of service delivered to users during peak usage hours may be significantly lower than that delivered during non-peak usage hours.

Method, system, and computer-readable medium for bandwidth auctions with bandwidth bid requests based mobile device application tables


A system and method are provided for operating a control moment gyro (CMG) in a spacecraft. The CMG includes a spin motor, and a CMG rotor that is coupled to the spin motor and is configured to rotate about a spin axis. Electrical power from a power source is supplied to the spin motor to rotate the CMG rotor about the spin axis. A determination is made as to whether the power source can supply sufficient electrical power to the spin motor. If the power source cannot supply sufficient electrical power to the spin motor, the spin motor is rotated by the CMG rotor to generate and supply electrical power to the power source.

Attitude control in many spacecraft is implemented using one or more control moment gyros (CMGs). A CMG is a torque-generating mechanism that may include a rotating flywheel, or rotor, that is rotationally mounted in a gimbal frame. A spin motor may be coupled to the rotor and may be energized and controlled to rotate the rotor about a spin axis at a substantially constant rotational velocity. The gimbal frame may be rotationally mounted about one or more gimbal axes, which are perpendicular to the spin axis. Additionally, one or more actuators may be coupled to the gimbal frame and, in response to gimbal rate commands, may rotate the gimbal frame about one or more of the gimbal axes. By rotating the frame about one or more of the gimbal axes at certain rates, torques can be generated in the spacecraft body to effect spacecraft attitude control.
Although typical CMG-implemented attitude control systems, such as the one described above, are generally safe, reliable, and robust, these systems can exhibit potential drawbacks. For example, if the spacecraft is moving as a result of prior gimbal rate command having been issued to a CMG, and electrical power becomes unavailable to the CMG spin motor, or to various other components or subsystems in the spacecraft attitude control system, then the CMG, and concomitantly the spacecraft, may be subjected to undesirable mechanical stresses. These stresses may result from the rapid, uncontrolled motion of the CMG's gimbals due to gyroscopic effects from the satellite body rates.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method that mitigates or avoids undesirable mechanical stresses that can result from an unlikely loss of power to the CMG spin motor. The present invention addresses at least this need.

Self-powered spacecraft attitude control system and method


A fabricating method for a ROM device uses the Shockly diode as a memory cell in the ROM device. In the present invention, the current of the memory cell is larger than that of a convention one. In the conventional ROM device, the code is programmed by making use of the channel transistor as the memory cell and implanting. In the present invention, the code is programmed by defining contact windows of the ROM device to prevent the ROM device from the shortcomings of limited current. In addition, the memory cells of the ROM device of a Shockly diode are isolated by an insulating layer, resulting in a smaller area for the device and improved integrity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the fabrication method for a ROM device, and more particularly to a ROM device which uses a shockly diode to form a memory cell and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
ROM devices are widely used in mini-computer systems, such as micro-processor systems, to store system data. For example, the BIOS system uses ROM devices. The fabricating processes for a ROM device can take a lot of time and require extensive processing. As a result, customers generally pass programs to be included in their system to a factory that fabricates ROM devices, so that the factory can encode the programs into the ROM devices to complete the products.
Most ROM devices have similar structures, and differ only in the data which is stored during the programming step. Typically, once the integrated circuit (IC) factory receives a programming order from a customer, a mask is produced to perform the programming. This allows production to be finished rapidly, thus reducing manufacturing time and providing better service to the customers. Therefore, ROMs that are post-programmed with the aid of a mask are commonly used in the art.
In general, channel transistors are used as the memory cells in the ROM. In the programming process, specific channel regions of the channel transistors are selectively implanted with impurities to modify the threshold voltages of the transistors. This controls the conductivity of the memory cell. For a detailed description, reference is made to FIGS. 1A through 1C, in which a conventional ROM device is illustrated. FIG. 1A is a top view of a portion of the known ROM device. FIG. 1B is a front view of a portion of the known ROM device. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the known ROM device.
The conventional ROM device includes a substrate 10, a plurality of bit lines (BL) 11, an oxide layer 12, and a plurality of word lines 13. Substrate 10 comprises, for example, a P-type substrate. The bit lines 11, oxide layer 12, and the word lines 13 are formed on the substrate 10. As shown in FIG. 1A, the region defined by the dotted line is forms a memory cell 14. The data (in binary form such as "0" or "1") is stored in the memory cell by implanting the channel region 16 with impurities.
As shown in FIG. 1C, an N-type dopant, for example, arsenic ions, is doped on the substrate to form bit lines 11, which are arranged with the same distance between each other. Channel region 16 is formed between adjacent bit lines 11. Next, oxide layer 12 is formed on a surface of the bit lines 11 and channel regions 16 using an oxidation process. A conductive layer of, for example, heavily doped polysilicon, is formed over the substrate 10 using a photolithography and etching process to form word lines 13, cross the bit lines 11. Then, channel transistors are formed to complete the partially manufactured conventional ROM.
To program the partially manufactured ROM, a series of continuous programming steps are performed. A mask 15 is formed over the partially completed ROM, leaving the channel region 16 which is to be encoded exposed. Then, a P-type dopant, such as boron, is implanted to form the code. The type of the implanted dopant selected depends on the characteristics of the transistor.
In the conventional ROM described above, the memory cell of the ROM is formed by the channel transistor. The fabricating processes are complicated and the step of code implanting must be formed before the channel transistor is finished. In addition, the area of the MOS device is difficult to minimize. For example, the punch through phenomenon may occur when minimizing the area of the MOS device. Thus, the integrity of the device is limited and it is difficult to improve the integrity.

