Embodiments of the invention include first storage mediums having first storage characteristics for making up a first pool of capacity of a first tier of storage, and second storage mediums having second storage characteristics for making up a second pool of capacity of a second tier of storage. Free capacity of the first and second pools is shared between the first and second tiers of storage. When the first pool has an amount of free capacity available over a reserved amount of free capacity reserved for first tier data, a first quantity of second tier data is moved from the second tier to the first tier. In exemplary embodiments of the invention, the first and second storage mediums are contained within one or more thin provisioning storage systems, and data is moved between the first and second tiers by allocating thin provisioning chunks to the data being moved.

Data storage devices are available in varying levels of quality and performance. Typically, the level of quality and performance is inversely proportional to the cost of the storage device. Because the importance of being able to quickly access data, the frequency of data access, and the level of reliability required varies widely among different users and different types of stored data, not all data needs to be stored in high performance storage devices. Also a vast majority of stored data is usually never accessed or accessed only infrequently. Thus, in order to minimize the costs associated with data storage, each piece of data should be stored in a storage device having an appropriate quality and performance level in accordance with the attributes of the data being stored and the needs of the users of the data.
Another issue that storage administrators frequently encounter is low utilization of existing storage resources. Due to recent explosive growth in the amount of data being stored, many administrators do not have enough human resources to closely manage the entire storage system. As a result, it is nearly impossible for administrators to manually manage the expansion of every volume in the system on a day-to-day basis. This lack of manpower to closely manage each volume causes many volumes to be over-allocated so as to be prepared for the possible addition of a large amount of data, which may in fact never occur. This over-allocation ties up huge amounts of unutilized space in conventional storage systems.
Tiered storage is a solution for reducing the cost of storing data by differentiating various types of data, and then storing the data in storage devices that are selected to provide an appropriate level of reliability and performance. For example, a SAN (Storage Area Network) may include plural storage tiers such as a high reliability, high performance, and premium cost first tier that may be used for important data that is accessed often, and a lower reliability, lower performance, and less expensive second tier that may be used for archive data or other infrequently-accessed data. Data can be stored according to a classified type, owner, or the like, and also may be migrated between tiers based on various situations and contingencies. Thus, by using these various levels of tiered storage resources, the total cost of storage can be reduced, while required access speed or reliability for specific data can still be maintained.
Furthermore, thin provisioning is a solution that helps improve the efficiency of storage utilization and eliminate wasted capacity. Thin provisioning systems typically present a virtualized full-volume capacity to a host computer. However, the system actually only allocates real storage capacity to particular portions the thin provisioned volume when the particular portion of the volume receives data to be stored. The units of partial storage capacity allocated to a thin provisioned volume may be referred to as "chunks", and the chunks of storage may be carved from a storage extent referred to as a "thin provisioning pool" at the time that a chunk is requested. Plural thin provisioned virtual volumes can share a thin provisioning chunk pool. By this arrangement, free space can be flexibly managed, which can reduce the amount of unutilized space in the storage system.
Each of the solutions discussed above can individually help achieve cost reduction and improve system utilization, but attempts to use these two solutions in the same storage system have not been successful in producing the desired increases in efficiency of capacity utilization. Since typically every tier maintains at least one respective thin provisioning pool which is created from storage resources of that tier, when there are a number N of tiers in the storage system, then a number N of redundant free spaces is produced in the storage system. Accordingly, when these multiple free spaces are not utilized, it adds to the overall cost of the system.
Related art includes US Pat. Appl. Pub. 2004/0162958, to Kano et al., entitled "Automated On-Line Capacity Expansion Method for Storage Device", filed Feb. 23, 2004; US Pat. Appl. Pub. 2006/0069862, to Kano et al., entitled "Method for Managing Volume Groups Considering Storage Tiers", filed Sep. 29, 2004; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/605,440, to Atsushi Murase, filed Nov. 29, 2006, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Free space utilization in tiered storage systems


In an aircraft having an aircraft landing gear, the aircraft landing gear includes an arm, a leg and a bogie at the lower end of the leg. The bogie is moveable in a direction along the length of the leg and pivotable between a trimmed deployed position and a stowable position. The arm is mounted on the landing gear and is rotatable between a first position in which the bogie is positioned in the trimmed deployed position, and a second position in which the bogie is positioned in the stowable position. Movement of the arm can be effected by a positioning rotary actuator, which is not located in the primary or secondary load paths.

Many aircraft include a landing gear assembly comprising a pivotable bogie such that when the aircraft is on the ground, the bogie is generally aligned with the ground, whereas just prior to landing, and immediately following take-off, the bogie can be trimmed at an angle to the ground. Trimming the bogie in such a way provides a number of advantages as will be understood by the person skilled in the art.
It is advantageous to be able to stow a landing gear assembly during flight, and more particularly to stow the landing gear assembly within a particular area of the aircraft. To efficiently use the available space, it is therefore particularly advantageous to be able to position the pivotable bogie between the above-mentioned trimmed configuration, and a stowable position. In general, the stowable position will be such that the bogie is at a specific angle, and often such that it is untrimmed and/or is perpendicular to the leg of the landing gear.
It is known to trim aircraft landing gear bogies using pitch trimmers as linear actuators. Often these pitch trimmer actuators are also additionally configured to position the bogie for stowage. Such an arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,405, which is incorporated herein by reference it its entirety. However, such arrangements are often unduly heavy, bulky and/or complex. For example, the pitch trimming arrangements of U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,405 would appear to be subjected to the significant loads generated during both take-off and landing of the aircraft. The pitch trimming arrangements must therefore be especially strong, and may be unfavourably heavy. Furthermore, in the case of a pitch trimmer in the form of a hydraulic ram or the like, considerable loads are transmitted via hydraulic fluid, which is particularly undesirable.


A control system for controlling an adjusting drive for an item of furniture includes a control device connected to the adjusting drive, and a first operating unit. The control device is configured to receive signals from the first operating unit transmitted wirelessly via a transmission unit over a first transmission link, and to control the adjusting drive as a function of the signals received. The control device is also configured to receive further signals from a second operating unit transmitted wirelessly via the transmission unit over a second transmission link and to control the adjusting drive as a function of the further signals received. The second transmission link differs from the first transmission link.

The invention relates to a control system for controlling at least one adjusting drive for a piece of furniture, comprising a control device connected to the at least one adjusting drive and an operating unit, wherein the control device is adapted to receive signals from the operating unit transmitted wirelessly over a transmission link by means of a transmission unit and to control the at least one adjusting drive as a function of the received signals. The invention also relates to such a control device for the at least one adjusting drive.
Adjusting drives, often also referred to as electromotive furniture drives, are installed in reclining and seating furniture in order to be able to comfortably adjust furniture components such as seats, backrests, footrests etc. relative to a base body of the furniture and relative to each other. Adjustable seating furniture, in particular so-called TV or relaxation chairs, usually have a relatively complex mechanical furniture fitting which, in combination with a large number of levers and rod assemblies, enables the various upholstered units mounted on it to move in a complex sequence. In the case of beds or other reclining furniture, a frame is usually provided as the basic element, which carries a slatted frame with movable head and foot sections.
For the control and power supply of the adjusting drives, the above-mentioned control device is arranged on or in the furniture, which receives the operating commands of a user from an operating unit and converts them into control signals for the adjusting drives. The control device and operating unit form the control system for the adjusting drives.
Wireless operating units are known for operating the control device and thus the adjusting drives, which have at least one operating element and one transmission unit for wireless transmission of signals depending on the actuation of the at least one operating element. Such a wireless operating unit, often referred to as a remote control, can use radio signals, light, especially infrared light, or ultrasound to transmit the signals. Wireless operating units are convenient to use and easy to set up thanks to the availability of integrated circuits specially designed for this purpose. Moreover, the high number of such circuits used in consumer electronics in remote controls for televisions, etc., makes them cost-effective.
Such wireless operating units are usually tailored to a specific control device or type of control device and are sold as initial equipment with the control device. Due to the higher range, radio-based operating units have prevailed over those with infrared light or ultrasound. Wireless transmission is usually via a manufacturer-specific, proprietary protocol within one of the usable frequency ranges, in particular within one of the so-called ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) bands.
In addition, the use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers as operating units is well known. These devices usually have various radio-based wireless transmission options, such as WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), Bluetooth or other short-range radio systems such as NFC (Near Field Communication).
The advantage for the user is that he can use his existing mobile device and reduce the number of electronic devices in the household. It is only necessary to download a corresponding program ("App"), which gives the mobile device the necessary functionality as an operating unit. Cost savings are often associated with the fact that no separate operating unit with a furniture drive has to be purchased. However, the use of mobile devices as operating units is not desired by all customers. Even when using the electromotive adjusting drives in hospitals or care facilities, it makes more sense to use a separate operating unit permanently assigned to the adjusting drive.
For the manufacturer of control devices for adjusting drives, this results in the necessity to manufacture and maintain the same type of control devices in different modifications, namely in a configuration designed for operation with the proprietary operating unit and in a further configuration that can be controlled by a mobile device used as an operating unit.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to create a control system or a control device in which the aforementioned disadvantages do not occur.

