A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process employs a ceria-based slurry as an abrasive. In particular, a nitride pattern is formed over a semiconductor substrate, and an oxide layer is then formed over the semiconductor substrate and the nitride pattern. Next, a sacrificial insulation layer which is devoid of surface steps is formed over the oxide layer. The sacrificial insulation layer and the oxide layer are then polished by CMP using the ceria-based slurry and using the nitride pattern as a stopper.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the manufacture of semiconductor devices, and more particularly, the present invention relates to the planarization of the surface of an insulation layer by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) using a ceria-based slurry.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the degree of integration of microelectronic devices continues to increase, planarization processes used in the fabrication of such devices become more and more critical. That is, efforts to achieve highly integrated semiconductor devices are typically attended by the stacking of multiple interconnection and other layers on a semiconductor wafer. The resultant unevenness of the wafer surface presents a variety of problems which are well-documented in the art. Planarization processes are thus adopted at various stages of fabrication in an effort to minimize irregularities in the wafer surface.
One such planarization technique is chemical/mechanical polishing (CMP). In CMP, the wafer surface is pressed against a polishing pad in relative rotation. During polishing, an abrasive and chemically reactive solution known as a CMP slurry is made to flow into the polishing pad. This CMP technique planarizes the wafer surface by means of chemical and physical reactions, that is, by supplying the chemically reactive slurry as a thin film on a patterned surface of the wafer while at the same time physically pressing the relative rotating surface of the polishing pad against the surface of the wafer.
One common application of CMP is in shallow trench isolation (STI). In STI techniques, relatively shallow isolation trenches are formed which function as field regions used to separate active regions on a wafer. In this process, a nitride (SiN) stop layer is deposited over on a semiconductor substrate. The nitride stop layer is then patterned and etched to form trenches which extend through the nitride stop layer and into the semiconductor substrate. Thereafter, an insulating oxide layer (which will ultimately forms the trench oxide regions) is deposited so as to fill the trenches and cover the surface of the nitride stop layer. The oxide layer is then subjected to CMP so as to remove the oxide layer down to the level of the nitride stop layer. In particular, during the CMP process, the oxide layer is removed until the upper surface of the nitride stop layer is exposed. Due to differing chemical and physical characteristics thereof, the oxide and nitride layers exhibit different removal rates when subjected to CMP using known slurries. The ratio of these removal rates at least partially defines the xe2x80x9cselectivityxe2x80x9d of the slurry being used. The lower the selectivity of the slurry, the more nitride that will be polished away during the CMP process.
Recently, ceria-based slurries (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9cceria slurriesxe2x80x9d) have been introduced which contain cerium oxide particles and which provide suitable abrasive characteristics for insulation layers containing SiO2 as a major component. These ceria slurries have a relatively high oxide-to-nitride selectivity of about 45:1. In contrast, commonly used silica-based slurries (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9csilica slurriesxe2x80x9d) have oxide-to-nitride selectivities of about 4:1. As such, the stopper function of the nitride stop layer is more effective using ceria slurries. Further, variations in the thickness of the nitride layer after CMP processing are minimized.
One drawback of ceria slurries, however, resides in fact that the oxide removal rate thereof drops sharply in the case where the oxide surface being polished is uneven and/or contains pattern steps. In contrast, the oxide removal rate of silica slurries is not dependent on whether the oxide surface being polished is uneven and/or contains pattern steps.
Two examples in which the oxide surface being polished is uneven or contains pattern steps are described below with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which are sectional views for use in explaining conventional trench refill processes in the manufacture of semiconductor devices at a comparatively small design rule.
In FIG. 1, a nitride pattern 12 having a predetermined surface configuration is formed over a semiconductor substrate 10. Exposed portions of the semiconductor substrate 10 are then etched to a predetermined depth to form a plurality of trenches. These trenches are then filled with a material which is highly flowable and thus exhibits a favorable filling property, such as a high density plasma oxide (HDP) material, thereby resulting in a first oxide layer 22. The favorable filling property of the material ensures sufficient step coverage (without voids) even for trenches having high aspect ratios which are typically resident in a cell array region. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the HDP material is also deposited on the nitride layer 12 between the trenches. These portions of the first oxide layer 22 are shown in FIG. 1 as having triangular cross-sections. Then, a conformable material which forms a second oxide layer 24 is deposited to a uniform thickness over the first oxide layer 22. Examples of the material of the second oxide layer 24 include borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), undoped silicate glass (USG), and plasma-enhanced tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). The cross-sectional profile of the first oxide layer 22 is reflected in the surface configuration of the second oxide layer 24. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, local steps A are formed in the surface of the second oxide layer 24. In addition, local steps B are formed between the cell array region having relatively narrow trenches and a peripheral circuit region having relatively wide trenches.
The configuration of FIG. 2 differs from that of FIG. 1 in that a single oxide layer 24 is deposited in the configuration of FIG. 2 (i.e., the deposition of a highly flowable layer 22 of FIG. 1 is omitted). As shown, even in the absence of the initial deposition of the layer 22, the underlying trenches of the cell array region create local steps C in the surface of the second oxide layer 24 (e.g., USG layer). Also, as shown, local steps similar to the steps B of FIG. 1 are formed between the cell array region having relatively narrow trenches and a peripheral circuit region having relatively wide trenches.
FIG. 3 is a graph which comparatively shows CMP performances of silica and ceria slurries in the polishing of the stepped-surface cell array region to reduce or eliminate the local steps B shown in FIG. 1. The results of FIG. 3 were measured with respect to a semiconductor substrate 10 in which an HDP first oxide layer 22 and a PE-TEOS second oxide layer 24 were deposited in sequence. In FIG. 3, the plot xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d for silica slurry shows an oxide removal rate of about 3000 xc3x85/min in the cell array region. The same result is observed when the CMP is applied under the same conditions to an oxide layer which does not have a stepped surface. In contrast, the plot xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d for ceria slurry shows an oxide removal rate of about 160 xc3x85/min in the cell array region. This oxide removal rate is very low when compared to the CMP performance of ceria slurry (about 3300 xc3x85/min, not shown) when applied to a oxide layer which does not have surface steps. The sharp degradation of the oxide removal rate of the ceria slurry tends to occur where the oxide layer surface of the cell array region contains steps as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.
For these reasons, the conventional CMP process is carried out in two stages. In a first stage, the silica slurry is first utilized to polish the oxide layer since is has a high removal rate that is not degraded by the presence of steps in the oxide surface. Then, in a second stage, the ceria slurry is utilized to again polish the oxide layer since it exhibits a high oxide-to-nitride selectivity and thus enhances the stopper function of the nitride pattern. This need for two different process stages using two different slurries increases the overall complexity of the CMP process, thus increasing costs and lowering throughput.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an effective method for planarizing an oxide layer having local steps in a surface using a single stage chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process.
To achieve the object of the present invention, there is provided a planarization method for a semiconductor device which a nitride pattern is formed over a semiconductor substrate, and an oxide layer is then formed over the semiconductor substrate and the nitride pattern. Next, a sacrificial insulation layer which is devoid of surface steps is formed over the oxide layer. The sacrificial insulation layer and the oxide layer are then polished by CMP using the ceria-based slurry and using the nitride pattern as a stopper.
The planarization method is effective to compensate a degradation in ceria slurry performance which would otherwise result from the presence of steps in the surface of the oxide layer. Such steps generally occur in cases where the oxide layer is used to fill trenches formed in an active region of the semiconductor substrate.

Method for planarizing a semiconductor device using ceria-based slurry


An automotive device for displaying one or more vehicle parameters is provided. The vehicle parameters are retrieved from one or more computers that are on board a vehicle and are connected to the vehicle data bus. The automotive device includes a processor, a display and a connector. The connector releasably connects to a vehicle data bus allowing the processor to retrieve data from the vehicle data bus and output to the data to display one or more vehicle parameters.

