In a flat tube formed by machining a brazing sheet, ridges 12a-12c are formed at each of the opposing flat portions 11a and 11b of the flat tube 4 along the lengthwise direction of the flat tubes so that the ridges contact the inner surfaces of each of the opposite flat portions. The width of the grooves of the ridges 12a-12c formed at the surfaces of the flat portions is set so that it is at the smallest end portions of the flat tubes 4 to achieve flatness at the end portions of the flat tubes 4. The end portions of the fins 5 are bonded at these flattened portions 15 (areas A) formed at the end portions of the flat tubes 4. Header pipes and the flat tubes are thus brazed in a reliable manner while achieving reinforcement of the end portions of the flat tubes to be inserted into insertion holes formed in the header pipes. Through a structure in which ridges are formed at the end portions of the flat tubes and, at the same time, flatness is assured at the end portions, a good yield of the brazing material is realized at the contact areas of the header pipes and the flat tubes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger that constitutes a portion of a cooling cycle, and in particular, it relates to a heat exchanger constituted by a pair of header pipes with a plurality of flat tubes communicating between the header pipes, and with the bonding of the header pipes and the flat tubes achieved by inserting and brazing the flat tubes at the header pipes.
2. Description of the Related Art
A heat exchanger constituted by a pair of header pipes with a plurality of flat tubes communicating between the header pipes is employed as a condenser or the like for cooling a high pressure coolant, and an example of such heat exchanger is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H8-145591. In this heat exchanger, which is constituted by adopting a prerequisite bonding structure in which end portions of the flat tubes are inserted into tube insertion holes formed in the header pipes for brazing, a brazing margin similar to those at the side edges is formed at a middle area of each tube by dividing the end portions of the flat tube into separate portions, and the insertion holes of the header pipes are formed in a shape matching the shape of the end portions of the flat tubes to improve the brazing characteristics of the flat tubes themselves.
However, while the structure at the side edges is replicated at the middle area of each end portion according to the invention described above, based upon the observation that the brazing is achieved in a reliable manner at the aligned side portions of the flat tubes along their edges at the ends, it is also necessary to achieve good brazing for the flat tubes and the header pipes as well as to achieve good brazing for the flat tubes themselves. In particular, since the heat exchanging medium does not leak out of the tubes as long as good brazing is achieved at the side edges of the flat tubes, defective brazing at individual ridges within the flat tubes does not present a major problem. Rather, the brazing state between the header pipes and the flat tubes is a more critical concern, and if defective brazing occurs between the header pipes and the flat tubes, the heat exchanging medium may leak, and this will constitute a fatal defect in the heat exchanger. Consequently, priority should be given to eliminating any risk of defective brazing between the header pipes and the flat tubes.
Reviewing the prior art technology described above from this point of view, concerns arise in that forming the middle area of each end of a flat tube in an identical shape to that at the side edges and forming the insertion holes of the header pipes in a complicated shape to match this may reduce the degree of efficiency in the assembly work when a plurality of flat tubes are inserted at the insertion holes of the header pipes and in that, since the shape of the insertion holes is complicated, gaps between the header pipes and the flat tubes are more likely to be inconsistent, thereby reducing the yield of the brazing material.
Thus, it is desirable to form the end portions of the flat tubes to be inserted into the header pipes, and the tube insertion holes themselves, in as simple a shape as possible. Based upon this objective, the applicant of the present invention has previously proposed a bonding structure in which the end portions of the flat tubes are flattened and the tube insertion holes are also constituted of sides that are made as linear as possible in conformance to the shape of the flattened end portions to assure good brazing for the header pipes and the flat tubes.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, in this bonding structure, flat tubes .alpha. are each achieved by folding over a single brazing sheet to form a bend along the lengthwise direction with the two side edges facing opposite each other brazed to form heat exchanging medium passages, a ridge .gamma. is formed to extend along the lengthwise direction at a flat portion of the flat tube a that comes in contact with a fin .beta. and the ridge .gamma. is placed in contact with the inner surface of the flat portion on the opposite side to improve the pressure withstanding performance and the strength of the flat tube .alpha.. In particular, the structure is characterized in that no ridge .gamma. is formed at the end portions of the flat tube .alpha. where it is to be inserted into insertion holes .epsilon. in header pipes .delta. and that the end portions of the flat tube .alpha. is formed flat with the insertion holes .epsilon. formed in a simple shape to match.
While good brazing is assured for the header pipes and the flat tubes in this structure, since no ridge is formed at the end portion of the flat tubes .alpha. to be inserted at the insertion holes .epsilon., it is necessary to reinforce these areas. In this case, if the ridge .gamma. is to be simply extended to be present at the end portion to achieve reinforcement, the shape of the insertion holes .epsilon. at the header pipes .delta. must be complicated to match the surface shape at the end portions of the flat tubes .alpha., as in the prior art technology explained above, which will tend to result in brazing defects between the header pipes .delta. and the flat tubes .alpha..


A method for treating waste water uses a membrane bioreactor that produces excess biological sludge and treated water components. This is achieved by extracting the biological sludge from the bioreactor then causing contact between the biological sludge and dewatered effluent to form two resulting products. The first product contains polyclectrolyte loaded sludge. Polyelectrolyte is continually added to the polyelectrolyte loaded sludge during dewatering to separately form dewatered sludge and the dewatered effluent. This is followed by extracting, as a second product, polyelectrolyte free effluent. The polyelectrolyte free effluent is recycled to the bioreactor.

It is known that during such treatments, it is necessary to dewater the biological sludge from the reactor, this sludge previously undergoing a chemical conditioning to ensure its flocculation. Polymers and, more generally, polyelectrolytes are used for this conditioning, particularly in order to obtain bulky, well-differentiated flocs, in a clarified interstitial water. The liquid effluent from the dewatering operation is recycled to the head of the membrane bioreactor.
The return of this effluent to the head of the membrane bioreactor incurs a major risk due to the fact that this effluent, produced by the sludge dewatering operation, contains relatively large residual quantities of polyelectrolytes that are liable to cause severe, indeed irreversible, clogging of the bioreactor membranes.
During the treatment of waste water using a membrane bioreactor, the daily recycle rate at the head, that is of the liquid effluent from the dewatering operations, routinely represents 1 to 5% of the daily urban waste water feed rate and sometimes more than 10% of the daily rate when industrial waste water is treated.
When the sludge dewatering treatment and the recycling of the liquid effluent from this dewatering to the head of the bioreactor are carried out in batch mode, which is often the case, the proportion between the effluent from the dewatering and the waste water feed to the bioreactor may occasionally be much higher, thereby further aggravating the risk of clogging the membranes of the water treatment system, that is of the membrane bioreactor.
To overcome this drawback, two alternatives are proposed today by a person skilled in the art:    1) Avoid the risk of clogging. In this case, the recycling of the liquid effluent to the head is prohibited. The treatment of the sludge from the membrane bioreactor is then transferred to a nearby conventional station. In fact, it is not systematically possible to install such a sludge treatment station near the waste water treatment station and, in any case, this solution implies the transport of volumes of sludge that may be difficult to accept if the station is large.    2) Control the risk:            a) by minimizing the quantity (that is the batching) of polyelectrolytes used for conditioning the sludge subjected to the dewatering treatment, by making sure to reintroduce the recycled liquid effluent from the sludge dewatering treatment to the head of the bioreactor, at the point furthest from the bioreactor membranes, and to spread these recyclings to the head over time, in order to guarantee the greatest possible dilution with the waste water fed to the membrane bioreactor. This may in particular result in the need to provide a buffer tank temporarily storing the effluent before its recycling to the head.                    This alternative can help to manage the risk of clogging the bioreactor membranes, but it does not eliminate the risk of an accidental overbatching of the polyelectrolytes during the sludge treatment. It is especially difficult to control such a risk because the quantitative analysis of the residual polyelectrolytes present in the head recyclings is technically complex, indeed impossible today.                        b) by subjecting the effluents from the sludge dewatering treatment to a pretreatment in order to destroy the residual quantities of polyelectrolytes. However, this solution presents the drawback of being very costly because the removal of a few milligrams per liter of residual quantities of polyelectrolytes usually involves the at least partial removal of the pollution from the effluent produced by sludge dewatering. Thus, for example, an oxidation treatment by ozone, of the residual quantities of polyelectrolytes, implies a very large and uneconomic batching due to the ozone demand of the effluent (oxidation of organic matter). More generally, the oxidizing treatments carried out on such effluents can also give rise to oxidation by-products that are difficult to remove by the water system if the latter is not designed to treat this type of induced pollution.
Finally, in the absence of a genuine "physical barrier", the pretreatments proposed for the time being do not guarantee the total elimination of the risk of clogging the membranes of the water treatment system.
On the assumption that these membranes are seriously clogged by the polyelectrolyte, a person skilled in the art can apply chemical washing procedures to restore the performance of the membranes. However, the effectiveness of these procedures is haphazard and the chemicals they employ are aggressive to the membranes, jeopardizing their service life. Furthermore, these procedures involve costly large-scale maintenance and the immobilization of a portion of the membrane area that is then no longer available for waste water filtration. This drawback results in the need to oversize the membrane filtration portion.