Control device and control system for an electromotive adjusting drive of an item of furniture


The invention relates to a system (2) for producing an optical mask (35) for surface microtexturing, said system (2) comprising: a substrate (10) having a surface (11) that is to be textured; a layer of material (20) which covers the surface (11) of the substrate (10) and has an outer surface (21) that is exposed to the outside environment; and a generating and depositing device for generating and depositing droplets (30) on the outer surface (21) of the layer of material (20), in a specific arrangement (31) under condensation, forming the optical mask (35) on the outer surface (21) of the layer of material (20). The invention also relates to a treatment plant comprising a system (2) of said type. The invention further relates to a method for producing a mask as well as to a surface microtexturing method.

In the context of the invention, the optical mask is made up of droplets deposited on a surface exposed to the outside environment. According to a first embodiment, the droplets are used as focusing optics, to concentrate a light flow on the surface. According to a second embodiment, the droplets are used as optics for occultation, to obstruct a light flow oriented onto the surface.
The field of the invention is that of masking methods, as well as surface microtexturing methods, in particular by photolithography and laser etching.
Currently, various methods exist for texturing surfaces. These methods can be classified in two categories, namely direct methods on the one hand and indirect methods involving using a mask on the other hand. In this case, the resulting structure corresponds to the negative of the mask.
Direct texturing methods can implement a UV optical beam, an electron-beam ("e-beam"), a laser beam, fast atom bombardment (FAB), reactive ion beam etching (RIBE). These methods make it possible to obtain complex and varied shapes by direct ablation of a surface, but are not suitable for structuring large surface areas and non-planar substrates. Furthermore, these methods have a generally high cost. Publications [1] and [2] below relate to such methods.
Indirect texturing methods may implement amplitude masks, phase masks, nanobeads, interferometric lithography, dewetting. However, these methods also have their own inherent drawbacks.
The principle of amplitude masks and phase masks lies in a contrast in lighting of the surface to obtain a periodic pattern (diffraction grating) in a photosensitive material layer. They may be expensive for small periods, of the micronic or submicronic order (manufacturing by electron beam), and are not flexible in terms of sizes and shapes of the resulting structures. The dimensions of the structures depend on the dimensions of the mask. The resulting structures are highly coherent, i.e., they have a regular period for the considered wavelength. However, it is difficult to treat large surfaces. Publication [3] below relates to such methods.
Holography uses a laser beam separated into two branches, then recombined on the surface of a specimen covered with photosensitive resin. The interferogram (periodic intensity fringes) then formed defines the resulting diffraction grating. Holography makes it possible to act on the period of the resulting structure, but requires the use of a laser and a complex optical assembly. It is possible to treat large surfaces, although this requires substantial equipment. Publication [4] below relates to such a method.
The use of nanobeads (colloidal lithography) focusing the light or serving as a mask makes it possible to texture large surfaces with a periodic structure. The size of the beads is nevertheless set beforehand. This method requires having a machine for depositing Langmuir-Blodgett type films. In this case, the pattern is imparted by the size of the beads. Publication [5] below relates to such a method.
Dewetting allows the formation of metal nanoparticles by acting on the surface tension of a layer of noble metal. The surface is covered with a nanometric layer of noble metal (e.g. gold, silver) by physical vapor deposition (PVD). At a high temperature, the deposited layer forms noble metal nanoparticles in order to minimize its surface energy. As a result, dewetting is not suitable for texturing surfaces that are sensitive to high temperatures or vacuums. Furthermore, the formed particles measure only several tens of nanometers. Publication [6] below relates to such a method.
Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) uses a gauge (or mold) to print a shape by exerting pressure on a layer of malleable resin. The printed shape is next stabilized by exposure under an ultraviolet bulb or by slow cooling of the layer of resin. This step promotes hardening of the resin by cross-linking of the polymer chains. Nanoimprint lithography has the advantage of being inexpensive, but deterioration of the gauge can be observed after a certain number of uses. The removal step is also sensitive and may leave flaws visible in the structure. Publication [7] below relates to such a method.
The bibliographical references of the aforementioned publications are as follows:
[1] Femtosecond laser-induced mesoporous structures on silicon surface, Xianhua Wang, Feng Chen, Hewei Liu, Weiwei Liang, Qing Yang, Jinhai Si, Xun Hou, Optics Communications 284 (2011) 317-321
[2] Processing study of SU-8 pillar profiles with high aspect ratio by electron-beam lithography, Yaqi Ma, Yifan Xia, Jianpeng Liu, Sichao Zhang, Jinhai Shao, Bing-Rui Lu, Yifang Chen, Microelectronic Engineering 149 (2016) 141-144
[3] Interference lithography at EUV and soft X-ray wavelengths: Principles, methods, and applications, Nassir Mojarad, Jens Gobrecht, Yasin Ekinci, Microelectronic Engineering 143 (2015) 55-63
[4] Optical and Interferometric Lithography-Nanotechnology Enablers, S. R. J. BRUECK, FELLOW, PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE, VOL. 93, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2005
[5] Plasmonic films based on colloidal lithography, Bin Ai, Ye Yu, Helmuth Möhwald, Gang Zhang, Bai Yang, Advances in Colloid and Interface Science 206 (2014) 5-16
[6] Fabrication of hollow gold nanoparticles by dewetting, dealloying and coarsening, Anna Kosinova, Dong Wang, Peter Schaaf, Oleg Kovalenko, Leonid Klinger, Eugen Rabkin, Acta Materialia 102 (2016) 108-115
[7] Recent Advances in Nano Patterning and Nano Imprint Lithography for Biological Applications, N. Vigneswaran, Fahmi Samsuri, Balu Ranganathan, Padmapriya, Procedia Engineering 97 (2014) 1387-1398
The texturing methods described above have various drawbacks. These methods are relatively expensive and/or poorly suited to three-dimensional substrates and/or complex to carry out. Furthermore, these methods are generally intended for applications requiring regular microtexturing profiles, which have very precise periodicities and alignments. However, this regularity is not essential for all applications. Thus, the over-quality and therefore the excess cost induced by these methods may hinder their implementation in new applications. Furthermore, some applications on the contrary require a very large spatial distribution (in size and periodicity).

System and method for producing an optical mask for surface microtexturing, and surface microtexturing plant and method

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)