Modern vehicles typically have a vehicle diagnostic system, including one or more separate computer control modules. Examples of such computer control modules (also known as just "modules") are: a powertrain control module (PCM), an engine control module (ECM), a transmission control module (TCM), an ABS control module, and an air bag control module. Typically the computer control modules are connected together by a data link, forming the vehicle diagnostic system. The data link typically has a connection point, or data link connector (DLC) located in the cockpit of the vehicle. Typically the vehicle diagnostic system is used to proved relevant information to repair technicians. The DLC provides repair technicians with a place to connect off-board vehicle diagnostic devices, such as scan tools and code readers to the vehicle diagnostic system.
"Off-board devices," such as scan tools and code readers are known in the art. Scan tool and code reader testing devices interface with vehicle diagnostic systems to, e.g., access, display, and/or print vehicle diagnostic information. OBD II (On-Board Diagnostics version II) Scan Tools are one commonly known type of scan tool and are governed by a number of standards, e.g., SAE J1978 Rev. 1998-02 and SAE J1979 Rev. 1997-09.
There are different types of scan tools. An "OBD II Scan Tool" complies with the above-identified specifications. By contrast, a "Manufacturer-Specific Scan Tool" is a scan tool that accesses and displays proprietary manufacturer-specific data (and possibly also additionally accesses and displays OBD II data). Examples of proprietary manufacturer-specific data include Device Controls on General Motors, On-Demand Tests in Ford, Actuator Tests, Sensor Tests, Interrogator, and Read Temporary Codes in Chrysler. In general, air bag data, ABS data, cruise control data, and climate control data are also considered to be proprietary manufacturer-specific data and are typically included only in Manufacturer-Specific Scan Tools.
Typically, scan tools are capable of performing at least some of the following major functions: "View Data," also known as "Live Data," "Data," and "Data Test, DTC" (viewing and displaying in real-time live changing data from a plurality of module sensors), display of textual diagnosis descriptions corresponding to the various diagnostic codes, recording and playback of data, device control (manually controlling modules for diagnostic purposes), and reading and displaying vehicle information from the vehicle's computer (e.g., VIN information, controller calibration identification number, etc.).
Modern vehicles are generally equipped with numerous sensors, such as, for example, oil pressure, coolant temperature, transmission temperature, engine temperature, etc. Typically, most of the sensors are connected to a computer control module that continually monitors the sensors and regulates the vehicles functions accordingly. Generally the information generated by the sensor is continually passed along the vehicle data link as part of the vehicle diagnostic system. Thus, the scan tools are capable of reading, in real time, many parameters of the vehicle operation, such as, for example, speed, oil pressure, coolant temperature, engine revolutions per minute, and battery charging voltage because the parameters are continually updated and passed along on the vehicle data bus.
Many car enthusiasts, backyard mechanics, and hobbyists are not satisfied with the limited instrumentation, such as, for example, the number of gauges and warning indication lights, commonly referred to as "dummy lights," that are standard features on many automobiles, and often desire to add additional display gauges to their automobiles. Examples of typical gauges that are added by car enthusiasts are tachometers showing engine revolutions per minute, oil pressure gauges, oil temperature gauges, coolant temperature gauges, coolant pressure gages, etc. Installing these additional gauges, however, can be a complicated endeavor.
Generally, the additional gauges are typically connected in one of two ways. In the first, the car enthusiast locates the correct wiring and splices the new gauge wiring into the existing sensor wiring. Locating the correct wires and following them to a convenient splice point is a difficult task and requires knowledge, time, patience, and skill that some individuals simply do not have. Moreover, this greatly complicates the task of writing comprehensive instructions because many models and makes of automobiles require individually tailored instructions to account for differences in diagnostic system configurations. In addition, if the splice is not correctly performed and properly sealed, the gauge will fail to work, and the connection between the sensor and the onboard computer may be degraded, resulting in the possible malfunction of that sensor, and possibly affecting operation of the internal combustion system. In addition, over time the splice connection might fail due to the constant vibrations within the automotive environment. The second common way to connect additional gauges is to add additional sensors to the automobile. Adding additional sensors is a complicated process, which involves mounting the sensor, connecting power to the sensor, and routing the wire to the new gauge. The skill that is required to perform this task is beyond that of many individuals. Therefore, there exists a need for a gauge display device that does not suffer the aforementioned deficiencies.

Data link connector (DLC) driven display


This disclosure covers systems and methods that administer a digital survey to respondents who interact with a biometric sensor to collect and convert biometric data into behavioral and physical characteristics of the respondents. In certain embodiments, by converting biometric data into respondent characteristics, the disclosed systems and methods identify various unwritten or nonverbal responses of survey respondents who respond to a digital survey or who interact with a display medium that captures survey data. To facilitate review of respondents' characteristics and responses, in some embodiments, the disclosed systems and methods further categorize the converted respondent characteristics within a response database for the digital survey.

Digital content providers increasingly distribute digital surveys and other digital content to network users and other audiences. As digital content proliferates, audiences find both a seemingly endless amount of digital content competing for their attention and numerous computing devices that display that digital content. This increase in both digital content and computing devices complicates the administration of digital surveys, whether that survey be digitally distributed through personal computing devices or passively taken by audiences engaging with display mediums in a public place, such as cardboard standup displays, kiosks, and marquees.
Digital surveys present a unique challenge to survey administration because survey respondents are not only bombarded with digital content, but also insulated from survey administrators through a computing device and (often times) a network. When a potential survey respondent responds to a digital survey using a mobile device or personal computer, for example, textual questions and responses often do not (or cannot) capture certain characteristics of a survey respondent, such as the survey respondent's age, attentiveness, or gender. Moreover, the insulation and anonymity of a computing device often prevents conventional digital survey systems from gathering information from a potential respondent to detect the respondent's interaction with (or unwritten reaction to) the digital survey. A survey respondent may, for example, misrepresent biographical information while taking a digital survey, watch a video while taking a digital survey, or perform another activity that distracts the respondent from the digital survey. Conventional digital survey systems may not detect such misrepresentation of information or distracted behavior.
Despite the value of knowing a survey respondent's activities, unwritten reactions, or other characteristics, conventional digital survey systems often cannot collect accurate data concerning certain characteristics of a survey respondent beyond asking the respondent to directly provide such information in response to textual questions. But survey respondents often provide unreliable information. Some conventional digital survey systems detect a limited scope of a survey respondent's characteristics by using a cookie to detect activity within a web browser or a software application to detect (or receives notifications of) functions performed by other software applications. But conventional digital survey systems fail to detect a survey respondent's reaction to specific survey questions, activity or attentiveness while taking a digital survey, or many other respondent characteristics. Conventional digital survey systems, therefore, lack effective mechanisms for capturing respondents' unwritten reactions to survey questions and certain other respondent characteristics.
Similar to digital surveys administered through personal computing devices, digital survey systems that use display mediums often cannot capture the engagement, activity, or other characteristics of a survey respondent. Survey administrators sometimes use big-screen televisions, shopping mall displays, billboards, or other display mediums to gather information concerning target populations. But like a computing device that displays digital content, certain public environments include numerous digital or physical display mediums that compete for the public's attention. Accordingly, shoppers, pedestrians, or other target audience members in a public place often lack the time or attention to take a survey on a kiosk or respond to an in-person survey. That lack of attention and time translates into a lack of data on a target population's impressions or reactions to a display medium.
Despite the value of detecting survey respondent's engagement, activities, or other characteristics, conventional display mediums often lack the ability to collect useful data concerning respondents who interact with (or disregard) a display medium. Although some conventional display mediums, for example, employ photoelectric infrared detectors to count passersby, such conventional display mediums do little more than detect the potential presence of a passerby, while failing to provide information or data concerning the person's engagement, activity, or other unwritten reactions.
Accordingly, these and other disadvantages decrease the utility of conventional digital survey systems and display mediums.

Conducting digital surveys that collect and convert biometric data into survey respondent characteristics


A voltage regulator circuit includes: an output transistor that controls an output voltage by making an output current flow between first and second electrodes in accordance with a first differential voltage, which is a difference between first and second voltages of the first and third electrodes; an operational amplifier that controls the second voltage such that the output voltage comes to be at a target level; an initiation circuit that maintains the second voltage at the third voltage such that the output transistor is off before initiation of the voltage regulator circuit and that allows the second voltage to be controlled by the operational amplifier after initiation of the voltage regulator circuit; and a current output circuit that outputs an adjustment current from the third electrode or to the third electrode such that the first differential voltage becomes larger when the output voltage is less than a prescribed level.

The present disclosure relates to a voltage regulator circuit. In recent years, there have been increasingly strong demands to shorten the rise time of the output voltage of voltage regulator circuits. In response to such demands, in a voltage regulator circuit disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-140254 for example, the gate voltage of an output MOS transistor is controlled when the voltage regulator circuit is initiated so that the output voltage comes to be within a prescribed voltage range in a short time. Specifically, a voltage generated through voltage division using two capacitance elements is supplied to the gate of the output MOS transistor.
In the voltage regulator circuit disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-140254, there is a possibility that an overshoot will occur when the output voltage rises in the case where there is a difference between the voltage supplied to the gate of the output MOS transistor at the time when the voltage regulator circuit is initiated and the voltage supplied at the time when the output voltage has reached a target level. Therefore, variations in characteristics caused by such an overshoot are an issue even through the rise speed is improved.


A cargo container wherein at least two walls adjacent to each other are constituted using an integrally formed FRP panel, and a cargo container having a sandwich panel including a core and FRP skins as a main rigidity-maintaining member and wherein at least two walls adjacent to each other are formed integrally. The cargo container according to the present invention is light and has sufficient strength and rigidity as compared with a conventional aluminum-alloy container, and can reduce time and cost required for fabrication and production thereof. Further, the cargo container constituted using the sandwich panel including the core and the FRP skins has excellent freezing, refrigerating, cold insulating and heat insulating performances.