Fabricating method for a ROM device using a shockly diode


A mechanical clutch for preventing damage to a capacitor of an MRI device. The clutch prevents the application of excessive torque via the tuning rods of the gradient coil of the MRI device. The mechanical clutch allows the tuning rods to slip (disengage) when the capacitor reaches the end of its adjustment range.

The orientation of the image in MRI is controlled by varying the main magnetic field using gradient coils. In conducting MRI experiments, the coil must be tuned to the resonant frequency of the nuclei to be observed. Additionally, the impedance of the coil should be electrically matched to the impedance of the transmission line which is optimally coupled through the multiplexer to the receiver to obtain the maximum transfer of energy and to obtain the best signal to noise ratio (SNR). To tune and match the coil, conventional NMR coils have variable capacitors. Typically, at least one variable capacitor is adjusted to tune the coil to the desired resonant frequency and at least another variable capacitor is adjusted to match the impedance of the coil. To adjust the capacitance of the variable capacitors, mechanical linkages are coupled to variable capacitors in the coil known as the tuning rods.
The tuning rods extend from the proximal end of the transmit coil so as to allow a user to adjust the variable capacitors when the transmit coil is installed in the gradient coil. Mechanical clutches mounted on the tuning rods allow the tuning rods to slip when the variable capacitors reach the end of their adjustment range, thus reducing the likelihood of damage to the capacitors should the user attempt to turn a tuning rod past a capacitor's adjustment range.
A clutch is defined as a mechanical device that provides for the transmission of power (and therefore usually motion) from one component (the driving member) to another (the driven member) when engaged, but can be disengaged. A slip clutch is allows a rotating shaft to slip when higher than normal resistance is encountered on a machine.
Several MRI devices recite a clutch. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,647 recites motor driven tuning and matching of RF coils in an NMR probe comprising a switching clutch that includes a wave washer. Patent application US2008/0204028 also recites a mechanical clutch to allow the tuning rods to slip when the variable capacitors reach the end of their adjustment range, thus reducing the likelihood of damage to the capacitors.
However, no clutch was designed specifically for connecting the tuning rods to the capacitor whereas taking into consideration the special conditions of MRI safety.
There is thus a long unfelt need for a clutch that is MRI safe specifically designed to connected the tuning rods of the MRI coil to the capacitor.


