A memory cell array of a semiconductor memory device is split into memory blocks. A DRAM/nonvolatile mode switching circuit makes each memory cell operate similarly to a DRAM when each memory block is accessed from the exterior while making each memory cell operate as a nonvolatile memory cell to require no refreshment when each memory block is not accessed for a constant period. An internal timer circuit manages a waiting time for the memory block shifting to a nonvolatile mode after entering a non-accessed state. Thus, the semiconductor memory device can attain stable power consumption reduction hardly influenced by a user state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more specifically, it relates to a semiconductor memory device comprising nonvolatile semiconductor memory cells.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Specifications required to semiconductor memories are now in the process of changing following popularization of information apparatuses. In particular, a semiconductor memory mounted on a portable apparatus requires low power consumption.
A dynamic random access memory (hereinafter referred to as a DRAM) is preferably employed in consideration of its memory capacity and the cost therefore, the DRAM cannot hold data if the power is turned off, due to its characteristics.
Therefore, the DRAM must be so periodically refreshed that the same slightly consumes power even in an unused state (standby state).
On the other hand, a nonvolatile memory, which can hold data also in a power-off state, is excellent in a point that the same requires no complicated operation such as a refresh operation for holding the data.
A flash memory or a ferroelectric memory (FRAM) is regarded as a candidate for such a nonvolatile memory. Particularly the ferroelectric memory, which has some advantages in write operating speed and rewrite count compared to the flash memory, is expected as the representative for future nonvolatile memories.
FIG. 35 is a circuit diagram for illustrating a first exemplary cell structure of a conventional ferroelectric memory.
Referring to FIG. 35, a memory cell 552 includes two access transistors 568 and 570 and ferroelectric capacitors 572 and 572 provided in correspondence to the access transistors 568 and 570 respectively.
This structure is the so-called 2Tr-2C structure, and the gates of the two access transistors 568 and 570 are connected with the same word line WL. A first electrode of the ferroelectric capacitor 572 is connected to a bit line BL through the access transistor 568. A first electrode of the ferroelectric capacitor 574 is connected to a bit line /BL through the access transistor 570. Second electrodes of the ferroelectric capacitors 572 and 574 are connected to a cell plate CP.
In this structure, the two ferroelectric capacitors 572 and 574 store 1-bit data as complementary data.
FIG. 36 shows an operating waveform diagram showing an exemplary read operation of the ferroelectric memory cell 552 appearing in FIG. 35 and illustrates polarization curves of the capacitors 572 and 574.
Referring to FIGS. 35 and 36, an equalize signal BLEQ goes high between times t1 and t2, for precharging the pair of bit lines BL and /BL at low levels. At this time, the potential of the cell plate CP is at a low level.
Between times t2 and t3, the equalize signal BLEQ first goes low, and then the potential of the word line WL rises while the potential of the cell plate CP goes high. Consequently, a small potential difference takes place between the pair of bit lines BL and /BL. Between times t3 and t4, a sense amplifier activation signal SAE goes high to activate the sense amplifier 556, which in turn amplifies the small potential difference between the pair of bit lines BL and /BL for reading data to the exterior.
L data is rewritten in either one of the ferroelectric capacitors 572 and 574 for holding the L data.
Between times t4 and t5, the potential of the cell plate CP goes low for causing a sufficient potential difference between the electrodes of the capacitor 572 or 574 connected with the bit line BL or /BL carrying H data, thereby rewriting the H data.
Between times t5 and t6, the sense amplifier activation signal SAE goes low to inactivate the sense amplifier 556 and the equalize signal BLEQ goes high while the pair of bit lines BL and /BL go low together, whereby the electrodes (storage nodes) of the ferroelectric capacitors 572 and 574 opposite to the cell plate CP go low.
Namely, the potential difference between the electrodes of the ferroelectric capacitors 572 and 574 becomes zero, so that the H and L data are stored as the values of the remanent polarization of the ferroelectric capacitors 572 and 574 as shown in the polarization curves.
The memory cell 552 holds these remanent polarization values, which are nonvolatile, until the next write operation is performed, and requires no refresh operation dissimilarly to the DRAM.
Between times t6 and t7, the potential of the word line WL falls to complete the series of read operations. Even if the word line WL is not closed before the sense amplifier activation signal SAE and the equalize signal BLEQ go low and high respectively, no problem arises dissimilarly to the conventional DRAM.
The conventional ferroelectric memory can read data in the aforementioned operation, and is capable of implementing an access time of about 200 ns, although the same is slightly disadvantageous in access due to the driving of the cell plate potential CP.
Under the present circumstances, however, the conventional ferroelectric memory has some significant problems to be solved.
For example, the polarized state of the ferroelectric capacitor 572 or 574 storing the H data goes round the polarization curve and requires an operation of remarkably inverting the polarized state as shown in FIG. 36, leading to fatigue of the ferroelectric film quality.
If the operating time is lengthened, therefore, the remanent polarization value or the like on the polarization curve so remarkably changes that the memory cannot be used as a nonvolatile memory.
Thus, the read/write count is limited.
In relation to this, the ferroelectric memory is generally not in the so-called simple 1Tr-1C structure but in the cell structure for storing 1-bit data in the 2Tr-2C structure shown in FIG. 35, dissimilarly to the DRAM.
While a memory of the 1Tr-1C structure employs a reference cell which is identical in structure to memory cells for generating a reference potential, this cell is remarkably frequently accessed as compared with the remaining memory cells, and hence the characteristics of the ferroelectric film are so quickly deteriorated following fatigue that the reference cell cannot generate the normal reference potential.
In general, therefore, the ferroelectric memory has a larger chip area than a DRAM of the same capacity.
The aforementioned problem is caused since the ferroelectric memory is regularly used in a nonvolatile mode. To this end, there have been proposed some systems of making the ferroelectric memory, which has a sufficiently larger dielectric constant than capacitors employed in the general DRAM, operate similarly to the DRAM thereby preventing the ferroelectric capacitors from characteristic deterioration resulting from inversion of polarization.
In a system proposed by K. Takeuchi et al. in "Half-Vcc Plate Nonvolatile DRAMs with Ferroelectric Capacitors", IEICE Trans. Electron., Vol. E79-C, pp. 234-242 (1996), for example, a ferroelectric memory performs a read or write operation absolutely similarly to the DRAM, in a general state other than a power on/off state.
In this system, no cell plate potential may be driven but a pair of bit lines are precharged at Vcc/2 in a standby state. Such a mode of using a nonvolatile memory in an operation similar to that of the DRAM is referred to as a DRAM mode.
The most serious drawback of the DRAM mode for preventing deterioration of ferroelectric film characteristics resides in that a refresh operation is required similarly to the DRAM. If the memory is integrated into a system, a complicated operation is required for issuing an instruction or timing for the refresh operation, and the refresh operation regularly consumes power.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-244988 (1995) discloses a system of driving only a frequently accessed area into the DRAM mode while bringing areas not accessed in excess of a constant time into the nonvolatile mode thereby suppressing power consumption following the refresh operation.
FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing the structure of the semiconductor memory device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-244988.
The semiconductor memory device shown in FIG. 37 employs ferroelectric capacitors as information storage capacitors of memory cells and comprises a continuous refresh count control circuit 614, a mode conversion circuit 612, a mode storage memory 618 and a mode determination circuit 616, in addition to a conventional DRAM comprising a memory mat 608, an X decoder 610, a Y decoder 604, a Y switch 606, a refresh activation circuit 624, an X address selector circuit 622, a Y address selector circuit 620, a timing control circuit 626 and an input/output buffer 602.
The X address selector circuit 622 fetches and holds an address signal inputted in synchronization with a row address strobe signal.
The Y address selector circuit 620 fetches and holds an address signal inputted in synchronization with a column address strobe signal.
The X decoder 610 decodes the X address signal and selects a word line of the memory mat 608. The Y decoder 604 decodes the Y address signal, forms a column selector signal for a complementary data line of the memory mat 608, and controls the Y switch 606. The Y switch 606 connects the complementary data line selected by the column selector signal to the input/output buffer 602.
The timing control circuit 626 receives the row address strobe signal, the column address strobe signal and a write enable signal, identifies a read/write or refresh operation mode, and forms an internal timing signal corresponding thereto.
The refresh activation circuit 624 outputs a refresh address to the X decoder 610 when in the refresh mode.
The memory mat 608 is split into a plurality of memory blocks, and the mode storage memory 618 stores whether the operation mode of each memory block is the DRAM or nonvolatile mode. The continuous refresh count control circuit 614 counts the refresh operation for each memory block, and resets the count value when a read or write operation is performed for any memory cell included in each memory block.
When the refresh activation circuit 624 makes a refresh operation, the mode determination circuit 616 reads mode information of a memory block stored in the mode storage memory 618 by a refresh address signal therefore and determines whether the memory block is in the DRAM mode or the nonvolatile mode.
If the memory block is in the DRAM mode, the mode determination circuit 616 performs the refresh operation as such and makes the continuous refresh count control circuit 614 count +1.
If the memory block is in the nonvolatile mode, on the other hand, the mode determination circuit 616 omits the refresh operation. Namely, the mode determination circuit 616 omits an operation of selecting any word line or activating a sense amplifier by the X decoder 610.
When the X address selector circuit 622 accesses any memory cell for writing or reading data, the mode determination circuit 616 makes the continuous refresh count control circuit 614 reset the refresh count of the corresponding memory block to zero, and brings the mode storage memory 618 into the DRAM mode through the mode conversion circuit 612. This mode conversion can be omitted if the mode storage memory 618 is already in the DRAM mode.
When the refresh operation is performed by a predetermined count, the continuous refresh count control circuit 614 instructs the mode conversion circuit 612 to convert the mode of the memory block. In the refresh operation, the mode conversion circuit 612 temporarily raises the plate voltage of the memory block from a ground potential to a power supply potential Vcc, for example, for performing writing accompanied by inversion of the polarization of the ferroelectric capacitors in rewriting by the refresh operation.
The mode conversion circuit 612 makes the mode storage memory 618 store the nonvolatile mode.
FIG. 38 is a schematic block diagram for illustrating examples of the memory mat 608 and the continuous refresh count control circuit 614 in the conventional semiconductor memory device.
FIG. 38 illustratively shows a circuit which is applied to the memory mat 608 split in units of word lines and corresponding to an i-th word line WLi as a representative.
Referring to FIGS. 37 and 38, the continuous refresh count control circuit shown in this example is provided with a plurality of dynamic memory cells on the word line WLi identical to that for the memory mat 608, to be employed as a continuous refresh count storage circuit.
Assuming that the continuous refresh count is three, for example, two memory cells M1i and M2i are provided in a continuous refresh count FT(i) storage memory.
An FTRW circuit 634 reads counts stored in the memory cells M1i and M2i, adds +1 thereto and rewrites the results in the memory cells M1i and M2i.
In a third refresh operation when the storage information of both memory cells M1i and M2i becomes 1, a timing pulse .phi. VPL is generated for temporarily converting a plate potential VPLi of a ferroelectric capacitor CMi corresponding to the word line WLi performing refreshment to a high level in correspondence to the timing pulse .phi. VPLi through a gate circuit G supplied with a selector signal for the word line WLi in its one input.
Thus, the direction of polarization of the memory cell coupled to the word line WLi in the continuous third refresh operation is decided in correspondence to the storage information in rewriting. The refresh operation is thereafter not necessary because of non-volatization, the refresh operation is omitted.
An operation of switching the conventional semiconductor memory device from the DRAM mode to the nonvolatile mode is now described.
FIG. 39 is an operating waveform diagram showing an operation of non-volatilizing the semiconductor memory device storing H data.
FIGS. 41A and 41B illustrate polarized states of a ferroelectric film on hysteresis characteristics.
Referring to FIGS. 38, 39, 41A and 41B, the potential of the word line WLi rises from 0 V to 5 V to be selected in a state 1, whereby the potential of a bit line BLi connected with the memory cell storing the H data slightly rises and is converted to 5 V by a sense amplifier. At this time, the plate potential VPLi is 0 V. The ferroelectric capacitor Cmi enters the polarized state 1 shown in FIG. 41A.
In a state 2, the plate potential VPLi rises from 0 V to 5 V. Both electrodes of the ferroelectric capacitor Cmi are supplied with the same potential in this state 2, whereby the ferroelectric capacitor Cmi enters the polarized state 2 shown in FIG. 41B in correspondence to the voltage of 0 V.
In a state 3, the plate potential VPLi changes from 5 V to 0 V and the voltage of 5 V is applied to the electrodes of the ferroelectric capacitor Cmi again, whereby the ferroelectric capacitor Cmi enters the polarized state 3 shown in FIG. 41A.
Thus, the semiconductor memory device enters the nonvolatile mode.
The semiconductor memory device thereafter performs no refresh operation in this nonvolatile mode, whereby the potential of a storage node reduces to a low level by a leakage current in a state 4 and no voltage is applied between the electrodes of the ferroelectric capacitor Cmi, for holding information by remanent polarization as shown in the state 4 in FIG. 41B.
FIG. 40 is an operating waveform diagram of an operation for bringing the semiconductor memory device storing L data into the nonvolatile mode.
FIGS. 42A and 42B illustrate polarization of the ferroelectric film on the hysteresis characteristics.
Referring to FIGS. 40, 42A and 42B, the word line WLi is selected and its potential rises from 0 V to 5 V in a state 1. Slight change appears on the bit line BLi on the basis of the stored L data, and the sense amplifier amplifies this change to reduce the potential of the bit line BLi to 0 V. In this state, a voltage of 0 V is applied between the electrodes of the ferroelectric capacitor Cmi, which in turn enters the polarized state 1 shown in FIG. 42A.
In a state 2, the plate potential VPLi changes from 0 V to 5 V and a voltage of -5 V is applied between the electrodes of the ferroelectric capacitor Cmi, which in turn enters the polarized state 2 shown in FIG. 42B.
In a state 3, the plate potential VPLi is converted from 5 V to 0 V, whereby the potential difference between the electrodes of the ferroelectric capacitor Cmi becomes 0 V and the ferroelectric film is polarized as shown in the state 3 in FIG. 42b.
Thus, the semiconductor memory device enters the nonvolatile mode. The semiconductor memory thereafter performs no refresh operation in such a nonvolatile mode, thereby holding negative remanent polarization as storage data, as shown in the state 4 in FIG. 42B.
When the word line WLi is selected by a read operation, a slight high level is outputted to the bit line BLi with respect to a half precharge voltage of 2.5 V serving as a reference voltage in correspondence to the remanent polarization in the state 4 shown in FIG. 39 or a slight low level is outputted in the state 4 in FIG. 40 so that the sense amplifier amplifies this output for rewriting the high or low level in the ferroelectric capacitor, whereby a read signal corresponding to the direction of polarization can be obtained as shown in the state 1 in FIG. 41A or in the state 2 shown in FIG. 42B, and the semiconductor memory device thereafter operates in the DRAM mode.
In the DRAM mode, the plate potential VPLi is fixed to the ground potential of the circuit, whereby the polarization of the ferroelectric capacitor Cmi remains unchanged for storing high or low level information as a simple capacitor.
The method shown in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-244988 is adapted to equivalently recognize the time when a certain area is not accessed by counting the refresh count. However, the refresh count is decided by the external specification (user state), and hence the time for switching the DRAM mode to the nonvolatile mode depends on the external specification (user state).
Namely, the time operating in the DRAM mode fluctuates to change the power consumption.
In case of adjusting the time for switching the DRAM mode to the nonvolatile mode in response to requirement for power consumption responsive to the employment, it is difficult to remarkably change the switching time in the method described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-244988, due to the employment of the memory cell dedicated to mode storage.
In case of a DRAM, a bit line precharge potential and a cell plate potential are generally Vcc/2. When a ferroelectric memory is used in the nonvolatile mode, on the other hand, the bit line precharge potential and the cell plate potential are generally Vcc or the ground potential.
In case of switching the mode following such conventional use of the DRAM or the ferroelectric memory, the levels of the bit line precharge potential and the cell plate potential must also be switched at the same time.

