An improved flounder gig comprising, in combination, a handle, a spear carried at one end of the handle having a pair of outwardly biased legs at the distal ends of which are diverging sharp prongs, and an elongated guide plate having a pair of spaced apart apertures slidably receiving said legs. The guide plate is moveable from a retracted position nearer the lower end of the handle in which the legs and prongs are allowed to assume an outwardly diverging relationship under the influence of the biased legs and a terminal position nearer the prongs in which the prongs are maintained in a closer relationship.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to fishing apparatus. More specifically, it pertains to a fish gig for spearing flounder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The flounder is a flat fish which is found in shallow sea water. The flounder typically buries itself in the sandy sea floor, sometimes only with its eyes uncovered. While founders are occasionally caught on fish hooks, they are more commonly caught by locating them buried in the sand and spearing them with some type of spear or gig. While many types of flounder gigs have been developed, a number of them are now illegal because they include barbs prohibited by law. Furthermore, even if such gigs are used, they tear the flesh of the fish when the gig is withdrawn or released. Other types of spears or gigs do not securely hold flounder thereupon as they are being removed from the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,141 discloses a flounder gig which has been well accepted over the past few years. This type of gig provides a spear having a pair of barbless prongs which are biased apart from each other but are drawn together, prior to use, so that the prongs are close to each other as the flounder is impaled thereon. An actuator plate having a pair of longitudinally spaced apart apertures is slidably carried on the spear. For initial use, the actuator plate is pushed toward the prongs drawing them together and placing them in a parallel position for initial use. When the fish is impaled by the prongs, the plate is engaged and pushed upwardly allowing the prongs to move apart from each other. Since the prongs are biased apart from each other, they have a tendency to spread apart. The resulting opposing forces tend to retain the flounder on the spear as the fish is removed from the water. Once the fish is removed, the actuator plate may be reset to its initial position for reuse.
In the flounder gig of U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,141, a flexible cable or chain is secured to a handle at one end thereof and to the actuator plate at the other. This limits the downward movement of the actuator plate to provide the proper initial setting and to prevent its accidental loss. However, such a chain or cable increases the cost of the gig and makes it somewhat more complex. In addition, the cable may rust and break necessitating its replacement. Furthermore, it may cause the gig to be accidently engaged on various objects when used. Although the flounder gig of U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,141 is one of the best presently available, it does have some undesirable characteristics.
The flounder gig of the present invention is similar to the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,141. It is provided with a handle at one end of which is secured a spear comprising a pair of outwardly biased legs and prongs. It is, also provided with a guide plate slidably carried by the spear which, in a terminal position near the distal end of the prongs, maintains the legs in a substantially spaced apart, parallel relationship. The guide plate may be retracted toward the handle, releasing the legs so that the prongs on opposing distal ends thereof spring outwardly to provide opposing forces for holding an impaled flounder thereon. The gig is improved over the prior art by providing a limiting device on the guide plate to limit its movement to a lowermost terminal position. This limits the downward movement of the guide plate, eliminating the use of a cable for this purpose.
Furthermore, the handle of the gig is designed so that the gig will float in sea water. Thus, if accidently dropped in the water it may be retrieved rather than sinking.
The flounder gig of the present invention is simple in construction, assembly and operation. It can be manufactured at a low cost. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from reading the description which follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


An add-on timer for a medicine container is provided having a base plate affixed to the top of an existing lid, a housing overlaying and coupled to the base plate, and a timing unit within the housing. The housing is displaceable relative to the base plate by a person depressing or twisting the housing, which actuates a switch and resets the timing unit. A display indicates the elapsed time since the container was last accessed, to assist a patient in following dosage instructions.

The present invention relates generally to a timer for containers or dispensers, which displays the time that has elapsed since the container was last opened, and in particular to a timer that can be affixed to the lid of a conventional container for prescription medicine.
Errors related to the administration of medication are well documented in pharmacy and medical literature. Many administration errors are due to inappropriate time intervals between doses. The result can be either overdosing leading to toxicity, or under-dosing causing a sub-therapeutic drug blood level. There are solutions to this dosage interval problem in prior art, but problems permeate these prior solutions. These problems may be divided into five general areas.
First, there are the timing devices that require repackaging the medication, that is, removing the medication from the container originally provided by the pharmacy or manufacturer. These devices may result in errors during repackaging, loss of original labeling, and loss of physical and chemical protection provided by the original dispenser.
Second, some timing devices replace the original lid, while retaining the original bottle or vial that was provided with the medicine dispenser. This again may alter the physical and chemical properties of the original packaging. Replacement of the original lid also necessitates that the timing device be manufactured in a vast array of configurations and sizes to fit the large variety of containers currently in the marketplace.
Third, medicines provided as a liquid present problems, as the closures for bottles are different than those found on containers of solid dosage forms, such as vials. For example, the closures for bottles are typically screw-on caps, which create an air-tight seal. Many of the prior art timing devices cannot be readily adapted to bottle caps.
Fourth, many timing devices and systems require programming or record keeping. Programming can be difficult for patients who are disabled or elderly. Multiple medications can complicate programming requirements and multiple caregivers can add to problems with devices that are difficult to use.
Fifth, various original container lids require a particular pressure and/or motion to open and close the container. Not all add-on devices are compatible with the range of lid types offered. Further, some prior art timers are equipped with manual reset features or procedures in an attempt to expand their utility. But, if the timer is not automatically actuated by the act of accessing the contents of the container, and the patient is required to manually reset the timer, then the reliability of the timer can be compromised.
Examples of timers for medication dispensers are shown in the following references. U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,016 discloses a timing device for indicating when the medication was last accessed, which includes a container with a screw on cap. The cap contains a compression switch to indicate the time when the container was last opened to remove a dosage of medication or to display the time elapsed since the cap was last taken off of the container. The cap is said to fit standard vials or container. Variations of a compression switch are disclosed, such as a pliable extension which is inserted between the cap threads and the bottle neck threads so that as the cap is threaded on the neck, the pliable extension is compressed and contacts within the extension are actuated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,705 discloses a container and cap combination, wherein a timing device in the cap measures a time interval between when the cap is removed and when the cap in reinstalled to determine a true medical dose access event and distinguish them from false events. Additionally, the timing device may include a memory for storing events, and the memory can be accessed and reviewed. The disclosed dispensing container would require redistribution of medicine from the original containers presently used by pharmacies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,571 discloses a replacement cap for medicine dispensers. The original lid is replaced by a cap containing a timer/alarm, which is activated by a compression switch. Since the cap is intended to substitute for the original lid, the cap is provided with internal threads or other means to engage the container. Consequently, the replacement cap must be matched to fit a particular, original container for medicine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,660 discloses a timing device having a specially designed container (vial) and a base for supporting the vial. The base includes a push button that needs to be actuated by a patient, to set the time at which the medication was taken.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,064 describes an add-on medicine dispenser timer, which can be affixed to a conventional medicine dispenser lid. The add-on timer has a housing, with resilient side walls. The side walls flex when downward pressure is applied to the housing and a compression switch is actuated, which resets the timer. Visual inspection of the display indicates proper reset of the device.
The objectives of the present invention are therefore to provide a device for the timely administration of medication that does not require the repackaging of medications from the original container and that does not require replacement of the original container lid. The timing device should be compatible with and readily actuate when used on all types of child safety and other closures commonly found on both solid and liquid dosage forms of both prescription and over-the-counter medications. Additionally, the timing device should be simple to use and not require programming or initial set-up, other than the affixation to an existing container lid. Once the add-on timer is properly affixed to an existing container lid, accessing the contents of the container should actuate the device. The affixed timing device should not significantly alter the pressure or motion required to access the container. Further objectives are to provide a device that is compact, inexpensive to manufacture, and reliable.


An information processing device includes: a processor that executes a process, the process including: controlling a recognition process that performs, with respect to input neuron data, a hierarchical neural network operation including a weighting operation using a parameter and that holds the neuron data and the parameter of each layer of the neural network in each of memory areas; and performing, in a learning process of learning the parameter of each layer of the neural network from an error that is obtained from a recognition result, regarding the layer in which the neuron data and the parameter are held in the memory areas, control of calculating an error of the neuron data after calculating an error of the parameter.

In recent years, machine learning using neural networks having multilayer structure has been drawing attention. The machine learning using such neural networks having multilayer structure is also called deep learning. Multi layering of neural networks is improved in deep learning and effectiveness is confirmed in various fields. For example, in recognition of images/voices, deep learning exhibits high recognition accuracy equal to that performed by a human.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-310700
Deep learning automatically learns the features in a neural network by performing supervised learning. However, in deep learning, with multilayer structure of the neural network, the amount of memory used is increased and the amount of memory used is further increased at the time of learning. For example, in an error back propagation method typically used in supervised learning, recognition is performed by sequentially propagating pieces of data used for the learning to a neural network and an error is obtained by comparing the recognition result with a correct answer. Then, in the error back propagation method, the error between the recognition result and the correct answer is allowed to be propagated to the neural network in a direction opposite to that at the time of recognition and then the parameter of each of the layers of the neural network is changed. Consequently, at the time of learning, the amount of memory used is increased. For example, because a gradient of an error is stored for the learning, the amount of data is increased more than double compared with a case where only recognition is performed and, in some cases, the amount of memory used is increased more than double.

Controlling memory area for training a neural network


An object of the present invention is to provide a vibration-damping device which inhibits a flange part and an outer cylinder from breaking. The vibration-damping device includes: an inner cylinder; a resin-made outer cylinder arranged outside the inner cylinder in a radial direction; and a rubber elastic body connecting the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder.