Methods for forming an electronic display assembly are provided. A first and second side member are extruded, each side member including a number of channels extending parallel to one another along a length of the respective side member. A display unit subassembly is secured between the side members. The display unit includes an electronic display, a first and second horizontal member, and an open loop pathway. The horizontal members are secured within the channel. Interior surfaces of the side members form a portion of a closed loop pathway which extends through the display unit subassembly. Exterior surfaces of the side members form an outer housing for the electronic display assembly.

Electronic displays and associated equipment are increasingly being used in cities and other urban environments, shopping malls, retail outlets, restaurants, sporting venues, universities, educational centers, medical facilities, and other business and public locations for advertising, messaging, wayfinding, public emergency notifications, and the like. Such electronic displays are often placed in partially or completely ruggedized units, to protect the various components of the electronic displays and associated equipment from the environmental elements, vandalism, and the like. Such display units may comprise various electronic components necessary to power, operate, remotely manage content, remote monitoring of the systems health status, and thermally manage the electronic displays and associated equipment.
Such display units are generally placed within a separate outer shell. As aesthetics are important when placing such display units in public locations, the outer shell may comprise a variety of decorative components. The outer shell may be configured for, but not limited to, mounting to the ground, street, sidewalk, existing street lighting poles, exterior or interior walls, flat bed trailers for mobile deployment, or the like. Alternatively, or in addition, as space is often limited in such public locations, the outer shell may be provided in the form of street furniture such as, but not limited to, benches, bus shelters, kiosks, wayfinding units, telephone booths, or the like. In other exemplary embodiments, the outer shell may be configured for suspension from an overhead member, elevated from the ground, or secured in a storefront window to name a few examples.
In many cases, the display unit is designed and manufactured by one individual or entity while the outer shell is designed and manufactured by another individual or entity. In such cases, the display unit designer and manufacturer must work with the outer shell designer and manufacturer to ensure compatibility of the display unit with the outer shell. The processing of making the display unit compatible with the outer shell is time consuming and expensive and often requires design changes and compromises by both parties. Even where the display unit and outer shell designer and manufacturer are one and the same, the display unit is often manufactured as a single, sealed unit and the outer shell is likewise often manufactured as a separate unit configured to receive the display unit. This results in a protective shell (the display unit) placed within a second semi-protective, functional, or aesthetic outer shell. Such an arrangement results in added manufacturing complexity, weight, cost, and the like. Therefore, what is needed is a housing assembly for an integrated display unit.
These disclosures provide a housing assembly for an integrated display unit. The housing assembly may serve as both the outer shell as well as the frame for the display unit. This may reduce complexity, costs, weight, simplify the design, and the like. A first and second side housing member may be configured to receive a first and second horizontal member. The first and second side housing member may extend substantially vertical, spaced apart from one another, and substantially parallel with one another from a bottom horizontal member. The first and second side housing members may form at least a portion of the side walls of the display unit, thereby at least partially, or in some cases fully, sealing the display unit.
The first and second horizontal members may extend between the first and second side housing members. The first and second horizontal members may extend substantially horizontal, spaced apart from one another, and substantially parallel with one another. The first and second horizontal members may form at least a portion of the top and bottom of the display unit, thereby at least partially sealing, or in some cases fully, the display unit. A first and second receiving section may be located near the bottom of the housing assembly and may be configured to receive external supports for mounting to the street, sidewalk, ground, pole, wall, or other surface. The display unit may comprise an open loop pathway for ambient air which thermally interacts with a closed loop pathway for circulating gas.
The first and second side housing members may comprise one or more channels configured to receive corresponding protrusions on the first and second horizontal members. The channels may be configured to permit vertical placement of the first and second horizontal members within the first and second side housing members in a substantially sealed arrangement. Each of the first and second side housing members may comprise a first and second raised edge which permits the snap fitting of decorative cladding or fascia.
The housing assembly may comprise an upper portion for housing additional equipment. The upper portion may comprise a frame which is secured to the display unit and an upper portion housing. The upper portion housing may be configured to receive the additional equipment. One or more of sides of the upper portion housing, such as but not limited to the vertical or horizontal sides, may be comprised of glass or other low loss, low attenuation materials to enable the broadcast and reception of broadband radio frequencies.
A transition area may extend between the display unit and the upper portion. A common open loop intake may ingest ambient air, a first portion of which may travel into an open loop pathway of the display unit and a second portion of which may travel into the upper portion. In other embodiments, the common open loop intake may be provided for both the upper portion and the display unit which may be one in the same.
One or more upper portion intake apertures may be located in the upper portion housing to permit the ingestion of ambient air. For example, without limitation, an open loop aperture may be provided in the upper portion which draws in ambient air for both the upper portion and the display unit. In other exemplary embodiments, a vent may extend along an upper portion of the upper portion housing to permit the exhaustion of ambient air ingested into the upper portion. In such embodiments, one or more fans may be positioned on or near the upper portion intake apertures to encourage or force such ingestion as well as circulation within the upper portion housing and exhaustion from the vent. In other embodiments, the upper portion may be cooled by convection through ambient air passing over the external surfaces of the upper portion.
Further features and advantages of the devices and systems disclosed herein, as well as the structure and operation of various aspects of the present disclosure, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying figures.