An organic light emitting diode display device in accordance with various embodiments may include: a pixel region defined by a gate line and a data line and having an emitting area and a transparent area; at least one driving element disposed in the emitting area; a power line overlapping the emitting area and connected to the at least one driving element; a first capacitor electrode disposed in the emitting area and overlapping the power line, wherein the power line and the first capacitor electrode form a first storage capacitor; and a second capacitor electrode disposed in the emitting area and overlapping the first capacitor electrode, wherein the first capacitor electrode and the second capacitor electrode form a second storage capacitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an organic light emitting diode display device. The present disclosure also relates to an active matrix organic light emitting diode display device and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As the information society progresses, importance of a flat panel display (FPD) has increased. Although a liquid crystal display (LCD) device has been overwhelming in market share among various FPDs, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device is getting the spotlight as a next generation FPD due to a light weight, a thin profile and a low power consumption as compared with the LCD device having an additional light source, a color shift according to a viewing angle and a high power consumption. The OLED display device having excellent viewing angle and contrast ratio is easily applicable to a flexible substrate and has an emissive type where an additional light source is not necessary. As a result, the OLED display device is more easily applicable to a next generation FPD such as a flexible display and a transparent display as compared with the LCD device.
The transparent display requires a transmittance of about 35% to about 40% for users to watch an image of the OLED panel and a background behind the OLED panel. However, since an area for driving elements such as thin film transistors for driving a light emitting diode is relatively wide, the OLED display device has a limit in increasing the transmittance.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a transparent organic light emitting diode display device according to the related art, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II of FIG. 1.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, a transparent organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device according to the related art includes a pixel region PX defined by a gate line GL, a data line DL and a power line VL. The pixel region PX includes an emitting area EA and a transparent area TA, and driving elements 130 are formed in the emitting area EA. The transparent area TA may be transparent or substantially transparent for visible light. The presence of the driving elements 130 in the emitting area EA may have the effect that the emitting area EA has a lower transmittance for visible light compared to the transparent area TA. For example, the emitting area EA may be substantially non-transparent for visible light. Among the driving elements in the emitting area EA, a storage capacitor has the largest area. The storage capacitor includes first and second capacitor electrodes 110 and 120 facing and spaced apart from each other. The capacitance of the storage capacitor is proportional to an area of the first and second capacitor electrodes 110 and 120 and is inversely proportional to a gap distance between the first and second capacitor electrodes 110 and 120. Accordingly, as the area of the first and second capacitor electrodes 110 and 120 increases and as the gap distance between the first and second capacitor electrodes 110 decreases, the capacitance of the storage capacitor increases.
The storage capacitor keeps the emission of the light emitting diode during a frame. As a result, a sufficient capacitance of the storage capacitor is required to keep the emission during a frame. However, when the area of the first and second capacitor electrodes 110 and 120 is enlarged for a sufficient capacitance, an area of the transparent area TA is reduced and it is difficult to obtain the transmittance of about 35% to about 40%.
In addition, since only a pair of storage electrodes 110 and 120 are formed, there is a limit to increase of the capacitance. In a bottom emission type OLED display device, when the first and second capacitor electrodes 110 and 120 are enlarged, the area for the driving elements increases and the area for the emitting area EA decreases, thereby the emission efficiency is reduced. Further, since the higher power consumption is required to obtain the sufficient emission efficiency, the lifetime of the light emitting diode is shortened. In a top emission type OLED display device, although increase in the area of the first and second capacitor electrodes 110 and 120 does not directly affect the area of the emitting area EA, there is a limit to obtain high resolution.

Organic light emitting diode display device


A cap nitride stack which prevents etch penetration to the HDP nitride while maintaining the electromigration benefits of HDP nitride atop Cu. In one embodiment, the stack comprises a first layer of HDP nitride and a second layer of a Si—C—H compound disposed over the first layer. The Si—C—H compound is for example BLoK, or N-BLoK (Si—C—H—N), and is selected from a group of materials that has high selectivity during via RIE such that RIE chemistry from the next wiring level does not punch through. Carbon and nitrogen are the key elements. In another embodiment, the stack comprises a first layer of HDP nitride, followed by a second layer of UVN (a plasma nitride), and a third layer comprising HDP nitride disposed over the second layer.