Semiconductor memory device employing ferroelectric memory cell, attaining low power consumption while preventing deterioration of ferroelectric


The by-pass valve has a selective control already available to control the movement of a piston which is part of the main stream by-pass valve which diverts fluid from the pipe string bore to ports in the outer wall for projection of the fluid stream into a well.

This invention pertains to flow control valves used down hole on drill strings to exercise down hole main stream valve control from the surface. More specifically, it pertains to valves controlled by manipulation of the flow rate of fluid pumped down the drill string bore.
Apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,969 is preferred for used in the preferred embodiment of this invention. U.S. Pat. 6,167,969 is, by reference herein, made part of this application.
During the drilling, completion work, and servicing of wells it is necessary to use the flow of fluid moving down the drill string bore to accomplish tasks outside the drill string. Washing down the casing inside walls before conducting some planned activities is an example. The washing down process requires the full flow of the available fluid stream.
In the past, several devices made possible the control of the down hole valves by actions carried out at the surface. Balls, darts, and spears were dropped down the drill string bore. Very often the drill string had to be tripped to make further changes in the down hole assembly to convert back to the usual drilling activity.
In a housing arranged to serve as a length element of the drill string a selector control valve is situated with a controlling element to be moved to the extent of it""s limited travel by entrainment with the moving fluid in the drill string bore. The valve entrained element is the poppet situated to cooperate with an orifice in the flow path. In the preferred embodiment, on alternate downward excursions of the poppet, the poppet is allowed to move down to engage the orifice, and to move a selected distance with the orifice. On other downward excursions, the poppet is stopped well above the orifice, and the flow is not significantly impeded.
The orifice is carried by a piston that actuates a by-pass valve. The closed orifice creates enough differential pressure to move the piston until the piston opens enough by-pass area to accommodate the flow in the drill string bore. In the preferred embodiment, the piston is the movable element of a valve that opens to direct the fluid flow in the drill string bore through openings in the housing wall.
When fluid flow down the drill string bore is reduced below a selected amount, a spring urges the piston to close the by-pass valve. A spring in the selector valve urges the entrained poppet to return to the starting, and open, position. On the return trip, the selector valve actuator carrying the entrained element actuates a walk-around turret, well known in the art, to pre-set the actuator for a limited downward trek on the next onset of fluid flow which does not operate the by-pass valve.
While the by-pass valve is not actuated, fluid flow in the drill string bore proceeds down the flow channel as if no by-pass valve existed. A subsequent cessation of fluid flow presets the actuator walk-around to actuate the by-pass valve on the subsequent onset of fluid flow.
Each start and stop cycle of fluid flow actuates the walk-around to change the fluid flow path that follows the next onset of fluid flow.
The selector valve described above is a preferred embodiment because it exists in proven and reliable form. The by-pass valve will respond to any selector valve capable of occluding the fluid flow through the described orifice. It will respond to an object dropped down the drill string bore to occlude the orifice. Recovery of the object by wire line is an activity used in the past.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this specification, including the attached claims and appended drawings.


A substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of inlet pipes and a plurality of outlet pipes, connected to a processing tank and configured to be switched therebetween to create a flow of a processing liquid in the processing tank in a direction different from that of the processing liquid before the switching. The inlet pipes and the outlet pipes are each provided with a flow control device which is controlled by a control section so that upon the switching, a flow rate of the processing liquid flowing therethrough changes with time.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method which are useful for performing processing using a liquid (processing liquid), such as plating, pre-plating treatment, electrolytic etching, etc. on a surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.
Description of the Related Art
Metal plating, such as copper plating, has recently been employed as a method to fill a metal (interconnect material) into fine interconnect trenches or vias provided in a surface of a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer. Metal plating has come to be commonly used also as a method to form protruding connection electrodes (bumps) of gold, copper, solder or nickel, or of a multi-layer laminate of such metals at predetermined positions (electrodes) on a surface of a semiconductor chip on which interconnects are formed.
When filling a metal (plated film) into fine interconnect trenches or vias, provided in a surface of a substrate, by metal plating, the intensity of a flow of a plating solution, flowing along the surface of the substrate, is of importance. Adsorption of an additive, contained in the plating solution, onto the substrate surface (surface to be plated) is affected by the intensity of a flow of the plating solution flowing along the surface of the substrate. The intensity of the flow of the plating solution therefore affects the effect of the additive, e.g., inhibition or promotion of the growth of a plated film. Further, a non-uniform flow of the plating solution along the surface adversely affects the uniformity of the performance of plating. A technique for allowing a plating solution to flow uniformly parallel to a substrate has been developed to obtain a uniform distribution of the flow of the plating solution along the surface of the substrate (see patent documents 1 and 2).
Because of the consumption of an additive or a metal ion in a plating solution, a difference in the plating performance can be produced between the upstream side and the downstream side of a flow of the plating solution along a substrate surface even when the flow is uniform over the substrate surface. In view of this, a method has been proposed which involves reversing the direction of a flow of a plating solution repeatedly during plating (patent documents 3 to 5).
Thus, it is progressing to improve the equalization of a flow of a plating solution along a substrate surface. It is also important to equalize (flatten) the surface profile of a metal (plated film) embedded in fine interconnect trenches or vias, or bumps formed at predetermined positions on a surface of a semiconductor chip. For example, in the formation of a bump by electroplating as performed by preparing a substrate W, having an opening 14 formed in a resist 12 on a surface of a seed layer 10, as shown in FIG. 1A, and bringing the surface of the substrate W into contact with a plating solution flowing only in one direction, as shown in FIG. 1B, to form a bump (plated film) 16 in the opening 14, the bump (plated film) 16 tends to grow faster on the downstream side of the flow of the plating solution than on the upstream side (this tendency is strongly affected by the properties of the plating solution used and, in certain cases depending on a type of the plating solution, the bump 16 grows rather slower on the downstream side). As shown in FIG. 1C, the surface 16a of the bump (plated film) 16 formed is highly inclined on its one side toward one direction along the flow direction of the plating solution.
When the substrate W shown in FIG. 1A is prepared and the surface of the substrate W is brought into contact with a plating solution, whose flow direction is reversed repeatedly, as shown in FIG. 2A, to form a bump (plated film) 16 in the opening 14, the surface 16b of the bump (plated film) 16 formed, though improved to some extent, has an arched profile, as shown in FIG. 2B. In order to avoid such drawbacks and flatten a surface of a plated film, it is necessary to perform plating of a substrate surface by bringing the substrate surface into contact with a plating solution whose flow direction can be switched among three or more directions.
When plating of a substrate surface is carried out by bringing the substrate surface into contact with a plating solution whose flow direction can be reversed, or switched among three or more directions, and when the reversal (switching) of the flow direction of the plating solution in a plating tank is performed by on-off control of an on-off valve, for example, a slight mistiming in opening/closing of the on-off valve could stop the flow of the plating solution, or conversely, instantaneously increase the flow rate (flow velocity) of the plating solution flowing into the plating tank. This may result in lowering of the plating performance when the plating performance depends on the intensity of the flow of the plating solution. The above phenomenon is virtually unavoidable if on/off control of an on-off valve is employed to reverse (switch) the flow direction of a plating solution in a plating tank.
For example, consider the case where a first plating solution supply system A and a second plating solution supply system B, each having an on-off valve to be on/off-controlled, are used, and plating solutions are supplied in orthogonal directions into a plating tank P alternately from the respective supply systems during plating, as shown in FIG. 3. The on-off valve of the first plating solution supply system A is turned on and the on-off valve of the second plating solution supply system B is turned off when supplying a plating solution into the plating tank P through the first plating solution supply system A. The on-off valve of the second plating solution supply system B is turned on and the on-off valve of the first plating solution supply system A is turned off when supplying a plating solution into the plating tank P through the second plating solution supply system B.
Upon switching from the first plating solution supply system A to the second plating solution supply system B, the operation of closing the on-off valve of the first plating solution supply system A must be performed simultaneously with the operation of opening the on-off valve of the second plating solution supply system B. If the on-off valve of the first plating solution supply system A is closed later, or the on-off valve of the second plating solution supply system B is opened earlier, then the flow rate (flow velocity) of the plating solution, flowing into the plating tank P, increases instantaneously, as shown in FIG. 4A. Conversely, if the on-off valve of the first plating solution supply system A is closed earlier, or the on-off valve of the second plating solution supply system B is opened later, then the flow rate (flow velocity) of the plating solution, flowing into the plating tank P, decreases instantaneously or becomes zero, as shown in FIG. 4B.
The applicant has proposed a plating apparatus and method which uses a plurality of inlet pipes and a plurality of outlet pipes, connected to a plating tank, and can arbitrarily switch the flow direction of a processing liquid in the plating tank by performing switching between the inlet pipes and between the outlet pipes (see patent documents 6 and 7).

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method


A compression garment apparatus for a body part of an human and/or animal having a flexible backing, attaching means, a segmented flex frame, and a shape memory alloy on the segmented flex frame. The shape memory alloy can be connected to two terminals on the frame forming a circuit. A controller can be connected to the terminals applying current to the shape memory alloy at defined intervals providing intermittent, sequenced, or continuous compression therapy.

A need exists for a compression garment configured to treat deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis.
A further need exists for a medical aid for the elderly that uses a shape memory alloy.
A need exists for a compression garment that uses a knitted fabric as the flexible backing to aid as a medical device to reducing swelling.
A need exists for a compression garment that provides compression, such as on feet and ankles to reduce swelling.
A need exists for a compression garment usable for treating lymphedema.
The present embodiments meet these needs.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The direction control device comprises a spanner body having a receiving chamber at a head portion thereof; a lateral side of the receiving chamber formed with a braking groove; the spanner body having a direction control groove communicated to the braking groove; a ratchet wheel being received in the receiving chamber and a brake block being received in the braking groove; the brake block being engaged to the ratchet wheel; a direction control unit received in the direction control groove; the direction control unit including a direction control block, a control sheet, and an elastic ejecting device; one end of the direction control block being formed with a control portion; and an upper end of the brake block capable of engaging with a ratchet wheel; a lower end of the brake block having an inserting hole and the brake block being formed with a notch near the inserting hole.

Ratchet spanners must have efficient direction control devices to control the operation directions of the ratchet wheel efficiently.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,444, a direction control device of a ratchet spanner is disclosed. The direction control device includes a spanner body, a ratchet wheel, a brake block and a direction control unit. A head portion of the spanner body is installed with a receiving chamber. A lateral side of the receiving chamber has a braking groove and a direction control groove. The direction control groove is communicated to the braking groove. The receiving chamber serves to receive the ratchet wheel and the braking groove serves to receiver a brake block which is engaged to the ratchet wheel. The direction control unit includes a direction control block and an elastic ejecting device. The direction control block receives the elastic ejecting device. A T shape stopper is installed on the direction control block for preventing the elastic ejecting device to fall out as switching the resisting position of the brake block.
In this prior art direction control device of a ratchet spanner, the elastic ejecting device is used to change the resisting position of the brake block. The elastic ejecting device is formed mainly by a spring. Therefore, the T shape stopper on the direction control block can confine the elastic ejecting device from falling. However when the resisting direction of the brake block is switched by the direction control block, the spring of the elastic ejecting device will suffer from a greater transversal force. Since the spring cannot absorb the transversal force, it is possible that the spring will deform. Thus, the direction control device of a ratchet spanner will be destroyed. Furthermore, only one end of the T shaper stopper resists against the direction control block. It is possibly that the T shape stopper will fall out and thus it is impossible for preventing the elastic ejecting device from falling out. In summary, the prior art is not practical and thus it is necessary to be improved.