Membrane bioreactor waste water treatment method


According to the embodiment, a semiconductor storage device includes an organic substrate, a semiconductor memory chip, a lead frame, and a resin mold section. The lead frame includes an adhering portion. The organic substrate is singulated to have a shape in which a portion in which the organic substrate does not overlap with the placing portion is larger than a portion in which the organic substrate overlaps with the placing portion, in plan view. The lead frame further includes a first extending portion in the adhering portion that extends to a surface different from a surface of the resin mold section on a side of an insertion direction.

Recently, semiconductor storage devices using a storage element such as a NAND-type flash memory are often used as a storage device of an external apparatus such as a mobile phone and a personal computer. Examples of a semiconductor storage device used in electronics include a memory card (semiconductor memory card).
In the semiconductor storage device, a semiconductor chip such as a semiconductor memory chip and a controller chip is mounted on a wiring substrate (organic substrate) on which external terminals are formed. An electrode of a semiconductor chip is electrically connected to a connection pad of the wiring substrate by applying wire bonding and is further sealed with resin to cover the whole semiconductor chip.
In such a conventional technology, it is desired to suppress the manufacturing cost by suppressing usage of the organic substrate.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Semiconductor storage device and manufacturing method thereof


A magnetic recording media has recording cells formed of two-dimensionally arrayed magnetic material, a nonmagnetic layer surrounding the recording cells, an adhesive film formed on each of the recording cells, and a lubricant directly adhered to the adhesive film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to magnetic recording media used in a high-density magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, a method of manufacturing the magnetic recording media, and a magnetic recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic recording apparatuses such as hard disk drives (HDD) are widely used accompanying spread of personal computers. In recent years, the advent of the Internet and DVDs for high-definition image information has rapidly increased the amount of information to be handled, leading to a growing demand for an increased capacity of HDDs. More and more small-sized HDDs are mounted in mobile instruments such as cellular phones, car navigation systems, and MD3 players. More and more expectations are thus placed on an increased recording density. Such a situation is resulted from a significant increase in the recording density of HDDs. The recording density of HDDs is increased by forming smaller magnetic recording marks. Formation of smaller marks requires a smaller write head, a read head that can detect a lower magnetic field, and magnetic recording media to which smaller marks can be stably written.
In order to form smaller marks on magnetic recording media, efforts have hitherto been made to reduce the size of magnetic particles forming a magnetic recording layer deposited by sputtering. However, reduction in the size of magnetic particles has been more and more difficult owing to the degraded thermal stability of fine magnetic particles, that is, a so-called thermal fluctuation problem. In order to solve the thermal fluctuation problem, it is conceivable to improve the thermal stability of a magnetic material itself. This solution instead enhances resistance of the magnetic recording layer to a recording field, thus requiring a high magnetic field in write operation. However, the field intensity achieved by a write head is approaching a limit.
Under the circumstances, a patterned media has been proposed, which has a structure greatly different from that of conventional magnetic recording media. In the patterned media, recording cells serving as minimum recording units are arrayed on recording tracks by lithography. In a conventional magnetic recording layer deposited by sputtering, even a minimum recording mark is formed by writing data to a cluster of several tens to several hundred magnetic particles. On the other hand, the patterned media enables the size of magnetic particles to be increased to that of a recording cell formed by lithography. This makes it possible to fundamentally solve the thermal fluctuation problem, attributed to a reduction in the size of magnetic particles.
However, since the pattered media has finely processed recording cells, when the head collides against the media, the recording cells themselves are likely to be destroyed by the resulting impact or friction. A recording cell consisting of a single magnetic particle has its magnetic characteristics markedly changed even with a fine defect. In the recording density estimated to be realized by the patterned media, spacing between the head and the media will be further reduced. Higher demands are thus expected to be placed on the resistance to the collision or friction.
In order to improve the resistance to the impact or friction between the head and the media, a hard diamond-like carbon film is commonly adopted as a protective film on a recording film (see, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI No. 2004-295989). However, the surface of a diamond-like carbon film deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) does not easily allow the adhesion of a lubricant. Thus, disadvantageously, the lubricant may fail to adhere to some areas of the diamond-like carbon film, or, at the time of the contact, the lubricant may be released and adhere to the head.
On the other hand, various surface treatments have been proposed which serve as methods for improving the adhesion for the lubricant. However, if the entire surface is improved so as to allow the lubricant to adhere easily, large capillaries are formed when the head comes into contact with the media surface. This increases sticking force for the head to do more serious damage to the media as a result of friction. A tradeoff relationship thus exists between improvement in wettability and reduction in the spacing between the head and the media. Particularly with the patterned media, if the lubricant does not adhere well to the media surface and fails to adhere to any areas, each magnetic particle is seriously damaged. It is thus essential to realize uniform adhesion of the lubricant.
In order to solve this problem, a method has hitherto been proposed which forms recesses and protrusions on the surface of the media. Forming recesses and protrusions on the surface of the media separates minutely each area in which the lubricant is present, thus improving the adhesion of the lubricant. A very small space can also be created between the head and media at the time of contact. This prevents the release of the lubricant at the time of the contact as well as an increase in the magnitude of friction caused by stiction of the head. However, with an increase in recording density, the uneven structure prevents reduction in the spacing between the head and the media.
No techniques are currently known which can solve these problems to improve the durability of the patterned media.


The manufacturing stability can be improved while effectively inhibiting the short-channel effect in the transistor according to the present invention. A halo impurity having a conductivity type opposite to a first conductivity type of a first impurity is ion-implanted into the silicon substrate 101, and thereafter the first impurity having the first conductivity type, is ion-implanted and then a flash lamp annealing is conducted to form a p-type halo region 113 and a n-type extension region 111. Then, the second impurity having the first conductivity type is ion-implanted into the silicon substrate 101, and then a flash lamp annealing is conducted to form a n-type source/drain region 109. Then, the impurity contained in the silicon substrate 101 is activated via spike RTA.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a field effect transistor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to achieve more rapid operation of a field effect transistor, technological developments such as providing a very short gate length of the field effect transistor, providing a shallow source/drain region and the like are proceeded. Such technologies includes a technology described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-253,446.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-253,446 points out a fact that, in the process for manufacturing a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor, a redistribution is occurred as a diffusion of an implanted impurity is occurred during an annealing process after an ion implantation process, and therefore a dispersion of the impurity due to the redistribution of ions should be of achieving the considerably reduced gate length and/or providing the shallow source drain. It is also described that a transient enhanced diffusion (TED) becomes a problem in recent years as a factor for causing the redistribution corresponding to the diffusion of the implanted impurity, and that the TED is caused by a point defect created in the semiconductor substrate during the ion implantation process and is a phenomena, in which a redistribution of the impurity is occurred at a relatively lower temperature.
According to Japanese, Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-253,446, it is described that a MOS transistor is obtained, which provides smaller variation of impurity profile in the source/drain region caused by a heat treatment in the process for forming side wall films of a gate electrode and involves inhibiting a diffusion of an impurity caused by the TED and the corresponding short-channel effect, by establishing an annealing temperature in consideration of a re-diffusion length characteristic for the impurity over the annealing temperature after the ion implantation process and by determining a sequential order of the ion implantation processes.
In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-63,574 describes the following approaches for providing a method for manufacturing a MOS transistor. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-63,574, in the process for forming extension regions of the source/drain, after forming the shallow impurity ion-implanted region on a surface layer of a Si substrate, an annealing process is conducted in order to activate impurity ions in an impurity ion-implanted region. A flash lamp annealing process, which employs a flashlamp and is conducted at higher temperature with a short duration time, is described as an exemplary process of such type of annealing process.
It is also described that, when the source/drain region is formed, a two-step annealing process is conducted after a deep impurity-implanted region is formed in a surface layer of the Si substrate. First, a first heat treatment (pre annealing) is conducted via a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) employing a halogen lamp. Successively, a second thermal process is conducted by employing a Xe flashlamp. Such second heat treatment is a flash lamp annealing for activating an impurity-diffusing region.

Method for manufacturing field effect transistor


A LIDAR sensor system includes: a transmitting unit including one or more emitting units so as to transmit polarization lasers to an object; a receiving unit configured to receive reflection light reflected on the object; and a processing unit configured to sense the object from the reflection light, and the transmitting unit may include a first emitting unit emitting a first laser and a second emitting unit emitting a second laser having polarization light orthogonal to the first laser.

In recent years, a system has been developed, which senses a pedestrian in front of a vehicle, and warns a driver or automatically performs a braking control or a steering control to avoid a collision when a collision risk is present.
Such a vehicle front object sensing system is provided with a LIDAR sensor system that can sense a distance up to a target, a direction, a speed, a temperature, and a material of the target, and the like in order to sense the target around a vehicle, and the LIDAR sensor system emits a laser to the target and may receive information on the target through reflection light reflected on the target.
In the related art, the LIDAR sensor system is provided with a single laser emitting unit to receive the information on the target, but in recent years, a LIDAR sensor system has been researched and developed, which emits one or more lasers in order to accurately sense short-range and long-range targets of the vehicle.
However, when two lasers are emitted to the target and the reflection light reflected on the target is received, two lasers have the same polarization characteristic and thus interfere with each other.
Korean Patent Publication No. 2009-0021724 (Application date: Aug. 28, 2007) 2007.08.28)


An apparatus for making temporary road mats characterized by multiple layers of mutually perpendicular elongated timbers having an array of vertical intersections aligned in lateral rows. The apparatus includes a gang drill that moves relative to a roughly assembled mat for sequentially drilling the lateral rows of intersections.