A vibration-damping device incorporated in an engine mount or the like of an automobile has been known as this type of vibration-damping device. This vibration-damping device includes: an inner cylinder; an outer cylinder arranged around the outer circumference of the inner cylinder with a space in between; and a rubber elastic body which elastically connects the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder.
A reduction in the weight of an automobile in recent years has encouraged consideration for the use of resin members in the vibration-damping device. For example, a vibration-damping device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 employs a resin-made outer cylinder.
The vibration-damping device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes the cylindrical outer cylinder, and a ring-shaped flange part jutting outward in a radial direction from an end of the outer cylinder. The flange part is formed continuing from the end of the outer cylinder, and having substantially the same thickness as the outer cylinder. In addition, the outer cylinder is assembled with a rubber elastic body and the inner cylinder which are arranged inside the outer cylinder co-axially. The vibration-damping device like this is fitted to an attachment member by being press-fitted into an attachment insertion hole of the attachment member. The vibration-damping device is press-fitted by pressing the flange part of the outer cylinder toward the attachment member using a press fitting jig.


A system and method for detecting trends in time-managed lifetime data for products shipped in distinct vintages within a time window. Data is consolidated from several sources and represented in a form amenable to detection of trends using a criterion for measuring failure. A weight is applied to the failure measures, the weight increasing over the time the products are in the time window. A function of weighted failures is used to define a severity index for proximity to an unacceptable level of failures, and an alarm signal is triggered at a threshold level that allows the level of false alarms to be pre-set.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to early detection of system component failure, and in particular to monitoring tools for that purpose using statistical analysis of time-managed lifetime data streams of component monitoring information.
2. Background Description
In large scale manufacturing, it is typical to monitor warranty performance of products shipped. Products are shipped on a certain date and, over time, various components may fail, requiring warranty service. A certain level of component failure is to be expected—indeed, that is what the warranty provides for. But there may also be components which have performance problems that result in higher than expected failure rates, and which require upstream remedies such as removal from the distribution chain. Early notification of the need for such upstream remedies is highly desirable.
A number of patents and published applications deal with tracking lifetime (especially failure and reliability) data. U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,184 "Failure and performance tracking system" to D. Kleinschnitz discusses tracking of a single electronic system that has an internal processing ability to diagnose failures and record information about them.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,845 "Method for diagnosing a remaining lifetime, apparatus for diagnosing a remaining lifetime, method for displaying remaining lifetime data, display apparatus and expert system" to H. Ohtsuka and M. Utamura discusses an expert system for determining a remaining lifetime of a multi-component aggregate when information about degradation of individual components is available.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,508 "Method for internal mechanical component configuration detection" to R. L. Liao, S. P. O'Neal and D. W. Broder describes a method for automatic detection by a system board of a mechanical component covered by warranty and communication of such information.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0138311 A1 "Dynamic management of part reliability data" to B. Sinex describes a system for dynamically managing maintenance of a member of a fleet (e.g. aircraft) by using warranty-based reliability data.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0149590 A1 "Warranty data visualization system and method" to A. Cardno and D. Bourke describes a system for visualizing weak points of a given product (e.g. a chair) based on a database representing interaction between customers and merchants.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,349 "Reliability assessment and prediction system and method for implementing the same" to L. Gullo, L. Musil and B. Johnson describes a reliability assessment program (RAP) that enables one to assess reliability of new equipment based on similarities and differences between it and the predecessor equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,634 "Quality monitoring and maintenance for products employing end user serviceable components" to M. Borg describes a method for monitoring the quality and performance of a product (e.g. laser printer) that enables one to detect that sub-standard third party replacement components are being employed.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0024726 A1 "First failure data capture" to H. Salem describes a system for capturing data related to failure incidents, and determining which incidents require further processing.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0123179 A1 "Method, system and computer product for reliability estimation of repairable systems" to D. Dragomir-Daescu, C. Graichen, M. Prabhakaran and C. Daniel describes a method for reliability estimation of a repairable system based on the data pertaining to reliability of its components.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0167832 A1 "Method and data processing system for managing products and product parts, associated computer product, and computer readable medium" to V. Willie describes a system for managing the process of repairs and recording information about repairs in a database.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,816,798 "Network-based method and system for analyzing and displaying reliability data" to J. Pena-Nieves, T. Hill and A. Arvidson describes a system for displaying reliability data by using Weibull distribution fitting to ensure reliability has not changed due to process variation.
None of the systems described above are able to handle the problem of monitoring massive amounts of time-managed lifetime data, while maintaining a pre-specified low rate of false alarms. What is needed is a method and system capable of such monitoring.

System and method for early detection of system component failure

International Business Machines Corporation


SMS probe imaging systems, methods of use thereof, and the like are disclosed. Embodiments of the present disclosure can use direct interrogation of objects (e.g., cells or tissue) within a small pool/droplet of liquid, optional thermal, mechanical, electrical, optical and chemical manipulation, followed immediately by liquid sampling, optional sample conditioning, and soft ionization of biomolecules.

The capability to monitor the spatially-resolved biochemical activity of an individual biological cell on the time scale of physiologically-relevant processes in an aqueous, i.e., natural, environment, with minimum alteration of the cell's biochemical state would provide enhanced insight into the biological underpinnings of the cell's biochemical cycle and mechanism(s) of disease progression on the most basic molecular level. However, currently technology does not provide for such capabilities.

SMS probe and SEM imaging system and methods of use


This specification describes methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage device, for determining expansion rates for events related to expandable content items.

This specification relates to information presentation.
Sponsored content (e.g. advertisements, deals or special offers) can be provided over the Internet to various user devices. For example, a web page can include slots in which sponsored content can be presented. These slots can be defined in the web page or defined for presentation with a web page, for example, along with search results or other content. Sponsored content can also be delivered through dedicated web portals or applications executing on the user devices.
Some content items are expandable. For example, a content item can be initially presented in an unexpanded form as a 728×90 pixel graphical item. When a user selects or interacts with this content item, an expanded view of 728×270 pixels can be presented. According, a metric of interest to a content item sponsor (e.g., an advertiser) is an expansion rate, which is a ratio of a number of times users triggered an expansion of the content item to the total number of content item impressions.
In the context of an exchange, such as an advertising exchange, content items are provided by vendors that handle the placement of advertisements for advertisers. Often a single advertiser will use multiple vendors. Each vendor, however, only reports metrics of interest, such as expansion rates, for the respective content items it serves. Thus, an advertiser must manually aggregate across all vendors it uses when evaluating expansion rates across all vendors.

Monitoring content item expansion events across multiple content item providers


Embodiments relate to an image sensor having a gate spacer and a fabricating method by which damage in a photodiode area can be prevented. Embodiments relate to a method of fabricating an image sensor including forming a gate electrode over a substrate having a prescribed photodiode area. A first oxide layer, a nitride layer, and a second oxide layer may be formed over the substrate including the gate electrode. A photoresist pattern may be formed over the substrate to open the photodiode area centering on the gate electrode. A transformed nitride layer may be formed by selectively carrying out nitridation on the second oxide layer formed over the photodiode area centering on the gate electrode using the photoresist pattern as a mask. The photoresist mask pattern may be removed. A spacer may be formed over one side of the gate electrode by carrying out blank etch on the first oxide layer, the nitride layer, the transformed nitride layer, and the second oxide layer.