Housing assembly for an integrated display unit

Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.


A drive assembly is disclosed, including a housing cylinder with a cap end, an attachment end with a first attachment surface, and gear teeth disposed around an inner circumference to form at least one ring gear. A planetary gear set may be surrounded by the housing cylinder and includes at least one sun gear and at least one set of planet gears. An output interface may include an interface body and an annular attachment lip with a second attachment surface. The housing cylinder may be attached to the attachment lip for operation of the drive assembly via the second attachment surface contacting the first attachment surface, with the cap end of the housing cylinder extending axially past an axial end of the attachment lip. Rotational power may be transmitted from the planetary gear set to the output interface via the gear teeth and the contact between the attachment surfaces.

In various applications, a drive assembly may be utilized to provide rotational power to various components. In tracked vehicles, for example, a final drive assembly may be mounted to a frame of the vehicle in order to provide rotational power, at an output hub of the drive assembly, to drive the tracks of the vehicles and thereby move the vehicles over terrain. Such a drive assembly (and others) may include motors for providing rotational power, and various gears for adjusting the speed of the rotational power for output at the output hub.
Known designs of drive assemblies may utilize significant amounts of material to provide a power-transmitting attachment between a gear set and an output hub. Further, known designs may sometimes require relatively expensive manufacturing techniques in order to form appropriate contours (e.g., gear teeth) on various parts of the drive assemblies. Accordingly, it may be useful to provide a drive assembly with an improved arrangement for transmission of power between a power source, such as a motor, and an output hub.

Drive assembly with a rotating housing attached to an output interface


A yarn withdrawal nozzle is provided for an open-end spinning arrangement, the essentially funnel-shaped contact surface of which consists of a material which, in a temperature range of approximately 50.degree. C. to approximately 100.degree. C., has a thermal conductivity of at least 80 W/mK (Watts per meter Kelvin) so that as a result damage to synthetic fibers caused by overheating is avoided also in the case of relatively high rotational rotor speeds.