Direction control device of ratchet spanner


A bicycle lock bracket is formed by an elongated metal strap having an aperture in each end and folded in a loop with its opposite ends overlapped and juxtaposed with the apertures aligned. The strap is adapted to encircle a bicycle frame tube or other tube, rod or post, so that a cable lock body is held securely in place between the strap and the frame tube. The juxtaposed ends of the strap are attached together by bolts or other fasteners so that the cable lock body is tightly retained within the bracket when the lock is open. Inserting the cable through the aligned apertures into the lock body secures the strap, lock body and cable to the mounting tube.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to locks and more specifically to locks finding particular but not exclusive utility for bicycles. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an improved cable lock and bracket for securing a cable lock to a bicycle both for storage and to secure the bicycle to a fixed object.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Bicycle locks include two primary types of locks. The first is a solid U-shaped padlock-type lock such as is manufactured by Kryptonite, under the name Kryptonite Locks. The U-shaped portion or shackle is typically made of hardened steel. The lock is carried on the bicycle in a holder or bracket.
A second common type of bicycle lock is a cable lock. The cable is usually composed of twisted strands of steel wire encased in a plastic or rubber cover. The cable is normally coiled for convenience of storage. One end of the cable is permanently fixed to a lock body or casing. The second end of the cable includes a locking pin, or bolt or tip, which may be attached into and removed from the lock body when the locking mechanism is activated or deactivated. The locking mechanism typically includes a key operated lock, although some cable lock devices utilize a combination lock.
Various brackets exist in the bicycle market for both types of locks. These brackets are conventionally attached to the bicycle frame by a bolt. In such devices, securing the lock to the bracket does not secure the lock to the bicycle frame. For this reason, the lock must be removed from the bracket and the shackle or cable threaded through the bicycle frame to secure the lock to the frame and, in turn, to secure the bicycle frame to a permanent object. Furthermore, since the lock body is not retained by the bracket when the lock is disengaged, the bicycle rider normally holds the lock body while threading the cable through the frame and around the permanent object. Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide an improved and convenient apparatus and method for securing bicycles with cable locks.


A safety swing seat mounting structure includes a coupling mechanism mounted between a support frame and a swing seat, enabling the swing seat to be swung on the support frame, the coupling mechanism including a pivot pin mounted on the support frame and a coupling plate mounted on the swing seat and turned with the swing seat about the pivot pin, and a constraint mechanism which limits the swinging angle of the swing seat, the constraint mechanism including a transversely extended oblong constraint hole provided at the coupling plate, and a constraint rod fixedly mounted on the support frame and hooked in the constraint hole.

The present invention relates to a swing, and more specifically to a safety swing seat mounting structure used in a swing to coupling a swing seat to a support frame, enabling the swing seat to be swung on the support frame within a limited angle.
A regular swing, as shown in FIG. 1, is generally comprised of a support frame, a swing seat, and two coupling devices bilaterally coupled between the support frame and the swing seat, enabling the swing seat to be swung on the support frame. This structure of swing is functional, however it is not safe in use. Because this structure of swing has no means to limit the swinging angle of the swing seat, the child may fall from the swing seat when the swing seat is moved from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position. Furthermore, the swing seat of this structure of swing cannot be firmly maintained in position when a child sits on it.


A signal detector discriminates between signals manifesting noise and signals manifesting information, both of which appear at an input. A analog-to-digital converter circuit samples the signals and a Fourier filter determines, for each signal sample, energy content of each of a plurality of frequency cells in the sample. A processor then determines the mean energy content and the average variance of energy content in all frequency cells in the signal sample. The mean energy content and average variance of energy content of the signal sample are then compared, and if the comparison indicates an approximate equality, the sample is declared to be noise. The processor further determines a centroid center frequency for the frequency cells in the sample which indicates, if it is on-center, that the sample is likely to be noise. The processor further determines the bandwidth of the Fourier components of the input signal, to determine if it is indicative of noise. The skew of the sample's Fourier components is also determined and if it is nearly zero (indicating the signal is symmetrical in frequency about the center frequency), a noise signal is indicated. The combined indications are then normalized and subjected to a threshold which indicates whether a signal or noise is present.

Prior art signal detectors exhibit a number of drawbacks. They are slow to act, have high false alarm rates, and miss some signals at relatively high signal-to-noise ratios. Many signal detectors compare the energy of the signal with a threshold. The signal energy is measured, approximately, with an envelope detector, or more directly using the signal itself, but for such a technique to be successful, the threshold level must be known. If the noise level changes, the performance of the detector can be degraded unless the threshold or preamplifier gain is changed to accommodate the changed circumstances. One solution to the noise change affect is to include a noise-riding threshold in the signal detector. This is accomplished by basing the threshold on a noise level that was measured some short time in the past.
Certain signals such as modem signals have a constant energy and will cause a threshold to adjust and the signal to drop below the threshold in a time comparable to the time constant of the change of the threshold. Such signals will be lost after a short time in a noise-riding threshold detector.
FM radio systems employ a detection scheme that captures a signal for detection by a "hard limiter". A hard limiter exhibits a constant power output. If a narrow band signal is received in the bandwidth of a hard limiter, most of the energy of the output will be at the frequency of the narrow band signal. The result is that the energy away from the frequency of the signal is suppressed by the "capture" effect. By providing filters that measure the energy away from the frequencies where signals are expected, suppression of hard limiter noise can be achieved. Hard limiter detectors, however, exhibit limited performance and lack of applicability to digital signals. When the time constant of the detector is short, there tends also, to be too many false alarms.
Other signal detectors employ non-parametric statistical approaches. One approach is to collect a set of samples from an input signal. The next step adjusts the signal amplitudes to have a sample mean of absolute signal values that equals a constant value (e.g., 1.0). The set of numbers that results is tested for a match to a particular distribution. One test is to rank order the samples, (i.e., arrange them in the order of their amplitudes) and then to check the difference between the 10% and 90% values. If this value changes significantly from a value when there is only noise present, a signal has been detected. This approach is difficult to implement as the process of rank-ordering a collection of samples is time consuming. If the signal is only checked at intermittent intervals, the sorting process, while slow, enables a reliable detection scheme. However, if the signal is subject to rapid changes of state, the detection procedure deteriorates rapidly.
A variety of additional signal detection schemes are described in the following prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,568 to Jankowski, entitled "Digital Voice Switch" describes the use of a set of adaptive thresholds to detect a voice signal. A plurality of thresholds are used to enable reliable detection in a short time. U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,065 to Bangetter, entitled "Apparatus and Methods For Electrical Signal Discrimination" analyzes a pattern of threshold crossings of a signal to determine whether the signal is a voice signal or some other signal with a more periodic nature. Noise is excluded by setting the basic detection threshold so that the noise does not cross the threshold. The Bangerter system primarily discriminates voice signals from other signals with the noise discrimination occurring as a result of a threshold setting.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,361 to Selbach et al., entitled "Method of Recognizing Speech Pauses" employs a Fourier transform to form the spectrum of a received signal. The spectrum is used to estimate signal power and noise power. When the signal power is above a noise power threshold, a signal is declared to be present.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,039 to Doddington, entitled "Speech Analysis/Synthesis System with Silence Suppression" estimates the level of peaks and valleys of a signal envelope and declares a signal to be present when a peak is sufficiently larger than a valley. Envelope peaks are determined by a fast rise, slow fall signal detector, and valleys are estimated by employing a slow rise, fast fall signal detector. The system described by Doddington is essentially an adaptive threshold detector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,578 to Roberts, entitled "Speech Detection and Recognition Apparatus For Use With Background Noise of Varying Levels" estimates the noise level of a signal by using an adaption technique during the period before a "start of speech" and after an "end of speech". When the amplitude crosses a level based on the estimate of the noise level, the voice signal is declared to be present.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,359 to Eicher, entitled "Method Of Voice Operated Transmit Control" describes a computer program that performs a number of control operations involved with the operation of a push-to-talk transceiver. A voice signal detection scheme employs a set of four filters. The amplitudes of signals from the filters are compared to detect a received voice signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,568 to Kamiya et al., entitled "Method of Distinguishing Voice From Noise" is a system for detecting voiced sounds in noise. The system employs the power in the signal over an interval and the values of linear predictive filter coefficients to detect the voice signal. Whenever both the power and the sum of the filter coefficients is larger than their respective thresholds, the signal is likely to be a voice signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,484 to Nakano, entitled "Circuit For Determining That an Audio Signal is Either Speech or Non-Speech", detects a voice signal by making use of the fact that the voice signal has gaps. The gain of a detector preceding a detection threshold is adjusted up or down (effectively adjusting the threshold) in dependence on the relative amount of time that the incoming signal amplitude spends above and below a threshold. If the signal spends too much time below the threshold, the gain is increased. If the signal spends too much time above the threshold, the gain is reduced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,488 to Nadas et al, entitled "Normalization of Speech by Adaptive Labeling" employs a vector quantizing scheme, with vectors being modified slowly in an adaptive manner. The incoming signal is detected only by the amount of energy within the signal within a time period.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,341 to Laurent, entitled "Method and Device for the Detection of Local Signals" teaches the use of the ratio of the power in a signal and the power in a high pass filtered version of the signal to detect a voice signal. Voiced signals tend to have the power in the low frequencies and the relative power at high frequencies is small. When the power of the two signals is approximately the same, the signal is assumed to be noise.
The procedures described in the above cited prior art are, in many instances, adaptive and time consuming in their performance. Of those that teach spectrum analysis, the use of the spectrum is employed to measure the energy in the signal. Generally, they also check to see if a particular kind of signal is present in the input.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a signal detector that detects the presence of noise rather than an information signal.
It is another object of this invention to provide a signal detector that is non-adaptive and, as a result, exhibits extreme rapidity in its detection capability.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a signal detector that provides a plurality of independent indicators of the presence of a noise signal, so as to achieve a low false alarm rate.