For example, in a marine container for freezing, an aluminum alloy has been used for many portions of the container because the running cost can be reduced by lightening the container.
Such a marine container for freezing is indispensable to transport frozen goods and perishables. More than 100 containers are loaded on one freighter, and in a container ship, there is a case where many containers more than 1,000 are loaded, and the economical advantage due to the lightening is great. Although the tare weight of a present aluminum-alloy freezing container used as a marine container having a width of about 2.4 m, a length of about 12 m and a height of about 2.9 m is about 4 tons, further lightening such a container almost has not been performed for these ten or more years since a steel material had been changed to an aluminum-alloy material.
Most of present freezing containers are fabricated by welding a sandwich panel having aluminum-alloy skins to an aluminum-alloy frame together with a reinforcing material such as a steel gusset, thereby constructing a box structure. In the above-described marine container, it is necessary to fabricate many parts, and in such a container, not only the weight is great but also much time and cost are required for the fabrication and production.
Further, in a present freezing container, it is necessary to use upper and lower girders, corner posts and floor beams having great section moduli in order to ensure the strength and rigidity of the whole of the container, and this is one of factors obstructing to lighten the container.
As a method for solving the above-described problems in a freezing container, for example, "HIGH-PERFORMANCE Composites September/October 1995" proposes a marine freezing container wherein flanges for connection are provided around a sandwich panel having skins made from a pultruded FRP hollow material and a core made from a foam material, and sandwich panels adjacent to each other are connected by adhesion via the flange, thereby forming a box structure.
In this container, however, because large-scale upper and lower girders, corner posts and floor beams (hereinafter, also referred to as "girders etc.") are not required, the container is lightened as compared with the conventional aluminum-alloy container, but a thick sandwich panel is required to disuse the girders etc., the advantage for lightening is not sufficient. Further, because a structure for connecting panels adjacent to each other is employed, not only the airtight and heat insulating properties are poor but also much time and cost still are required for the fabrication and production.
Also in air cargo containers, there are similar problems.
An airplane has a great gloss factor among various carriages and the influence due to lightening is great even in a small lightening, and therefore, FRP has been used for many portions of a plane body.
Such an air cargo container is indispensable to transport freight and baggages of passengers. Several tens containers are loaded on one airplane, particularly, an airplane used for an international air line, and in a cargo airplane, more than 100 containers are loaded, and the economical advantage due to the lightening is great. Although the weight of a present standard air cargo container having a width of about 2 m, a depth of about 1.5 m and a height of about 1.6 m is about 90 kg, lightening such a container almost has not been performed for these twenty or more years in spite of a known condition where, if the total weight of an airplane, particularly, an airplane used for an international air line, could be reduced by 1 kg, the running cost can be can be reduced by about 100 dollars per one year.
Most of present air cargo containers are fabricated by connecting an aluminum-alloy plate to an aluminum-alloy frame together with a reinforcing material such as a gusset by rivets or welding, thereby constructing a box structure. In the above-described standard container, more than 50 parts must be assembled, and the number of rivets required for the connection is over 500. In such a container, not only the weight is great but also much time and cost are required for the fabrication and production.
Further, in a present air cargo container, it is necessary to use frames having a great section modulus in order to ensure the strength and rigidity of the whole of the container, and this is one of factors obstructing to lighten the container.
As a method for solving the above-described problems in an air cargo container, for example, JP-A-HEI 6-48480 (EP-A-520745) proposes an air cargo container wherein flanges for connection are provided around a sandwich panel having skins made from FRP and a core made from a foam material, and sandwich panels adjacent to each other are connected via the flange, thereby forming a box structure.
In this container, however, because FRP is used and large-scale frames are not required, the container is lightened as compared with the conventional aluminum-alloy container, but a thick sandwich panel is required to achieve a frameless condition, the advantage for lightening is not sufficient. Further, because a structure for connecting panels is employed, much time and cost still are required for the fabrication and production.


An ink print head reducing ink supply errors caused by air bubbles in order to stably supply ink at larger amounts. The ink print head includes an ink container for holding ink, a recording element for discharging the ink supplied from the ink container, a duct disposed between the ink container and the recording element to transfer the ink to the recording element, and an inductive channel which communicates with the duct. The inductive channel transfers the ink to the recording element from the ink container, and has a capillary force greater than that of the duct.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head for discharging liquid, such as ink, towards a recording medium. The present invention also relates to a recording device for recording, for example, an image onto a recording medium, such as a sheet material.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical inkjet print head generally includes an ink container for holding ink; an exothermic element, i.e. a recording element, for discharging ink; and a duct for transferring ink to the exothermic element from the ink container.
Such a typical inkjet print head has a tendency to accumulate many air bubbles. These air bubbles are accumulated in the inkjet print head in several ways. For example, such an accumulation may be due to air entering the duct as a possible result of a change in the environment, or may be due to air bubbles remaining in the ink. Moreover, there are also cases where the air bubbles are generated due to exothermic heat or are formed in the process of fabrication of the inkjet print head. It is generally known that air bubbles inside the duct interfere with the flow of the ink being transferred to the exothermic element.
Air bubbles present on the main surface of the exothermic element can interfere with the formation of desired air bubbles, and moreover, an absorption effect generated by the undesired air bubbles reduces the pressure required for discharging the ink. This means that the ink cannot be discharged properly, thus leading to recording defects. Furthermore, if the air bubbles remain in the interior of an ink-supplying system, the ink cannot be sufficiently supplied to the exothermic element.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,165, for example, discloses a technique in which a groove is disposed inside a duct in order to prevent the ink supply from being interfered by air bubbles.
Furthermore, to reduce the air bubbles present in the interior of an ink-supplying system, the air bubbles, for example, may be removed by degassing the dissolved gas in the ink or may be prevented by providing a gas-liquid separation film in the ink-supplying system.
Moreover, to physically remove the air bubbles, the air bubbles, for example, may be removed by vacuuming the ink through ink discharge nozzles or by changing the components of the ink so as to allow easier defoaming of the air bubbles.
Removing the air bubbles by degassing the dissolved gas in the ink complicates the fabrication process of the inkjet print head. Moreover, according to this degassing technique, it is necessary to maintain a state where the air does not penetrate into the ink-supplying system during the actual use of the inkjet print head. This results in a complex structure of an ink cartridge. Moreover, this degassing technique is also problematic in that the air may enter through the ink discharge nozzles or through gaps between the components of the ink cartridge as time passes, meaning that maintaining the degassed state of the ink is extremely difficult.
On the other hand, providing the gas-liquid separation film requires a space in the ink-supplying system where the gas-liquid separation film is to be disposed. Moreover, an additional gas-liquid separation film must be disposed on the ink discharge nozzles in order to prevent air bubbles from entering through the nozzles.
Furthermore, removing the air bubbles by vacuuming the ink through the ink discharge nozzles is also problematic. In detail, although this technique can be effectively achieved by, for example, making the shape of a duct such that the duct is easily removable, since both the air bubbles and the ink are vacuumed at the same time, the vacuumed ink becomes a waste. Moreover, since the printer must be additionally provided with a holding component for holding the vacuumed ink and a vacuuming mechanism, the manufacture cost of the printer increases. Furthermore, depending on the structure of the vacuuming mechanism, there are cases where it is necessary to vacuum ink that contains no air bubbles. This may reduce the amount of ink that can actually be used and thus may lead to higher manufacturing costs.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,165 in which the duct is provided with a groove and has corners and edges, the capillary forces generated in the groove, the corners, and the edges may be significantly different from one another depending on how the inkjet print head is positioned during the printing process. For this reason, there are cases where the continuity of the ink-supplying path is lost.
Furthermore, if the amount of ink Q2 retained by the capillary forces of the edges and the corners become greater than the amount of ink Q1 transferred via the groove, the ink in the groove is drawn towards the corners. This may result in shortage of ink in the groove. Accordingly, the equation Q1>Q2 must constantly be satisfied. Moreover, since inkjet print heads developed in recent years move at an extremely high speed, a larger amount of ink is required per unit time, meaning that a larger amount of ink must be supplied to the inkjet print head. Accordingly, the amount of ink Q2 must also be larger.
However, retaining a larger amount of ink with the capillary forces of the edges and the corners can induce an adverse effect upon the ink-supplying path if the gas is present inside the duct. To solve this problem, more edges and corners are required. This, however, results in a complex structure of the ink container. It is therefore in great demand that a larger amount of ink be supplied stably with a simple structure.
Furthermore, depending on the tilt angle of the inkjet print head, there are cases where it is difficult to retain a sufficient amount of ink with the capillary forces generated in the edges.

Liquid discharge head having inductive channel and recording device incorporating liquid discharge head


An electric blower includes a motor unit having a stator and a rotor, a fan unit having an impeller attached to an output shaft of the rotor, and a circuit unit having a heat-generating component for controlling electric power to the motor unit. The circuit unit is arranged in an airflow path of air expelled from an outer periphery of the impeller toward the stator and the rotor of the motor unit. The air suctioned by rotation of the impeller cools the heat-generating component in the circuit unit before cooling the stator and the rotor.