Temporary road mats are used extensively to allow vehicles and equipment to reach locations not serviced by permanent roads, particularly under conditions where ground surface would not support the traffic or where the temporary nature of use does not warrant the time and expense of a permanent road. The mats are generally constructed in multiple layers of heavy wood timbers in crisscrossing layers. The mats may also be provided with interlocking joints for connecting with adjacent mats as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,712 to Penland; U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,037 to Phillips et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,444 to Pouyer. Commonly, each layer is nailed to the underlying layer. The final layer is fastened with an extended length nail having a protruding tip that crimped over to secure the assembly as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,204 to Hunt. The manual assembly, even with air powered nailing guns in time consuming and tiring and prone to misalignments. For heavy duty applications, three ply mats are employed. Initially, two layers are nailed as a subunit, with the third layer nailed thereto in a separate assembly sequence. This type of nailed construction provides limited torsional and bending strength, resulting loosening of the nailed joints and timber breakage. Replacing a damage timber requires time consuming removal of all overlying timbers. The entire length of timber must be replaced inasmuch as limited compression and shear strength precludes splicing with shorter lengths. Where the nail loosening occurs at the intermediate layer, supplemental nailing from both the top and bottom surfaces may be required to regain suitable strength at the joint. Such supplemental nailing can also splinter the timber resulting in a complete loss of nail holding strength.
Various assembly devices have been proposed for more accurately aligning the timber layers prior to nailing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,598 to Pouyer discloses an assembly table having an array of alignment stops for assisting positioning the timbers prior to nailing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,204 to Hunt, referenced above, discloses a dual stage assembly table facilitating nailing on opposite sides of the mat. Crimped extended length nails are used on the final layer to resist a lifting of the nail heads that can damage vehicle tires.
The nailing of the timbers also precludes convenient repair and replacement of damaged timbers. Typically, the mat must be substantially disassembled to access and replace damaged members. Bolted constructions have been suggested in the art, however, such mats are not known to be commercially available. Therein, holes are drilled at the intersections of the crossed timbers for receiving threaded fasteners. The resulting construction provides a smooth upper surface free of protruding nail heads. When replacement of a member is required, only the fasteners in the affected area need to be removed to allow substitution. Notwithstanding the advantages of the bolted construction, production rates, even with fixtures and assembly tables, have been limited by the cycle times of the serially required operations.
Moreover, three ply mats have not been successfully produced. The cumulative tolerances in the hole arrays for the three layers present's extreme alignment problems for assembly. Approaches increasing the clearances between the holes and bolt shanks result in a loss of lateral structural stability. Leveraging the boards to align the holes for assembly results in a stressed assembly condition that can result in timber fracture and surface warping.
Accordingly, a need continues to exist for three ply bolted temporary road mats that may be assembled accurately under low stress conditions.

Three ply bolted temporary road mats and apparatus for manufacturing same


A mode is executed so that a lubricant applying member is rotated based on an image formation start signal, and thereafter a rotation drive of an image bearing member is started.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine and a printer, which uses an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic recording method, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus including a cleaning blade.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for example, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrostatic image (latent image) formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member (photosensitive member) is developed with toner to form a toner image. Then, the toner image formed on the photosensitive member is ultimately transferred onto a recording material (recording sheet, OHP sheet, etc.) to be fixed thereto and output from the image forming apparatus. Examples of a method of transferring a toner image formed on a photosensitive member onto a recording material include: a direct transfer method of directly transferring a toner image formed on a photosensitive member onto a recording material; and an intermediate transfer method of transferring a toner image formed on a photosensitive member onto an intermediate transfer member once and then transferring the toner image transferred on the intermediate transfer member onto a recording material.
When the above-mentioned photosensitive member or an image bearing member such as an intermediate transfer member once holds a toner image and then transfers the toner image onto a transfer target member, toner remains on the surface of the photosensitive member or the image bearing member without being transferred. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the surface so as to form a subsequent image. Conventionally, a cleaning blade method of removing remaining toner by bringing a cleaning blade into abutting contact with the surface of the image bearing member has been widely adopted.
If a friction force between the cleaning blade and the image bearing member is too large when the cleaning blade is brought into abutting contact with the surface of the image bearing member, an abutment portion of the cleaning blade may be turned up, resulting in blade turning up. Further, even when the blade turning up does not occur, the surface of the image bearing member may be scraped or scratched to cause an image defect. In order to prevent this problem, a technology has been proposed, which prevents the blade from being turned up or the image bearing member from being scratched as described above by applying a lubricant to the image bearing member to lower a surface energy of the image bearing member and to reduce a friction force between the image bearing member and the cleaning blade (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-241114).
However, in an application of lubricant to the image bearing member, when the rotation of the image bearing member is suspended, a state in which the lubricant is applied to a region of the image bearing member from a contact portion between the image bearing member and a lubricant applying unit to a cleaning blade nip portion is left as it is.
At this time, particularly, the lubricant sandwiched between the lubricant applying unit and the image bearing member is pressurized against the image bearing member. Therefore, the lubricant may adhere to the image bearing member. The lubricant adhering to the image bearing member does not function as a lubricant with respect to the cleaning blade, and when the lubricant enters the nip portion between the cleaning blade and the image bearing member, the lubricant rather causes the cleaning blade to be turned up or chipped and the surface of the image bearing member to be scratched.

Image forming apparatus with lubrication supply


Disclosed is a reverse mirroring RAID Level I system and method that decreases read access times. By recording mirrored data in a mirrored disk in a reverse order, spindle access time for data to be read from either the primary disk or the mirrored disk is reduced. As such, overall performance of the reverse mirroring technique is increased.

RAID devices have been an important factor in the storage of data for a number of years. The various RAID levels provide certain advantages with respect to cost, reliability and performance. As such, RAID devices have allowed computer systems to store and retrieve data with high reliability, fast access speeds, and low costs compared to individual disk systems.

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


Methods of monitoring the expression of genes in malignant oral cells is disclosed. Gene expression profiles are used to identify markers associated with malignant oral cells and to diagnose oral cancer.

Many cellular events and processes are characterized by altered expression levels of one or more genes. Differences in gene expression correlate with many physiological processes such as cell cycle progression, cell differentiation and cell death. Changes in gene expression patterns also correlate with changes in disease or pharmacological state. For example, the lack of sufficient expression of functional tumor suppressor genes and/or the over expression of oncogene/protooncogenes could lead to tumorgenesis (Marshall, Cell, 64: 313–326 (1991); Weinberg, Science, 254: 1138–1146 (1991), incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes). Thus, changes in the expression levels of particular genes (e.g. oncogenes or tumor suppressors) serve as signposts for different physiological, pharmacological and disease states.
Gene expression profiles produce a snapshot that reflects the biological status of the sample, but in many circumstances biological status will reflect more than one characteristic of the sample. For example, when comparing tumor samples from two patients, there will be changes that correlate with differences between the states of the tumors as well as changes that correlate with the different physiological states of the two patients. High-throughput technologies, such as DNA microarrays, have been used to profile and monitor gene expression of hematopoietic tumors (see Alizadeh et al., 2000; Golub et al., 1999 each incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes) and solid tumor homogenates and cell lines (see Alon et al., 1999, Perou et al., 2000, Sgroi et al., 1999 each incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes). However, the cell-specific profiling of solid tumor gene expression has been hampered by the inability to procure specific pure cell populations. A need exists to identify genes associated with normal and solid tumor cancerous cell conditions and to further correlate the expression levels of genes as a way of detecting or diagnosing a cancerous condition.

Methods for detecting and diagnosing oral cancer


An apparatus and method are provided for high intensity acoustic test cells that employ the Helmholtz resonator principle, incorporating at least one moderately-sized volume or test cell that is tunable to a given infrasonic to low-sonic frequency and generates sound of high intensity with very pure sinusoidal waveforms in this test cell or volume, by varying the geometry of a port which is connected to the test volume and open to either atmosphere or a second or input volume and by introducing to the test volume or the input volume a driving acoustic signal at the given tuned frequency. The apparatus and method are used for testing or performing experiments on materials, structures, devices, products, biological entities or humans at high acoustic intensities and frequencies in the low-sonic to infrasonic ranges.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of acoustic test chambers or cells. More particularly, the invention is directed to an apparatus and method for providing an acoustic test chamber or cell that achieves, in air, very high-intensity infrasonic to low-sonic frequencies in moderately large test volumes with very pure sinusoidal waveforms.
2. Description of Related Art
High-intensity acoustic test chambers are well known in the art. Previous high-intensity acoustic test chambers capable of operation at fundamental frequencies below 100 Hz include high-intensity flow-modulator-driven non-resonant chambers, standing-wave resonant chambers driven by flow modulators or loudspeakers, and piston-driven sealed chambers.
Each of these known high-intensity acoustic test chambers has significant limitations. High-intensity flow-modulator-driven non-resonant chambers as devices are not capable of efficient operation or the production of reasonably undistorted sound (sine waves) below about 30 Hz.
Standing-wave resonant chambers driven by flow modulators or loudspeakers, by their nature, have strongly non-uniform acoustic fields in their test volumes and require that the test chamber have a long dimension of at least one-half the wavelength of the lowest usable frequency. That is, their long dimension must be at least 11 m's at 30 Hz.
Piston-driven sealed chambers require a mechanical drive to accelerate and decelerate a piston which serves as one wall of a test chamber or test cell. This acceleration/deceleration takes place at very high rates which restricts these devices to very low frequencies and small test volumes, typically less than 1 m3.