Signal detector employing mean energy and variance of energy content comparison for noise detection


Multi-fiber ferrules may be produced with tapered bodies and guide pin holes that have fluted internal surfaces with projections for engaging the guide pins, and channels for capturing any foreign material that may accumulate on or around the guide pins, thereby providing improved consistency in fiber connections during mating of the ferrules.

Optical ferrules which are standardized according to JIS C 5981, IEC 61754-5 and the like, are called MT (Mechanically Transferable) ferrules, and are used for connecting optical fibers. MT ferrules generally use at least two guide pins for high-accuracy positioning of each optical fiber in the ferrule. An MT ferrule body may include two guide pin holes on the end surface of the ferrule for receiving the guide pins therein, and may have a plurality of optical fiber holes for receiving the optical fibers. The respective optical fibers may be inserted into the optical fiber insertion holes from a rear end of the MT ferrule, and may be fixed in place with adhesive.
An adapter may be used for face-to face joining of two MT ferrules. MT ferrules generally have a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and likewise, the adapter may be in the shape of a rectangular cylinder for insertion of one ferrule into each end. Two MT ferrules, one with guide pins installed (male connector) and one without guide pins (female connector) are inserted into opposite ends of the adapter whereby the ferrules are aligned together with one another as the male guide pins enter the female guide pin holes. One type of connector that uses MT ferrules is an MPO (multi-fiber push-on) connector
The MT ferrules get pushed together within the adapter to optically connect the ferrules by means of a so-called PC (Physical Contact) connection, wherein the optical fibers in one ferrule contact the optical fibers in the other ferrule and get compressed together to provide an optical connection. Optical transmission performance between the optical fibers is strongly dependent on connecting conditions such as axis alignment and inclination of the optical fibers, and gaps between the opposing optical fibers.
To prevent gaps during connection, it is necessary to remove foreign materials that may be adhered to the connection end face of the MT ferrule. Any foreign materials are commonly wiped off by use of a cleaner. However, connection loss at the PC connection may be increased during wiping off, because some of the foreign materials may be gathered and deposited around base portions of the guide pins. In general, any foreign materials that may be present on the end face or components of the end face may interfere with the connection by causing the faces to be spaced apart from one another, resulting in gaps between the optical fibers.
In addition, in installations wherein the adapter is fixedly mounted in a panel, for example, the angular orientation of the ferrule as it is retrieved, aligned, and inserted may stress the optical fibers, and possibly result in breakage of a fiber or fibers if considerable care is not taken when the ferrule is inserted into the adapter.
Therefore, during the mating of MT ferrules, there remains a need for minimization of issues that may result in poor fiber mating connections, such as contamination on the end faces of the MT/MPO ferrules, and the possibility of fibers breaking when the MPO connector is inserted into an MPO adapter in a rough or incorrect manner.


Disclosed are a process and an apparatus for concentrating an organic acid by using a nitroalkane as an entrainer for the azeotropic removal of water from an aqueous organic acid solution. The nitroalkane may be the same as a nitroalkane that is the product of a high pressure nitration process that produces nitroalkanes and aqueous organic acid.

In a high pressure nitration process, a hydrocarbon, such as propane, and an organic acid, such as acetic acid, propanoic acid, and/or butanoic acid, reacts with aqueous nitric acid to yield products such as nitromethane, 1-nitropropane, and 2-nitropropane. In addition, the process produces a significant amount of water and some organic acids. Many of the organic acids fed to the reactor are not converted in a single pass through the reactor. Thus, in order to recycle the organic acids back to the reactor, much of the water needs to be removed. Because the relative volatility between acetic acid and water is low, conventional distillation is energy-consuming and costly. In addition, propionic and n-butanoic acid form low-boiling azeotropes with water, resulting in unavoidable acid losses in the distillation overhead if conventional distillation is used. Alkyl acetates may be used as entrainers for azeotropically removing water from an aqueous organic acid stream. However, because the recovered organic acid is recycled back to the reactor, the presence of alkyl acetates in the organic acid stream could pose potential problems. A need exists, therefore, for more economical and energy efficient processes and apparatuses for the removal of water from organic acid streams. A need also exists for processes and apparatuses to recover an organic acid stream that can be recycled for use in a high pressure nitration process without additional purification.

Apparatus and process for using a nitroalkane as an entrainer for azeotropic removal of water from aqueous acid solution


An electrolytic capacitor and a ballast choke of a lighting circuit, are disposed on a first face of a circuit board facing a base, and a one-package switch of the lighting circuit is disposed on a second face, facing a fluorescent lamp. The one-package switch comprises field effect transistors contained in a single package and serve as two inverter switches for driving the fluorescent lamp. The one-package switch is a generally rectangular SMD with dimensions of not more than 6 mm respectively in length and width and mounted on the second face of the circuit board by means of terminals of the one-package switch. The one-package switch enhances heat dissipation properties of the circuit, enables the reduction of its dimensions, and increases the mounting efficiency.

A complementary half-bridge type inverter circuit with an N-type field effect transistor and a P-type field effect transistor that are connected in series is widely known to those skilled in the art. The sources of the N-type field effect transistor and the P-type field effect transistor of the inverter circuit are interconnected, while the gates of these transistors, too, are interconnected. The drains of the N-type and P-type field effect transistors are respectively connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of a DC power source.
An example of inverter circuits of this type described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-18850, wherein an N-type field effect transistor and a P-type field effect transistor are contained in a single package with their terminals exposed to the outside. In this state, the N-type field effect transistor and the P-type field effect transistor serve as a switching element. The switching element is mounted on a circuit board in an upright position on the circuit board. The gates of the N-type and P-type field effect transistors are connected to a gate control circuit that is comprised of various components mounted on the circuit board.
As there is a demand for further miniaturization of a self-ballasted fluorescent lamp, it is necessary to reduce the dimensions of its inverter circuit even further. In order to achieve this, the switching element has to be made even more compact.
However, a switching element formed by merely placing both an N-type field effect transistor and a P-type field effect transistor in one package and mounting the package in an upright position on a circuit board as described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-18850 presents problems in that there are limitations in how small the switching element can be made, because the lead terminals of the element require a certain degree of thickness in order to ensure sufficient mounting strength of the element. Furthermore, although Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-18850 mentions using a switching element of a surface mounting type, there is no description of concrete measures to make the switching element compact nor discussion about performance of the switching element should it be used in an inverter circuit for a self-ballasted fluorescent lamp.
In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a self-ballasted fluorescent lamp with improved mounting efficiency, and a luminaire including such a self-ballasted fluorescent lamp.

Self-ballasted fluorescent lamp and luminaire

Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation


A process and related electrode composition are disclosed for the electrocatalytic hydrogenation and/or hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived bio-oil components by the production of hydrogen atoms on a catalyst surface followed by the reaction of the hydrogen atoms with the organic compounds in bio-oil. The catalyst is a metal supported on a monolithic high surface area material such as activated carbon cloth. Electrocatalytic hydrogenation and/or hydrodeoxygenation stabilizes the bio-oil under mild conditions to reduce coke formation and catalyst deactivation. The process converts oxygen-containing functionalities and unsaturated bonds into chemically reduced forms with an increased hydrogen content. The process is operated at mild conditions, which enables it to be a good means for stabilizing bio-oil to a form that can be stored and transported using metal containers and pipes.

Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure generally relates to a process for the electrocatalytic hydrogenation and/or hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived bio-oil by the production of hydrogen atoms on a catalyst surface followed by the reaction of the hydrogen atoms with the organic compounds in bio-oil, wherein the catalyst is a metal supported on a monolithic high surface area material such as activated carbon cloth.
Brief Description of Related Technology
Biomass pyrolysis derived bio-oil is a mixture containing hundreds of organic compounds with chemical functionalities that are corrosive to container materials and are prone to polymerization. After aging during storage or transit, the properties of bio-oil change which renders the mixture incompatible with the existing U.S. energy infrastructure. Stabilization and upgrading of the bio-oil into a more stable (e.g., less reactive) form is required.
Currently, upgrading and stabilization of bio-oil has been investigated using different catalysis methods, including one-step hydrotreatment, two-stage or multistage hydrotreatment, catalytic cracking and homogeneous catalytic upgrading.
One-step hydrotreatment upgrading of bio-oil usually employs standard Ni—Mo or Co—Mo catalysts under a H2 atmosphere. This approach typically needs high temperature (200-400° C.) and high pressure (100-200 bar) to obtain high production rates. Bio-oil is not stable in such a harsh environment, so tar and coke are usually produced. Tar can easily plug the reactor and coke will deactivate the catalyst very quickly. A large amount of hydrogen is required by this process.
Two-stage or multistage upgrading processes include a low temperature hydrogenation step and one or more high temperature hydrodeoxygenation steps. The first step takes place at a temperature range from 125° C. to 250° C. and a pressure larger than 50 bar with precious metal catalysts. The hydrodeoxygenation steps are mainly used to reduce the oxygen content and raise hydrogen content of phenolics, while cracking larger molecules under higher temperature (above 300° C.). Molecular hydrogen is required as a source of reducing equivalents during all steps. As bio-oil polymerization starts to accelerate at 80° C., the condition used for this method still causes substantial coke formation.
In the technology of the catalytic cracking, bio-oils are upgraded at atmospheric pressure and high temperature with acidic catalysts (HZSM-5, Al2O3, Al-MCM-41, etc.). This method has some disadvantages, such as a high coking rate (8-25 wt %) and poor resultant fuel quality.
Homogeneous catalytic upgrading of bio-oil is carried out at mild temperature, around 90° C., but still requires high pressure. Furthermore, molecular hydrogen is also needed as the reducing agent. The catalyst, often an expensive precious metal complex dissolved in the solution, requires further separation from the final products, resulting in high separation costs.