The present invention relates to an electric blower mainly used for an electric cleaner, and in particular, it aims at reducing the size of a main body of the electric cleaner to improve usability.
As electric cleaners of the prior art, there are used mainly those of the un-circulated exhaust type shown in FIG. 24 and those of the circulated exhaust type shown in FIG. 25. An outline of the electric cleaners of the prior art will be described hereinafter.
An electric cleaner 1 of the un-circulated exhaust type shown in FIG. 24 has a hose 3 connected detachably to its main body 2. Another end of the hose 3 is provided with an end pipe 5 having a control section 4. An extension pipe 6 is attached to the end pipe 5, and a head of the extension pipe 6 is connected with a suction nozzle 7. In the cleaner""s main body 2, there is a dust chamber 8 formed in communication with the hose 3. Also provided behind the dust chamber 8 are an electric blower 10 disposed in such a manner that a suction port 9 faces toward the dust chamber 8, and a power supply unit 11 housing a cord for connection to commercial power supply, a battery, or the like.
FIG. 25 shows an electric cleaner of the circulated exhaust type. Like reference numerals are used to designate components like those of the un-circulated exhaust type. The circulated exhaust type further has the following structure in addition to the structure of the un-circulated exhaust type. A main body exhaust path 13 is formed from a discharge port 12 of an electric blower 10 to a connecting area of a cleaner""s main body 2 for connection to a hose 3. Further, there are a suction passage 14 representing an airflow pass in communication with a dust chamber 8 leading to a suction port 9 of the electric blower 10, and an exhaust passage 15 for delivering exhaust flow of air expelled from the discharge port 12 at a rear side of the electric blower 10 via the main body exhaust path 13 to a front end of the hose 3, formed respectively in the hose 3, an extension pipe 6, and a suction nozzle 7. The passages are constructed so as to be independent with respect to each other, and also separated from the open air space.
The electric blower will be described now.
Most motor units for electric blowers used heretofore in the electric cleaners have been commutator motors, which are the type generally referred to as universal motors. Lately, inverter motors have been used for the purpose of achieving reduction in size and weight by increasing speed, easiness of controlling rotational speed, cutback in power consumption, suppressing temperature rises, and so on. However, an inverter motor has an increased number of power devices in its circuit, as compared to a commutator motor. For an inverter motor consisting of windings of three phases, for instance, six power devices are required. It is therefore necessary to cool the plurality of power devices efficiently.
A structure of the conventional electric blower will be described hereinafter.
As shown in FIG. 26, the electric blower 10 comprises a motor unit 16 and a fan unit 17. A rotor 22 constructed of an armature core 19, provided with an armature winding 18 and a commutator 20 mounted on a shaft 21, is installed on an impeller-side bracket 25 and a motor-side bracket 26 in a freely rotatable manner with bearings 23 and 24. The brackets 25 and 26 compose an enclosure of the motor unit 16. A stator 29 provided with a field winding 28 on a field core 27, and a holder 30 carrying a carbon brush (not shown in the figure) are secured to the bracket 26.
The fan unit 17 comprises an impeller 31 attached to the shaft 21 of the motor unit 16, an air guide 32 disposed around the impeller 31 to form an airflow path for leading a flow of the air delivered from the impeller 31 to an interior of the motor unit 16 while gradually recovering its pressure, and a casing 33 covering them. The fan unit 17 is mounted integrally to the bracket 25. The bracket 25 is also provided with a cooling air discharge port 34 in a part thereof for discharging a portion of the airflow delivered from the impeller 31, without passing through the interior of the motor unit 16.
A circuit unit 35 for controlling electric power supplied to the electric blower 10 comprises a circuit board 38 housed in a circuit board enclosure 39, and is connected with a power supply wire 36 connected to the power supply unit 11, a signal wire 37 for transmitting an operating signal from the control section 4, and so on. The circuit unit 35 is mounted on the bracket 25 of the electric blower 10 with a screw 40. A radiating fin 42 for a power device 41 or a heat-generating component such as a triac is arranged in the circuit unit 35 in an airflow path between a cooling air inflow port 43 and a cooling air outflow port 44 in the circuit board enclosure 39, where a flow of air expelled through the cooling air discharge port 34 of the fan unit 17 flows through.
When the electric cleaner 1 is operated, the electric blower 10 produces a suctioning force. Contaminated air containing dust is suctioned from an inlet port of the suction nozzle 7, and reaches to the dust chamber 8 in the cleaner""s main body 2 through the suction passage 14 in the suction nozzle 7, the extension pipe 6 and the hose 3. The air is then guided to the electric blower 10, after the dust and the like are removed. At the same time, the power device 41 is cooled by the flow of discharge air expelled through the cooling air discharge port 34.
As described, the conventional electric cleaner divides the flow of air that passes through the fan unit 17 into a flow of air to the motor unit 16 and another flow of air to cool the radiating fin 42 in order to cool the power device 41, etc. efficiently with the radiating fin 42 of small size, regardless of whether it is the circulated exhaust type, or not. Thus, the structure needs to be such that the radiating fin 42 or the circuit unit 35 is placed downstream of the cooling air discharge port 34 of the fan unit 17. It is also necessary to separate only the power device 41 portion from the circuit unit 35, to further enhance the heat dissipation. They become a structural problem within the cleaner""s main body 2, making it difficult to reduce the size of the cleaner""s main body 2.
The following description pertains to an electric blower controlled by an inverter.
An electric blower 10 comprises an inverter motor 47 consisting of a motor unit 45 and an inverter circuit unit 46, and a fan unit 48, as shown in FIG. 27. The electric blower 10 is held so that it is pressed against a retaining rib 53 on a partition 52 having a large number of through holes 51 and separating the electric blower 10 from a dust chamber 8 via a support rubber 50 placed on an outer periphery of a casing 49.
A rotor 56 provided with a permanent magnet 54 and a shaft 55 is installed on an impeller-side bracket 59 and a motor-side bracket 60 in a freely rotatable manner with bearings 57 and 58. The bracket 59 and the bracket 60 are connected to compose an enclosure of the motor unit 45. A stator 63 constructed of a core 19 provided with a stator winding 62 in a plurality of slots formed in a manner to confront the permanent magnet 54, is secured to the bracket 60. The rotor 56, the brackets 59 and 60, and the stator 63 compose the motor unit 45.
The inverter circuit unit 46 for controlling the inverter motor 47 is mounted on a circuit board 66, which is connected with a power supply wire 64 in connection to the power supply unit 11, a signal wire 65 for transmitting an operating signal and a rotating-speed control signal for the cleaner""s main body 2, and the like. It is disposed in the vicinity of the electric blower 10. A large radiating fin 68 for cooling is attached to the heat generating components such as a switching element 67 in the inverter circuit unit 46. The radiating fin 68 is sealed with sealant 69 and tightly bonded in an area near the airflow path to prevent leakage of the air.
A position detecting means for detecting a position of the rotor 56 necessary for controlling the inverter motor 47 comprises a sensor magnet 70 provided on the rotor 56 and a position detecting element 71 such as a hole element or the like for detecting a magnetic pole of the sensor magnet 70. The position detecting element 71 is mounted on a detector board 72, which is fixed to the motor-side bracket 60, and is disposed in the motor unit 45. An output signal of the position detecting element 71 is connected to the circuit board 66 with a position detecting signal wire 73.
The fan unit 48 comprises an impeller 74 attached integrally to the shaft 55, an air guide 75 disposed around a periphery of the impeller 74 to form an airflow path for leading a flow of air delivered by the impeller 74 to an upper surface of the impeller-side bracket 59 while gradually recovering its pressure, and a casing 49 covering them. The casing 49 is constructed so as to be mounted integrally with the impeller-side bracket 59 or the motor-side bracket 60.
When the electric cleaner 1 is operated, the electric blower 10 produces a suctioning force. Contaminated air containing dust is suctioned by the suction nozzle 7, and guided through the suction nozzle 7, the extension pipe 6, the hose 3, and to the electric blower 10, after the dust is removed in the dust chamber 8 in the cleaner""s main body 2. At the same time, the radiating fin 68 disposed in the airflow path near the suction port 9 or the like of the electric blower 10 is cooled by the air flowing into the electric blower 10. Consequently, the switching element 67 (i.e. the heat-generating component on the circuit board 66) is cooled.
For the conventional electric cleaner of the foregoing structure, it is necessary to ensure air-tightness for the suctioned air in the dust chamber 8 side of the electric blower 10 in order to efficiently cool the heat-generating component such as the switching element 67, etc. with the radiating fin 68, and to dispose the radiating fin 68 in a position that allows cooling with cool air before it passes through an interior of the motor unit 45. This imposes a limitation on the location where the inverter circuit unit 46 can be arranged in cleaner""s main body 2. It also requires consideration of the sealant 69, the sealing structure and so on, to ensure the air-tightness. In addition, it requires special care for easiness of assembly. The inverter motor 47, in particular, is associated with a larger number of heat-generating components such as the switching element 67 in the inverter circuit unit 46. It is therefore necessary to take such measures as enlarging an area of the radiating fin 68. However, this leads to an upsizing of the inverter circuit unit 46, and is one of the factors that prevents downsizing of the cleaner""s main body 2.
The present invention is derived in light of the above problems of the prior arts. In particular, an electric blower of the present invention comprises a motor unit provided with a freely rotatable rotor and a stator, an impeller mounted on an output shaft of the rotor, and a fan unit comprised of a casing covering the impeller. It is provided with a circuit unit, which controls electric power to the motor unit, disposed in an airflow path for the air expelled from an outer periphery of the impeller and delivered to the rotor and the stator of the motor.
Further, an electric cleaner of the present invention comprises a dust chamber for collecting dust, a suction port connected in communication to the dust chamber, and the above-said electric blower.

Electric blower and electric cleaner with an air cooled power device situated between the impeller and motor

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An electric tool switch mechanism includes a trigger switch for operating to at least rotate or stop a DC motor; and a power switch connected between the DC motor and a battery power source and closed when a pressed amount of the trigger switch exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The mechanism further includes a switching device connected between the DC motor and the battery power source via the power switch; a control circuit for controlling to turn the switching device on/off using a desired on-duty when the pressed amount of the trigger switch exceeds the threshold value; and a stopping unit that is controlled by the trigger switch for forcibly turning the switching device off before the power switch is changed from on to off when the trigger switch is released.