High intensity infrasonic tunable resonant acoustic test cell

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A cam-operated universal latch joint apparatus is provided. In an embodiment, the joint apparatus includes a cam locking mechanism, as well as a first clamping member and a second clamping member independently positionable with respect to each other. The second clamping member has an upper portion and a lower portion arranged adjacent to each other. A latch is pivotably mounted the upper portion of the second clamping member so that the latch selectively engages the lower portion of the second clamping member. Also, a through rod connecting the cam locking mechanism, the first clamping member and the second clamping member is provided. A bushing is also arranged between the upper portion of the second clamping member and the first clamping member. In an embodiment, the cam locking mechanism includes a handle and a cam connected to the handle and pivotably connected to the through rod so that the cam engages the first clamping member when selectively positioned by the user using the handle.

The present invention relates to a surgical apparatus for retracting a patient's anatomy to provide exposure of an operative site, and more particularly relates to a latch universal cam-operated joint apparatus which is sturdy, readily adjustable, easy to use, conducive to thorough sterilization, and suited for use in conjunction with a tubular frame stretcher or operating room table.
In surgical operations, some type of retraction apparatus is needed to access internal organs and bone structures. Variance in types of surgery and patient size necessitate a device which is both adjustable and sturdy. Furthermore, the nature of a patient's injuries or the patient's condition may make it desirable to perform a surgical procedure while the patient remains on a tubular frame stretcher as opposed to transferring the patient to a conventional operating table. In addition, equipment sterilization requirements necessitate a device which can be thoroughly cleaned by conventional means in a safe and easy manner.
Heretofore, table mounted surgical retraction devices have utilized rail clamps. The first type of rail clamp commonly used may not be secured to an operating table without breaking the sterile field. During surgery, repositioning of this rail clamp must be performed by a non-sterile circulating nurse, thereby increasing the duration of the surgery. An example of such a rail clamp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,916. Other examples of various rail clamps are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,254,763 and 4,971,038.
In addition, surgical retraction devices utilize universal connecting joint mechanisms. Such joint mechanisms consists of several parts which allow the surgeon to swivel and/or rotate the retractor blades into place. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,221,743, 4,617,916, and 5,025,780.
However, moving such retractor blades requires loosening the universal joint, moving the retractor blade and then re-tightening the joint. It would be highly desirable to have a universal joint mechanism which permits quick tightening of the joint and ease of movement of the retractor blade.
Further, during many surgical procedures, most operating rooms utilize table mounted mechanical retractors. This eliminates the need for operating room personnel to hold the retractors during the surgical procedure. The table mounted retractor allows the retractor blades to be mounted to a frame that is mounted to the operating room table. The frame is erected around the operating field and then remains basically static throughout the procedure.
The rigidity of the frame provides a strong, stable platform to mount retractors. However, it is not as versatile as a human counterpart. Also, because the desired exposure is not always directed to the center of the operating site, many times retractors are needed to be positioned to elevate or push down on the margins of the incision. The rigidity of the frame limits the exact placement of the retractor blades especially with ring type retractors as disclosed in Gautier U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,890 and Cabrera U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,108. Another system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,221,743 and 5,025,780. Also, a retractor disclosed in LeVahn U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,617,916; 4,718,151; 4,947,707; and 5,020,195 as well as a retractor disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,240 to Gorham expand the blade positioning capabilities.
These retractors utilize a universal joint to connect the retractor blade to the frame. The universal joint provides the surgeon with greater flexibility in blade placement. The universal joint disclosed in a table mounted retractor in 3,221,743 describes a joint made up of two clamping members, a conical bushing, and a means for providing compressive forces. A similar clamp design is shown in the LeVahn patents mentioned above.
The universal joint is quite strong and versatile, however, if the surgeon wishes to add a retractor blade between two secured components, it is impossible to do so. To make it easier to add retractors between secured components, LeVahn developed a split universal joint shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,617,916, 4,718,151, and 4,917,707 mentioned above. The split universal joint allows retractors to be added to the frame between secured components.
However, because it does not encircle the frame arm, it is not as strong as the standard joints and will slip under pressure. Furthermore, because of the number of components of the split universal joint, it is difficult to sterilize and reassemble.
An inventor of the present application solved the component problems by designing a one-piece universal joint as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,780. To overcome the split joints slipping problem, LeVahn disclosed a hinge clamp in U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,195 which encircles the frame arm giving the joint additional strength. However, a problem with the hinge joint is that it is cumbersome to use, and does not use a bushing so that it can be rotated easily. Also, once it is on the frame arm, it can be difficult to slide and position. In addition to the problems discussed above, all of the above joints incorporate a thread clamping means which requires lubrication and maintenance.

Cam-operated universal latch joint apparatus


A power semiconductor module comprises a wide band gap semiconductor chip having its surface with an electrode provided thereon, and more than one bonding wire which is connected to an edge portion of the electrode directly or indirectly via an electrode pad. The electrode and the electrode pad have their thickness values that are specifically set in such a way as to obtain a conduction area ratio equal to or greater than a conduction area ratio of the wide band gap semiconductor chip in the case where a respective one of the electrode and electrode pad is made of aluminum while letting a total thickness value of the electrode and the electrode pad measure ten micrometers (10 μm).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power semiconductor modules having a wire bonding structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Power semiconductor switching devices for use in power conversion apparatus such as an inverter include a widely known power semiconductor module which has more than one power semiconductor circuit element sealed within an electrically insulated housing. Typically a power semiconductor module is used for applications with high voltage (600 to 6,500 V) and large current (50 to 3,600 A). Such module is generally made up of a plurality of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and diodes, which are sealed together within the same package of such power semiconductor module. Electrode surfaces, main electrodes and control electrodes of IGBTs and diodes are connected by ultrasonic bonding techniques using diameter-increased or thick line (250 to 500 μm) aluminum bonding wires.
A major problem of the aluminum bonding wires in the power semiconductor module is that repeated flow of a large current results in a temperature rise-up and fall-down at a silicon chip and aluminum wires, which leads to creation of repeated thermal stress at the interface between the silicon chip and aluminum wire due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between silicon and aluminum. This stress causes unwanted progress of a crack at the interface. Thus there is a problem that the wire is physically broken and cut away in the worst case. Regarding this problem, it is shown that some improvements may be obtained by specifically designing the material and shape of such aluminum bonding wires (refer to JP-A-6-302639, for example).
In these power semiconductor modules, the rated current is determinable by Equation (1) which follows:Tj−Tc=Rthjc×Ic×Vce(Ic)  (1)where, Tj is the junction temperature, Tc is the temperature of a package housing or casing, Rthjc is the thermal resistance between the junction and the casing, Vce is the collector-emitter voltage of an IGBT, and Ic is the collector current of IGBT.
Considering about a silicon power semiconductor module which is currently the highest in current density, its loss density (loss per square centimeter) measures approximately 225 watts per square centimeter (W/cm2), whereas the current density (current flow per unit area) of IGBT is about 125 amperes per square centimeter (A/cm2).
In recent years, the loss density and the current density have been gradually improved with improvements in the junction-housing thermal resistance Rthjc and in the voltage Vce versus current Ic characteristics of IGBTs. A number of those thick-line aluminum bonding wires connectable per unit area is currently about sixteen (16) in maximum. In view of this, the flow of a conduction current per wire is 7.8 A.
Assuming that thick-line aluminum bonding wires are designed to measure 350 micrometers (μm) in diameter and 10 mm in length, a maximal level of a conduction current that is flowable per wire—known as a maximum conduction current—is 18.7 A. Accordingly, in the case of silicon power semiconductor modules, the relationship of the current density versus the maximum conduction current per bonding wire does not cause any serious problems.
However, in wide band gap semiconductor chips made of silicon carbides or else, the current density is much improved so that problems take place in the relationship between the current density and the wire's maximum conduction current. More specifically, in the case of silicon semiconductor modules, the maximum conduction current per bonding wire does not become problems at the time of proper operations. This merely pauses problems only in the event of occurrence of abnormal conditions, such as load shorting or the like. However in wide band gap semiconductor modules, a large current that is almost equal in magnitude tends to flow during normal operations. Thus, it is inevitably required to design the module structure per se by taking account of the maximum conduction current thereof. In order to increase the maximum conduction current per bonding wire, a currently available technique is to enlarge the diameter of bonding wire. Another technique is to lessen the length of such wire. Unfortunately, the former approach has a limit in increasing the wire diameter—its upper limit is approximately at 500 μm. This is due to the presence of the above-stated problems (i.e., the cracking risk due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient, physical breakdown, and the like).