Generally, an image sensor is a semiconductor device that converts an optical image to an electric signal. A charge coupled device (CCD) is an image sensor which includes a plurality of MOS (Metal-Oxide-Silicon) capacitors in the vicinity of each other. Charge carriers are stored in the capacitors and transferred.
A CMOS image sensor employs CMOS technology which may integrate a control circuit and a signal processing circuit as peripheral circuits on the sensor chip. The CMOS image sensor includes a number of MOS transistors matching the number of pixels. A CMOS sensor may employ a switching system for sequentially detecting outputs using the MOS transistors.
An image sensor has a photo-sensing section for generating and accumulating charges liberated by the photoelectric effect by incoming light. A color filter is arranged on the photo-sensing section. A color filter array (CFA) may include red, green, and blue, or yellow, magenta, and cyan. The image sensor may include a photo-sensing section for sensing light and a logic circuit section for processing the sensed light as electrical signals used to represent image data.
To increase photosensitivity, efforts have been made to increase a fill factor of the photo-sensing section over the whole image sensor device. Because of the logic circuit section, the efforts are restricted by the limited area. To increase photosensitivity by another method, a light-condensing technology for concentrating incident light on the photosensing section has been introduced. For this purpose, a microlens is formed over a color filter of an image sensor.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of an equivalent circuit of a unit pixel (indicated by a dotted line) in a CMOS image sensor according to a related art. Referring to FIG. 1, a unit pixel of a CMOS image sensor includes of a photodiode PD and four NMOS transistors Tx, Rx, Sx, and Dx. Transfer transistor Tx is for transferring charges collected by the photodiode PD to a floating diffusion area FD. Reset transistor Rx is for resetting the floating diffusion area FD by setting a potential of a node to a specific value and draining charges Cpd. Drive transistor Dx plays a role as a source-follower buffer amplifier. A select transistor Sx enables switched addressing. The transfer and reset transistors Tx and Rx are native NMOS transistors, while the drive and select transistors Dx and Sx are normal NMOS transistors. The reset transistor Rx is provided for CDS (correlated double sampling).
The unit pixel of the CMOS image sensor, as shown in FIG. 1, senses light in a visible wavelength band in the photodiode area PD using the native transistors, and then outputs the sensed photo-generated charge. This corresponds to the quantity of charge delivered to the floating diffusion area FD, i.e., the electrical signal at the gate of the drive transistor Dx, from an output terminal Vout.
FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are cross-sectional diagrams of a method of fabricating a CMOS image sensor according to a related art. A photodiode and a transfer transistor Tx for transferring photogenerated charges from the photodiode (PD) to a floating diffusion area (FD) are shown. A method of fabricating an image sensor according to a related art is briefly explained with reference to the drawings as follows.
Referring to FIG. 2A, a p-epitaxial layer (not shown in the drawing) lightly doped with p type impurities, a field oxide layer (not shown in the drawing) for isolation between unit pixels, and a photodiode area 210 are formed over a p+substrate 200 heavily doped with p type impurities by LOCOS (local oxidation of silicon) and ion implantation. A gate electrode 220 of a transfer transistor Tx is formed over the p-epitaxial layer. Gates (not shown in the drawing) of drive, reset, and select transistors Dx, Rx, and Sx can be simultaneously formed. To form a spacer attached to one sidewall of the gate electrode 220 of the transfer transistor, an insulating layer for a spacer, e.g., an ONO (oxide/nitride/oxide) layer 230/240/250 is deposited over the substrate. After a photoresist layer has been formed over the ONO layer 230/240/250, the photoresist layer is etched to form pattern 260 to protect the photodiode area 210.
Referring to FIG. 2B, an RIE (reactive ion etch) is carried out on the ONO layer 230/240/250 using the photoresist pattern 260 as a mask. A spacer 270 attached to one sidewall of the gate electrode 220 of the transfer transistor is formed by the RIE. However, since selectivity of the photoresist for the RIE to form the spacer 270, as shown in FIG. 2B, is not high, most of the photoresist pattern formed to protect the photodiode area 210 is etched away. The oxide layer 250 beneath the photoresist pattern 260 is also etched in part.
Where the spacer 270 attached to one sidewall of the gate electrode 220 of the transfer transistor is formed by an RIE on the ONO layer in the related art image sensor having the photodiode area 210, the photodiode area, as shown in FIG. 2C, is over-etched, exposing the photodiode. This causes a damage (A) to the image sensor, shown in FIG. 2C, which may degrade performance of the image sensor.

Image sensor and fabricating method thereof


An electronic appliance powered by a power supply unit connected to a mains type electricity network, and for connection to a transmission line having two conductor elements and to a terminal in order to transfer data between the line and the terminal. The appliance has a front-end component connected to the line via an isolating transformer. Also, various additional components are connected to an electrical ground of the appliance. A discharge component is connected to the conductor elements of the line and becomes conductive in the event of a voltage surge due to a lightning strike. This eliminates the surge by establishing a flow of current from the line to electrical ground. A capacitive and/or resistive type divider component is interposed between the discharge component and electrical ground in order to co-operate with the power supply unit and/or one or more additional components to constitute a divider bridge.

Electronic appliances of the "home gateway" or "modem" type, or more generally electronic appliances for transferring data between a telephone line and any kind of terminal such as a computer, need to be protected against lightning impacts that might occur on conductor elements of the telephone line.
In this context, ITU-T Recommendation K21 defines reference waveforms representative of lightning impacts. These waveforms are pulses having a maximum amplitude in common mode of 1.5 kilovolts (kV) for a so-called "K21 normal level" wave, or of 6.0 kV for a so-called "K21 enhanced level" wave.
Designing protection against lightning thus consists in providing means that enable the appliance to withstand one or the other of those waveforms without damage.
In practice, the design of such protection against lightning is made complicated in the context of a gateway that is designed to be installed in a home.
In order to be effective, protection against lightning requires the gateway to be connected to earth ground. Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that the final user will connect the appliance in effective manner to earth ground. In addition, the quality of a user's earth ground constitutes an additional unknown that also cannot be determined in advance.
A home gateway is electrically powered by a mains unit, itself connected to an electricity network of the 230 volts (V) type or of the 110 V type, and it is also connected to a digital subscriber line (DSL) typically comprising two conductor elements.
The gateway includes in particular internal components known as analog front-end (AFE) components that are coupled to the DSL line and that need to be protected against lightning.
When the gateway is not connected to earth ground or when its connection is poor, and a lightning impact occurs, then the electrical ground of the appliance may be raised to substantially the same potential as the conductor element of the DSL line, i.e. to a potential close to that of the surge voltage, which for a K21 enhanced level waveform is 6.0 kV.
In this situation, the other components of the gateway that are connected to electrical ground are subjected to a potential that is substantially equal to 6.0 kV. This applies in particular to components of the Ethernet port of such a gateway.
At present, the components of an Ethernet port are designed to withstand pulses having a maximum amplitude in common mode of 1.5 kV (K21 normal level). Thus, the 6.0 kV surge voltage that is imposed on electrical ground in the event of lightning allows the front-end components of the gateway to be protected, but nevertheless causes the Ethernet port to be damaged if the gateway is not connected to earth ground.

Three-pole lightning arrestor integrated into a residential gateway with lightning impact detector


A thin film transistor includes a substrate with a trench having first and second sides and a bottom, and a gate electrode at one of the first and second sides of the trench. The thin film transistor further includes a gate insulating layer on the entire surface of the substrate including the gate electrode, and an active layer on the gate insulating layer along the trench, the active layer having source and drain regions substantially outside the trench.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a thin film transistor and a method for fabricating the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A thin film transistor (TFT) has been used instead of a load resistor or CMOS load transistor of an SRAM of more than 1M class. It is also used as a switching device which transforms picture data signals for pixel areas in a liquid display device. Particularly in an SRAM cell using a PMOS TFT as a load transistor, the off-current of a PMOS can be reduced and the on-current of the PMOS can be increased, thereby reducing the power consumption and enhancing the memory performance.
An offset region significantly contributes stable performance to an SRAM cell, for example. Accordingly, the structure and the method of forming the offset region are important in the manufacture of semiconductor devices having offset regions.
A conventional TFT and a method for fabricating the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional TFT, which includes an insulating layer 11, a gate electrode 13, a gate insulating layer 15, source and drain regions S/D, an offset region I, and a channel region II.
The gate electrode 13 is formed on a predetermined area of the insulating layer 11. The gate insulating layer 15 is formed on the insulating layer 11 including the gate electrode 13. The source region S is formed on the gate insulating layer 15 to overlap an edge of the gate electrode 13. The drain electrode D is formed on the gate insulating layer 15 apart from the gate electrode 13. The channel region II is defined from the end of the source region S formed over the gate electrode 13 to one end of the gate electrode 13. The offset region I is defined from the end of the gate electrode 13 to the end of the drain region D.
FIGS. 2A to 2E are cross-sectional views showing process steps of a conventional method for fabricating a TFT.
Referring to FIG. 2A, a first polysilicon layer 12 is formed on an insulating layer 11. A photoresist film (not shown) is coated on the first polysilicon layer 12 and patterned by an exposure and development process to form a gate pattern of the photoresist film.
Subsequently, using the gate pattern as a mask, the first polysilicon layer 12 is selectively etched to form a gate electrode 13, as shown in FIG. 2B.
Next, a gate insulating layer 15 is deposited on the insulating layer 11 including the gate electrode 13, as shown in FIG. 2C. Then, a second polysilicon layer 17 is formed on the gate insulating layer 15. The second polysilicon layer 17 is used as source and drain regions S/D as well as channel region II and offset region I.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2D, a photoresist film is coated on the second polysilicon layer 17 and patterned by an exposure and development process to form a photoresist pattern 19 for a channel region and an offset region. Using the photoresist pattern 19 as a mask, impurity ions are implanted into the second polysilicon layer 17, thereby forming source and drain regions S and D.
Subsequently, the photoresist pattern 19 is removed as shown in FIG. 2E to complete the conventional method for fabricating a TFT. Here, the offset region I is a portion of the second polysilicon layer 17 between the drain region D and the gate electrode 13, and the channel region II is a portion of the second polysilicon layer 17 that corresponds to the gate electrode 13.
Such a conventional TFT has the following problem. Processes using masks are required to form the channel region and the offset regions. It is generally difficult to perform mask alignment and associated photolithography precisely. Offset regions cannot be formed precisely with such an unstable process of mask alignment. This causes instability of the resultant cells.

Thin film transistor and method for fabricating the same


An endoscope includes an elongated insertion section which has a distal end portion and is inserted into a body cavity. The insertion section has a rigid portion body on the distal end portion. The rigid portion body has at least one mounting hole in which each of optical members of an observation optical system and an illumination optical system is mounted. A binding portion which mechanically restricts the optical member with respect to the rigid portion body is provided on at least a part of the boundary between the mounting hole and the optical member mounted in the mounting hole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope in which a rigid portion body on the distal end portion of an elongated insertion section to be inserted into a body cavity has mounting holes in which optical members of an observation optical system and an illumination optical system are mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-85326, for example, a technique is described for fixing an optical member to a cover member that is provided independently of a rigid portion body on the distal end portion of an insertion section of an endoscope. According to this technique, the cover member having an opening is located on the distal end portion of the insertion section to hold the distal end face of the optical member in an exposed state. The diameter of the opening of the cover member on its one side is larger than the diameter on the other side, that is, the opening is tapered. The surface of the cover member which has the larger opening diameter is opposed to the proximal end side of the insertion section. The optical member has a tapered shape such that it is mounted in the tapered opening. Thus, the optical member can be prevented from slipping off the cover member.
The rigid portion body of the endoscope described above is formed having an opening in which an integrated unit that combines the optical member and a frame on the distal end portion of the insertion section is located. The optical member is firmly soldered or brazed to the frame. The cover member has a small hole in its distal end face. The diameter of the small hole is less than the largest diameter of the integrated unit. A large hole having a larger diameter than that of the small hole is formed in a position a little closer to the proximal end side of the insertion section than the distal end face of the cover member. The small and large holes are tapered and linked together. The optical member of the unit is tapered to mount the tapered cover member. If the integrated unit is inserted into the cover member from its proximal end side and fixed the optical member is prevented from being disengaged in a forward direction from the distal end face of the cover member.