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation of oxygenated and unsaturated organic compounds

BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY


A method of surface treating heat treated members to remove oxide scale. The heat treated members are subjected to a staged series of discrete chemical and physical cleaning steps yielding a substantially scale-free surface readily adaptable for subsequent application of protective coatings.

Gears have long been used in automobiles and other machines to transfer applied torque between components. Gears are often formed as wheels, worm wheels or linear racks incorporating protruding surfaces or teeth configured to engage cooperating surfaces within the assembly. Through this engagement, power is transferred between the components.
Gears are typically formed by casting or forging a desired gross shape from a suitable metal alloy and then cutting teeth by machining operations such as hobbing or shaving. Hardenable ferrous alloys are often used in the production of gears due to their ability to be hardened by heat treating techniques subsequent to initial formation. Heat treating is normally carried out by subjecting the machined part to an elevated temperature under a controlled treatment atmosphere rich in carbon and/or other treatment constituents for a predetermined period of time so as to allow infusion of the treatment constituents to at least a predefined depth. The part then normally undergoes an oil quench to lock in the heat treat characteristics. Such treatments substantially increase the surface hardness of the part.
The heat treating operations used typically leave layers of scale on the surface of the treated part. This scale may be made up of a combination of iron oxide, baked on oil, soot and other impurities. Such scale must be removed prior to the application of any protective coatings to the gear. In the past, it has been found difficult to efficiently clean the scale from gears to suitable levels for subsequent application of protective coatings without risk of damaging the gear surface.


A game is provided wherein a player or team gains points by answering a question worded in such a way that the answer is always a number. In one embodiment, the questions are directed to points of trivia or general or specific knowledge, and the game includes a plurality of question cards, on the reverse side of which are the answers to the questions. The questions are such that players can make an informed or educated guess at the numeric answer. The object of the game is to answer each question by coming closer to the correct numeric answer than the opposing players. In one embodiment, players are given a preselected amount of time, as determined by a timing device, to write down their answers. Once the players have written down their answers, all players may display their numeric answers simultaneously. The player or team that comes closest to the answer given on the card gets more points than the other players or teams. In another embodiment, players or teams that come second closest, third closest etc. to the correct numeric answer also receive points. In a unique scoring system, made possible by the fact that all answers are numeric, the number of points players receive for their answers may depend on two factors: how close the answer is to the correct number and how many players or teams are taking part in the game. In one embodiment of the game, players answer a given number of questions and the winner is the player with the highest score at the end of the game. In another embodiment of the game, players move game pieces across a game board with the first player to reach the end of the board being the winner. Further, the game may be played on alternate game interfaces, such as a computer.

Various games have been proposed to test players'knowledge when played by groups or individuals for entertainment purposes. Such games often include questions on diverse subjects posed to individuals or teams of individuals. In some games, questions are assigned discrete point values related to the difficulty of the question. Other general knowledge games have been developed which include board game elements, wherein the players move game pieces across the surface of a game board to determine the particular questions to be answered. These board-type games are particularly well suited to home or party use by small groups of players.
Games that test the knowledge of players have been known and popular for centuries. More recently, games involving the testing of trivial knowledge have gained enormous popularity.
An example of a board-type trivia game is TRIVIAL PURSUIT ®, which involves answering questions and moving a game piece around a board by rolling a die. Each space a player lands on is associated with a particular category of question. When the player lands on that category, the player answers questions from the category. If the question is answered correctly, the player rolls again and continues to answer questions until failing to provide the correct answer. The first time a player answers a question for a particular category, the player receives a colored wedge to fit into the game piece. The game ends when a player has filled his or her game piece with all of the different colored wedges, has successfully moved his or her game piece to the center of the board, and has successfully answered a final question on a category of the other players'choosing.


A charged particle beam device, comprising a charged particle source configured to emit a charged particle beam; a movable stage comprising an assembly of aperture arrays having at least a first aperture array and a second aperture array, the movable stage is configured to align the assembly of aperture arrays with the charged particle beam, and at least one aperture array comprises a shielding tube coupled to the movable stage.

Charged particle beam devices have many functions in a plurality of industrial fields, including, but not limited to, electron beam inspection (EBI), critical dimension (CD) measurements of semiconductor devices during manufacturing, defect review (DR) of semiconductor devices during manufacturing, exposure systems for lithography, detecting devices and testing systems. Thus, there is a high demand for structuring, testing and inspecting specimens within the micrometer and nanometer scale. Micrometer and nanometer scale process control, inspection or structuring can be done with charged particle beams, e.g. electron beams, which are generated and focused in charged particle beam devices, such as electron microscopes. Charged particle beams offer superior spatial resolution compared to, for example, photon beams due to the short wavelengths.
High throughput electron beam inspection (EBI) systems can utilize multibeam charged particle beam devices, such as electron microscopes, that are able to create, focus and scan multiple primary charged particle beams inside a single column of the charged particle beam device. A sample can be scanned by an array of focused primary charged particle beams, which in turn create multiple signal charged particle beams. The individual signal charged particle beams can be mapped onto detection elements.
It can be beneficial to operate charged particle beam devices in different operation modes. Switching from one operation mode to another operation mode can include extensive hardware changes and/or changes in the secondary imaging or detection optics. Hardware changes increase a downtime of the charged particle beam device. Further, hardware changes can be cumbersome and may only be done by highly skilled personnel. Changing the secondary imaging/detection optics may include time consuming recalibrations.

Charged particle beam device, interchangeable multi-aperture arrangement for a charged particle beam device, and method for operating a charged particle beam device

ICT Integrated Circuit Testing Gesellschaft für Halbleiterprüftechnik mbH


In a breast image capturing apparatus having an arm section for moving a radiation source in a left-right direction in front of a subject, providing a shielding member for preventing radiation from being applied to the face of the subject on an arm section, and supporting the shielding member movably relative to the arm section when the face of the subject is abutted to the shielding member and fixedly relative to the arm section when the face of the subject is not abutted to the shielding member.

Heretofore, it is known that a stereovision can be obtained through the use of parallax by displaying a plurality of images in combination. Such a stereoscopically viewable image (hereinafter, stereoscopic image or stereo image) is generated based on a plurality of images having a parallax obtained by imaging the same subject from different directions.
The generation of such stereoscopic images is performed not only in the fields of digital cameras and televisions but also in the field of radiation image capturing. That is, it is practiced that a plurality of radiation images having a parallax is obtained by applying radiation to a subject from different directions and detecting radiation transmitted through the subject with respect to each direction using a radiation image detector, and a stereoscopic image is generated based on these radiation images. The generation of the stereoscopic image in the manner described above allows a radiation image having a sense of depth to be observed, that is, it is possible to observe a radiation image more suitable for diagnosis. As one of radiation image capturing apparatuses that generates such stereoscopic images, a mammography apparatus is proposed.


Embodiments of substrate supports are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support for use in a substrate processing chamber includes a ceramic plate having a first side configured to support a substrate and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the ceramic plate includes an electrode embedded in the ceramic plate; a ceramic ring disposed about the ceramic plate and having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the ceramic ring includes a chucking electrode and a heating element embedded in the ceramic ring; and a cooling plate coupled to the second side of the ceramic plate and the second side of the ceramic ring, wherein the cooling plate includes a radially inner portion, a radially outer portion, and a thermal break disposed therebetween.

Radio frequency (RF) power is often used in etching processes, for example, requiring very high aspect ratio holes to make contacts or deep trenches for laying infrastructure for electrical pathways. RF power can be used for plasma generation and/or for creating bias voltage on a substrate being processed to attract ions from bulk plasma. An electrostatic chuck is used to electrostatically hold a substrate to control substrate temperature during processing. The electrostatic chuck typically includes an electrode embedded in a dielectric plate and a cooling plate disposed below the dielectric plate. A process kit can include an edge ring that is often disposed above the cooling plate and about the dielectric plate to guide a substrate.
However, when a substrate is placed in a processing chamber after a long idle time, a temperature of the edge ring goes up as substrates are processed with two different RF powers. A temperature differential between the edge ring and the dielectric plate may cause a non-uniform chemical reaction between the edge ring and process gases as compared to the dielectric plate and process gases, causing process drift.
An RF power source for creating bias is applied to the cooling plate. The inventors have observed that as a height of the edge ring comes down due to ion bombardment during substrate processing, equipotential lines in a sheath created by the bias RF power source become tilted proximate the edge ring, causing process drift.
Accordingly, the inventors have provided embodiments of improved process kits.