A wood adhesive having a) 100 weight parts of water; b) between 3 and 45 weight parts of a proteinaceous material; c) between 0.01 and 15 weight parts of an acidity regulator; d) between 0.01 and 15 weight parts of an aromatic compound; e) between 0.01 and 15 weight parts of a curing agent; f) between 0.01 and 15 weight parts of a preservative; g) between 0 and 15 weight parts of a viscosity modifier; h) between 0 and 10 weight parts of a filler; and i) between 0 and 15 weight parts of a drier. The wood adhesive can be used for preparation of plywood, blockboard, oriented strand board (OSB), flakeboard, fiberboard, veneer plywood, middle density fiberboard, high density fiberboard, hardboard, flooring substrate, LVL, and so on. A method for preparing the wood adhesive is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wood adhesive and a method of preparing thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many types of wood adhesives currently known, among which urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, phenolic resin adhesive, and melamine formaldehyde resin adhesive are dominant. However, upon production and application of plywood including these wood adhesives, formaldehyde, which is poisonous, will be released. The release period of formaldehyde is up to between 3 and 15 years.
For a newly-decorated house, formaldehyde cannot be evaporated completely within between 1 and 2 years, which results in a long-term high content of formaldehyde indoors and does harm to human health. Properties of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive result in the inevitable release of free formaldehyde upon production of plywood. To reduce the content of formaldehyde in adhesives simply means weakening the bonding strength. Thus, in order to make the release of formaldehyde meet the E2, E1 or even E0 standard, many plywood producers passively deal with formaldehyde by masking, absorption, or blocking. Once the condition is mature, there is still a large amount of formaldehyde released. Although there are some formaldehyde-free wood adhesives, their hot water resistance is poor.

Wood adhesive and method of preparing thereof


A cargo rack apparatus for removable attachment to a boat, such as to the vertical supports of a wakeboard boat tower. One embodiment includes one or more peripheral rails defining front, back, and side walls, and an interior volume, and one or more crossmembers between walls to provide a support surface for stored items. The apparatus can be attached to the vertical supports of the boat tower by releasable connectors or mounts at a plurality of points, and can subsequently be easily and completely removed from the tower. Upon release of only some of the connectors, the rack pivots relative to the tower to enable the storage area of the rack to be brought closer to the user, making it easier to load and unload cargo. The entire rack can also pivot and fold down with the boat tower for storage, towing, and areas of limited clearance. An alternate embodiment provides a sliding arrangement so that the rack apparatus slides longitudinally on one or more of its rails or sides relative to the mount, and can pivot downwardly at any point during or at the end of the sliding displacement.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to boating equipment and accessories, and more particularly to an improved cargo rack apparatus for removable attachment to wakeboard boat towers, T-top boat towers, and the like.
2. Background Art
It is a truism among boating enthusiasts that there is never enough storage room on a boat. This is particularly true in wakeboarding and related water sports, where the boater may need a place to store wakeboards, surfboards, wakesurf boards, tubes, inflatables, kayaks, accessories, and/or other sport cargo.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,819 to Larson, et al. discloses a water sport towing apparatus. The aerial performance characteristics of a performer using a water sport implement such as a wakeboard is enhanced by a towing apparatus which includes vertical supports rigidly attached starboard and port side gunwales of the vessel at a location generally outboard an operator station. A frame including rigid U-shaped bridging supports transversely extends across the beam of the vessel. The frame is pivotally fitted to a forward portion of the vertical supports for rotation from an operating position to a stored position on the deck of the vessel. The U-shaped bridging supports extend substantially above the level of the operator station. One of the U-shaped bridging supports is readily removably attached to the vertical support. A ball assembly is carried by detachable ends of the frame, while a socket assembly is carried by the vertical support. A shaft extends through the socket and has one end threaded for engaging a threaded bore of the ball. An opposing end of the shaft includes a knob for manipulating the shaft into and out of engagement with the ball for readily removable attachment of the ball with the socket and thus the frame with the vertical supports. As a result, the frame can be rotated downwardly onto the deck of the vessel, reducing the elevation of the vessel for passing underneath a bridge or into a garage when being carried by a trailer. A tow rope is attached to a horizontally extending bridging support portion for towing the performer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,638 to Meeks describes a combination water ski and wake board rack. A rack for storing one or more pairs of water skis and wake boards includes one or more pairs of forks having parallel prongs extending from and coplanar with a base plate section. The pairs of forks are mounted on a support bar extending through an opening in the base plate section and may be positioned axially along and orientationally around the bar then clamped in the selected position such that each fork is aligned with its pair member. Each pair of forks preferably has three prongs for stowing one pair of skis or two prongs for storing a wakeboard. A strap is provided for each neighboring pair of each fork having one end attached to an end of one of said neighboring pair of prongs and another end hookable to an end of the neighboring prong so that the strap may be stretched over a water ski or wakeboard nested between neighboring prongs thereby securing a pair of skis or wakeboards.
United States Patent Application 20020053313 by Murphy, et al. teaches a shade cover assembly adapted to be carried on a tower above the cockpit area of a pleasure boat, said shade cover assembly including a generally opaque cover, a cover fixture adapted to be carried by said tower for containing the cover in a rolled up state when in the retracted position and a frame for tensioning said cover when said cover is withdrawn from said fixture and is extended in a generally horizontal position above the cockpit area.
The foregoing patents reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.


An output shaft of a power unit having a driven gear for supplying a power of an internal combustion engine via a transmission mechanism and for outputting the power to an outside of a unit case. Borne members are connected respectively at each end of a cylindrical member of the output shaft. The borne members are rotatably supported by the unit case via a pair of bearings. The driven gear is fitted to one of the borne members in a position adjacent to one of the bearings. As a result, the output shaft of the power unit can be manufactured by a compact manufacturing apparatus, and the output shaft can be reduced in weight while maintaining the strength.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an output shaft of a power unit integrally having an internal combustion engine and a transmission.
2. Description of Background Art
In the power unit, rotation of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine is transmitted to the output shaft after having performed shift transmission by the transmission, and rotation of the output shaft projected from a unit case is transmitted to a drive wheel to rotate the same.
Since a high load is applied to the output shaft, a large output shaft manufactured by forging is normally used for securing strength (for example, JP-A-2003-139124.
The output shaft disclosed in JP-A-2003-139124 is a solid shaft manufactured entirely by forging and hence has a heavy weight.
However, by an ingenuity to increase the diameter of the output shaft only at borne portions, positioning is facilitated and slight reduction of the weight is achieved.
However, in order to reduce the diameter of portions other than the large-diameter borne portion of the output shaft, there is a limit in strength, and the reduction of the weight is only a small extent. In addition, a manufacturing device for integrally forming the entire output shaft by forging is also upsized, so that the facility cost is high.
In view of such problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an output shaft of a power unit which may be manufactured by a small-sized manufacturing device, and may be reduced in weight while maintaining the strength.


An appliance for moiré measurement of an object (12) includes a grating arrangement having a first grating (11) positioned upstream of the object and including test structures to be imaged, a second grating (14) positioned downstream of the object, and an evaluation unit having at least one detector evaluating moiré structures produced by superposing the two gratings in a detection plane situated downstream of the second grating. The object is an anamorphic imaging system, and the respective grating periods of the first grating and of the second grating are selected so that the grating period of the second grating corresponds to a common multiple or a common divisor of the respective periods of two test structure images of the test structures of the first grating produced by the imaging system in two different measurement positions. The two measurement positions differ in relative grating arrangement position and test object position.