The technique of the present invention increases a variation in status used for management of print jobs, thereby enhancing utility of a printer. In a printing system constructed via a network LAN, a printer PRT includes a job management apparatus that manages statuses of print jobs in conformity with International Standard ISO/IEC10175-1. The job management apparatus has a create control module 6 in addition to diverse functional blocks for processing the print jobs based on the International Standard. When the user gives an instruction ‘create’ to a print job in a ‘held’ status, the create control module 6 creates a new daughter job from the print job in the ‘held’ status as a mother job and executes printing of either the mother job or the daughter job, while keeping at least one print job in the ‘held’ status. This arrangement enables a registered document to be reprinted iteratively at any arbitrary time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print job management system that receives a plurality of print jobs from, for example, computers, and manages the plurality of print jobs to be adequately printed with printers.
2. Description of the Related Art
With spread of LANs (Local Area Networks), the system, in which a plurality of computers connecting with a network (hereinafter referred to as 'clients') share one or multiple printers also connecting with the network, becomes popular. Multiple print jobs are transmitted from the clients to each printer. Each printer is provided with an internal or external spool buffer for storing the transmitted print jobs. The print jobs are temporarily registered in the spool buffer and successively transferred to the printer to be printed.
The print job is printed through diverse statuses. The spool buffer manages print jobs based on these statuses. The statuses are defined by International Standard ISO/IEC10175-1. FIG. 1 shows the outline of the statuses defined by International Standard ISO/IEC10175-1. Only the main statuses are illustrated here.
The status 'receiving' means that the buffer is now receiving a print job transmitted from the client. The status of the print job that has been received by the buffer is shifted to 'pending' (see the arrow tr1). The status 'pending' means that the received print job is added to a waiting queue of printing operation. The print jobs added to the waiting queue are successively executed according to a predetermined order of priority.
The status of the print job, which should be processed currently, is shifted from 'pending'to 'interPreting' (see the arrow tr2). The print jobs are described in diverse protocols and languages, for example LPR and PostScript. It is accordingly required to interpret the contents of data in each print job and convert the data of the print job into data intrinsic to the printer used for printing. The status 'interPreting' means that such data conversion is being carried out.
After completion of the interpreting, the status of the print job is shifted to 'printWaiting' (see the arrow tr3). The status 'printWaiting' means that the print job is waiting until the printer gets ready for printing.
When the printer is read for printing, the print job is transferred to the printer and is printed. This further shifts the status of the print job to 'printing' (see the arrow tr4). On completion of the printing operation, the status is changed to 'completed' (see the arrow tr5). In general, the print job is eliminated and the job management is concluded at this moment.
An instruction to retain for a preset time period after conclusion of printing may be attached to the print job. In such cases, the status of the print job is further shifted from 'completed' to 'retained' (see the arrow tr7). The status 'retained' means that the print job is not eliminated but is kept until either of conditions, that is, input of a user's reprinting instruction and elapse of a predetermined time period, is fulfilled. In response to input of a user's reprinting instruction via the client or an interface of the printer, the status of the print job is shifted from 'retained' to 'pending' (see the arrow tr9). The process of job management newly creates a print job identical with the print job in the 'retained' status and keeps the newly created print job in the 'pending' status. Namely the job management assigns different pieces of identification information, for example, job number or indexes to the existing print job in the 'retained' status and the newly created print job in the 'pending' status.
There is often an additional function of holding execution of the print job, in addition to the series of processing flow discussed above. This function results in a 'held' status. The shift to the 'held' status is implemented in response to input of a user's instruction via the client or the interface of the printer. The shift to the 'held' status is allowed from any of the 'pending', 'printWaiting', 'interPreting', 'printing', and 'completed' statuses (see the arrows tr6). The shift to the 'held' status is otherwise implemented by attaching data, which represents an instruction of a shift to the 'held' status, to the print job. The print job in the 'held' status is kept in the current state until input of a user's instruction. In response to a user's release instruction, the status of the print job is again shifted to 'pending' (see the arrow tr8). The print job in the 'held' status may alternatively be eliminated in response to a user's discarding instruction.
The statuses 'held' and 'retained' are similar to each other in some sense, since the job is kept in either of these statuses. There is, however, a distinct difference between these two statuses. The shift to the 'retained' status is allowed only after execution of the print job, while there is no such a restriction with regard to the shift to the 'held' status. Execution of a print job in the 'retained' status accompanies creation of a new print job, whereas execution of a print job in the 'held' status does not accompany creation of a new print job. Namely the print job itself kept in the 'held' status is executed in the latter case. The print job in the 'retained' status is generally eliminated after elapse of a predetermined time period. The print job in the 'held' status is, however, kept without any time limit.
The job management apparatus functions to manage the statuses of the respective print jobs and control execution of the respective print jobs. The job management apparatus is conventionally constructed by a software program called a spooler inside the printer or a print server separate from the printer.
The prior art job management carried out in the range defined by the International Standard, however, sometimes has poor utility in practical printing services. For example, it is required to output a new job from the client every time a frequently used document is to be printed. The client should be activated on every occasion of reprinting. This results in poor utility in practice.


A new method is presented which is useful in the prevention of the common cold (also called non-allergic rhinitis, viral upper respiratory tract infection, viral URI, etc and for this presentation will be referred to as the xe2x80x9ccommon coldxe2x80x9d) in mammals, including humans, and which also lessens the duration and intensity of the symptoms of the said condition should infection occur. Within the scope of the present invention is a method of treating pain in mammals, such as humans. The active ingredient in these methods can be a water soluble mixture available in oral form and selected from the chitin oligomers di N-acetyl chitobiose, tri N-acetyl chitotriose, tetra N-acetyl chitotetraose, penta N-acetyl chitopentaose, and hexa N-acetyl chitohexaose, with the water soluble oral chitosan oligomers selected from chitobiose, chitotriose, chitotetraose, chitopentaose, chitohexaose, and chitoheptaose.