This invention relates to a yarn withdrawal nozzle for open-end spinning arrangements which has an essentially funnel-shaped contact surface serving as the deflecting guide for a spun yarn.
In the case of open-end rotor spinning machines, for example, in the case of the rotor spinning machine sold by the firm W. Schlafhorst AG & Co., Monchengladbach, under the tradename of "Autocoro", yarn withdrawal nozzles are used which consist of a ceramic material on an aluminum oxide base. Such yarn withdrawal nozzles made of ceramics withstand the high wearing stress which occurs in the case of such open-end rotor spinning machines which currently are operated at rotational speeds of the spinning rotors of up to 130,000 min.sup.-1. However, when synthetic fibers, particularly polyester fibers or mixtures of natural fibers and synthetic fibers are processed, the operating speeds of such open-end rotor spinning machines are limited. The open-end rotor spinning machines cannot be operated at the possible high rotational speeds because damage by overheating caused by frictional heat occurs at the synthetic fibers. It is therefore customary to operate the open-end rotor spinning machines at a reduced speed, that is not at the maximally possible rotational rotor speed, when synthetic fibers are to be processed. In comparison to the theoretically possible rotational rotor speeds, this represents a production loss because the production of an open-end rotor spinning machine is directly proportional to the rotational rotor speed. This problem of damage to synthetic fibers or chemical fibers has been known for a long time and a satisfactory solution has not been found in this respect. It is known, for example, (German Patent Document DE 24 10 940 C3) to direct a cooling air flow onto a yarn guiding funnel which corresponds to a yarn withdrawal nozzle with respect to its function. However, this has not led to a useful solution.
It is an object of the invention to provide the prerequisites for enabling the open-end rotor spinning arrangements to run at an increased speed and particularly at increased rotational rotor speeds and, in the process, to be able to also spin synthetic fibers or chemical fibers without any damage to them.
This object is achieved according to preferred embodiments of the invention by providing that at least the contact surface of the yarn withdrawal nozzle consists of a material which has a thermal conductivity of at least 80 W/mK (Watts per meter Kelvin) in a temperature range of approximately 50.degree. C. to approximately 100.degree. C.
A damaging of the fibers can only be avoided if the generated frictional heat between the fibers and the contact surface of the yarn withdrawal nozzle does not result in an unacceptably high temperature of the fibers. The invention is therefore based on the consideration that the generating of the frictional heat itself, which is a function of the coefficient of friction, of the normal force between the yarn and the contact surface of the withdrawal nozzle and of the sliding speed, cannot be reduced significantly for reasons of spinning technology. It is therefore provided that the yarn withdrawal nozzle will be capable of dissipating the frictional heat sufficiently and also as fast as possible so that the undissipated portion of the frictional heat does not result in an exceeding of a critical temperature for the fibers and thus to a local overheating of these fibers. In this case, the invention is also based on the recognition that it is not the withdrawal speed of the yarn that is the main cause of the previous fiber damage but rather the fact that the spun yarn rotates along at approximately the rotational speed of the rotor in the manner of a crank and in the process slides essentially on the contact surface of the yarn withdrawal nozzle. The contact point of the yarn on the contact surface therefore changes constantly so that an effective dissipation of frictional heat on it is always possible.
This solution according to the invention differs clearly from the known solution (German Patent Document DE 24 10 940 C3), specifically of cooling by means of an air flow, the yarn guiding funnel, which can be compared with a yarn withdrawal nozzle. Such an air cooling cannot prevent the local overheating of the fibers because of the generated frictional heat because it is not effective at the point at which the frictional heat is generated, specifically between the contact surface and the corresponding fibers. The cooling of such an air flow therefore always comes too late because it only becomes effective after the frictional heat has already caused the increased temperature in the fibers. The resulting damage can no longer be reversed.
Tests carried out by and in behalf of applicants have shown that, for example, by means of yarn withdrawal nozzles made of copper which has a very high thermal conductivity, it is possible to increase the rotational rotor speeds and thus the spinning speed without any damage to the fibers by at least 20% compared to the previously possible rotational rotor speeds.
In a further development of the invention, a basic body is provided for the yarn withdrawal nozzle which is coated with the material at least in the area of the contact surface. Since in every case only a short-term but fast heat dissipation is required, it is to be expected that also a relatively thin coating of less than 0.5 mm will be sufficient for obtaining the desired effect.
In a further development of the invention, it is provided that the contact surface has a hardness of at least 20 HV.sub.5N. Thus it is ensured that a sufficiently high resistance to wear exists so that such a yarn withdrawal nozzle also has a sufficient useful life.
In a further development of the invention, it is provided that the material is titanium diboride. This material has the two characteristics which are the most desirable, specifically a high heat conductivity in a temperature range of approximately 50.degree. to approximately 100.degree. C., while it also has a high hardness.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Yarn withdrawal nozzle for open-end spinning arrangements

Spindelfabrik Suessen, Schurr, Stahlecker & Grill GmbH