A conventional electric tool switch mechanism includes a power-source contact switch connected in series with a DC motor and a battery power source, a trigger switch for determining a rotational speed of the DC motor depending on a pressed amount, a semiconductor switching device connected in series with the DC motor and the battery power source via the power-source contact switch, a second contact switch connected in parallel with the semiconductor switching device, and a control circuit for receiving a power voltage via the power-source contact switch and controlling on/off of the semiconductor switching device (see Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. Hei 6-14576, pages 4 and 5 and FIG. 3).
In the electric tool switch mechanism, when the trigger switch is slightly pressed, the power-source contact switch is on and an operation voltage is supplied to the control circuit. In this case, the control circuit increases or decreases an on-duty of the semiconductor switching device depending on the pressed amount of a trigger switch in order to rotate the DC motor at a speed dependent on the pressed amount. When the trigger switch is pressed at its maximum, the second contact switch becomes on and bypasses the semiconductor switching device so that the power voltage is directly supplied to the DC motor. This prevents any possible loss incurred by internal resistance of the semiconductor switching device.
When the trigger switch is released to stop the rotation of the DC motor and the power-source contact switch is changed from on to off in the state where the semiconductor switching device remains powered on, an arc is generated at the power-source contact switch and the lifetime of the switch contact is reduced. Accordingly, in the conventional electric tool switch mechanism, when the pressed amount of the trigger switch is below a predetermined reference value, the on-duty of the semiconductor switching device is made 0% before the power-source contact switch is changed from on to off, so that the power-source contact switch is changed from on to off in the state where the semiconductor switching device is off.
When the electric tool switch mechanism is continuously used in the state where the trigger switch is fully pressed, the battery is over-discharged. Accordingly, a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the battery voltage is provided, and a central processing unit (CPU) in the control circuit forcibly turns the switching device off when the battery voltage detected by the voltage detecting circuit is below the predetermined reference value, in order to prevent over-discharge of the battery. However, as a user fully presses the trigger switch, the second contact switch connected in parallel with the semiconductor switching device is closed such that discharge current flows through the second contact switch, thereby over-discharging the battery.
Furthermore, in the case where the control circuit increases or decreases the on-duty of the semiconductor switching device depending on the pressed amount of a trigger switch, the on-duty of the semiconductor switching device is obtained by converting the pressed amount of the trigger switch into a voltage value, averaging it, removing noise from the voltage value, and performing operation on the voltage value. This increases an operation time in the CPU of the control circuit. Accordingly, even though the power-source contact switch is changed from on to off as the trigger switch is released, the on-duty of the semiconductor switching device may not be made 0% due to voltage measurement or operation delay. If the semiconductor switching device remains turned on when the power-source contact switch is changed from on to off, the switch contact opens in the state where current is flowing through the power-source contact switch, thereby generating an arc and reducing the lifetime of the contact.


A dynamic force transducer for generating vertically oriented compressional forces and motions at the surface of a solid medium. A frame is rigidly coupled in direct contact with the solid medium surface. At least one pair of identical driver units are mounted to the frame to impart vertically oriented forces to the medium. Compliant springs support the drivers and introduce mechanical resonances. The driver units are excited to produce the vertically oriented pushing and pulling forces along a common collinear vertical direction. The driver units also impart either continuous or pulsed oscillatory forces to produce prescribed seismic compressional waves in the medium.

Seismic wave sources capable of generating controlled-waveform vibration signals in natural earth media and in engineered materials and geotechnical structures offer potential advantages over conventional sources such as explosive or weight-drop impulse sources. For example, when the radiated seismic waveform is accurately known as a result of controlled-waveform source excitation at one location on the ground, seismic waves detected at other locations can be processed to take advantage of their known coherence characteristics relative to the originating source signal. The desired signals can thereby be accurately and uniquely discriminated from non-coherent interfering noise to gain a useful enhancement in detected signal-to-noise ratio. Controlled-waveform operation of the source also allows the amplitude, time duration, and frequency spectrum to be adjusted to offset certain difficult or detrimental seismic wave propagation or reflection conditions that may occur in some field applications. As a first example, improved seismic resolution may be obtained in many applications by intentionally extending the frequency range and/or boosting the amplitude of the high-frequency spectral content of the source signal. In another example, repetitive source signal operation and detected signal waveform averaging can be employed with maximum success when the seismic source amplitude is adjusted to impart forces that are below the plastic deformation limit of the ground medium. Thus, through repetitive low-force operation, the effective controlled-source energy may be increased cumulatively in relation to the number of repeated source signal sequences which, when additively combined, will result in improved signal-to-noise ratio associated with weak target reflections such as those from small anomalies or low-contrast interfaces.
Conventional seismic sources, although dominated by impulsive techniques in practice, also include certain types of mechanical vibrator sources designed to generate frequency-variable sweep signals, typically in the frequency range of 5 Hz to 200 Hz. Vibrator sources of this type are designed and used for deep seismic probing applications in oil and gas exploration and, hence, are made large and powerful to generate the needed source energy. Large vibrator sources of this type employ hydraulic actuator techniques to generate vibrational forces typically in excess of 10,000 lbf which may be coupled to the ground either in vertical or horizontal orientations to generate seismic compressional waves or horizontally polarized shear waves. Such hydraulically actuated sources are dependent on fluid dynamic pressure and flow and, because of their high energy, require relatively large and massive ground-coupling base plates. For these reasons, present- day conventional controlled-waveform vibratory seismic sources have inherent limitations in generating controlled-waveform vibrations at frequencies above about 200 Hz. Sources of this type are also expensive and technically impractical for use in applications where small size is critical for access to the field survey site and/or where higher frequency operation is required for shallow-depth high-resolution seismic surveys.
Alternative force generating techniques for use as actuators in controlled-waveform seismic sources include electromechanical force transducers employing either piezoelectric or magnetostrictive force generation or electrodynamic force transducers utilizing a movable current-carrying coil in a magnetic field. These electrically powered transducer techniques are typically more compact than hydraulic methods and are potentially more accurately controllable in their operation as high-frequency seismic sources. Controlled-waveform seismic signals having high-frequency spectral content up to 1,600 Hz and higher are potentially obtainable using such alternative force generating techniques.
There is a growing need and an emerging commercial market for effective capabilities related to shallow high-resolution seismic surveys directed primarily toward shallow resource exploration, subsurface environmental surveys, and indirect sensing and detection of ground geotechnical conditions and anomalies. In comparison with existing technology, new seismic source techniques and systems appropriate for these shallow applications would preferably operate at relatively high frequencies (typically 200-1,600 Hz) in order to resolve relatively small target details and need only be capable of operating at relatively low dynamic forces (typically 100-1,000 lbf) to provide useflul results at shallow depths and associated short propagation path lengths. Seismic vibrator sources having these operating characteristics may be deployed and operated to generate either vertically oriented or horizontally oriented forces on the ground surface.
When the vibrator is set up to generate predominantly vertical forces on the ground, the radiated seismic waves will consist of compressional (P) waves, vertically polarized shear (SV) waves, and a combination of these P and SV waves known as Rayleigh waves (surface waves). When the vibrator is set up to generate predominantly horizontal forces on the ground, the radiated seismic waves consist of horizontally polarized shear (SH) waves which radiate in the direction normal to the direction of the horizontal force and compressional waves and Rayleigh waves radiated in the direction parallel to the horizontal force. Vibrator sources of the type that generate horizontally oriented ground forces and radiate horizontally polarized shear waves have been discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,804, which is incorporated herein for all purposes. Therefore, the object of this invention is to create a seismic vibrator source capable of generating vertically oriented forces in the ground to produce controlled seismic waveforms at frequencies typically up to 1,600 Hz and operating at moderate driving forces typically up to 1,000 lbf. This new seismic vibrator source is appropriately matched in size, cost, and mobility to applications in shallow geophysical and geotechnical field surveys.
The controlled-waveform vibrator invention described herein consists of one, two, or more electromechanical force drivers operating either on the force generating principle employing piezoelectric or magnetostriction technology or the force generating principle employing electrodynamic force transducers acting on a frame comprised of a baseplate rigidly coupled to the ground medium and reacting against an inertial mass consisting of a compliantly supported part of the frame so as to impart vibratory dynamic forces to the baseplate and to the ground. In application, the baseplate is placed in firm contact with the ground surface such that the force generator is oriented in the vertical direction. The vertical force applied to the ground produces vertical particle motions in the ground medium and thereby generates seismic compressional waves (P waves) having particle motions normal to the plane of the baseplate which radiate into the body of the medium. Through inherent coupling between the vertical motions of the finite-size baseplate and the vertical shear forces produced at the edges of the plate, vertically oriented shear waves (SV waves) are also generated and radiated into the body of the medium simultaneously with the P waves. This source configuration, through its coherent generation of P waves and SV waves, also generates well-known Rayleigh waves ( also referred to as xe2x80x98surface wavesxe2x80x99) which are essentially confined to propagate only along the surface of the ground medium.
With the use of appropriate masses and compliant suspension springs in this composite vibration transducer assembly, the vibrator operating frequency range can be adjusted to have an upper limit of 1,600 Hz or higher. Further, by arranging the force driver units and reaction masses in an axisymmetrical alignment within a close-fitted frame and arranged with approximately uniform mass distribution within the frame, the tendency of the vibrator to produce nonuniform force distributions at the interface between the ground-coupling baseplate and the ground medium will be minimized. Thus, any undesirable components of dynamic force and motions, such as rocking or tilting, of the vibrator frame or baseplate which could cause horizontally polarized shear waves to be radiated in the medium will also be minimized.
The dynamic force driver unit or units are excited by one or more power amplifiers operating in the audio frequency range at a power level appropriate to drive the overall vibrator system to a total operating force of up to 1,000 lbf when coupled to a ground medium. Excitation signals applied to the vibrator driver may either be a swept-frequency sinusoidal time function having prescribed predetermined parameters of time-dependent frequency sweep, upper and lower frequency limits of sweep range, sweep time duration, and amplitude-time dependence, or alternatively a pulsed swept-frequency sinusoidal time function (commonly termed a xe2x80x98chirpxe2x80x99 signal) having predetermined amplitude, time, and frequency parameters, or alternatively a gated sinewave pulse having a predetermined frequency, pulse amplitude envelope, and repetition time period which may either be periodic or randomly timed, or alternatively a random noise function having predetermined statistical parameters. The predetermined parameters of these excitation signals govern the amplitude, frequency, and time characteristics of the radiated seismic waves.
The essential features of the seismic wave vibrator source disclosed herein are: (1) a baseplate and frame having a means for firmly and rigidly coupling the vibrator to the medium in which vertical dynamic forces produced by an integral electromechanical force driver generate seismic P waves in the ground; (2) a means by which one, two, or more dynamic force driver units are attached to the frame in a manner such that their forces are efficiently transmitted as purely vertical forces to the ground coupling interface via the baseplate; (3) one, two, or more dynamic force driver units, operating either on the piezoelectric or magnetostriction force generating principle or on the electrodynamic force generating principle, to mechanically excite directed forces on the baseplate in the desired seismic source vibrator frequency range; (4) one, two, or more inertial reaction masses suspended on the coupling frame by compliant springs and/or other isolation materials or components, these masses serving as inertial masses against which the force driver units react to apply dynamic forces to the frame and ground coupling baseplate; and (5) frame components constructed integrally with the baseplate to provide accurate and robust support of the reaction masses and compliant springs so as to avoid any tendencies for unwanted static deflections of the reaction masses or unwanted dynamic vibrations or tilting motions of the frame or baseplate during vibrational operation.
As a particular consequence of the finite physical size of the seismic wave vibrator described above, the essential components of the vibrator may be considered to be lumped-constant constant elements typically having the features of rigid mass, compliant spring, absorbent damper, and ideal force generation by electrical-to-mechanical transduction. To describe the energy absorbing characteristics of the earth or other medium to which the vibrator is coupled, this medium may also be represented as a network of effective lumped-constant masses, effective lumped-constant compliances, and effective lumped-constant absorptive dampers all of which interact to characterize the effective mechanical impedance of the medium including the storage and dissipation of vibrational energy in the medium and including the effects of energy lost from the vibrator system in the form of radiated seismic waves. These components comprise a multi-element network of mechanical spring-mass-damper elements which exhibits a mechanical transfer function by which the dynamic forces generated by the force driver units are converted to forces in the ground underlying the coupling baseplate and frame. The physical configuration and dynamic interactions of these components and the lumped-constant elements of the vibrator source govern the frequency response and transfer of mechanical power from the input force drivers to the radiation load in the ground medium.