The invention relates to a method for preventing or treating common cold or treating pain by administering a new agent comprising a) at least one chitin oligosaccharide; b) at least one chitosan oligosaccharide; c) at least one partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide, wherein some, but not all, of the N-acetyl glucosamine or 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose subunits are de-acetylated; d) a mixture of at least one chitin oligosaccharide and at least one chitosan oligosaccharide; e) a mixture of at least one chitin oligosaccharide and at least one partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide; or f) a mixture of at least one chitosan oligosaccharide and at least one partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide to a subject in need of common cold prevention or treatment or pain treatment. The new agent may further comprise N-acetyl glucosamine and/or glucosamine. The new agent may induce analgesia by absorbing, binding, or otherwise inhibiting bradykinin and ions at the nerve endings as its mechanism. This invention also relates to an oral method of delivery. The new agent is useful in the prevention of the common cold (non-allergic rhinitis, viral upper respiratory tract infection, viral URI, etc) and in reducing the duration and severity of the symptoms of such an infection should this occur.
The common cold, one of mankind""s most frequent disease afflictions (also called non-allergic rhinitis, viral upper respiratory tract infection, viral URI) is a contagious infectious disease that, while usually self-limiting and non-fatal, has long been a source of limitless suffering with huge expenditures of time and money, as well as being a leading cause of doctor visits. Very few humans escape infection each year and most will suffer multiple infections. It is estimated that most adults will suffer 2-5 colds per year while infants and pre-school children may have 4-8 such infections each year (1). In the course of a year, individuals in the U.S. suffer from over one billion colds which are a leading cause of school and job absenteeism as well as doctor visits. Broken down further, children have more colds than adults probably due to their relative lack of resistance to infection and to contact with other infected children in school and daycare centers. Women, particularly in the age range 20-30, have more colds than men due to their closer contact with children (2). The economic impact of the common cold can only be estimated. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 1995, 61 million cases of the common cold required medical attention. There were 58 million bed days lost to the common cold, 24 million days of restricted activity, and 22 million lost school days (3). The exact dollar figure spent or lost can only be estimated but probably is in the tens of billions. (It should be noted that these figures are for the United States only).
Although rarely fatal in and of itself, the common cold may lead to more serious complications in the very young, the very old, and those that are immunocompromised. Such complications include bacterial suprainfection, pneumonia, bacterial sinusitis, and otitis media. In addition, the common cold is responsible for many exacerbations of asthma, a serious multi-billion dollar per year respiratory disease responsible for over 5,000 deaths per year, a figure that keeps rising (4,5,6).
Yet despite the prevalence, destructiveness, and costs of the disease, surprisingly little or no progress has been made toward effective cold treatment (7). Antibiotics, which are prescribed with disturbing frequency by practitioners and demanded by patients who want xe2x80x9csomething donexe2x80x9d, are ineffective both theoretically and in practice since the common cold is caused by a virus, not a bacteria (see Detailed Description of the Invention for a discussion of the pathology of the common cold) (8, 9, 10). In fact, the misuse and over-prescription of antibiotics for the common cold has led to dangerous mutant resistant strains of micro-organisms such as MRSA (methacillin resistant staphylococcus aureus). Vitamin C, as proclaimed by two-time Nobel Prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling, has also been reputed to both prevent colds and decrease the symptoms should a cold occur, when given in so-called xe2x80x9cmega dosesxe2x80x9d ie greater than 5-10 grams per day (RDA=65-130 mg per day). However, numerous studies since Dr. Pauling""s work have failed to duplicate his results, and the role of vitamin C, if any, is still open to debate (11, 12, 13, 14, 15). Over-the-counter cold prescriptions invariably act to suppress symptoms locally through actions against such things as histamine (the antihistamine group of drugs ie Benadryl) or through various actions on the autonomic nervous system (such as ephedrine-a sympathomimetric amine. It should be noted that these drugs have side effects, some of which can be serious. Other experimental drugs such as BIRR 4 (also called tremacara) must be applied directly to the nose before being exposed to the virus, which does little good for the average individual who has no idea when or where he will come in contact with the cold virus. However, experiments involving tremacara have proven clinically the theoretical efficacy of blocking the rhinovirus/ICAM-1 receptor sites for reducing the severity of rhinovirus cold infections. A variety of alternative and folk remedies (zinc, ecchinacea, etc) have also been used over the years with variable and largely unreproducable results (16,17). Thus, there is a need for an agent effective in preventing and/or treating common cold. The present invention concerns such an agent and a method of preventing and/or treating common cold.
Pain and the suffering it causes is one of the oldest afflictions known to man/ The relief of such pain and suffering has long been one of the most solemn duties of the health professional. Between 75-100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain; osteoarthritis alone affects over 25 million Americans and over 40 million experience chronic recurring headaches. Upwards of $4,000,000,000 are spent on pain medication alone (not to mention physician fees, lost work time, hospitalization, etc) and it is estimated that chronic pain may play a factor in up to 50% of suicides. Yet despite the expense and trouble, 60-80% of people say that they are dissatisfied with their pain medication (28).
The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as xe2x80x9can unpleasant sensory or emotional experience arising from actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damagexe2x80x9d.
Acute pain is one dimensional and is always a sign or symptom of underlying pathology. Chronic pain (arising from a chronic condition, an injury that lasts longer than expected, or for which there is no known cause i.e. fibromyalgia) is considered to be without purpose and may be properly considered a disease.
Analgesics have classically been considered into three major groups:
1) central acting (opioids, tramadol);
2) peripheral acting (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs also called NSAIDS as well as acetaminophen commonly called Tylenol); and
3) local (steroid injections, etc).
The opioids variably block and stimulate certain areas of the brain involved in pain and its perception. However, all narcotics can and do cause:
increasing tolerance (more and more of the drug is required as time goes on to achieve the same analgesic effect);
nausea and vomiting;
other gastrointestinal effects such as abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea;
addiction, with all of its social, legal, and financial implications as well as its toll on health;
overdose; and
sudden death (idiosyncratic reaction).
The peripheral acting agents which includes NSAIDS such as aspirin and other salicylates, ibuprofen, indomethacin, etc work by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme system in inflammatory cells thereby inhibiting prostaglandins and thus are of limited value in painful conditions where inflammation is not a prominent feature of the disease (such as osteoarthritis). Side effects of the NSADS include:
gastrointestinal symptoms such as heartburn, gastritis, ulcers, bleeding and hemorrhage compounded by
a prolonged bleeding time and platelet dysfunction;
kidney problems such as fluid and electrolyte imbalance, renal papillary necrosis, etc.; and
cardiovascular disorders such as high or low blood pressure, interference with other heart medications, etc.
The use of NSAIDS results in about 20,000 deaths and about 200,000 hospitalizations per year in the United States (28).
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) was developed in part to diminish these rather disturbing morbidity and mortality statistics. The exact mechanism of action of acetaminophen is not known, but it is believed that it may elevate the pain threshold. However, can and does cause liver damage and death when used in excess, especially in children.
Although considerable advances in the understanding of pain have been made, our understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic pain is incomplete (31). The disagreeably unpleasant sensation of pain is the result of an extremely complex series of events which are integrated at virtually all levels of the nervous system from the periphery via the dorsal horns of the spinal cord to the cerebrum and perhaps deeper structures (29).
Pain is frequently pathophysiologically classified into two groups:
1) nociceptive pain which results from stimulation of the nerve endings; and
2) neuropathic pain which results from actual damage to the nerves.
Nociceptive pain is further classified into:
1) visceral painxe2x80x94described as xe2x80x9cgnawingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cthrobbingxe2x80x9d; and
2) somatic painxe2x80x94described as xe2x80x9cdullxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cachingxe2x80x9d.
Neuropathic pain is usually described as xe2x80x9csharpxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cburningxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cshootingxe2x80x9d.
Nociceptors can be defined as sensory receptors that are activated by noxious stimuli that damage or threaten the body""s integrity. Nociceptors belong to the slowly conducting afferent A delta and C fibers and may be further classified according to their responses to mechanical, chemical and thermal stimuli (30). They may be found in the skin, deep tissues and viscera, and as free nerve endings. Stimulation and pain is accomplished via thermal mechanisms and ionic changes and are mediated through a variety of substances such as prostaglandin E2 (which the COX inhibition of NSAIDS effects), free radicals, and kinins such as bradykinin.
Bradykinin is formed in the blood from precursor kininogens and is a nonapeptide with the following amino acid sequence:
Arg-Pro-Pro-Gly-Phe-Ser-Pro-Phe-Arg
It has a molecular weight of 1418.5 and is found in the plasma, the blood, in endothelium, and in the damaged tissue itself. It is released from kininogens by the action of kallikrein enzymes (32) and evokes a variety of biological responses besides the induction of pain including smooth muscle contraction and relaxation as well as inflammation.
Bradykinin exerts its pain inducing effects via binding to receptor sites on the sensory neurons. Bradykinin receptors are cell-surface G-protein coupled receptors and are of two types called B1 and B2, although it appears certain that there are more subsets in each category.
B1 receptors appear to be important modulators of pain and inflammation but their overall role is not clear at this point; they appear to be more involved with chronic inflammatory responses and persistent hyperalgesia after injury (33).
B2 receptors are the more important in mediating pain as well as more classic events involving inflammation such as edema, etc. Evidence suggests that bradykinin is bound partially by the helical bundle of the receptor with the amino terminus actually protruding from the extracellular side of the helical bundle of the receptor (34).
Peptide bradykinin antagonists have been studied, but their use is limited due to poor oral absorption and very short duration of action.
Non-peptide bradykinin antagonists, until now, have come from plants and include flavonoids and terpenes as well as certain synthetics such as pregnane glycoside compounds. However, these non-peptide bradykinin antagonists suffer disadvantages, e.g. these antagonists are relatively difficult to obtain. As a result, there is a need for other non-peptide bradykinin antagonists. The agent of the present invention fulfills such a need.
One aspect of the present invention concerns an agent comprising
a) at least one chitin oligosaccharide;
b) at least one chitosan oligosaccharide;
c) at least one partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide, wherein some, but not all, of the N-acetyl glucosamine or 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose subunits are de-acetylated;
d) a mixture of at least one chitin oligosaccharide and at least one chitosan oligosaccharide;
e) a mixture of at least one chitin oligosaccharide and at least one partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide; or
f) a mixture of at least one chitosan oligosaccharide and at least one partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide,
to function as a non-peptide, bradykinin antagonist. Preferably, the chitin oligosaccharide and/or chitosan oligosaccharide is water soluble. In addition to component a) to f), the agent of the present invention may further comprise N-acetyl glucosamine and/or glucosamine. The agent of the present invention is also effective in preventing and/or treating common cold. The agent can be absorbed systemically after being administered orally.
The agent of the present invention is a novel analgesic and is:
effective against mild, moderate and severe pain;
effective against a variety of types of pain (pain associated with cancer, fibromyalgia, toothache, headache, etc);
has no known serious adverse side effects;
is non-addicting;
is safe for children, adults, and pregnant females; and
is orally administered.
To understand the mechanism of action of the agent (i.e. the agent comprising at least one chitin oligosaccharide, at least one chitosan oligosaccharide, or a mixture of at least one chitin oligosaccharide and at least one chitosan oligosaccharide) of the present invention in the prevention and therapy of the common cold, an explanation of the pathobiology of the disease is necessary.
The etiologic agent of the common cold is a virus, a micro-structure characterized by a nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) enclosed in a protein capsid. Although a number of types of virus (adenovirus, coronavirus, etc) have been shown to be capable of causing the classic symptoms of cold, the most prevalent (40-70% depending upon the study) organism is the rhinovirus. The rhinovirus is a 30 nm RNA virus with over 100 serotypes (some studies say over 200) that belongs to the Picornaviridae family (so does polio virus) and replicates only in primates. The single-stranded positive genome acts as a template for both RNA synthesis and viral replication. The rhinovirus is made of 60 geometric arrangements called isocahedrons and there are four viral proteins named VP1, VP2, VP3, VP4; the whole conformation is known as a pentamer which is formed by the chain of carbon atoms composing each viral particle. The isocahedrons demonstrate deep xe2x80x9ccanyonsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cvalleysxe2x80x9d in their surface and thus present at least 60 different sites to bind to intercellular adhesion molecule one (ICAM-1). Thus, the viral-receptor attachment site lies in a cavity that is inaccessible to the host""s antibodies. In addition to the above and to the large number of different serotypes of rhinovirus, there is no common antigen found among rhinovirus, thus inhibiting development of an effective cold vaccine.
Rhinoviruses are transmitted mainly via direct or indirect contact with infected secretions and invade their host by binding to the ICAM-1 receptor on the nasal epithelium.
ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule one) is a single protein that normally functions by binding leukocytes in places and in regions of the body where required. It has been shown to shaped somewhat like and arm with 5 sections or domains. Near the xe2x80x9chandxe2x80x9d end of the molecule are 3 finger-like projections; this is where the rhinovirus attaches. The deep xe2x80x9ccanyonsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cvalleysxe2x80x9d on the capsid of the rhinovirus fits onto these projections and thus the virus can gain entry into the cells with little or no detection by the immune system. It should be noted that each cell may contain thousands of these receptor sites on the cell membrane; thus, infection, viral replication, and clinical disease may be relatively simple and rapid.
Although the exact events in the pathobiology of human rhinovirus infection from exposure through clinical disease to recovery has not been completely elucidated, the sequence of events has been determined to be exposure to the virus via direct (coughing, sneezing, etc) or indirect (dirty hands, utensils, etc) contact. The virus then attaches to the receptor sites on the ICAM-1 molecule and due to the geography and stereo-chemistry of both the virus and receptor is relatively hidden from the immune system. The virus then gains entry into the nasal epithelial cells and begins replication. With viral replication, certain pro-inflammatory substances are produced, including bradykinin (and histamine) which are released and the well-known clinical symptoms are produced (watery itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, cough sneezing, etc). The sequence of exposure, attachment to receptor site, cell entry, viral replication and the release of inflammatory substances with clinical illness offers the mechanism of common cold prevention and symptom reduction offered by the agent of the present invention.