The invention relates to semiconductor device fabrication and, more particularly, to techniques for capping interlevel dielectric (ILD) layers of interconnect structures such as damascene interconnect structures.
An integrated circuit (IC) device (also referred to as a semiconductor chip) can contain millions of transistors and other circuit elements that are fabricated on a single silicon crystal substrate (wafer). For the IC device to be functional, a complex network of signal paths will normally be routed to connect the circuit elements distributed on the surface of the device. Efficient routing of these signals across the device can become more difficult as the complexity and number of circuit elements are increased. Thus, the formation of multi-level or multi-layered interconnection schemes such as, for example, dual damascene wiring (interconnect) structures, have become more desirable due to their efficacy in providing high speed signal routing patterns between large numbers of transistors and other circuit elements on a complex IC.
Damascene Techniques
Generally, damascene techniques involve depositing an interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer, such as silicon dioxide (SiO2; also referred to simply as "oxide"), forming an opening in the ILD, overfilling the opening with a metal such as copper (Cu), and removing excess metal using chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), resulting in a planarized interconnect structure. This results in a single "wiring level" (or "interconnect level") of an overall "interconnect structure" having many wiring levels. The opening in the interconnect level may be a trench running essentially parallel to the surface of the integrated circuit (IC) chip, and a filled trench is referred to as a "wire" or a "line". A wire is used to route signals from a first location on the wafer to a second location remote from the first location. The trench for forming the wire may extend only partially (e.g., halfway) into the thickness of the ILD, from the top surface thereof. In a sense, the copper conductor is "embedded" in the ILD.
Alternatively, an opening in the interconnect level may be a via, extending perpendicular to the surface of IC completely through the ILD for connecting an overlying wire of a higher wiring level or of the present wiring level (in dual damascene, described below) to an underlying wire of a lower wiring level. A filled via is typically simply referred to as a "via", and sometimes as a "plug" particularly when connecting to an underlying first metallization (M1) or to an element of an underlying MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) structure. Vias and wires are both referred to herein as "conductors", since their raison d'etre is conducting electrical signals.
In "dual" damascene techniques, the opening in the ILD comprises a lower contact or via hole portion in communication with an upper trench portion, and both the via and the trench portions are simultaneously filled.
Presently, interconnect structures formed on an integrated circuit chip consist of at least about 2 to 8 wiring levels fabricated at a minimum lithographic feature size (currently approximately 0.25 μm (microns) designated about 1× (referred to as "thinwires") and above these levels are about 2 to 4 wiring levels fabricated at a width equal to about 2× and/or about 4× the minimum width of the thinwires (referred to as "fatwires"). A typical width for a via is about 130 nm (nanometers), and it is common to have redundant vias effecting connections between overlying and underlying wires. 1 μm (micron)=1000 nm (nanometers).
Copper (Cu) and Cu alloys have received considerable attention as a candidate for replacing aluminum (Al) and Al alloys in interconnect metallizations. Cu is relatively inexpensive, easy to process, and has a lower resistivity than Al. In addition, Cu has improved electrical properties vis-a-vis tungsten (W), making Cu a desirable metal for use as a conductive plug as well as conductive wiring. As use herein, "Cu" is intended to encompass high purity elemental copper as well as Cu-based alloys, such as Cu alloys containing minor amounts of tin, zinc, maganese, titanium, magnesium, germanium, aluminum and silicon.
Due to Cu diffusion through interdielectric layer (ILD) materials, such as silicon dioxide, Cu interconnect structures should be encapsulated by a diffusion barrier layer (or "liner"). Conventional practices comprise forming a damascene opening in an ILD, and depositing a barrier layer such as TaN, lining the sidewalls and bottom of the opening in the ILD prior to depositing the Cu for the via or wire.
Typical diffusion barrier layer metals include tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium nitride (TiN), titanium-tungsten (TiW), tungsten (W), tungsten nitride (WN), Ti—TiN, titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN), tungsten silicon nitride (WSiN), tantalum silicon nitride (TaSiN) and silicon nitride for encapsulating Cu. The advantage of using such barrier layer materials to encapsulate Cu is not limited to the interface between Cu and the dielectric interlayer, but includes interfaces between the Cu and other metals as well.
The upper surface of any Cu conductor (typically a wire, since a via, by definition, will always be in contact with a bottom surface of an overlying conductor) must also be protected, such as against oxidation. To cap the upper surface of the copper interconnection, a "capping layer" of a dielectric material such as silicon nitride (Si3N4, also simply referred to as "nitride") is typically employed. The capping layer is also referred to as a "passivation layer". Often the passivation layer must also function as an etch stop layer during subsequent processing, however materials which perform best as etch stop layers often do not perform best as passivation layers. For example, silicon oxynitride, SiON, is useful as an etch stop layer but it is less desirable as a passivation layer because of delamination which can occur between copper and silicon oxynitride. Silicon nitride, "SiN", avoids the delamination problem, and is a preferred passivation material, but is less desirable as an etch stop layer.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional BEOL (back end of line) interconnect structure 100 utilizing copper metallization, the barrier layers and the protective cap layers described above. The illustrated interconnect structure 100 comprises a first interconnect level 110 and a second interconnect level 130 and is shown (by way of example) as being formed on a substrate 102 such as a semiconductor wafer comprising a plurality of logic circuit elements such as transistors. A single "generic" contact area 104 is illustrated in the substrate 102 and is, for example, an electrode formed on a source or drain region of a MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor, field effect transistor).
It should clearly be understood that FIG. 1 illustrates but an extremely small (microscopic) portion of an integrated circuit (IC) device, let alone a semiconductor wafer comprising a large plurality of such devices. For example, what is shown may have a width of only a few microns (μm) of a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of several inches. Also, in "real life" things are not so neat and clean, rectilinear and uniform as shown. However, for one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention most nearly pertains, this and other figures presented in this patent application will be very useful, when taken in context of the associated descriptive text, for understanding the invention.
The first interconnect level 110 comprises an interlevel dielectric layer (ILD) 112, such as oxide which is prepared by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process and having an exemplary thickness of 8000 to 10,000 angstroms, or 800–1000 nm (nanometer). (1 nm=10 angstroms)
In a "via first" damascene process, a via 116 is formed, such as by reactive ion etching (RIE) and extends to the bottom surface of the ILD 112 (in this case, to the electrode 104 on the substrate 102). Then, a trench 114 is formed (also using RIE) extending into the ILD 112 from the top (as viewed) surface thereof, and having a depth of nominally several (e.g., 4–5) thousand angstroms.
The trench 114 and via 116 comprise the "opening" in the ILD 112. A barrier layer 118, such as TaN, is deposited such as by sputtering or CVD so that it lines the sidewalls and bottom of the opening in the ILD 112. A typical thickness for the barrier layer 118 is between 600 and 1,000 angstroms, and metal for the barrier layer will also deposit on the top surface of the ILD 112.
Copper (Cu) 120 is then deposited into the lined opening, and will overfill the opening. Next, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is performed to remove excess barrier material and copper from the surface of the ILD 112, leaving a planarized surface for subsequent semiconductor fabrication processes to be performed. The copper 120 forms a wire (or line) in the trench 114 and a plug (or via) in the via 116. Because the top surface of the wire is exposed, a capping layer 122 such as nitride is deposited by CVD on the surface of the wire, and has an exemplary thickness of 500 angstroms (50 nm). This capping layer 122 is eventually patterned, after the next level of dielectric (132) is deposited, using photoresist (not shown) and conventional photolithographic techniques, to have an opening 124 for allowing a via (136) of a subsequent (higher) wiring level (130) to make contact with the wire 120 in the trench 114.
The second interconnect level 130 is formed atop the first interconnect level 110 and is essentially identical to the first interconnect level 110. Both levels 110 and 130 are shown as being formed by a dual damascene process. The second interconnect level 130 comprises an interlevel dielectric layer (ILD) 112, such as oxide. A via 136 (compare 116) is formed, using RIE, extending to the bottom surface of the ILD 132. A trench 134 (compare 114) is formed in the ILD 132. The trench 134 and via 136 comprise the "opening" in the ILD 132.
After the via 136 is formed, the capping layer 122 is opened up 124 so that so that metal 140 filling the via 136 of the second interconnect level 130 can make electrical contact with the metal 120 filling the trench 114 of the underlying, first interconnect level 110.
A barrier layer 138, such as TaN, is deposited so that it lines the sidewalls and bottom of the opening in the ILD 132, and is processed as described hereinabove. Copper (Cu) 140 is deposited into the lined opening, and is processed as described hereinabove. The copper 140 forms a wire (or line) in the trench 134 and a plug (or via) in the via 136. A capping layer 142 such as nitride is deposited on the surface of the ILD 132 and the wire 140. If necessary, the capping layer 142 is will be opened up (compare 124) to allow a via (not shown) of a subsequent (higher) wiring level (not shown) to make contact with the wire 140 in the trench 134.
The dual damascene interconnect structure 100 shown in FIG. 1 is fabricated utilizing conventional damascene processing steps well known to those skilled in the art. Since such techniques are well known and are not critical for understanding the present invention, a detailed discussion of the same is not given herein. It will be understood that various steps and materials have been omitted, for illustrative clarity, such as seed layers, adhesion layers, cleaning steps and the like.
Dielectric layers 112 and 132 may be the same or different insulative inorganic or organic material. Suitable dielectrics include, but are not limited to: SiO2, carbon rich oxides, fluorinated SiO2, polyimides, diamond, diamond-like carbon, silicon polymers, paralyene polymers, fluorinated diamond-like carbon and other like dielectric compounds.
Low-k Dielectric Materials
Semiconductor devices are typically joined together to form useful circuits using interconnect structures comprising conductive materials (e.g., metal lines) such as copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al) and dielectric materials such as silicon dioxide (SiO2). The speed of these interconnect structures can be roughly assumed to be inversely proportional to the product of the line resistance (R), and the capacitance (C) between lines. Line resistance can be reduced (hence, speed increased) by using copper (Cu) instead of aluminum (Al). To further reduce the delay and increase the speed, it is desirable to reduce the capacitance (C). One way in which this can be done is by reducing the dielectric constant "k", of the dielectric material in the interlevel dielectric layers (ILDs). Thus, there is considerable interest in developing "low-k" materials as well as deposition methods for them that are compatible with integrated circuit technology.
A common dielectric material for use in an interlevel dielectric layer (ILD) is silicon dioxide (SiO2, also referred to simply as "oxide"). Oxide has a dielectric constant k of at least 3.85, typically 4.1–4.3, or higher. Air has a dielectric constant k of approximately 1.0. By definition, a vacuum has a dielectric constant k of 1.0.
A variety of low-k dielectric materials are known, and are typically defined as materials having a dielectric constant k less than 3.85—in other words, less than that of oxide. Sometimes, materials having k<2.5 are referred to as "ultralow-k". These low-k and ultralow-k dielectric materials can generally be characterized by their composition and/or by the way in which they typically are deposited.
Deposition is a process whereby a film of either electrically insulating (dielectric) or electrically conductive material is deposited on the surface of a semiconductor wafer. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is used to deposit both dielectric and conductive films via a chemical reaction that occurs between various gases in a reaction chamber. Plasma enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) uses an inductively coupled plasma to generate different ionic and atomic species during the deposition process. PECVD typically results in a low temperature deposition compared to the corresponding thermal CVD process. Spin-on deposition is used to deposit materials such as photoresist, and can also be used to deposit dielectric materials. A wafer is coated with material in liquid form, then spun at speeds up to 6000 rpm, during which the liquid is uniformly distributed on the surface by centrifugal forces, followed by a low temperature bake which solidifies the material.
Examples of spin-on low-k materials include:                BCB (divinylsiloxane bisbenzocyclobutene), sold by Dow Chemical.        SiLK™, an organic polymer with k=2.65, similar to BCB, sold by Dow Chemical.        NANOGLASS™, an inorganic porous polymer with k=2.2, sold by Honeywell        FLARE 2.0™ dielectric, an organic low-k poly(arylene)ether available from Allied Signal, Advanced Microelectronic Materials, Sunnyvale, Calif.        Inorganic materials such as spin-on glass (SOG), fluorinated silicon glass (FSG) and, particularly, methyl-doped porous silica which is referred to by practitioners of the art as black diamond, or BD.        Organo-silicate materials, such as JSR LKD 5109 (a spin-on material, Japan Synthetic Rubber)        Organic polymers (fluorinated or non-fluorinated), inorganic polymers (nonporous), inorganic-organic hybrids, or porous materials (xerogels or aerogels).        Materials in the parylene family of polymers, the polynapthalene family of polymers, or polytetrafluoroethylene.
Examples of low-k Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and Plasma Enhanced CVD (PECVD) low-k materials include:                Black Diamond™, a organosilicon glass (OSG) which is a Si—O—C—H type of material, with a dielectric constant k of 2.7 to 3.0 (e.g., 2.9), sold by Applied Materials Inc.        CORAL™, also an organosilicon glass (OSG) which is a Si—O—C—H type of material, with k of 2.7–3.0, sold by Novellus Systems, Inc.        fluorinated SiO2 glass (FSG), and        diamond like carbon or fluorine-doped diamond like carbon (amorphous C:F).
It is also known that pores in dielectric materials can lower the dielectric constant. Low-k dielectric materials can typically be deposited ab initio either with or without pores, depending on process conditions. Since air has a near 1 dielectric constant, porous films exhibit reduced dielectric constants than the base material in which they are developed. Generally, it is the spin-on materials (e.g., SiLK, NANOGLASS) materials that exhibit a high degree of porosity. The PECVD materials generally do not exhibit such high degree of porosity, due to the method of deposition. As a result it is very difficult to prepare a CVD film with a k value <2.5. For low-k dielectric materials having pores, it is important that an additional layer or film overlies the porous dielectric layer to act as a moisture barrier for the porous dielectric layer.
Capping Layer
Due to the need for low temperature processing after copper deposition, capping layers (also referred to as "cap layers") are typically deposited at temperatures below 450° C. Accordingly, capping layer deposition is typically performed using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE CVD) or high density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP CVD) wherein the deposition temperature generally ranges from about 200° C. to about 500° C.
PE CVD films have been used for many other applications in semiconductor device manufacturing. However, in using a cap layer such as silicon nitride for copper interconnects, conventional PE CVD silicon nitride films can create reliability problems. HDP silicon nitride has been shown to provide improved reliability vs. PE CVD silicon nitride (or "PE nitride").
HDP CVD films such as silicon nitride provide superior electromigration protection, as compared to PE CVD films, because HDP CVD films more readily stop the movement of copper atoms along the interconnect surface in the cap layer. However, in a conventional HDP deposition process, a seam is formed in the HDP CVD capping layer over topography, and a crack in the capping layer often develops at this seam due to stress within the structure. If the crack develops in a portion of the capping layer overlying a copper conductor, the copper conductor may be readily exposed to moisture and other sources of oxygen. If the crack develops in a portion of the capping layer overlying the ILD, the copper conductor may be exposed to moisture diffusing through the ILD. In the latter case, the seam is of relatively minor concern in interconnect structures utilizing silicon dioxide as the ILD material, because the rate of moisture diffusion through silicon dioxide is very low. However, in interconnect structures utilizing low-k polymeric thermoset dielectric materials such as SiLK™, this seam is of greater concern, because the rate of moisture diffusion through most spin-on and CVD low-k materials is relatively high.
Moreover, any crack in the capping layer may lead to copper diffusion into the ILD through the seam. As a result of this copper diffusion, a copper nodule may form under the capping layer through the seams. This copper nodule may lead to leakage between adjacent interconnect lines.
HDP nitride is a common material for use as the capping layer over ILD as it exhibits excellent control over electromigration of underlying copper (Cu). However, HDP nitride has been found to exhibit seams which allow ingress of reactants (e.g., oxygen) into the underlying copper (Cu).
Because of the problem of seams in the HDP nitride, placement of an additional layer of material over the HDP nitride, to seal the seams, such as UV nitride (ultra-violet nitride; "UVN") or other plasma nitride has been suggested. (UVN is similar to and is sometimes referred to as PE CVD, or simply PE nitride.) However, PE nitride is not selective to oxide and will be compromised during via RIE. Another approach is to change the selectivity of the RIE, but this may increase the probability of underetched vias. Another approach is the use of alternate cap nitride film, but this loses the electromigration benefit of HDP nitride atop Cu.
UV nitride (UVN) is a particular form of PE CVD (PE) nitride deposited under certain select conditions; however, all PE nitrides can be distinguished from high density plasma (HDP) nitrides by virtue of process pressure and hardware used in the delivery of the HD plasma. PE nitrides are typically deposited in the range of a nominal 1 Torr pressure regime vs. a pressure of a few milliTorr used in HDP CVD. As a general proposition, with respect to a broad process window for RIE, PE nitrides are easier to etch than HDP nitride.