Vertical-force vibrator seismic wave source


Methods, software systems and processes to develop surrogate model-based optimizers for controlling and optimizing flow and pressure of purges between a showerhead and a heater having a substrate support to control non-uniformity inherent in a processing chamber due to geometric configuration and process regimes. The flow optimizer process utilizes experimental data from optimal process space coverage models, generated simulation data and statistical machine learning tools (i.e. regression models and global optimizers) to predict optimal flow rates for any user-specified process regime.

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is one type deposition processes employed for depositing layers on a substrate. Physics Vapor Deposition (PVD) is another type of deposition process in which the precursor goes from a condensed phase to a vapor phase and then back to a thin film condensed phase. Atomic layer deposition (ALD), which is also referred to as cyclical deposition, employs chemisorption techniques to deliver precursor molecules on a substrate surface in sequential cycles. Such deposition processes occur within one or more conventional processing stations of a processing chamber, and the process parameters of each of the one or more stations are controlled by a specific process recipe for the station, while chamber parameters are across the entire chamber.
Conventional processing stations comprise a showerhead in contact with a support assembly and a housing forming a processing volume in which deposition on a substrate occurs. Each of the processing stations has a main throttle valve to control the flow rates and pressure of gases in and out of each processing station. The main throttle valve is connected to one or more concentric purge rings or purge regions through a gas plenum which extends around the processing station. By way of example, concentric purge rings or locations are positioned within a substrate support of the heater, within the showerhead or around and concentric to the processing station. The pressure and flow rate parameters of these concentric purge regions are controlled by a process recipe for the station and are specific to the deposition process occurring within the station. However, each processing station within a processing chamber may not be occurring at the same time, or may not all be the same process.
To isolate one station from another, or to control parameters of the environment between stations, the processing chamber also has one or more purge regions which are nonconcentric to the processing station. These non-concentric purge regions are not controlled by the specific process recipe within each processing station, and thus where different processes are occurring within each station, the substrate layering uniformity and azimuthal uniformity in deposition of each station are affected.
Thus, there exists a need to control the parameters of the non-concentric purge regions to maintain effective separation and prevent mixing of different processing station gases while improving azimuthal uniformity and reducing thermal non-uniformity. Furthermore, there exists a need to determine pressure variation of purges on the substrate during process for different flow rates.

Machine learning based smart process recipe builder to improve azimuthal flow and thickness uniformity


Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for identifying a body position of a detection object in medical imaging, a medical imaging system, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method comprises: receiving an image group by a trained deep learning network, the image group comprising a plurality of pre-scan images in a plurality of directions obtained by pre-scanning a detection object; and outputting body position information of the detection object by the deep learning network.

In medical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) imaging, it is usually needed to set body position information of a patient during scanning so as to determine the anatomical section direction (for example, a coronal direction, a sagittal direction, and a transverse direction) of an image. Such body position information includes, for example, the orientation of the head or feet (for example, expressed as whether the head or the feet enters the scanning area first when the patient is moved to the scanning area) and a lying posture (for example, a supine position, a prone position, a left decubitus position, and a right decubitus position) of the patient. However, an operator (such as a doctor or a technician) performing the imaging-scanning often wants to reduce the need for manual configuration as much as possible to reduce complexity and time consumption, thereby preventing more serious problems caused by information input errors. For example, when an obtained image contains wrong information, it cannot be used in diagnosis and needs to be manually modified or even re-scanned.

Medical imaging system, method for identifying body position of detection object, and storage medium


A speaker system includes: a display panel having a display screen; a structure having a plate part functioning as an acoustic diaphragm located outside of a perimeter of the display screen and being supported by the display panel; and an actuator attached to the structure so that a displacement direction of the actuator may be a direction of a plate surface of the plate part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a speaker system integrated with a display panel such as an image display audio output unit of a thin screen television receiver, and a method of driving the speaker system.
2. Background Art
Television receivers are becoming thinner and thinner. In October 2007, the applicant released a television receiver with a display panel part having a thickness of 3 mm using an organic EL display.
On the other hand, not typical speaker units having voice coils and cones, but speaker devices of generating sound by applying vibration to acoustic diaphragms using actuators such as super-magnetostrictive actuators have been conceived.
Specifically, JP-A-4-313999 and JP-A-2005-177688 disclose speaker devices as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B.
In the speaker device in FIGS. 18A and 18B, a drive rod 2a of a super-magnetostrictive actuator 2 is brought into contact with the center part of a flat-plate acoustic diaphragm 1 so that its displacement direction may be perpendicular to the surface of the acoustic diaphragm 1, and thereby, the acoustic diaphragm 1 is vibrated in the direction perpendicular to the surface.
However, in the speaker device in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the amplitude of vibration becomes the maximum at the center part of the acoustic diaphragm 1 as shown by an arrow 3a and the amplitude of vibration becomes the minimum at the point apart from the point where the vibration is applied as shown by an arrow 3b. Thus, the vibration of the acoustic diaphragm 1 is inhomogeneous in the respective parts.
On the other hand, JP-A-2007-166027 discloses a speaker device as shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B.
In the speaker device in FIGS. 19A and 19B, a cylindrical acoustic diaphragm 4 is vertically supported, plural actuators 5 such as super-magnetostrictive actuators are provided at the lower end surface of the acoustic diaphragm 4 and drive rods 5a of the respective actuators are brought into contact with the lower end surface of the acoustic diaphragm 4, and thereby, the acoustic diaphragm 4 is vibrated in the direction perpendicular to the lower end surface.
In the speaker device in FIGS. 19A and 19B, the lower end surface of the acoustic diaphragm 4 is excited by longitudinal wave, vibration elastic wave propagates in the direction of the surface of the acoustic diaphragm 4, and the longitudinal wave and the lateral wave are mixed. Thus, sound wave is radiated by the lateral wave in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the acoustic diaphragm 4.
Accordingly, in the speaker device in FIGS. 19A and 19B, sound wave is radiated at the homogeneous level in any location in the axial direction of the acoustic diaphragm 4 as shown by an arrow 6a, and a sound image homogeneously localized over the entire acoustic diaphragm 4.