Chitin is a naturally occurring biorenewable aminopolysaccharide consisting of N-acetyl glucosamine residues joined by xcex2-(1-4) glycosidic links. Chitosan is a de-acetylated chitin and is similarly joined by xcex2-(1-4) links. The basic chemical structures of some chitin and chitosan are shown in formulae 1 and 2, respectively.
The molecular weight of chitin or chitosan may be over 1,000,000. (chitin and chitosan can be structurally arranged in what is known as the xe2x80x9cchair formxe2x80x9d, which also has xe2x80x9ccanyonsxe2x80x9d ). Chitin and chitosan are poorly absorbed orally (20-40%) and should be broken down into smaller (e.g. 2-12, 2-10 or 2-8 subunits) residues by processing in order to achieve complete absorption and thus systemic medical effect.
The term, xe2x80x9cchitin oligosaccharidexe2x80x9d, means an oligosaccharide having 2 to about 14, preferably 2 to about 12, more preferably 2 to about 10, even more preferably 2 to about 8, N-acetyl glucosamine subunits linked together. The chitin oligosaccharide can be selected from N-acetyl chitobiose, di-N-acetyl chitobiose, tri-N-acetyl chitotriose, tetra-N-acetyl chitotetraose, penta-N-acetyl chitopentaose, hexa-N-acetyl chitohexaose, hepta-N-acetyl chitoheptose, and octa-N-acetyl chitooctose. The term, xe2x80x9cchitosan oligosaccharidexe2x80x9d, means any chitin oligosaccharide having all of the N-acetyl groups removed.
The agent of the present invention can contain a combination of some or all of the chitin oligosaccharides selected from the group consisting of N-acetyl chitobiose, di-N-acetyl chitobiose, tri-N-acetyl chitotriose, tetra-N-acetyl chitotetraose, penta-N-acetyl chitopentaose, hexa-N-acetyl chitohexaose, hepta-N-acetyl chitoheptose, and octa-N-acetyl chitooctose in any proportion (e.g. in equal proportion; in a 2:1:1:1:1:1:1:1 proportion if 8 chitin oligosaccharides are present with one of the chitin oligosaccharides as the major chitin oligosaccharide component present in 2 of 9 parts by mole or by weight of the total amount of chitin oligosaccharides present in the agent; or in a 3:2:1:1:1 proportion if 5 chitin oligosaccharides are present with one of the chitin oligosaccharides as the major chitin oligosaccharide component present in 3 of 8 parts by mole or by weight and another of the chitin oligosaccharides as the second major chitin oligosaccharide component present in 2 of 8 parts by mole or by weight of the total amount of chitin oligosaccharides present in the agent).
The chitosan oligosaccharide can be selected from chitobiose, chitotriose, chitotetraose, chitopentaose, chitohexaose, chitoheptaose and chitooctose. The agent of the present invention can also contain a combination of some or all of chitobiose, chitotriose, chitotetraose, chitopentaose, chitohexaose, chitoheptaose and chitooctose in any proportion (e.g. in equal proportion; in a 2:1:1:1:1:1:1:1 proportion if 8 chitosan oligosaccharides are present with one of the chitosan oligosaccharides as the major chitosan oligosaccharide component present in 2 of 9 parts by mole or by weight of the total amount of chitosan oligosaccharides present in the agent; or in a 3:2:1:1:1 proportion if 5 chitosan oligosaccharides are present with one of the chitosan oligosaccharides as the major chitosan oligosaccharide component present in 3 of 8 parts by mole or by weight and another of the chitosan oligosaccharides as the second major chitosan oligosaccharide component present in 2 of 8 parts by mole or by weight of the total amount of chitosan oligosaccharides present in the agent).
In the agent of the present invention, at least one chitin oligosaccharide (i.e. chitin oligomer), preferably water soluble, may be present. The chitin oligosaccharide can contain more preferably 2 to about 10, even more preferably 2 to about 8, e.g. 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, N-acetyl glucosamine or 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose subunits. More preferred oligosaccharides of chitin include di-N-acetyl chitobiose, tri-N-acetyl chitotriose, tetra-N-acetyl chitotetraose, penta-N-acetyl chitopentaose, and hexa-N-acetyl chitohexaose. The agent of the present invention can contain a combination of different chitin oligosaccharides having different numbers (e.g. 2 to about 10, preferably 2 to about 8, more preferably 2 to about 6, and also more preferably about 4 to about 6 N-acetyl-glucosamine subunits) of N-acetyl-glucosamine subunits. For instance, the combination of different chitin oligosaccharides can be a mixture of different chitin oligosaccharides having 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 N-acetyl-glucosamine subunits. Similarly, the combination of different chitin oligosaccharides contained in the agent of the present invention can be a mixture of different chitin oligosaccharides having 4, 5 and 6 N-acetyl-glucosamine subunits.
The agent of the present invention can contain at least one, preferably water soluble, partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide. The partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide can be any of the chitin oligosaccharides disclosed above with one or more, but not all, of the N-acetyl groups removed. The agent of the present invention can contain a combination of different partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharides having different numbers (e.g. 2 to about 10, preferably 2 to about 8, more preferably 2 to about 6, and also more preferably about 4 to about 6 N-acetyl-glucosamine subunits) of N-acetyl-glucosamine subunits, wherein some of the N-acetyl groups are removed. For instance, the combination of different partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharides contained in the agent of the present invention can be a mixture of different chitin oligosaccharides having 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 N-acetyl-glucosamine subunits with some of the N-acetyl groups removed. Similarly, the combination of different partially deacetyled chitin oligosaccharides contained in the agent of the present invention can be a mixture of different chitin oligosaccharides having 4, 5 and 6 N-acetyl-glucosamine subunits with some of the N-acetyl groups removed.
The agent of the present invention can contain at least one, preferably water soluble, chitosan oligosaccharide (i.e. chitosan oligomer). The chitosan oligosaccharide can contain more preferably 2 to about 10, even more preferably 2 to about 7 or 8, e.g. 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, glucosamine or 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose subunits. More preferred oligosaccharides of chitosan include chitobiose, chitotriose, chitotetraose, chitopentaose, chitohexaose, and chitoheptaose. The agent of the present invention can contain a combination of different chitosan oligosaccharides having different numbers (e.g. 2 to about 10, preferably 2 to about 8, more preferably 2 to about 6, and also more preferably about 4 to about 6 glucosamine subunits) of glucosamine subunits. For instance, the combination of different chitosan oligosaccharides can be a mixture of different chitosan oligosaccharides having 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 glucosamine subunits. Similarly, the combination of different chitosan oligosaccharides contained in the agent of the present invention can be a mixture of different chitosan oligosaccharides having 4, 5 and 6 glucosamine subunits.
The agent of the present invention, preferably, comprises a mixture of at least one chitin oligosaccharide and at least one chitosan oligosaccharide (CCOS). The at least one chitin oligosaccharide and at least one chitosan oligosaccharide can be the chitin oligosaccharides or combination of chitin oligosaccharides, and the chitosan oligosaccharides or combination of chitosan oligosaccharides disclosed above. Such a mixture preferably comprises di-N-acetyl chitobiose, tri-N-acetyl chitotriose, tetra-N -acetyl chitotetraose, penta-N-acetyl chitopentaose, hexa-N-acetyl chitohexaose, chitobiose, chitotriose, chitotetraose, chitopentaose, chitohexaose, and chitoheptaose.
Preferably, the chitin oligosaccharide, chitosan oligosaccharide and/or partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide ingredients of the agent of the present invention are water soluble. Being water soluble, these ingredients are well absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and suitable for oral or intravenous administration. The ease of using water soluble chitin oligosaccharides, chitosan oligosaccharides and/or partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharides imparts tremendous advantage over water insoluble polymers or oligosaccharides of chitin and/or chitosan.
In the method to prevent or treat common cold or to treat pain, the agent of the present invention can be administered at a dose of 0.01 mg/kg body weight to 10 g/kg body weight per day to a subject in need of the prevention or treatment of the common cold. The preferred dose is 0.1 mg/kg per day to 1 g/kg per day, and the more preferred dose is 1 mg/kg per day to 100 mg/kg per day. The agent, e.g. the mixture of chitin and chitosan oligosaccharides (CCOS), of the present invention can be administered orally (e.g. as a tablet, dietary supplement or food additive) or parenterally. Administration via the parenteral routes includes adminstering the agent dermally, by applying topically on a mucous membrane, by inhalation, intravenously, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intraperitoneally. The agent, e.g. the mixture of chitin and chitosan oligosaccharides (CCOS), of the present invention is effective in preventing or treating the common cold or treating pain in a subject, including animals and humans. The animal subjects can be non-human mammals.
The agent, e.g. the mixture of chitin and chitosan oligosaccharides (CCOS), of the present invention is effective if administered alone or in a pharmaceutical composition admixed with at least one pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The pharmaceutical composition can be manufactured into a chewable tablet. The agent of the present invention, e.g. the CCOS mixture, can also be administered together with other agents, e.g. analgesics, antipyretics or nasal decongestants, commonly used in treating the common cold.
The chitin chitosan oligosaccharide mixture (CCOS) when taken orally in a dosage of about 100 mg TID, prevents the rhinovirus from binding to its receptor site on the ICAM-1 molecule found in the nasal epithelial cells. The virus is thus unable to gain entry into the nasal epithelium; disease and symptoms are prevented.
Should the viral load exceed the binding dosage capacity of the chitin chitosan oligosaccharide mixture or should the body be more susceptible for other reasons (concurrent illness, etc) infection, viral replication, and symptoms may ensue with the release of certain inflammatory substances and immune cytokines. Among the former is a substance called bradykinin. The most well-known clinical effect of bradykinin is the induction of pain, but as kinin (19) is involved with producing many of the symptoms associated with the common cold (20,21,22).
The agent of the present invention, e.g. the mixture of chitin chitosan oligosaccharides, blocks the action of bradykinin at its receptor sites, BR1 and Br2 (23), thus decreasing the severity and duration of symptoms.
Bradykinin is not the sole inflammatory kinin produced by rhinovirus infection. Among the other cytokines so produced is a substance called interferon gamma. Interferon gamma is a cytokine produced by T and B lymphocytes which activates, stimulates and otherwise affects a variety of immune functions such as natural killer cells (NK cells) activation, macrophage activation, stimulation of more T and B cells, etc. It has also been shown to down-regulate the expression of ICAM-1 in the human airway cells thus causing a reduction in viral titers (25). The said mixture of chitin chitosan oligosaccharides enhances the production of interferon gamma (26,27).and thus causes reduction of viral load and decreased substrate for infection.
Within the scope of the present invention, the agent, e.g. the mixture of chitin and chitosan oligosaccharides selected from di N-acetyl chitobiose, tri N-acetyl chitotriose, tetra N-acetyl chitotetraose, penta N-acetyl chitopentaose, hexa N-acetyl chitohexaose, and hepta N-acetyl chitoheptaose and chitosan oligosaccharides selected form chitobiose, chitotriose, chitotetraose, chitopentaose, chitohexaose, chitoheptaose, and chitooctose, of the present invention, can prevent infection by rhinovirus in the nasal musosa by blocking entry via receptor sites on the ICAM-1 molecule and the rhinovirus. Should overwhelming exposure occur and infection ensue, chitin chitosan oligosaccharides (CCOS) can decrease the length and severity of the symptoms by its actions on certain inflammatory kinins and cytokines; namely, CCOS blocks the receptor sites for bradykinin activity and enhances the production of the beneficial cytokine interferon gamma. CCOS may be given orally and has no side effects even when given in mega doses (ie greater than 50 grams per day) to human subjects.
Preferably, the chitin oligosaccharide, chitosan oligosaccharide, partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide ingredients of the agent of the present invention are water soluble. These water soluble chitin and chitosan oligosaccharides can be prepared from chitin and chitosan polymers.
The chitin oligosaccharides and the chitosan oligosaccharides can be obtained by chemically or biochemically treating chitin which is prepared from the shells of crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters or shrimp with optional acid hydrolysis, or by chemical synthesis with a method known.
The chitin oligosaccharide can be obtained by subjecting chitin to partial hydrolysis by an acid or an enzyme and if required fractionating or purifying the one with the desired degree of polymerization form the hydrosylate by a method such as column chromatography or solvent fractionation. The preferred degree of polymerization is at the level of disaccharide to heptasaccharide namely di N-acetyl chitobiose, tri-N acetyl chitotriose, tetra N acetyl chitotetraose, penta N acetyl chitopentaose, and hexa N-acetyl chitohexaose. (see example 1).
The chitosan oligosaccharide can be obtained by partially hydrolyzing chitosan which is obtained by subjecting chitin to a hot concentrated alkali treatment. The partial hydrolysis of chitosan is carried out by heating with an acid such as hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, or formic acid. The acid is then removed or neutralized and desalted followed by crystallization to form a powder or a method wherein chitosan is dissolved in a dilute acid and then allowed to react with enzymes such as chitosanase or D-glucosaminidase. The degree of polymerization of the chitosan oligosaccharide is then a mixture of chitobiose, chitotriose, chitotetraose, chitopentaose, chitohexaose, and chitoheptaose (see example 2).
The mixture of chitin and chitosan oligosaccharides can then be available as a water soluble powder that can be taken orally or manufactured into a chewable tablet.
The partially deacetylated chitin oligosaccharide used an ingredient of the agent of the present invention can be prepared by removing, e.g. by acid treatment, the N-acetyl groups from some of the N-acetyl glucosamine subunits of a chitin oligosaccharide.
As stated above, the agent of the present invention can function as a non-peptide bradykinin antagonist. Whether this is due to the absorption of the bradykinin molecule into the xe2x80x9cchairxe2x80x9d of the CCOS molecule (chitin means xe2x80x9cenvelopexe2x80x9d in Greek) or whether it blocks the bradykinin B2 receptor site is unclear. Blockage of the ionic charges mediated by bradykinin at the receptor sites is also postulated.
The evaluation of pain and its assessment presents several difficult problems (36, 37, 38) among which are:
pain can be an individual realization and is therefore difficult to evaluate
pain is difficult to quantify
pain is difficult to describe
pain is affected by attitudes and beliefs
A number of methods have been proposed to study pain and analgesia. These include:
visual analogue scales (a line is drawn and pain is rated at one end as xe2x80x9czero painxe2x80x9d and the other end xe2x80x9cworst imaginable painxe2x80x9d)
pain questionnaires ie the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ)
numeric scales (the patient rates his pain from 0-no pain, to 5 or 10-worst imaginable pain)
pain charts
In our studies, a short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire was used as developed by R. Melzak (1984). This modification is a hybrid form utilizing both a Visual Analogue Scale rating pain from 0 (no pain) to 5 (excruciating) as well as a pain questionnaire rating the pain from 0 (no pain) to 3 (severe) along with the following descriptions:
throbbing
shooting
stabbing
sharp
cramping
gnawing
hot-burning
aching
heavy
tender
splitting
tiring-exhausting
sickening
fearful
punishing-cruel