International Business Machines Corporation


A policy management system implements a programmable policy-based approach for managing network elements in a telecommunication network. The policy management system includes one or more policy proxies associated with the network elements and a central policy processing point in communication with the policy proxies. The policy proxies are configured to notify the policy processing point of events occurring in the network. The policy processing point is run-time programmable with one or more policies to process such events and to notify one or more of the policy proxies of actions to be taken in response thereto. The policy proxies implement these actions at the network elements they represent.

By way of background, a major part of managing a telecommunication network involves observing events or conditions in the network and reacting thereto by taking appropriate actions according to predetermined policies. The events or conditions being observed may range from relatively benign occurrences, such as a video-conferencing call set-up request or a service class provisioning request made by a network administrator, to potentially serious communication problems, such as a network element device being overloaded or a daemon process dying on a given network element host.
Actions taken in response to network events or conditions can be manually performed by an operator, or they may be automated by a network software system. A disadvantage of manual control is that response times may not be fast enough. A disadvantage of software control is that the control policies which cause required actions to be taken according to network conditions are quite often buried in the processing logic ("hardwired"), and are not readily adaptable to application-specific needs.
By way of example, consider the provisioning of a network switching element implementing a managed modem access gateway. Assume there are a two customers "A" and "B," each of whom gets access to a maximum of 600 modem lines from a set of 1000 modem lines. Assume that "A" has a "Gold" class of service and "B" has a "Silver" class of service, and that it costs the network service provider twice as much to deny a connection request from "A" than from "B." During peak hours, the line allocation would normally be kept at 600:400 between "A" and B, such that "A" receives its full allocation and "B" suffers a penalty. During off-peak hours, "A's" usage may average around 400, in which case it is not advantageous to keep 200 vacant lines and still deny requests from "B" when they go above 400. Ideally, the service provider would like to implement the following strategy: if sufficient lines are open, and it is off-peak time, then allow "B's" usage to rise to a point where there is just a very small buffer (say 25 open lines) for "A." At this point, if "A's" calls increase, the system begins declining new requests from "B" until there is again a safe margin reserved for "A."
Various observations can be made from the above example. A human operator's response to toggle various service classes "on" and "off" may be too slow in practice, and would not scale to scenarios that are anything but trivial. A network software system could respond much more quickly, but the notion of what constitutes "Gold" or "Silver" class would typically come hardwired with the switching element.
A better approach would be to allow the service provider to create its business model and allocate capacity based on experience and growing demands. Although conventional network software systems may offer some degree of configurability, the service provider is typically required to write its own program, in this case one that communicates with the modem pool and sets modem allocation parameters automatically. Such a programming effort may be costly, and the resulting policy may not be easily changeable.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new network management tool that overcomes the foregoing deficiencies of the prior art. Applicants submit that what is required is a network management system that provides automated network control in response to network conditions, and wherein the actions performed by the system can be specified by network service providers at system run-time in an easy-to-implement customizable fashion such that costly reprogramming (or redesign) is avoided.


A support identification device comprising a support (BPA), e.g. a rack or backplane of a telecommunication system, and an identity receiver (PCB), e.g. a printed circuit board or card, coupled to an identity transmitter or connector of the support. The identity transmitter has several read pins (id1-id4=R1-R4) each at a logical level (0, 1) to indicate (identify) the type of support. The card (PCB) further has write terminals (W1, W2) coupled to dynamic terminals (D1, D2) of the support (BPA). These dynamic terminals are coupled to one or more of the read pins (id1-id4). The card is also provided with a program that sets the write terminals at a first logical level, reads a first logical level at each read pin (R1-R4), then sets the write terminals at a second logical level, reads a second logical level at each read pin, and determines from the difference between the first and the second read logical levels to which write terminal each read terminal is coupled, or not. This allows to obtain (2+w)n identifications with n read pins and w write pins, instead of 2n+w identifications with the same total number n+w of read or basic pins.

Such a support identification device is generally known in the art. Therein, the identity transmitter terminals of the support are all set to a logical level 0 or 1 so that they together correspond to an identity that can be recognized by the identity receiver coupled thereto. An example of such a support identification device is a rack or a backplane, e.g. of a telecommunication system, with a connector comprising the identity transmitter terminals or pins to which a corresponding connector of a printed circuit board able to be inserted in the rack can be coupled as the identity receiver.
When the printed circuit board or card is inserted into the support or rack, the identity transmitter terminals or pins of the rack connector identify the type of rack; each pin is hardware-wired to the ground or to a voltage terminal, e.g. Vcc (logical level 0 or 1). As example, n=4 pins could be used to this end. The support identification is then limited to 2n=24=16 types of supports or racks.
A first solution to increase the number of possible identification types is to increase the number of identity transmitter terminals or pins. However, there will always be a physical limitation to the number of available pins.
Another solution is to place a serial interface, e.g. to connect the pins to a serial PROM in the support. However, the support or rack is not adapted to receive an active device or card.