Microlithography is used for producing microstructured components such as, for example, integrated circuits or LCDs. The microlithography process is carried out in a so-called projection exposure apparatus comprising an illumination device and a projection lens. The image of a mask (reticle) illuminated by the illumination device is in this case projected by the projection lens onto a substrate (for example a silicon wafer) coated with a light-sensitive layer (photoresist) and arranged in the image plane of the projection lens, in order to transfer the mask structure to the light-sensitive coating of the substrate.
In practice, there is a need to determine optical aberrations, such as e.g. the distortion of the projection lens, as exactly as possible. In particular, the technique of a moiré measurement is known in this respect, said technique comprising the projection of a first grating arranged in an object plane of the projection lens onto a second grating (also referred to as "moiré mask") arranged in the image plane of the projection lens and the measurement of the light intensity respectively transmitted through this arrangement using an (e.g. camera-based) detector arrangement.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show merely schematic illustrations for explaining this principle. Here, the first grating situated in the object plane of the test object in the form of a projection lens 6 is denoted by "5", the produced image of the test structures contained in the first grating 5 is denoted by "7" and the second grating or the moiré mask is denoted by "8". As a rule, the planes of the test structure image on the one hand and of the second grating 8 or of the moiré mask on the other hand coincide and are depicted with spatial separation in FIGS. 8 and 9 only for the purposes of a better illustration. The light distribution 10 (which in accordance with FIG. 9 typically has a characteristic stripe pattern) obtained downstream of the second grating 8 or of the moiré mask in the light propagation direction is determined by way of a detector arrangement 9. Here, in the case of an appropriate design of the grating arrangement made of the first grating and the second grating, the transmitted light intensity in the case of aberration-free imaging is at a maximum and it is reduced in the case where optical aberrations of the projection lens 6 are present since the light from bright regions of the test structures contained in the first grating 5 are increasingly incident on dark regions of the second grating 8 or of the moiré mask in the case of aberration-afflicted imaging.
Different measurement and evaluation methods based on the moiré measurement are known for ascertaining the respectively relevant optical aberrations of the test object or projection lens.
However, what needs to be taken into account here in practice is that the respective measurement signals obtained with the detector arrangement 9 during the aforementioned moiré measurement are not only determined by optical aberrations of the test object or projection lens 6 to be measured, but may possibly also be influenced by manufacturing faults of the first grating 5 containing the test structures and/or of the second grating 8 forming the moiré mask. This is because a consequence of such manufacturing faults is that the respective gratings 5, 8 no longer "fit to one another" in respect of the caused superposition, even in the case of aberration-free imaging by the projection lens 6, and hence fabricate the presence of an optical aberration of the test object in the respectively obtained measurement results.
In order to overcome this problem, it is known to carry out a so-called calibration method, in which—as indicated in FIG. 10—the test object or projection lens 6 is measured in a plurality of different measurement positions, wherein these measurement positions differ from one another in respect of the positioning of the test object relative to the measurement system or the aforementioned grating arrangement made of first grating 5 and second grating 8. In principle, this facilitates a separation of the respective components of the test object from the components of the measurement system in the obtained measurement signals or in the evaluation result obtained in the detection plane. Sometimes, the method is also referred to as a self-calibration method.
In practice, further, there is also the need for a moiré measurement of so-called anamorphic imaging systems. Here, anamorphic imaging is understood to mean imaging which produces a distorted image of the object and which is not an instance of similarity imaging (i.e. which is not representable by a combination of displacement, rotation, mirroring and scaling). In a special case, such an anamorphic imaging system may be e.g. a projection lens which has different imaging scales along two mutually different axes.
A problem occurring when measuring such anamorphic imaging systems in conjunction with the above-described calibration method is that—as indicated in FIG. 11 (in which components which are analogous or have substantially the same function to those in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10 are denoted by corresponding reference signs which, however, have been appended by an apostrophe)—in the different measurement positions brought about during the calibration, there is no longer an originally present fit or correspondence between the moiré mask and these test structures in specific measurement positions (which e.g. are brought about by rotations) as a consequence of the distorted imaging of the test structures, with the consequence that a correct evaluation of the measurement signals becomes difficult or even impossible and the aforementioned calibration method is no longer applicable.
With regard to the prior art, reference is made purely by way of example to U.S. Pat. No. 6,816,247 B1.

Appliance for the moiré measurement of an optical test object


An electronic assembly includes an electronic component and a base. The electronic component and another electronic component have first and second thicknesses respectively. The first thickness is greater than the second thickness. The base includes a main body having a slot, a supporting element movably disposed at the main body, and a first elastic element connected between the main body and the supporting element. When the supporting element is at a first position, the supporting element is hidden in the main body, and the electronic component having the first thickness is adapted to be inserted into the slot. When the supporting element is moved to a second position by an elastic force of the first elastic element, at least part of the supporting element is in the slot, and the electronic component having the second thickness is adapted to be inserted into the slot and supported by the supporting element.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to a base and an electronic assembly having the same; more specifically, to a base having a slot and an electronic assembly having the same.
2. Description of Related Art
With the development of technology, battery has become an indispensable source of electricity for portable electronic device. Portable electronic devices, such as a smart phone, a tablet pc, or a notebook computer, all may use batteries as the source of electricity. Currently, some portable devices are designed to be capable of choosing batteries with different capacity based on the requirement. Generally, a thickness and a weight of a high capacity battery are bigger than a low capacity battery. A user may choose to use the high capacity battery to prolong a usage time of the electronic device or choose to use the low capacity battery to decrease the weight of the portable device.
Charging dock with a single specification is hard to be used with batteries with different thickness and caused inconvenience for the user when charging. For example, if a width of the slot of the charging dock is corresponding to the thickness of the high capacity battery, when the user insert the low capacity battery into the slot of the charging dock, the low capacity battery is not able to be firmly inserted into the slot since its thickness is smaller than the width of the slot of the charging dock. Therefore, the low capacity battery may not able to be charged or a poor contact may be caused.

Charging base for multiple different sized components positioned using rotating elements


The invention provides a method for preforming soles which includes compressing a foot so as to push soft fat tissue masses of the foot on its underside and inner and outer lateral arches inward toward a top of the leg; making an accurate molding of the foot thus compressed by using material for making the molding which is capable of flowing into cavities which result from the compression of the foot and which is capable of filling the cavities; removing the foot from the molding; and placing a sole blank on a bottom of the molding, the blank preferably having been treated so as to be capable of being shaped by pressure from a foot on it; and pressing the foot, which is still compressed, onto the blank so as to shape it between an inner face of the foot and the bottom of the molding. The apparatus of the invention includes at least one tube, connected to a vacuum source to be connected to an interior space of at least one bag made from airtight material into which a user's foot may be placed, with gripping means being provided for tightening an upper part of the bag around the user's lower leg and at least one airtight flexible pouch containing a granular material such as polystyrene pellets, the pouch being connected to a source for placing its inner volume under vacuum.

The present invention relates to a method for forming soles and a device for implementing this method.
This method and this device are intended, in particular, for manufacturing corrective soles which can be used in podology or high-performance soles to be used when taking part in sports.
It is known to make the molding of a foot by means of an apparatus comprising at least one airtight flexible pouch containing a granular material such as polystyrene pellets, the pouch being connected to a vacuum pump enabling it to be placed under vacuum. For making the molding, the foot is firstly pressed on the pouch, the inner volume of which is then at atmospheric pressure, until it pushes into the granular material. The pouch is then placed under vacuum. It shrinks around the foot, drawing the granular material together, and preserves the molding thus obtained for as long as the vacuum is maintained.
A sole blank cut from a sheet of thermoplastic material is then heated by suitable means and is then placed in the bottom of the molding. The user again inserts his foot in the molding and presses on this blank to mold it by squashing it between the underside of his foot and the bottom of the molding. After cooling, the blank preserves the shape imparted to it by the foot and by the bottom of the molding and constitutes a sole to be placed in a shoe.
When it is desired to obtain a corrective sole, the usual procedure is to place, on the bottom of the molding, one or more corrective elements, of slightly domed shape, for creating a convex relief at the appropriate places of the sole blank. This or these elements are usually placed at the location of the metatarsal heads and are commonly called "metatarsal pads" or "retrocapital bars".
The convex reliefs thus obtained on the sole make it possible to relieve the metatarsal pressure and to reshape the natural arch of the front of the foot at the metatarsal heads, this arch tending to collapse when the foot is pressing down.
In practice, it is very difficult to position these metatarsal pads or retrocapital bars completely accurately. A fault in positioning gives rise to the metatarsal heads pressing against this relief of the sole, which can prove to be uncomfortable, painful in the long term, and even traumatizing.
A reduction in the dimensions of the pad for relieving this positioning inaccuracy leads to a reduction in the dimensions of the convex reliefs created on the sole and therefore the efficiency of the foot's support.
Furthermore, it is also very difficult accurately to determine the thickness to give to these metatarsal pads or retrocapital bars. This is because the flexibility of the foot at the metatarsal heads varies a great deal from one individual to another. An excessive height of the pad is uncomfortable and painful for the user, whereas an insufficient height limits the foot's support and thus to reduce sic! the efficiency of the sole.
The present invention aims to remedy this main drawback by providing a method which makes it possible to obtain a positioning and a shape, perfectly adapted to each user, of the convex reliefs of the sole for supporting the foot, as well as the inner and outer lateral plantar arches of the foot.
To this end, the method to which it relates comprises the steps of:
compressing the foot so as to push the soft fat tissue masses it comprises on its underside and inner and outer lateral arches inward, i.e. toward the top of the leg; PA1 making an accurate molding of the foot thus compressed, i.e. by using a material for making a molding which is capable of flowing into the cavities which result from the compression of the foot and which is capable of filling these cavities; PA1 removing the foot from the molding; PA1 placing a sole blank in the bottom of the molding, this blank preferably having been treated so as to be capable of being shaped by pressure from the foot on it; and PA1 pressing the foot, which is still compressed, onto this blank so as to shape it between the inner face of the foot and the bottom of the molding.
The foot actually comprises bony parts, such as the metatarsal heads, which are hard, and fatty or tissue parts, which are soft. These soft parts tend to collapse when the foot is pressing down, particularly at the location of the abovementioned metatarsal heads and lateral arches. It thus appears that many feet, at the location of these heads and of these arches, form a convex molding when they are pressing down, whereas this molding is naturally flattened or concave at these same locations of the foot when the foot is not pressing down.
According to the prior art, the molding is made when the foot is not compressed and when it is pressing down, therefore when its soft parts have collapsed. The result of this is that it is necessary to use the "pads" or "bars" referred to hereinabove, and that soles of inaccurate shape are obtained which do not provide complete support for the foot.
In the method according to the invention, compression of the soft parts of the foot makes it possible to prevent any collapse of these soft parts when making the molding, so that the underside of the foot retains the shape it has naturally, i.e. when it is not pressing down. Moreover, this compression makes it possible to place the foot in a configuration which reproduces the constraints of a shoe.
The molding of the foot is then made using a material capable of flowing into the cavities formed by the compression of the soft matter, i.e. so as perfectly to match the underside of the foot thus compressed.
The molding obtained corresponds to the shape which the foot has when it is not pressing down. In particular, it has one or more convex reliefs in its portion which corresponds to the metatarsal heads and to the inner and outer arches.
When the blank of the sole is being formed between the foot and the bottom of the molding, by pressing the foot down on the blank, the domed reliefs of the molding are reproduced on the blank and give the sole obtained a shape which corresponds accurately to that of the user's foot. By virtue of these reliefs, the sole obtained provides perfect support for the foot and is perfectly adapted to the user's foot, particularly as regards the positioning and the height of these reliefs as well as the constraints exerted on the foot by a shoe.
The foot is compressed preferably by means of a flexible bag made from airtight material into which a tube, connected to a source for placing under vacuum, emerges, means being provided for tightening the upper part of the bag around the user's lower leg after the foot has been inserted in the bag.
Placing the inner volume of the bag under vacuum makes it possible to obtain a uniformly distributed compression of the entire foot.
The molding is advantageously made by means of at least one airtight flexible pouch containing a granular material such as polystyrene pellets, the pouch being connected to a source for placing its inner volume under vacuum.
The foot's pressing on the pouch makes it possible to force the granular material in the direction of the cavities which result from the compression of the soft parts of the foot. The pressure of the foot on the pouch distributes the granular material naturally and causes it to flow into the aforementioned cavities.
The method of the invention is preferably applied simultaneously to both of the user's feet so as to enable him to press down on both his feet when the molding is made and the sole blanks are shaped.
The invention also relates to the device for implementing this method.
This device is of the type comprising at least one airtight flexible pouch containing a granular material such as polystyrene pellets, the pouch being connected to a source for placing its interior volume under vacuum. According to the invention, the device comprises at least one tube, connected to the source for placing under vacuum, to be connected to the interior space of at least one bag made from airtight material into which the user's foot may be placed, gripping means being provided for tightening the upper part of the bag around the user's lower leg.
These means preferably consist of a strip which has complementary self-gripping surfaces.
So that it can be understood properly, the invention is again described hereinbelow with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawing which, by way of nonlimiting examples, represents various phases in the method to which it relates and the device for implementing this method.