Chitin oligosaccharides and/or chitosan oligosaccharides for preventing or treating common cold or treating pain


When a power demand Pe* is not less than a preset reference value Pref2 in a vehicle stop state (steps S110 and S260), a target rotation speed Ne* of an engine is set to a rotation speed of not lower than a relatively low minimum rotation speed Nemin2 (step S290). A target timing VT* is set according to the set target rotation speed Ne* to have a smaller degree of advance, compared with the setting of the target timing VT* in an engine operating state for driving the vehicle (step S300). The engine is accordingly driven at the target rotation speed Ne* with an open-close operation of an intake valve at the target timing VT*. Such drive control effectively reduces the driver's uncomfortable feeling or odd feeling triggered by operation of the engine at a relatively high rotation speed in the vehicle stop state. The drive control also ensures the better open-close timing of the intake valve according to the operating condition of the engine and enables more appropriate control of a variable valve timing mechanism configured to adjust the open-close timing of the intake valve.

One proposed structure of a vehicle includes an engine having an open-close timing of an intake valve adjustable by a variable valve timing mechanism, a planetary gear mechanism connected with a crankshaft of the engine and with a driveshaft, a first motor configured to input and output power from and to the planetary gear mechanism, a second motor configured to input and output power from and to the driveshaft, and a battery configured to transmit electric power to and from the first motor and the second motor (see, Patent Document 1). The prior art vehicle of this proposed structure sets an engine operation curve based on elapse or non-elapse of a time period required for ensuring sufficient function of the variable valve timing mechanism since a start of the engine and drives the engine according to the preset engine operation curve. The engine is thus drivable even in the condition of insufficient function of the variable valve timing mechanism.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-360672


Methods and systems are provided for an electric axle assembly having dual motors and dual disconnects allowing for selectably disconnecting either one of the motors so that either motor may operate as the primary drive motor. In one example, an electric axle assembly comprises: a first motor in communication with a first shaft; a second motor in communication with a second shaft; a first gear set operably coupled to the first shaft; a second gear set operably coupled to the second shaft; and a clutch assembly selectively coupled to the first gear set and the second gear set and operably coupled to an output shaft, wherein the clutch assembly comprises a shift collar and a shift fork, the clutch assembly having a first configuration, a second configuration, and a third configuration, wherein in the first configuration the first motor and the second motor are coupled to the output shaft, in the second configuration the first motor is coupled to the output shaft, and in the third configuration the second motor is coupled to the output shaft.