Substituted pyrido[1,2-a]pyrazines of general formula I; wherein Ar and Ar1 represent various carbocyclic and heterocyclic aromatic rings; A represents O, S, SO, SO2, CHOH, C═O, or —(CR3R4); and n is 0–2, as well as precursors thereto, are ligands for dopamine receptor subtypes and serotonin (5HT) within the body and are therefore useful in the treatment of disorders of the dopamine and serotonin systems:

The present invention relates to the use of pharmacologically active 2,7-substituted octahydro-1H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives, and their acid addition salts. The compounds of this invention are ligands for serotonin receptor subtypes, especially the 5HT1A receptor, and are therefore useful in the treatment of disorders that can be treated by altering (i.e., increasing or decreasing), serotonin mediated neurotransmission.
The pharmacologically active 2,7-substituted octahydro-1H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives of the formula I, as defined below, are also ligands for dopamine receptor subtypes, especially the dopamine D4 receptor. They are useful in treating conditions or disorders, schizophrenia for example, that can be treated by altering (i.e., increasing or decreasing) dopamine mediated neurotransmission. The dopamine receptor binding activity of these compounds is described in more detail in U.S. Ser. No. 08/809,145, supra, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,031. This application (Ser. No. 08/809,145) is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Serotonin plays a role in several psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, Alzheimer's disease, depression, nausea and vomiting, eating disorders, and migraine. (See Rasmussen et al., "Chapter 1. Recent Progress in Serotonin (5HT)1A Receptor Modulators", in Annual Reports in Medicinal Chemistry, Section I, 30, pp. 1–9, 1995, Academic Press, Inc.; Antigas et al., Trends Neurosci., 19 (9), 1996, pp. 378–383; and Wolf et al., Drug Development Research, 40, 1997, pp. 17–34. ) Serotonin also plays a role in both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. (See Sharma et al., Psychiatric Annals., 26 (2), February, 1996, pp. 88–92. )

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

2,7-substituted octahydro-1H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives as ligands for serotonin receptors


An adjustable mounting system for wall-mounted shelf units is provided. The mounting system of the shelf unit comprises at least one horizontal support, situated preferably in proximity to the wall surface near the upper section of the shelf unit. The horizontal support is attached to, and slides laterally in clamping brackets that have been mounted to a wall. One part of the brackets are designed to be fastened to wall vertical support columns or studs, and incorporate a second portion that provides a clamping mechanism that attaches to the horizontal. The horizontal support is preferably fastened at each end to the shelf unit. One or more vertical columns are located between the shelves of the shelf unit and are located proximal, and optionally anterior to the horizontal support. A clamping element, which is preferably a plate with holes drilled into it, is placed proximate to the vertical support columns. The vertical support column and the horizontal support are clamped together using the clamping element and preferably with U-bolts. The nuts on the U-bolt are adjustable for clamping pressure. The shelf unit is particularly well suited for holding electronic equipment.

The advent of flat-panel televisions has allowed televisions to be placed on walls, since the thinner televisions do not project out into a room to the same extent that a conventional cathode-ray-tube (CRT) television must do.
The electronic accoutrements for a flat-panel television, such as a DVD player or VCR, are typically located in close proximity to the television. Once a flat-panel television is mounted to a wall, there is a need for a shelf unit that will support not only the flat-panel television, but also the associated electronics.
The prior art has described shelf units that fasten to walls. However, due to the weight of electronic components, the shelf units should be securely fastened to vertical wall studs in order to ensure maximal strength and resistance to sag and failure. Since vertical wall studs are not typically located at locations that allow for optimal visual placement of the wall shelf units, prior art has limited the locations at which a shelf unit with high load-bearing capacity can be placed.
Furthermore, due to the cantilevered loading on prior art, the issue of shelf sag, from the back to the front of the shelf, under load has required stiff, and costly, shelf units, and/or complex stiffening systems to counteract the downward cantilevered loads. The need for a simple wall shelf mounting system that permits lateral adjustability for aesthetic and structural reasons, combined with a simple stiffening system to counteract downward cantilevered loading typical of wall shelf units for flat-panel televisions and associated electronics can be clearly seen.
As such, there is a need for a cabinet or shelving unit that can accommodate thin display media, and which can be rapidly and easily mounted on a wall.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,551, a media wall support is shown which includes an upright vertical wall to which equipment can be mounted. However, this requires a complete wall section to be used.
As such, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a cabinet or shelf unit that can be easily mounted securely on a wall. It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a shelf unit that is well suited for use with modern electronic equipment. It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide a shelf unit that permits easy adjustment of the shelf attachment mechanism to ensure that the shelves of the shelf unit are maintained in a level orientation, and thus are resistant to sag due to the cantilevered loading on the shelf.

Adjustable mounting system for multimedia wall shelf units


To reduce occurrence of flaws in a polishing process by preventing an abrasive grain or metallic particles deposited on the surface of a glass substrate for a magnetic disk in a lapping process from entering into the subsequent polishing process. A lapping process for the main surface is a glass substrate for a magnetic disk is conducted; an etching process for the main surface of the glass substrate is conducted to the extent of a depth of 0.1 .mu.m to 3 .mu.m, followed by conducting a polishing process for the main surface of the glass substrate where the etching process has been conducted.

In conventional methods for producing a glass substrate for a magnetic disk, there has been carried out such a method for processing a glass substrate into a concentric circular form, i.e., a doughnut-like form; conducting a lapping process for polishing it with use of separating abrasive grains on a metallic surface plate; and conducting further a polishing process wherein the surface having been lapped is polished with use of a polishing pad made of synthetic resin and separating abrasive grains having a finer grain size.
Washing was generally conducted between the lapping process and the polishing process, and an etching process for removing foreign substances on the surface of the glass substrate for a disk was not conducted. As a result, abrasive grains having a larger grain size produced during the lapping process and metallic particles resulted from the metallic surface plate for lapping were left in the polishing process which was conducted subsequent to the lapping process, and these caused occurrence of flaws in the surface of the glass substrate for a disk and a damage to the polishing pad.
As an example for the etching process, there has been known a method disclosed in, for instance, Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 230621/1995. The main purpose of this method is to reduce the depth of flaws existing in an inner circumferential area of the glass substrate to thereby increase the mechanical strength of the glass substrate. Accordingly, there is a condition that the depth of the glass substrate surface by the etching be deeper than 3 .mu.m. As another example, there is a case that an etching process is conducted as a texture (minute projections and recesses in a magnetic disk surface) forming technique to improve friction sliding characteristics to the magnetic head.
In this method, however, a polishing process is not used after the etching process. Accordingly, abnormal projections which exceed the height of the texture around the projections are formed at a masked portion in the glass substrate surface for a disk, due to deposition of dust or the like. When a magnetic disk produced by using such glass substrate is rotated at a high speed such as 3000 rpm and a magnetic head is floated above the disk at a height of 350 .ANG. for instance, there was a possible problem of causing head-crushing of the magnetic head or breakage of a portion in the magnetic disk surface. In this case, it is necessary to suppress the depth by the etching to be less than 350 .ANG. for instance. However, such a small amount (depth) of etching was insufficient to remove the abrasive grains and the like, and a liquid phase etching which was usually carried out made it difficult to control the depth by the etching.

Method for producing a glass substrate for a magnetic disk


The present disclosure relates to phase margin modification in operational transconductance amplifiers.

Folded cascode operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) tend to have a good power supply rejection ratio at high frequencies. To illustrate, folded cascode OTAs have the ability to reject a relatively large amount of noise from a power supply. Thus, folded cascode OTAs can be used in switched capacitor circuits associated with high-frequency applications.
Switched capacitor circuits including OTAs are typically associated with two non-overlapping clock phases, a charge transfer phase and a holding phase. During the charge transfer phase, charge accumulates in an integrating capacitor of a switched capacitor circuit, while during the holding phase, charge is stored in the integrating capacitor. An OTA of a switched capacitor circuit may have a particular phase margin during the charge transfer phase and the holding phase. The phase margin of the OTA provides a measure of stability of the OTA because the phase margin indicates a tendency of the OTA toward oscillation.
In some instances, biasing currents of an OTA included in a switched capacitor circuit are reduced in order to decrease power consumption. The decreased bias currents may result in performance issues related to slew rate and settling time.

Phase margin modification in operational transconductance amplifiers


Disclosed is an interaction mobile displaying device for jointly displaying one virtual screen image with other interaction mobile displaying devices, comprising display means for displaying a physical screen image corresponding to a portion of the virtual screen image; computing means for executing computations of the interaction mobile displaying device; and communication means for communicating with other interaction mobile displaying devices, so that those interaction mobile displaying devices are capable of interacting with each other via the virtual screen image.

Intelligent interaction mobile displaying devices, including device from large size of notebook computers and tablet computers to small size of personal digital assistants and cell phones, and the like, can provide instant services via their display screens for users. They thus play more and more important role in the modern life for people.
In addition to providing the intelligent interaction mobile displaying device as a general interaction mobile displaying device, the intelligent interaction mobile displaying device could be operated as an interactive interaction mobile displaying device that allows the users to instinctively operate the interaction mobile displaying device in correspondence to the visual view feeding back from the different requests of the users. It thus the users could fully enjoy the service and function provided by the intelligent interaction mobile displaying device.