Societe D'Importation De Diffusion Ou Distribution D'Articles De Sport S.I.D.A.S.


A modular plug has a modular housing, a first array of terminals retracted from a second array of terminals disposed at the front end of the modular housing. The unraveled wires are received in respective slots arranged in two rows in the housing. The slots have a shield function for preventing, the cross-talk between the unraveled wires.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a modular plug and, more particularly, to a modular plug capable of improving cross-talk characteristics of the higher-frequency signal components in the signal transmitted through the modular plug.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Modular plugs are generally attached onto both ends of modular cables connecting together a variety of information equipment such as telephone set, personal computer, modem and facsimile. The modular cable connecting together the information equipment such as a personal computer for communications includes a plurality of twisted-wire pairs, wherein a specified modular plug is connected to each end of the modular cable for the convenience of electrical connection and for adapting the request from the standardized equipment.
FIGS. 23 and 24 show a conventional modular plug connected to an end of a modular cable 11 in perspective views. FIG. 23 shows the modular plug 12 from the topside thereof mounting thereon pressure contact terminals 13, whereas FIG. 24 shows the modular plug 12 from the bottom side thereof mounting thereon a clip 14.
FIG. 25 shows the conventional modular plug 12 during connection to a modular cable 11 including a plurality of twisted-wire pairs 16. The front end portions 17 of the twisted wires of a twisted-wire pair 16 are unraveled, or released from one another, and the unraveled wires 17 are inserted into the housing 19 of the modular plug 12 in the direction of an arrow 18. Each tip of the unraveled wire 17 is fixed by a pressure contact terminal (terminal), which is not specifically shown in the drawing and pressed by a corresponding electrode of the modular jack.
Mere insertion of the wires 11 into the modular housing 19 and application of the pressure contact to the wires provide the structure of the connected modular plug shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. The modular plug 12 is used in combination with a modular jack as a connector by inserting the modular plug 12 into the opening of a modular jack. This combination of connector is widely used in the communication industry due to a low cost for the connection.
In a data network communication equipment, there is an ever request for a higher bit-rate communication and a problem of an increased terminal cross-talk, especially in a broadband communication. The term "terminal cross-talk" as used in this text means a cross-talk occurring in a connector nearest to the communication equipment, wherein the output signal of a transmitter in the equipment is mixed into the input signal of a receiver in the equipment. The terminal cross-talk results from a capacitive coupling between adjacent wires or between adjacent electrodes in the modular connector, degrading the signal quality in the communication.
For example, the twisted wires of a wire pair 16 in the modular cable 11 shown in FIG. 25 are unraveled from the twisting at the tip portion 17 of the wires to extend parallel to one another, thereby generating terminal cross-talk at the parallel running portions of the wires.
TIA/EIA-568 (TIA/EIA; The US Telecommunications Industries Association and Electronics Industries Association) issued by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and ISO/IEC-11801 (ISO/IEC: International Organization for Standardization) prescribe standards of wire connection, which is vulnerable to an external electric disturbance and susceptible to the cross-talk.
FIG. 26 schematically shows an example of conventional connections of wires to a modular plug, wherein first to fourth wire pairs 161 to 164 are connected to first to eighth terminals 211 to 218 of a terminal board 13 of the modular plug. The wires of first wire pair 161 and fourth wire pair 164 are connected to the respective terminals in the order of arrangement of the wire pairs 161 and 164 and arrangement of the terminals 211, 212, 217 and 218. In this example, by setting the distance between the first wire pair 161 and the second wire pair 162 and the distance between the third wire pair 163 and fourth wire pair 164 larger than the distance between second wire pair 162 and the third wire pair 163, the cross-talk between the unraveled wires running parallel to one another after unraveling from the twisted state can be alleviated.
However, the connections of the wires to the terminals of the modular plug involve an intersection between one of the unraveled wires from the second wire pair 162 and unraveled wires from the third wire pair 163 due to the arrangement of the terminals 213, 214, 215 and 216 of the terminal board 13 The intersection between the unraveled wires incurs the problems of external disturbance and cross-talk therebetween. JP Patent Publication 2002-510854 of a PCT application, for example, describes a technique for reducing the influence by cross-talk in such a case (FIGS. 32 and 33 in the publication).
FIG. 27 shows the structure described in the patent publication, wherein a support block 31 depicted in a sectional view is disposed in the vicinity of the terminal board in the modular plug, the support block 31 having slots for passing therethrough and supporting the unraveled wires 321 to 328. These slots are arranged such that the wires 323 and 326 are disposed at a vertical distance D1 apart from the other wires, as viewed from the center-to-center distance. The larger distance between the unraveled wires 32 reduces the capacitive coupling between the wires 32 and thus the cross-talk therebetween.
In the structure described in the patent publication, however, there also remains portions of the unraveled wires of the wire pairs running parallel to one another outside the support block 3. The parallel running of the unraveled wires inevitably incurs the problem of the terminal cross-talk depending on the bit rate of the data communication.


The present invention is drawn to a system and method for transmitting a data signal using digital subscriber loops in an expanded frequency band. According to the present invention, an encoder receives a data signal to be transmitted to a second modem. The encoder generates both an in-phase and a quadrature signal based on the data signal. Both the in-phase signal and the quadrature signals are then processed by a signal precoder in preparation for transmission across the channel. Next, the in-phase and quadrature signals are processed by digital filters to produce signals of limited bandwidth which can be transmitted across the channel. The coefficients of the digital filter are chosen such that the resulting filtered in-phase and quadrature signals are transmitted in an expanded bandwidth. The quadrature signal is filtered so as to be orthogonal to the in-phase signal. Thereafter the filtered signals are added and then converted to an analog signal which is transmitted to the second modem. The second modem features signal recovery circuitry which will process the expanded bandwidth resulting in a baseband which features an increased signal to noise ratio making the data transmission less susceptible to interference.