Speaker system and speaker driving method


A focused multi-planar image acquisition in real time even while a test object is moving, is achieved with a system and a method for a focused multi-planar image acquisition in a prober. When a surface of a test object is positioned laterally in relation to tips of separated probe needles, a microscope is focused on the surface of the test object at a first time and on a plane of the probe needles at a second time. The objective lens is provided with a microscope objective lens focusing system, which can focus the objective lens, independently of a vertical adjustment drive of the microscope, on the surface of the test object in a first focal plane and in a second focal plane, which is on a level with the probe needle tips.

The invention relates to a system for a focused multi-planar image acquisition in a prober, which is provided with a movement device and a clamping fixture, which is mounted on said movement device and is intended for a test object. Furthermore, the prober exhibits probe needles, which can make contact with the test object; holding devices for the probe needles; and a clamping plate, which is arranged above the clamping fixture and on which the holding devices can be mounted and which exhibits a viewing aperture, which visibly exposes the surface of the test object. The system is provided with an image capturing device, which is mounted above the viewing aperture and which comprises a microscope with an objective lens and an objective holder. Said system is also provided with a lighting device, which can generate a light beam, directed on the surface of the test object.
The invention also relates to a method for a focused multi-planar image acquisition in a prober. According to the method, when the surface of a test object is positioned laterally in relation to the tips of the separated probe needles, a microscope is focused on the surface of the test object at a first time and on the plane of the probe needles at a second time.
There exist so-called confocal microscopes in order to generate three-dimensional images of microscopically small objects, like cells, pollen grains or the like. A confocal microscope is a variant of the light microscope, with which virtual optical cross sectional scans of an object can be produced. These cross sectional scans are then assembled with suitable software into a three dimensional display.
In these confocal microscopes the light falls through an aperture diaphragm on the specimen via a beam splitter mirror and an objective lens. The emitted light is captured by the objective lens and focused on the aperture of an aperture diaphragm, behind which is located the detector. The aperture diaphragm causes the beams from layers, which are located higher or lower than the focal plane, for which the objective lens is set, to be blanked out. The result is an image that matches a sectioning of the specimen in the focal plane. In order to obtain a three dimensional image with confocal microscopes, the image of this focal plane is stored. Then the focus of the objective lens is put into another focal plane, which is at a distance from the first focal plane. Thereupon an image, which matches a cross sectional scan of the specimen in this other focal plane, is generated and stored. After several repetitions of this procedure, a three dimensional image of the specimen is generated from the individual images from the various focal planes with suitable software.
In order to adjust the focus of the objective lens of the confocal microscope it is known to use microscope objective lens focusing systems as fast and compact adjustment units, which can be easily installed in most microscopes. In so doing, they are screwed in between the turret and the objective lens. To this end, such a microscope objective lens focusing system exhibits a turret-sided threaded shaft, which can be screwed into the objective thread of the microscope turret. Then the objective lens itself can be screwed into an internal thread in the microscope objective lens focusing system.
The threaded shaft and the internal thread can be moved in the axial direction in relation to each other by means of a position-encoded piezoelectric linear actuator. By applying various voltages to the piezoelectric linear actuator, the distance between the objective lens and the turret head and, thus, the focus can be modified by electric means. Hence, a suitable focal plane can be selected while scanning with a confocal microscope by varying the voltage in the microscope objective lens focusing system.
In these confocal microscopes, the object to be examined is illuminated with a laser beam. In this case the laser beam is expanded in such a manner that it illuminates the entire object. Another possibility with respect to a total illumination of the object is not to fan out, but rather to deflect temporally the laser beam along the line of a scanner mode and, thus, to illuminate the object by means of a scanned laser beam.
There also exist white light confocal microscopes, with which a color image is also possible, but with a lower intensity.
There exist so-called probers to test components, in particular semiconductor components, for their operational function and the impact that physical parameters have on them. A prober generally consists of a movement device, for example, an X-Y cross-table, which can also perform slight rotary motions in order to correct the position. This movement device has a clamping fixture—a so-called chuck. Hence, the test object can be mounted on this clamping fixture. Above the clamping fixture is a clamping plate, which is provided with a feed-through and viewing aperture. At this stage holding devices for the probe needles can be mounted on this clamping plate, for example, by means of vacuum holders, so that the probe needles can extend through the feed-through and viewing aperture and make an electric contact at the corresponding points on the object to be tested, thus measuring the object to be tested for its electrical properties.
There also exist solutions with so-called probe cards, where the probe needles are mounted, as the probe card needles, securely on the probe card; and then the probe card is placed securely in the clamping plate.
Basically the objects to be tested have to be positioned in relation to the tips of the probe needles. To this end, a vertical motion of the movement device usually brings about a separation between the object to be tested and the probe needles. The distance between the tips of the probe needles and the test object ranges usually from 200 to 250 μm. Then the movement device moves the clamping fixture and, thus, the object to be tested in such a manner that another test object or another part of the test object comes to rest under the tips of the probe needles. Thereafter, an additional vertical motion places again the object to be tested in contact with the tips of the probe needles. As a rule, this positioning operation is controlled by an image capturing device, which comprises a microscope and usually also a video camera. The image capturing device—that is, the objective lens of the microscope—is mounted above the viewing aperture. The image capturing device photographs the surface of the object to be tested, which in turn is passed to an image evaluating unit. Then with the image evaluating unit it is possible to control with suitable analysis programs the movement device so accurately that the tips of the probe needles come to rest directly over the corresponding contacts on the test object; and the measuring process can begin.
In the case of manual probers, the viewing takes place either by way of a monitor, which reproduces and enlarges the video camera-generated image, or directly at the eyepiece of the microscope by an operator, who then controls the positioning and the electrical contacting in accordance with the indicated position.
For a sharp setting of the image captured by the microscope, this microscope is provided with a vertical adjustment drive, by means of which an adjustment of the entire microscope changes the distance between the objective lens and the imaging plane.
Before the tips of the probe needles make contact with the contacts on the test object, the tips and the contact surface lie in different imaging planes with respect to the objective lens. As a result, a sharp image of both the tips and the contact surface can never be obtained simultaneously.
In the case of a manual prober the operator's first step is to guide the contact pads of the test object under the probe needles, which can be seen only as very ill-defined shadows. Then the second step is to decrease the distance between the probe needles and the test object. This action will bring the probe needles sharper into focus, if the microscope is focused on the test object. Hence, it is still feasible to make some subsequent adjustments. However, it is not until contact has actually been made that it is possible to determine exactly whether the tips of the contact needles are, in fact, exactly on the contact pads of the test object. If necessary, the operator has to break the contact once again, re-position, and then make contact again.
In the case of probers, where the microscope image is mapped in an image evaluating device, both objects can be brought into sharp focus by capturing the image of the wafer surface in a first step. Then in a second step after mechanical adjustment of the microscope the sharp image of the probe tip is captured. Thereupon the two images are stacked one on top of the other and assembled into one sharp composite image. Thus, a sharp image of both the probe needles and the test object is produced, however, this applies only to the static image, thus not to the real time mode.

Arrangement and method for focusing a multiplane image acquisition on a prober


An apparatus and method turn electronic book (e-book) pages in a portable terminal. The method determines whether a touch is input outside of a predetermined User Interface (UI) activation region of a screen of the portable terminal. The method determines whether a drag and release is input in a direction towards the predetermined UI activation region in response to detecting the touch. The method displays one of a preceding page and a next page on the screen in response to determining that the touch is outside of the predetermined UI activation region and that the drag and release is input in the direction towards the predetermined UI activation region.

Portable terminals are in trend of sudden spread due to the convenience of carrying. Accordingly, service providers (i.e., system manufacturers) are competitively developing terminals having special functions to guarantee many users. For example, the portable terminals are providing various functions of phone books, games, schedulers, short messages, the Internet, electronic mail (e-mail) messages, morning wakeup calls, Moving Picture Experts Group Phase 1 (MPEG-1) Audio Layer 3 (MP3) players, digital cameras, electronic dictionaries, e-books and the like.
Recently, an electronic book (e-book), one of information provision media replacing a conventional paper book, has been introduced to show text contents in an electronic display manner. The e-book is of a scheme of, after storing text contents in a flash memory or a built-in hard disk, showing the stored text contents through a display screen. The e-book has an advantage of being capable of, after storing a large amount of book stories at a time, selecting and showing a wanted story.
At this time, the display screen can display only contents of a restricted region. Accordingly, to continuously seamlessly show the next story of the contents, a User Interface (UI) providing a page move or scroll function should be provided. Generally, the e-book can show a story of text contents on a screen while moving through a page up/page down function using a key input means provided in the e-book. Through this method, a user can read the full story of the text contents stored in the e-book.
However, a UI of a scheme of turning pages through key manipulation as above is merely a direction control scheme of the most basic form and is not designed from an ergonomic viewpoint of making turning pages convenient for a user to use. So, there is a problem that the scheme is inconvenient for the user to convert pages of contents naturally.