Electric vehicles (EVs) typically use an electric motor as its primary drive motor or source of propulsion. The electric motor converts electrical energy, with electrical power expressed in kilowatts (kW), into power to rotate the vehicle wheels. In some examples, the electric motor may also operate as a generator to convert rotation of the wheels into electrical energy. Thus, as is well understood, the electric motor may sometimes be referred to as an electric motor, or a power supply, or an electric generator, or an electric motor generator. The electric motor may be of different types, with AC motors being the most common. Vehicle batteries store the electricity required to run the EV, with the capacity (range) of the batteries usually expressed in kWh (kilowatt-hours). An inverter converts electric direct current (DC) from the batteries into alternating current (AC) used by the AC motor to spin a rotor of the motor, the rotor linked to other parts of the vehicle drivetrain to send power to the wheels. EVs may use a single-speed transmission or a single-speed gear set to supply power to the wheels, usually through a differential interconnected with half-shafts, or other axle components extending to each wheel. However, other EV designs incorporate a multi-speed transmission in order to improve operating characteristics at various vehicle speeds and conditions. Still other EV designs may incorporate more than one electric motor.
For example, dual electric motors may be used. In some applications using dual electric motors, one motor may be optimized for power and the other may be optimized for range. Dual motors may, for example, be used for redundancy, so that the vehicle may operate if one of the motors become inoperative or damaged. When an electric vehicle includes two electric motor generators it is typical that one of the electric motor generators acts as a primary source of propulsion. Having one electric motor generator act as the primary source of propulsion causes the primary electric motor generator to wear more quickly than the second electric motor generator. It would be desirable, therefore, to be able to select which electric motor generator acts as the primary source of propulsion in order to distribute wear to evenly to the electric motor generators in an electric axle.
To address at least some of the aforementioned and other problems, embodiments for an electric axle assembly are provided. According to a first aspect of the disclosure is an assembly comprising: a first motor in communication with a first shaft; a second motor in communication with a second shaft; a first gear set operably coupled to the first shaft; a second gear set operably coupled to the second shaft; and a clutch assembly selectively coupled to the first gear set and the second gear set and operably coupled to an output shaft, wherein the clutch assembly comprises a shift collar and a shift fork, the clutch assembly having a first configuration, a second configuration, and a third configuration, wherein in the first configuration the first motor and the second motor are coupled to the output shaft, in the second configuration the first motor is coupled to the output shaft, and in the third configuration the second motor is coupled to the output shaft.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method comprises: responsive to a request for single motor operation, adjusting a position of a shift fork of a clutch assembly of an assembly, the position of the shift fork adjusted based on an amount of wear on a first electric motor of the assembly and an amount of wear on a second electric motor of the assembly.
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a system comprises: an electric axle assembly of a vehicle including a first electric motor, a second electric motor, and a clutch assembly, each of the first electric motor and the second electric motor selectably coupled to the clutch assembly; an output shaft rotatably coupled to the clutch assembly; a controller including instructions stored in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to: engage one or both of the first electric motor and the second electric motor based on a torque request and an amount of wear on each of the first motor and the second motor.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.
Similar reference numerals are used in different figures to denote similar components.


The invention encompasses a method of forming a silicon-doped aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide and silicon monoxide are co-evaporated. Subsequently, at least some of the evaporated aluminum oxide and silicon monoxide is deposited on a substrate to form the silicon-doped aluminum oxide on the substrate. The invention also encompasses methods of forming transistors and flash memory devices.

As silicon device sizes become increasingly smaller, it can be increasingly difficult to form gate insulators capable of maintaining the capacitance of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell in the range of 30 femptofarads (fF). Such capacitance is desired to achieve immunity to radiation and soft errors, and to keep noise to acceptable levels.
A commonly utilized dielectric material is silicon dioxide (SiO2). However such can be difficult to utilize in the 30 fF regime because the dielectric becomes so thin that direct band-to-band tunneling current or Fowler-Nordheim tunneling current becomes problematic. Accordingly, there has been an effort to utilize high-k (i.e., high dielectric constant) films (such as Al2O3, Ta2O5, and TiO2), as materials to substitute for the very thin silicon dioxide as dielectric materials in semiconductor devices.
Of the listed high-k materials, aluminum oxide has received significant interest. Aluminum oxide has been used as a high-k inter-poly dielectric (IPD) for low voltage/high speed flash memories. Specifically, it has been shown that 10 nanometer thick Al2O3, with k of about 10, can reduce an erasing time by three orders of magnitude in comparison with 15 nanometer thick ONO (with ONO referring to a sandwich of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and silicon dioxide). The ONO has a k of about 10. Aluminum oxide can reduce the erasing voltage of a flash memory device by about 40% compared with silicon dioxide, and about 27% compared with ONO of the same thickness as the aluminum oxide.
Difficulties associated with Al2O3 films include that the optical properties of the films can vary significantly depending on the substrate that the film is grown on. For instance, studies have been done in which Al2O3 films have been grown by atomic layer deposition on Si, SiO2 and TiN, and the studies have found significant differences in the optical properties of the film depending on the underlying substrate.
There has recently been some investigation on the effects of dopant addition to aluminum oxide which indicates that particular dopants can improve the properties of aluminum oxide. Specifically, the studies indicate that either silicon or zirconium can be added to an aluminum material to form a doped Al2O3 film with low leakage current and high thermal stability (up to 800° C.), and with a dielectric constant greater than 8. It can be preferred to keep the dielectric constant high, and preferably to keep the dielectric constant above 10, as there is likely a limited opportunity for dielectric materials with a constant less than 10 to replace silicon dioxide. However, alternate gate dielectrics having dielectric constants greater than 10, and more preferably greater than 15, may ultimately be desired as replacements for the silicon dioxide materials currently being utilized.
Some work with aluminum oxide has focused on methods of deposition of thin films of aluminum oxide. For instance, there has been development of procedures for atomic layer deposition (ALD) of aluminum oxide to DRAM and FeRAM (ferroelectric random access memory). It is found that ALD films typically have lower leakage current and larger dielectric breakdown voltage than conventional thermal oxide materials. The leakage characteristics of MIS aluminum oxide capacitors are lower than that of MIS-Ta2O5 capacitors. Also, it is found that the ALD aluminum oxide can have low leakage and low interface surface state densities.
A method of forming thin aluminum oxide films is to evaporate sapphire (a form of high-purity aluminum oxide), and to subsequently condense the evaporated material on a substrate. Sapphire can be evaporated by, for example, electron gun evaporation or ion beam evaporation (also called ion beam deposition). It is noted that aluminum oxide films have also been deposited by thermal evaporation of single crystal sapphire. In some instances, aluminum oxide can be evaporated and deposited within a vacuum chamber under conditions in which no additional oxygen is admitted to the vacuum chamber during evaporation, and in which a substrate temperature is varied between 80° C. and 140° C. A typical deposition rate can be from about 10 Å per second to about 12 Å per second. The electrical breakdown voltage and resistivity can be improved at higher substrate temperatures. It is found that if the films are exposed to 98% relative humidity, the breakdown voltage can change to a significantly lower value, such as, for example, to a value of from about 106 volts/cm to about 104 volts/cm.
The aging properties of electron gun evaporated alumina films have been investigated by mass spectrometry and IR spectrometry. It has been found that if films are stored under normal atmospheric conditions, a characteristic absorption's peak will appear in the infrared reflection spectra which has been attributed to a build-up of water in the Al2O3 films. Such can cause the films to lose dielectric properties, and the breakdown voltage can decrease by several orders of magnitude.
Subsequent studies using electron-optical examination of the cross-section of vacuum-deposited aluminum oxide films shows that the films are amorphous on cold substrates. However, as the substrate temperature increases, an acicular crystalline structure appears for films having thicknesses on the order of 100 nanometers, with typical column diameters of from about 12 nanometers to about 17 nanometers. Such structure leads to high film porosity, with a considerable fraction of the pores extending through the entire thickness of the structure and being filled with water if a humidity is 70% and higher. Other reports have described a porosity of about 5% for films prepared at 60° C. The relative porosity of aluminum oxide is also evidenced by examination of the protective properties of aluminum oxide layers (100 nanometers) prepared at room temperature on silver mirrors. Specifically, the films are found to not exhibit protective properties against corrosive agents such as water and hydrogen sulfide.
Studies of electron-beam evaporated aluminum oxide films grown under oxygen ion bombardment indicate that an index of refraction, and accordingly the film density, first rises, and then decreases with increasing ion current density for substrate temperatures between 70° C. and 250° C. Ion bombardment during deposition is thought to cause the film to become more compact by inhibiting columnar growth.
Similar investigations on the effect of plasma activation on the phase transformation of aluminum oxide films have been done with films deposited by reactive high-rate electron beam evaporation. Plasma activation of the vapor took place via a hollow-cathode plasma. Aluminum oxide films deposited at 500° C. and 700° C. without plasma activation were characterized by columnar structure, and exhibited a relatively high porosity. However, films deposited with plasma activation at the same temperatures showed glassy fracture and a much denser microstructure.
It would be desirable to develop improved methods for forming aluminum oxide films suitable for utilization as dielectric materials in semiconductor structures, such as, for example, aluminum oxide films suitable as dielectric materials in transistor gate structures and flash memory device structures.

Methods of forming silicon-doped aluminum oxide, and methods of forming transistors and memory devices