The speed of data communication is being pushed to ever increasing rates. The advent of Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) now makes data communication in the megabit-per-second range possible across existing copper wire links between subscriber modems and central office modems in the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
As known to those skilled in the art, a central office provides individual subscribers with access to the PSTN. In most cases, the subscriber is linked to the central office via a twisted pair of copper wires. The central office provides an interface between the subscriber to the PSTN.
In order to facilitate DSL communication, a DSL modem is included in the link at the central office to communicate with a DSL modem used on the subscriber end of the two wire pair. DSL provides high-speed multimedia services which can operate up to approximately 400 times faster that traditional analog telephone modems.
DSL comes in several different configurations. One is the Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) which provides data rates of 32 kbps to 8.192 Mbps while simultaneously providing telephone phone service. Also, Rate Adaptive Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (RADSL) is much like ADSL, only it allows bandwidth adjustment to fit the particular application and to accommodate the length and quality of the line. In particular, the data rate of a RADSL may be adjusted downward to accommodate a longer distance to the central office. Other configurations include High-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL), Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL), and Very high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL).
While DSL provides much higher rates of data communication, it is not without problems. In particular, at the higher frequencies used in DSL communication, the traditional two wire interface may not provide a reliable pathway or channel through which the data signal can travel. Often times, an interfering signal may be induced onto the two wire channel from a second two wire in close proximity. Such a signal might be from a second DSL modem that is communicating to the same central office.
Another problem may be the quality of the two wire channel itself. High frequency traffic generally experiences greater attenuation in the two wire channels. Also, interconnections that occur in the channel may degrade or loosen over a period of time, causing noise and further signal degradation.
As a result, data communication using DSL is becoming more susceptible to interference that causes disruption of the data signal. As more and more digital subscriber lines are installed, the probability of interference among two wire channels increases. Also, as the existing copper two wire network gets older, the quality of the channels will further degrade. Additionally, as DSL gains in popularity, it is likely that subscribers who are located greater distances away from central offices will desire DSL service, even though the longer distance results in greater signal attenuation.
Consequently, there is a need for a DSL transmitter which overcomes the problems of data signal interference and attenuation currently experienced.

System and method for optimizing high speed data transmission


In a semiconductor substrate, a shallow trench isolation structure having a dielectric material disposed in voids of a trench-fill material and a method for forming the shallow trench isolation structure. The voids may be formed during a wet clean process after the dielectric material is formed in the trench. A conformal silicon nitride layer is formed over the substrate and in the voids. After removal of the silicon nitride layer, the voids are at least partially filled by the silicon nitride material.

Integrated circuits typically comprise a semiconductor substrate and semiconductor devices, such as transistors, comprising doped regions within the substrate. Interconnect structures overlie the semiconductor substrate for electrically connecting the doped regions to form electrical devices and circuits. Conventional interconnect structures comprise dielectric layers alternating with conductive layers. Substantially vertical conductive vias or plugs in the dielectric layers connect substantially horizontal conductive traces or runners in the conductive layers.
A CMOS device (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) comprises an n-channel and a p-channel metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) formed in oppositely-doped adjacent wells. Each MOSFET further comprises source and drain regions separated by a channel, a gate oxide formed over the channel and a doped polysilicon gate electrode formed over the gate oxide. An appropriate gate voltage inverts the channel to permit current flow between the source and the drain regions.
Within an integrated circuit substrate, it may be necessary to electrically isolate certain doped regions to avoid the effects of parasitic devices that are formed by the undesired interaction of doped regions. For example, a parasitic bipolar structure, e.g., a p-n-p-n thyristor, is formed by the wells and the doped source/drain regions of a CMOS device. The thyristor is inoperative (off) under normal CMOS operating conditions. However, under certain bias conditions the p-n-p regions supply base current to the n-p-n regions, causing leakage current flow between the two MOSFETS of the CMOS device that can cause latch-up of the CMOS device. Isolation structures are conventionally formed within the substrate between adjacent MOSFETS to prevent this leakage current.
An oxide (silicon dioxide) isolation region, formed according to a local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) process or according to a shallow trench isolation (STI) process, electrically isolates doped regions of adjacent transistors (or other devices formed in the integrated circuit) to minimize leakage current and reduce the aforementioned parasitic effects.
The local oxidation of silicon process forms recessed LOCOS isolation regions in non-active areas (field regions) of the semiconductor substrate. According to one LOCOS process, a layer of silicon nitride is deposited over the substrate and patterned according to conventional masking and etching steps to form openings in the silicon nitride that expose underlying semiconductor substrate regions. The isolating LOCOS regions are formed by oxidizing the exposed semiconductor substrate through the openings. No oxidation occurs in the regions masked by the silicon nitride.
An STI structure comprises a dielectric-filled substrate trench (about 300 nm deep) for electrically isolating active devices. Shallow trench isolation structures enjoy certain advantages over LOCOS structures as the STI structures consume less substrate surface area and exhibit a flatter upper surface topography. The reduced area consumption permits the circuit designer to include more transistors per unit area in the integrated circuit. The flatter upper surface topography is beneficial for forming properly dimensioned overlying material layers and for accurate photolithographic patterning.
STI structures, which are especially useful for device sizes below about 0.25 microns, also provide superior isolation because sharp corners formed at the bottom of the STI trench create voltage barriers that tend to block leakage currents between adjacent doped regions. LOCOS regions generally present rounded corners and thus may permit some leakage current.
FIGS. 5-8 are cross-sectional views across a common plane (not drawn to scale) illustrating successive prior art processing steps for forming a shallow trench isolation structure in a substrate of one integrated circuit of a plurality of integrated circuits formed on a wafer.
A semiconductor substrate 30 in FIG. 5 comprises spaced-apart doped regions 32. It is desired to isolate the doped regions 32 with a shallow trench isolation structure therebetween. A stress-reducing silicon dioxide layer 36 (also referred to as a pad oxide layer 36) is deposited or grown over an upper surface 37 of the substrate 30. Next, a silicon nitride layer 38 is deposited (typically according to a low pressure chemical vapor deposition process) over the silicon dioxide layer 36.
A photoresist layer 40 is deposited, exposed and developed according to known processes to form an opening 41 therein.
An opening 46 with sidewalls 47 is formed in the silicon nitride layer 38 and the pad oxide layer 36 through the opening 41. The opening 46 is preferably formed using a plasma etching process employing oxygen and a fluorine-containing gas, such as C2F6 and/or CHF3 (the fluorine-containing gas is selective to the silicon substrate 30).
The photoresist layer 40 is removed and the wafer is cleaned. Using the opening 46 as a mask, a trench 48 (see FIG. 6) with sidewalls 49 is formed in the semiconductor substrate 30 during an etching step, conventionally comprising a plasma dry etch using hydrogen bromide and chlorine.
A dielectric liner film 50 is formed or deposited in the trench 48.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, an STI structure 55 is formed by depositing dielectric material in the trench 48. The material deposition comprises a first step wherein a relatively low density dielectric material 56A is deposited within the trench 48 substantially adjacent the liner film 50. During a second deposition (bulk deposition) step, sufficient power is supplied to the deposition chamber to form a high ion density, which increases the material deposition rate (and the process throughput) to form a high-density dielectric material 56B (e.g., undoped silicate glass) in the trench 48. Typically the latter deposition is performed according to a high-density plasma undoped silicate glass deposition process (HDP USG). In another embodiment an atmospheric chemical vapor deposition process (APCVD) can be used in lieu of the HDP USG process. To deposit the high-density HDP USG material 56B, a plasma ion density in a range of about 1011 to about 1013 ions/cm3 is created within the deposition chamber, causing a relatively high material deposition rate and formation of the high-density material.
During the deposition step, dielectric material is also deposited on an upper surface 59 of the silicon nitride layer 38. A chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) step removes the dielectric material from the upper surface 59, stopping on the silicon nitride layer 38. Since the CMP polishing rate for the dielectric material (e.g., HDP USC) is greater than the CMP polishing rate for silicon nitride, an upper surface 60 of the STI structure 55 is recessed below the upper surface 59 of the silicon nitride layer 38.
To complete formation of the STI structure 55, the wafer is cleaned according to a hydrofluoric (HF) clean process, the silicon nitride layer 38 and the pad oxide layer 36 are removed using known processes, such as an HF wet etch, and finally the wafer is cleaned again. FIG. 8 illustrates the structural elements of the STI structure 55, including sidewalls 62, following completion of these processing steps. For convenience, the low-density dielectric material 56A and the high-density dielectric material 56B are not separately depicted.
During the wet etch process to remove the silicon nitride layer 38 and the pad oxide layer 36, voids 70 (see FIG. 8) form at an interface between the low-density dielectric material and the high-density dielectric material.
During later deposition of a gate polysilicon layer, undesired polysilicon stringers (referred to as "wrap-ups") can form around the sidewalls 62 and in the voids 70. The stringers may create short circuits or leakage current paths that defeat the STI isolation function, degrading performance of the integrated circuit, resulting in reliability issues and device failures. A process scheme that prevents void formation at the interface is desired.
In an effort to reduce a width and a depth of the voids 70 (and thus the likelihood that polysilicon stringers will form), it is known to shorten a duration of the cleaning step (typically a hydrofluoric acid clean) that follows the wet etch process for removing the silicon nitride layer 38 and the pad oxide layer 36. However, it is also known that a shorter clean may cause nitride residues and contaminants to remain on the substrate 30, possibly causing undesirable short circuits or leakage currents within the STI structure 55 and the substrate 30.

Robust shallow trench isolation structures and a method for forming shallow trench isolation structures