Sheath and temperature control of a process kit in a substrate processing chamber


A liquid crystalline resin which comprises at least one kind of liquid crystalline polymer selected from liquid crystalline polyester and liquid crystalline polyester amide, both forming an anisotropic molten phase, and an inorganic phosphorus compound, said liquid crystalline resin having an absorbance of 0.5 or less at 380 nm when measured over an optical path length of 10 mm in a 0.5 wt % solution in a 1:1 mixed solvent of pentafluorophenol and chloroform (by weight). It is useful as engineering plastics because of improved color, heat resistance, and hydrolytic resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved liquid crystalline resin, and more particularly, to a liquid crystalline resin and a molded product thereof improved in color, hydrolytic resistance, and heat resistance, with reduced evolution of acetic acid during residence in the molding machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plastics having new functions have recently been developed one after another to meet demands for sophisticated technologies. One of them is an optically anisotropic liquid crystalline polymer characterized by molecular chains arranged parallel to one another. It is attracting attention because of its good flowability and mechanical properties. In addition, it finds increasing use for small molded products in the electric and electronic industries and the field of office machines and equipment on account of its high rigidity.
Known examples of liquid crystalline polymers are given below.
a copolymer of p-hydroxybenzoic acid and polyethylene terephthalate. (Japanese Patent Publication No. 18016/1981) PA1 a copolymer of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, polyethylene terephthalate, aromatic diol (such as 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl), and aromatic dicarboxylic acid, with improved flowability and heat resistance. (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 30523/1988) PA1 a copolymer of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl, t-butylhydroquinone, and terephthalic acid. (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 164719/1987) PA1 a copolymer of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl, isophthalic acid, and terephthalic acid. (Japanese Patent Publication No. 24407/1982 and Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 25046/1985) PA1 a copolymer of p-hydroxybenzoic acid and 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid. (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 77691/1979) PA1 incorporation with a heat stabilizer (such as organophosphorus compound and hindered phenol) at the time of polymerization, for improvement in long-term heat resistance. (Japanese Patent Publication No. 51524/1990). PA1 incorporation of phosphorous acid or phosphinic acid or a metal salt thereof into liquid crystalline polyester and/or liquid crystalline polyester amide. (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 53605/1996) PA1 incorporation with an organophosphorus compound while the reaction product is still in molten state. (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 32880/1994) PA1 incorporation of an organophosphorus compound into a resin composed of non-liquid crystalline polyester and liquid crystalline polyester. PA1 the heat stabilizer disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 51524/1990 is not totally effective against thermal degradation (leading to discoloration) during residence in the molding machine. PA1 the liquid crystalline polymer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 30523/1988 is subject to slight discoloration due to residues of acetylating agent added in excess (1.1 times in mol for the terminal hydroxyl group) at the time of polymerization. PA1 the procedure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 53605/1996 is not applicable to products which need a good color because an acetylating agent is added in excess at the time of polymerization as in the case just mentioned above. PA1 the procedure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 32880/1994 is not effective against discoloration because of incorporation with an organophosphorus compound as well as an acetylating agent in excess amount. PA1 the procedure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 17974/1995 is not effective against discoloration because of incorporation with an organophosphorus compound. PA1 aromatic dicarboxylic acids, such as 3,3'-diphenyldicarboxylic acid and 2,2'-diphenyldicarboxylic acid. PA1 aliphatic dicarboxylic acid, such as adipic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, and dodecanedionic acid. PA1 alicyclic dicarboxylic acid, such as hexahydroterephthalic acid. PA1 aromatic diols, such as chlorohydroquinone, methylhydroquinone, 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylsulfone, 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylsulfide, and 4,4'-dihydroxybenzophenone. PA1 aliphatic and alicyclic diols, such as 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, 1,4-cyclohexanediol, and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol. PA1 aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acids, such as m-hydroxybenzoic acid and 2,6-hydroxynaphthoic acid. PA1 p-aminophenol and p-aminobenzoic acid, and derivatives thereof. PA1 electrical and electronic parts for gear, casing, sensor, LEP lamp, connector, socket, resistor, relay case, switch, coil bobbin, capacitor, variable capacitor case, optical pick-up, oscillator, terminal board, transformer, plug, printed wiring board, tuner, speaker, microphone, headphone, small motor, magnetic head base, power module, housing, semiconductor, liquid crystal, FDD carriage, FDD chassis, motor brush holder, parabolic antenna, computers, etc. PA1 parts for VTR, television set, iron, hair dryer, rice cooker, microwave oven, audio laser disc, compact disc, lighting apparatus, refrigerator, air conditioner, typewriter, word processor, home electric appliance, office machine, office computer, telephone set, facsimile, etc. PA1 mechanical parts for washing jig, oilless bearing, stern shaft bearing, underwater shaft, motor, lighter, typewriter, etc. PA1 precision parts for microscope, binocular, camera, watch, etc. PA1 automotive parts for alternator terminal, alternator connector, IC regulator, potentiometer base (for light dimmer), exhaust gas valve and other valves, fuel pipe, exhaust pipe, intake pipe, air intake manifold, fuel pump, engine coolant joint, carburetor main body, carburetor spacer, exhaust gas sensor, coolant sensor, oil temperature sensor, brake pad wear sensor, throttle position sensor, crankshaft position sensor, air flow meter, air conditioner thermostat base, heating warm air flow control valve, radiator motor brush holder, water pump impeller, turbine vane, wiper motor, distributor, starter switch, starter relay, transmission wire harness, window washer nozzle, air conditioner panel switch board, fuel solenoid valve coil, fuse connector, horn terminal, electric insulating board, step motor rotor, lamp socket, lamp reflector, lamp housing, brake piston, solenoid bobbin, engine oil filter, ignition system case, etc.
The above-mentioned liquid crystalline polymers, however, are liable to discoloration during polymerization and molding and also to thermal degradation that aggravates mechanical properties because of their relatively high melting point compared with ordinary polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate. Several countermeasures have been devised as follows.
The above-mentioned prior art technologies have been found unsatisfactory as follows.

Liquid crystalline resin and molded product thereof


Implantable medical devices for treating bodily disorders local and distally to a region of implantation are disclosed. The devices include a body structure including an active agent, erodable particles acting as a carrier of the active agent, and an erodable binder. The binder releasably binds the particles together such that after implantation the binder erodes to release the particles.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to implantable medical devices for treating bodily disorders local and distal to a region of implantation.
2. Description of the State of the Art
This invention relates generally to implantable medical devices for treating bodily disorders. A typical treatment regimen with an implantable medical device involves implantation of a device at a selected treatment location. During treatment it may be necessary for the device to support body tissue. Therefore, the structure of a device may include load bearing structural elements or substrate to hold the device in place and to resist forces imposed by surrounding tissue.
The treatment of a bodily disorder may also involve local delivery of a bioactive agent or drug to treat a bodily disorder. The agent may be incorporated into the device in a variety of ways and delivered directly to an afflicted region at or adjacent to a region of implantation.
Additionally, in many treatment situations, the presence of the device is required only for a limited period of time. Therefore, a device may be composed in whole or in part of materials that degrade, erode, or disintegrate through exposure to conditions within the body until the treatment regimen is completed.
An example of such devices includes radially expandable endoprostheses, which are adapted to be implanted in a bodily lumen. An "endoprosthesis" corresponds to an artificial device that is placed inside the body. A "lumen" refers to a cavity of a tubular organ such as a blood vessel.
A stent is an example of such an endoprosthesis. Stents are generally cylindrically shaped devices, which function to hold open and sometimes expand a segment of a blood vessel or other anatomical lumen such as urinary tracts and bile ducts. Stents are often used in the treatment of atherosclerotic stenosis in blood vessels. "Stenosis" refers to a narrowing or constriction of the diameter of a bodily passage or orifice. In such treatments, stents reinforce body vessels and prevent restenosis following angioplasty in the vascular system. "Restenosis" refers to the reoccurrence of stenosis in a blood vessel or heart valve after it has been treated (as by balloon angioplasty, stenting, or valvuloplasty) with apparent success.
The treatment of a diseased site or lesion with a stent involves both delivery and deployment of the stent. "Delivery" refers to introducing and transporting the stent through a bodily lumen to a region, such as a lesion, in a vessel that requires treatment. "Deployment" corresponds to the expanding of the stent within the lumen at the treatment region. Delivery and deployment of a stent are accomplished by positioning the stent about one end of a catheter, inserting the end of the catheter through the skin into a bodily lumen, advancing the catheter in the bodily lumen to a desired treatment location, expanding the stent at the treatment location, and removing the catheter from the lumen.
In the case of a balloon expandable stent, the stent is mounted about a balloon disposed on the catheter. Mounting the stent typically involves compressing or crimping the stent onto the balloon. The stent is then expanded by inflating the balloon. The balloon may then be deflated and the catheter withdrawn. In the case of a self-expanding stent, the stent may be secured to the catheter via a retractable sheath or a sock. When the stent is in a desired bodily location, the sheath may be withdrawn which allows the stent to self-expand.
The stent must be capable of withstanding the structural loads, namely radial compressive forces, imposed on the stent as it supports the walls of a vessel. Therefore, a stent must possess adequate radial strength, which is the ability of a stent to resist radial compressive forces. Once expanded, the stent must adequately maintain its size and shape throughout its service life despite the various forces that may come to bear on it, including the cyclic loading induced by the beating heart. In addition, the stent must possess sufficient flexibility to allow for crimping, expansion, and cyclic loading.
The structure of a stent is typically composed of scaffolding or substrate that includes a pattern or network of interconnecting structural elements often referred to in the art as struts or bar arms. The scaffolding can be formed from wires, tubes, or sheets of material rolled into a cylindrical shape. The scaffolding is designed so that the stent can be radially compressed (to allow crimping) and radially expanded (to allow deployment).
Additionally, a medicated stent may be fabricated by coating the surface of either a metallic or polymeric scaffolding with a polymeric carrier that includes an active or bioactive agent or drug. Polymeric scaffolding may also serve as a carrier of an active agent or drug.
In many treatment applications, the presence of a stent in a body may be necessary for a limited period of time until its intended function of, for example, maintaining vascular patency and/or drug delivery is accomplished. Therefore, stents fabricated from biodegradable, bioabsorbable, and/or bioerodable materials such as bioabsorbable polymers can be configured to completely erode after the clinical need for them has ended.
In some treatment situations, local treatment of bodily tissue disorders with an implantable medical device may be difficult or impossible. This inability may be due to the fact that tissue disorders may be diffuse and in multiple locations. Local treatment in such situations may require a multiplicity of devices. For example, vascular disorders can include lesions in multiple locations, such as diffuse lesions along vessels, multi-vessel lesions, and bifurcated vessel lesions. In addition, local treatment may be impossible because an afflicted region of tissue may be inaccessible to implantation of a device. For example, a diseased vessel may be too small for implantation of a stent.
Thus, it would be desirable to have an implantable medical device that can be used to treat tissue disorders both local and distal to the location of implantation. Additionally, it may also be desirable for such devices to be capable of disintegrating once a treatment regimen is completed.