Display device with sharable screen image


An encoder device of the present invention comprises:. a motor for driving a photographing lens, PA1 a pulse generator operated by a drive force transmitted from the motor to the photographing lens, and generating a coarse pulse signal and a fine pulse signal corresponding to rotation of the motor, PA1 counters for counting the coarse pulse signal and the fine pulse signal, respectively, PA1 a reset device for resetting the number of the coarse pulse signals counted by the counters when the photographing lens reaches a predetermined position, PA1 a motor drive/controller for controlling start and stop of drive of the motor, and PA1 a detector for determing a value related to the driven position of the photographing lens upon halting of the driving of the motor based on the number of the coarse pulse signals counted from the predetermined position for resetting and the number of the fine pulse signals counted after a final one of the coarse pulse signals has been output.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an encoder device, and more particularly to an encoder device for use in a focal length detector of a photographic zoom optical system in a camera or the like.
2. Related Art Statement
As is well known, a focal length detector of a photographing zoom optical system in a camera or the like employs a zoom encoder for detecting the amount and direction of rotation of a cam ring which is rotatable about an optical axis of the photographing optical system to change the focal length of the photographing optical system.
Conventionally, as is shown in FIG. 20, such an encoder for zooming etc. has been practiced by utilizing combinations of signals output upon contact pieces 308, formed of a conductor, sliding over patterns 312 which are made up by, for example, plating gold on the surface of an insulator 301.
In other words, to detect the rotational position of a cam ring which is rotated to carry out zooming etc., the illustrated encoder is provided with a code plate of several bits and brushes are brought into contact the code plate with for producing bit information from which the rotational position of the cam ring is detected. While this means for detecting the rotational position by using the code plate is advantageous in that the rotational position of the cam ring can be detected based on bit information from the code plate, it has disadvantages as set forth below:
1) the production cost of the code plate is high;
2) because of bit information being obtained from contact between the code plate and the brushes, oxidation of the code plate surface and the brush surface cause conduction failures with time; and
3) insufficient contact pressure, surface wearing, etc. also cause conduction failures with time.
Of these disadvantages, 2) and 3), i.e., the occurrence of failures with time, implies that such failures occur after products have been handed over to users and, therefore, are particularly quite critical problems from the standpoint of product quality.
For thoroughly solving the above disadvantages 2) and 3), therefore, it could be envisaged to replace the above-mentioned contact type encoder by a contactless absolute value encoder of the optical type using a photo-reflector etc. or the magnetic type using an MR element, etc.
Contrary to the intention, however, the above replacement means have substantial demerits in points of space and cost. These demerits become more severe as resolution of the zoom encoder is increased. The limit in practical use is on the order of 2 to 3 bits at maximum.
In view of the above, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-51310, there has been proposed such a means instead of the conventional contact type encoder that an optical pulse generator is provided which generates a pulse in response to rotation of a cam ring used for zooming etc., and the number of pulses output from the generator is counted up or down depending on the direction of rotation of the cam ring for zooming, to thereby determine the rotational position of the cam ring. This means enables a high-resolution encoder to be obtained by using only one photo-interrupter.
In such a zoom encoder using a photo-interrupter, a rotating plate with a slit and a corresponding photo-interrupter are arranged midway a train of reduction gears leading from a zoom motor to the cam ring, the rotating plate with the slit is rotated with rotation of the zoom motor, and a signal generated from the photo-interrupter is used to determine the rotational position of the cam ring. For obtaining a high-accuracy (high-density) signal from the above encoder, the photo-interrupter is required to be arranged near the first stage of the reduction gear train, i.e., in a portion rotating at a high speed. However, because the reduction gear train includes many speed reducing gears from the first stage to the output gear stage, there essentially occur large amounts of backlash. Stated otherwise, since large amounts of backlash are present between the photo-interrupter arranged near the first stage and the cam ring, there is no linear relation between an output of the photo-interrupter and the cam ring, meaning the presence of problems in accuracy.


In some embodiments, an archery bow comprises a frame, a first limb assembly supporting a first rotatable member and a second limb assembly supporting a second rotatable member. The first rotatable member comprises a cam. A bowstring extends between the first rotatable member and the second rotatable member. A power cable is in communication with the cam. The first limb assembly has a width and a length, wherein the width is at least 26% of the length. In some embodiments, the width is at least 28% of the length.

This invention relates to archery bows, which are generally known in the art.
Archery bows typically use flexible limbs to store energy. The limbs can be highly stressed members. In some bows, the limbs are highly stressed even when the bow is at-rest, and the stress increases when the bow is drawn.
There remains a need for novel archery bow structures that prevent benefits over existing designs.
All US patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.


A process and apparatus are disclosed for taking a representative milk sample during the delivery of a milk charge from one container to another. With respect to the errors encountered in operating peristaltic pumps with different speeds of revolution, the invention predetermines a corrected pumping characteristic as a function of an acceptance characteristic and correspondingly controls the taking of samples.

The invention relates to a process for taking a representative milk sample and to an apparatus, particularly for performing the process.
A process and an apparatus of the aforementioned type are e.g. known from DE 35 02 858 A1. In the known apparatus a milk sample is actively pumped by means of a peristaltic pump from a delivery line into a sample bottle for example during the transfer of a milk charge from one container to another. The peristaltic pump is controlled in such a way that, in accordance with a previously inputted desired quantity for the milk charge, the sample bottle for the latter is filled in accordance with a desired volume.
In order to obtain a reproducible desired volume, it is necessary to have information on the acceptance capacity of the milk collecting container which may be a truck or trucks. For this purpose hitherto one parameter has been fixedly predetermined in a preprogrammed manner, so that the sample bottle for receiving the milk sample has been constantly filled to a greater or lesser extent.
As the aim is to take a continuous representative milk sample of the entire milk charge, the milk sample removal process must be controllable as a function of the total milk charge volume. The term a representative milk sample is understood to mean that only a maximum volume is available in the sample bottle intended for the milk sample and on the other hand that, if possible, the milk sample should have a roughly constant volume, independently of whether a lower volume milk charge or a very large milk charge is delivered. The sought constant volume for the milk sample results from the fact that certain minimum milk sample quantities are required for investigations and tests.
Another objective of the representative milk sample is to draw the latter over the entire delivery cycle of the corresponding milk charge. However, since, as a function of the volume, the milk charges are sucked with different deliveries, e.g. from a tank and pumped into the milk collecting truck or tanker, so that different delivery times occur, account must also be taken of this aspect within the scope of a representative milk sample.
In addition, when using a peristaltic pump for taking a representative milk sample, a further problem occurs in that the delivered volume is not in a linear relationship with the speed of revolution of the peristaltic pump. If it is assumed, for example, that a peristaltic pump delivers a volume z1 after y revolutions in the case of a speed of revolution of x1, then normally the volume z2 delivered at a higher speed x2 after y revolutions will be smaller than z1. This is attributed to the fact that the hose or tube used does not have sufficient time, particularly if high speeds are used, to reassume its original hose or tube diameter, in order to achieve its normal capacity.
Thus, with a larger volume of a milk charge to be delivered, its delivery takes longer, the milk sample being taken in a continuous manner and as a result of the lower speed of revolution of the peristaltic pump a higher than desired milk sample volume is taken.
Further problems in the delivery of a milk charge and taking a representative milk sample are that the delivery or pumping capacity characteristic may be influenced by factors which lead to a divergence compared with the desired or nominal delivery. Reference is e.g. made to different or too narrow cross-sections in the delivery line or in the collecting area on the milk tank. The pumping capacity can also be influenced by filter fluff in the screen of the collecting line and possibly as a result of the drive this does not coincide with the nominal capacity or delivery. The way in which the milk is collected also affects the pumping capacity, if e.g. with a relatively large air admixture, particularly at the end of the delivery operation, milk is sucked from the tank or tanks, which are subject to a downward suction action, and which can be difficult to empty due to an inadequate installation of the tank. Problems can also occur due to incorrect handling by the driver during the delivery process.
Such fault and error sources consequently influence the delivery and delivery time for transferring a milk charge from one tank into another.

Process and apparatus for taking a representative milk sample


A test method for a memory device including a plurality of memory cells includes generating a first test pattern, performing a first pattern write operation of writing the first test pattern in the plurality of memory cells, reading first data from the plurality of memory cells in which the first test pattern was written, generating a second test pattern based on the first data, and performing a second pattern write operation of writing the second test pattern in the plurality of memory cells. The second test pattern is generated such that a write operation is skipped with regard to failure cells from among the plurality of memory cells at which a write failure occurs, during the second pattern write operation.