Apparatus and method for turning E-book pages in portable terminal


An art glass display formed primarily of a framework, at least one protective sheet of a translucent material adjacent the framework, and a peripheral border in contact with a portion of the framework and the translucent material. The framework is comprised of a plurality of cames and connectors in interconnected relationship. The cames are formed having a first sidewall portion, a second sidewall portion, and a pair of grooves extending the length of each came intermediate the first sidewall portion and the second sidewall portion, with the grooves being on opposite sides of the came. The connectors are formed having a center section, and a plurality of arms. The center section has a notch formed therein. The framework has retained therein at least one pane of glass, each pane of glass being approximately 3.1 mm (1/8") thick and having a bevelled edge. The bevelled edge has its peripheral edge retained in the came grooves of those cames directly adjacent the pane of glass, and with the peripheral edge of the bevelled pane being further retained in the notch of each connector directly adjacent the pane of glass.

Art glass displays have existed for centuries. Among the earliest forms of this type of art were stained glass windows made famous, for example, in the medieval cathedrals of Europe. Originally, art glass displays were fabricated by placing solder between the edges of adjacent pieces of art glass. As the solder cooled, the pieces of art glass were retained in fixed relationship to one another. With stained or colored art glass, the glass was 1/8" rolled glass.
Over the centuries, art glass was incorporated into the building of homes, especially those associated with the Victorian era. For the purposes of this invention, art glass refers to sheet glass which is tinted or colored, as well as to glass which may have a textured surface as opposed to just a smooth one, or to glass which is bevelled.
Furthermore, during the Victorian era, the use of bevelled glass came into vogue. Consequently, many ornate Victorian homes incorporated at least one, if not all three, embodiments of art glass. However, due to the nature of bevelling, it was not done on glass as thin as 1/8". Instead, glass that was at least 3/16" thick was used.
With the passing of time, there were improvements associated with the manufacture of art glass displays. The first improvement came along as the various pieces of art glass were cut so as to have straight edges, thus allowing the use of cames between the edges of adjacent pieces of art glass. Cames originally were elongated pieces of metal provided with channels on their opposite sides, into which channels the adjacent pieces of glass would fit.
Over the past couple of decades there has been an increase in the desire to incorporate the use of art glass in the construction of homes and furniture. Consequently, home builders and furniture manufacturers have responded to this demand by providing numerous products which feature art glass. This increased demand has resulted in a market for insulated glass products in North America of 90 million per year. These products include table tops, wall decorations, and art glass windows provided in both doors and as stand-alone window units. The bevelled art glass typically used in these applications still remains at least 1/16" thick.
Concerns over the structural integrity of art glass windows, specifically their air tightness and breakability, prompted fabricators of art glass displays to place a sheet of protective glass or plastic adjacent the art glass display sheet. Typically, this protective sheet, in the case of doors or windows, is on the outside of the door or window to be protected. However, this "improvement" significantly increased the cost of such displays, in addition to significantly increasing their weight.
In an attempt to solve the above problems, cames were developed which were lighter in weight. These cames could be made from extruded sheet-metal profiles, such as aluminum, or from plastic, and attached to connecting elements, which connecting elements retained a plurality of cames in the framework of the display. However, the weight of the finished art glass display could cause the assemblage of cames to fail structurally. To provide additional support for the framework holding the art glass, one solution engaged in by some artisans was to incorporate a second sheet of glass into the display, such that the art glass in its framework was sandwiched between the protective sheets. Unfortunately, although this solution enhanced the insulative capabilities of the window, not to mention aiding in the support of the art glass, it greatly increased the weight of the total display, not to mention the cost.
An alternative solution was proffered whereby the presence of art glass adjacent to the cames was eliminated, resulting in an artistic-looking came framework placed adjacent a sheet of glass. Unfortunately, the aesthetics associated with having glass in the framework had to be sacrificed. Moreover, since this "improvement" would sometimes result in a came framework which could become detached from itself, some manufacturers added a second piece of glass to the display, such that the empty came framework was effectively sandwiched between the two sheets of glass. Once again, there were the problems with weight and cost.
From the foregoing discussion it can be appreciated that current art glass displays are very expensive, and that they are made even more so if dual-pane construction is used. It is thus apparent that the need exists for an improved art glass display featuring dual-pane construction.


A method of forming a bit line of a semiconductor device wherein an etch-stop nitride film, a trench oxide film and a hard mask nitride film are formed on a semiconductor substrate. The hard mask nitride film and the trench oxide film are etched to a limited etch thickness of a photo mask. The remaining trench oxide film is etched using the hard mask nitride film as a mask, thus forming a trench. The etch-stop nitride film and the hard mask nitride film are etched on condition that an oxide film has a high selectivity with respect to a nitride film. Accordingly, the loss of a top surface of the trench oxide film can be minimized and a bit line can be formed to have a uniform height. In accordance with the invention, bit line resistance and capacitance variation can be reduced and the reliability of a device can be improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to semiconductor devices and more particularly, the invention relates to a method of forming a bit line of a semiconductor device in which resistance and capacitance variation in the bit line are reduced, thereby improving the reliability of the device.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A method of forming a bit line employing a damascene scheme in a semiconductor device manufacturing process uses an ArF photoresist as a mask when the pattern width is 70 nm or less. Accordingly, since the etch margin is small in the dry etch process, a problem arises because a top surface of the pattern is etched during a subsequent pattern formation process. To solve the problem, a pattern formation process employing a hard mask has been introduced.
In other words, a trench is formed in a line insulation film made of an oxide film using a hard mask film made of silicon nitride. After the hard mask film is stripped, the trench is buried with a metal film. A Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) process is then performed to form a bit line within the trench.
However, since the etching selectivity between the silicon nitride film (i.e., the hard mask film) and the oxide film (i.e., the bit line insulation film) is poor, the top surface of the bit line insulation film is etched in pointed form during the process of stripping the hard mask film.
As a result, during the CMP process, the irregularity of etching between the cell region and the peripheral region is increased and the height of a bit line pattern is varied due to the etch irregularity. Accordingly, bit line resistance and capacitance variation are increased and the reliability of a device is degraded accordingly.

Method of forming bit line in semiconductor device


The invention relates to a device for preparing specimens for a cryo-electron microscope, comprising an environmental chamber, a holder for a sample or a carrier, and at least one blotting element to which a medium for absorbing liquid is or can be attached, both disposed in the environmental chamber, and a cooling medium for cooling down said sample. The said blotting element can be moved towards the sample or carrier in a controlled manner.

The invention relates to a device for preparing specimens for a cryo-electron microscope, comprising an environmental chamber, a holder for a sample or a carrier, and at least one blotting element to which a medium for absorbing liquid is or can be attached, both the holder and the blotting element(s) being disposed in the environmental chamber, and a cooling medium, preferably a container for a fluid, for cooling down the sample.
Besides the scanning electron microscope (SEM), wherein a scanning electron beam is used mainly for studying surfaces, various types of transmission electron microscopes (TEM) are used. With several of such microscopes, samples, for example a biopt or a cell suspension, are prepared by fixing and de-watering. After embedding a sample in a resin, an ultra-thin section (for example of 50 nm) can be cut, which is subsequently dyed and exposed to an electron beam.
In cryo-electron microscopy it is generally preferred to employ a so-called grid. For instance, a grid comprising hexagonal openings having a diameter of a few dozen microns is immersed in a suspension of particles to be examined, such as protein molecules or cells. Following that, the excess suspension is removed by "blotting", i.e. by pressing blotting paper or another medium that readily absorbs liquid against the grid on one side or on both sides thereof. As a result of blotting, the thickness of the film that is present in the openings of the grid is reduced, for example from 3-4 μm to 100 nm. In a film of such minimal thickness, an area which is even thinner develops in the centre of the film under the influence of the London/van der Waals attraction of the air/fluid boundary layers, which area slowly expands in outward direction, that is, in the direction of the edge of the respective opening in the grid. During this process, which is also referred to as draining, the suspended particles are trapped between the fluid surfaces. As a next step, the sample is cooled down very quickly, so that the fluid becomes vitreous. The specimen thus prepared can be examined in a cryo-electron microscope at a low temperature (for example minus 170° C.) and be photographed without any additional operations being required.
A device for preparing specimens for a cryo-electron microscope is known, for example, from S. Trachtenberg, "A Fast-Freezing Device with a Retractable Environmental Chamber, Suitable for Kinetic Cryo-Electron Microscopy Studies", Journal of Structural Biology 123, 45-55 (1998). Said publication describes a device which comprises an environmental chamber having transparent polycarbonate walls. Disposed under said chamber is a bath of liquid ethane. The temperature and the (high) air humidity in the chamber are controlled by means of heating elements and an ultrasonic air humidifier. After a grid has been provided with a sample, blotting takes place either manually or automatically by means of an independent unit. Then a valve present in the bottom of the chamber is opened and the grid falls into the ethane at high speed, so that the sample cools down very quickly, i.e. vitrifies. Following that, the chamber is moved up and the specimen is ready.
A similar device is known from a PhD thesis by J. Bednar, "Cryo-Electron Microscopy of DNA and Chromatin", Lausanne 1995. This thesis describes (especially in Chapter 7 in conjunction with FIG. 7.1) a "plunger . . . (which) consists of stand., humid chamber, tweezers holder, and blotting pad as major parts". The blotting pad is connected with a driving magnet via a photographic wire remote shutter.
Such arrangements and method suit the perception that the specimen is sensitive to changes in the temperature and air humidity levels until the moment of freezing. It has become apparent, however, that the existing equipment is insufficiently capable of preparing large numbers of specimens in a reproducible manner.

Device for preparing specimens for a cryo-electron microscope