Controlled disintegrating implantable medical devices


A rearview mirror for motor vehicle comprises an optical system and a reflect mirror which are properly intalled in the vehicle. The scene behind the vehicle can be imaged by the optical system and projected to the reflect mirror so that driver can see the back scene and the relative position between the vehicle and other objects behind. The optical system comprises convex lenses, or concave lenses and prisms.

The present invention relates to a rearview mirror for a motor vehicle, especially a car or bus.
Generally, a driver observes the back scene by means of two reflect mirrors on the left and right sides of the vehicle and one inside the vehicle. Therefore, the scene right behind the vehicle can not be seen, and the relative position between the vehicle and the objects behind it can not be seen accurately. Also, it is rather complicated for the driver to observe three mirrors. Now, a rearview mirror using monitor system is known, but it is very complex and costly.
The purpose of this invention is to provide a new rearview mirror of pure optical system, which is properly fixed in a car or bus, for example, near its rear window, so that the driver can see the back scene right behind the vehicle and the relative positions between the vehicle and other objects behind.

Rearview mirror for motor vehicle, especially car or bus

Room 2-401, Building 22, Jiefang 14, Tianjinlu


A system and method for generating vehicle drive cycles. Information describing a path of travel and a vehicle are received from a user. A detailed representation of the path of travel is obtained. Road condition information for segments of the path of travel is obtained, and the path of travel is verified as being traversable by the described vehicle. This information is used to generate a drive cycle profile, which contains at least the simulated path traversed by the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle along segments of the path, and any ambient conditions taken into account when predicting the speed of the vehicle.

A drive cycle profile is a collection of information describing the operation of a vehicle over a period of time or distance. For example, a drive cycle profile may include a vehicle's speed, time, and location over the course of a typical trip, over a particular time period, over a distance traveled, or over a lifetime of the vehicle. This information about typical vehicle use can then be consumed by vehicle simulation models, advanced driver assistance systems, and the like.
In some existing solutions, drive cycle profiles are collected by installing a data logging device in a vehicle to record the drive cycle profile information. This solution is limited in that new drive cycle profiles cannot be generated quickly, but instead must be collected in real time, and can only be collected for routes that were actually traveled while the data logging device was installed. In another existing solution, when drive cycle profiles are needed for simulation models, an existing database of drive cycle profiles previously created from data logging activities is consulted. However, this solution is also limited to drive cycle profiles previously collected from routes actually traveled.
What is needed is a system that is not constrained to using data that has been collected from actual vehicle operation.

System and method for generating vehicle drive cycle profiles


An absorbent composition of matter acts as a carrier for an active ingredient. The active ingredient is gradually released by the carrier in a controlled manner, which is compatible with the environment and current tendencies towards the use of organic and biodegradable products. The carrier is characterized as being particles obtained from the milling, separation, air wash and classification of the different fractions obtained from corncobs. The active ingredient is, for example, an essential oil, such as garlic oil or extract that may be combined with other essential oils for a synergistic effect that results in an improved insecticide/fungicide that is natural and contains no chemical additives. Alternatively, an artificially obtained substitute, for example, allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), can be used as a substitute for mustard seed oil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an absorbent composition of matter used to gradually release an active ingredient, such as a natural pesticide made from essential oils, for inhibiting the growth of bacteria, fungi and eradicating insect pests.
2. Description of the Related Art
Commercially available insecticides, including those available for home use, commonly comprise active ingredients or "poisons" which are not only toxic to the target insect pests, but, if used in relatively confined environments and delivered as aerosol sprays, can be present in sufficient concentration to also be toxic to humans and household pets. Various undesirable side effects may include immediate or delayed neurotoxic reactions, and/or suffocation. Even the noxious odor of such materials can cause headaches or upset stomachs in some individuals. These adverse side effects are exacerbated when such compositions come in contact with persons of increased sensitivity, or persons of small body mass such as children or babies.
For some time, efforts have been made to develop insecticidal compositions, particularly those intended for residential use in aerosol form, which are effective in killing the targeted insect pests completely and quickly, but non-toxic to humans and pets. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the use of potentially toxic ingredients in pesticidal compositions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. Certain materials considered to be either active or inert materials by the EPA have been deregulated or otherwise identified as acceptable "safe" substances offering minimum risk in normal use. Other materials are currently undergoing investigation and may be deregulated in due course. Deregulated substances are generally considered non-poisonous by the consumer. Thus, the term "non-poisonous" as used herein is intended to convey a composition that, while highly effective in killing targeted insect pests, is safe to use around humans, particularly small children, and pets.
Unfortunately, non-poisonous insecticidal compositions available heretofore incorporating deregulated materials as the active ingredient have had limited efficacy. Attempts to use deregulated essential oils as the active ingredient in such insecticides, while having limited success, have generally been found to be either cost prohibitive, inadequately lethal to control a range of targeted insect pest species, or too slow-acting to enable the user to confirm that the insect has been killed and to dispose of the dead insect so as to avoid polluting the environment.
Many commercial products contain components which exercise a beneficial effect for only a limited time after introduction into their intended environment, being rapidly consumed, metabolized, vaporized or otherwise lost. To have continued effectiveness, such products must be reapplied at intervals, providing an undesirable and perhaps harmful excess at the times of reapplication and barely adequate levels at later times.
Microencapsulation techniques address the problem of controlled release by enclosing the transient component within hollow shells of differing size and wall thickness, which dissolve or otherwise rupture at different intervals to provide a more or less steady supply.
The temporary shells of microencapsulation can be replaced by more permanent semipermeable shells which allow escape through the shell wall without shell destruction, or the entire microcapsule replaced by a homogeneous semipermeable vehicle containing the active ingredient as a pure impregnant, solute or precipitate. In this latter process, the host vehicle serves not to enclose the active ingredient within a wall, but as a carrier from which it can only slowly escape by solution, diffusion, evaporation or some other rate-limited process. The utility of a particular host material as such a carrier depends on such properties as liquid content, pore size, compatibility with various environments, surface energy and wettability, susceptibility to post-impregnation modifications in properties, and ease of manufacture in suitable physical forms. The commercial exploitation of slow release carrier vehicles requires the availability of inert, microporous materials which are readily impregnable with a wide variety of substances, have controllable porosity, and possess acceptable physical properties.
Garlic (Allium sativum Linn.) and/or its extract have been reported to have antibacterial and/or antifungal properties. It is known that Allicin isolated from the cloves of garlic had antibacterial properties against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Further, aqueous extracts of garlic have been reported to inhibit the growth of a variety of yeast-like fungi in the genera Candida, Cryptococcus, Rhudotoruto, Torulopsis and Trichosporon. It has also been previously reported that garlic extract and chips inhibit the growth of fungi such as Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Because of its antifungal and antibacterial properties, garlic or its extract have been used as pesticides to control plant diseases such as mildew. It has also been used as an insecticide to control plant insects such as army worms, aphids and Colorado beetles. Most recently, garlic extract and water has been used to repel mosquitoes.
Therefore, there is a need in art for a safe, cost effective and highly efficient absorbent composition of matter that provides for a controlled time release of an aromatic substance, such as an essential oil or a combination of essential oils. One use of essential oils is to repel plagues of insects in the home as well as other agricultural crop damaging inserts.

Absorbent composition of matter for controlled release of essential oils