The present disclosure relates to semiconductor memories, and more particularly to test methods for a memory device, operation methods of test devices testing a memory device, and memory devices including a self-test function.
Semiconductor memory devices may be characterized as volatile memory devices such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM) in which stored data disappear when power is turned off, or as nonvolatile memory devices such as flash memory, phase-change RAM (PRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), or ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) in which stored data are retained even when power is turned off.
A failure may occur in a memory device due to various factors. Failures that occur in the process of manufacturing a memory device may be detected in the process of testing the memory device, and the detected failures may be repaired. In this case, various failures of the memory device, such as for example write failures of a memory cell, may stochastically occur. For this reason, in the case where a write failure does not occur in a plurality of memory cells at the same time during the process of testing the memory device, the memory device may be determined as normal. As such, an unexpected failure may occur when the memory device is actually used.

Test method for memory device, operation method of test device testing memory device, and memory device with self-test function


A Cartesian machine tool, of the type with a horizontal slide and a machining head supported in a cantilever manner by the slide, includes a slide carriage, with respect to which the slide can move horizontally with corresponding elements of horizontal translation, and a post, which includes two opposite guiding columns for the vertical movement of the slide carriage with elements of vertical translation. The slide carriage includes a first front part coupled to the post with the elements of vertical translation and a second rear part coupled to the first part with elements of translation in a transverse direction with respect to a direction of motion of the slide with respect to the carriage.

Nowadays machine tools are known of the type with a horizontal slide and a machining head supported in a cantilever manner by said slide, which typically comprise:
a slide carriage, with respect to which the slide can move horizontally according to a first direction with corresponding means of horizontal translation,
and a post for moving, according to a second direction, the slide carriage vertically with means of vertical translation.
The post, furthermore, slides on a footing in a third direction, perpendicular to the other two.
Typically, the accuracy of such large-sized Cartesian machine tools (with excursion of the axes greater than 3 meters) is limited by structural deformations that affect the elements of the supporting frame and of the slide proper, and these deformations vary as a function of the excursion of the slide.
In order to correct the positioning errors owing to structural deformations of the elements of the slide, nowadays systems are known and used which act by making the sliding guides of the slide deform.
However, such systems have the severe drawback that they allow the introduction of geometric errors that can then be difficult to control during detection and correction.

Cartesian machine tool with horizontal slide and cantilevered machining head, and slide carriage for such machine tool


An ambidextrous bolt catch device, apparatus, system and methods for using are provided. Four main components include a bolt catch finger, lever system and plunger rod assembly with torsion spring. The lever system includes a right release lever and a left release lever; the left lever is an integral part of the bolt catch finger. The plunger rod assembly abuts and connects the right and left levers; a torsion spring on the rod creates tension causing rotation of the bolt catch finger in a downward or upward position. In an upward position, the bolt catch finger engages the bolt, retains the bolt in a rearward position, and signals the operator that the magazine is empty. The bolt engaged by the finger is held rearward in a safe, reliable manner to allow an unobstructed view of the firearm chamber until manually released using either the right or left release lever.

Bolt catch devices for hand-held firearms are known in the art, especially in handguns and combat rifles. The purpose of a bolt catch device on any firearm is to retain the principal members of the bolt or bolt carrier mechanism in a rearward position. The rear-hold position is desirable as a safety measure to allow an unobstructed view of the chamber of a firearm; to provide access to the chamber area for cleaning or clearing an obstruction, or other maintenance; as a signal to the operator that the magazine is empty; and to provide a means for rapid reloading, by holding the bolt group to the rear while the empty magazine is removed and a new magazine is installed.
Some members of the M16/M4 family of firearms have a bolt catch that is actuated so that it holds the bolt group rearward after the last round is fed from the magazine.
When the bolt catch device is actuated manually the bolt group is released and allowed to move forward under spring pressure, chambering the first round from a new magazine.
On most firearms the bolt catch is located on one side of the receiver, making it difficult and sometimes impossible to actuate with a single hand while aiming the firearm. On the M16/M4 rifle, for example, the bolt catch is on the left side of the receiver where actuation is generally accomplished with the palm of the left hand, when the firearm is held on the right shoulder. The design of the M16/M4 bolt catch is such that it is a single element functioning at one end as the component holding the bolt group rearward and at the other end offering a knurled protrusion on the end of a lever as a point for actuation.
Ambidextrous bolt catches are found almost exclusively on semi-automatic pistols, and take the form of a latch or other device that keeps the slide to the rear after the last round is fired.
The known prior art includes several patents describing bolt catch device arrangements for firearms or ambidextrous magazine catch and release mechanisms that are used in a clip change when the last round is fired from a magazine. The function of a bolt catch device is significantly different than the function of a magazine catch, but the use of an ambidextrous means for operating each mechanism is the reason for including such prior art in the list below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,142 to Vartanian et al. describes a bolt stop mechanism for a semi-automatic firearm with a spring that engages the bolt stop to bias against a pin. The bolt stop is pivotally mounted in the firearm receiver and is movable into and out of engagement with the bolt by pushing the end of the latch and releasing it.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,531 to Angell et al. requires a safety lever to be pushed up to a horizontal position, the action operates to lock the strike to prevent it from traveling down the striker tunnel in a dual protection safety device for semi-automatic pistol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,479 to Johnson describes a magazine latch release mechanism for repeating rifles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,985 to Smith et al. shows an ambidextrous magazine release.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,134 to Beretta describes a retaining mechanism for rifle magazines, wherein a hook is engaged in the slot of a magazine that is fixed to a spring-loaded arm located transversely in the body of the weapon; the hook can be operated from both sides of the weapon.
Garrett in U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,954 uses two springs, houses the pivoting mechanism in a protruding base and is specifically designed for use as an ambidextrous magazine release.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,465 to Johnson describes a spare magazine carrier. FIG. 8 shows a plunger mounted within a tubular housing and biased outwardly, or leftward, by a helical spring surrounding a portion of the plunger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,726,376 to Menges et al. in FIG. 1 shows locking levers with catching shoulders to prevent accidental firing of weapon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,996 to Ruger et al. in FIG. 2 shows a slide and a slide stop latch.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,114 to Murello describes a firing lever mechanism for firearms with a locking lever pivotally mounted that cooperates with a slide and stop pin that is engaged to lock the slide into position.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,864 to Spinner et al. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a magazine shaft with cross boring, swivel shaft with levers, a catch on lever, left-handed shooter holding the weapon with left hand can now press on the pivoting lever and release the slide unit for forward movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,103,998 to McGarry describes a camblock assembly for a firearm having a guide rod to resist movement of a reciprocating slide.
U.S. Patent Publ. No. 2003/0208940 to Johnson describes a bolt catch operating lever attached to the left side of receiver with a pivot pin. The bolt catch engages the bolt to hold it in a rearward position using a detachable lateral extender mechanism; lever is pressed to the right, the catch is disengaged and releases the bolt that is moved forward by a spring.
U.S. Patent Publ. No. 2005/0000138 to Kiss in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 shows a bolt catch device pivotally mounted on a rivet; the lever connects with and transverse the channel shaped receiver with bottom wall; there is a return spring; a sensor lever rotates the catch device upward; the head of the lever is returned by spring forces of the magazine and inhibits the forward movement of the carrier locking the bolt carrier.
Garrett in U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0,123,683 describes an ambidextrous magazine catch having a rod with a threaded portion that is pivotally attached to a lever and guided transversely through an orifice. The ambidextrous magazine catch has a single spring, engages and disengages the magazine slot of magazine by depressing lever.
The above patents disclose the state of the art in relation to bolt catch devices and ambidextrous magazine catches or releases for firearms; however, with regard to bolt catch devices, there is still a need for an ambidextrous, quick, easy to secure, reliably functioning bolt catch device to retain the bolt and bolt carrier mechanism in a rearward position after the last round is fed from the magazine.
Improvements are needed so that a bolt catch device can be engaged with ease and dexterity with one hand by either a right-handed shooter or a left-hand shooter of a weapon. Such an improvement saves valuable time in the field and significant costs in inventory. There is no longer a need for different weapon assemblies based on whether a shooter is right-handed or left-handed. Such improvements will mean that weapons are safer and universally acceptable to all users; the present invention meets these needs.