There is provided an inkjet head including a nozzle plate in which a plurality of nozzles from which ink is ejected are formed. The nozzle plate has a nozzle surface on which nozzle orifices corresponding to the plurality of nozzles are formed. The nozzle surface has surface roughness Rz in a range from 0.3 to 5 μm formed by a roughening process. The ink has surface tension in a range from 28 to 35 mN/m.

1. Technical Field
Aspects of the present invention relate to an inkjet recording device and an inkjet head which ejects ink onto a recording medium.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, an inkjet printer includes an inkjet head having more than one nozzles from which ink is ejected. In the inkjet head, a meniscus is formed at each tip portion (an ejection orifice) of each nozzle formed on a nozzle surface of a nozzle plate, and then a drop of ink is ejected from each ejection orifice by ink pressure supplied to each nozzle. In order to keep ink ejection performance at a constant level and to thereby keep an appropriate printing quality, the ink pressure is kept at a constant level.
There is a case where ink flowing over an ejection orifice of each nozzle adheres to the nozzle plate or ink bounced off a recording medium adheres to the nozzle plate. If one of such phenomena occurs, ink may accumulate on the nozzle plate and ink pools may appear on the nozzle surface.
If an ink pool caused as above hinders formation of a proper meniscus or an ink pool interferes with the ejection orifice, a steady ink ejection motion can not be kept. That is, there is a possibility that a nozzle becomes unable to eject ink or an ejection direction of ink becomes inappropriate.
As described above, the ink pools cause deterioration of imaging quality. In order to prevent generation of ink pools, one of conventional inkjet printers uses a nozzle plate to which a water repellent agent is applied.
In Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 6-344562 (hereafter, referred to as JP HEI6-344562A), a manufacturing process for giving water repellency to a surface of a nozzle plate is disclosed. According to JP HEI6-344562A, a nozzle plate, made of a resin having transparency more than or equal to 10% to an excimer laser having a oscillation wavelength more than or equal to 193 nm, is employed, and a rough surface area in the vicinity of each nozzle on a surface of the nozzle plate is irradiated with the excimer laser in such a manner that the excimer laser does not interfere with a neighboring rough surface area. Consequently, improvement of ejection stability, attainment of wettability, separation of nozzle surfaces can be attained.
An another example of a manufacturing process for giving water repellency to a surface of a nozzle plate is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2000-326514 (hereafter, referred to as JP 2000-326514A). According to JP 2000-326514A, a water repellent film having a thickness smaller than or equal to 0.5 μm is formed on a nozzle plate by subjecting a surface, provided with surface roughness (Ra) of 0.01 to 0.1 by surface roughening, to a process of plasma polymerization (CVD) using a fluorine compound or a silane compound.
In order to keep steady ink ejection performance, one of conventional inkjet printers is configured to periodically perform a wiping operation for wiping remaining ink off a nozzle surface.
As described above, the ink ejection performance can be kept using the above mentioned techniques of conventional inkjet printers. However, the conventional inkjet printer has a drawback that a water repellent layer of a nozzle plate is worn away by the periodically performed wiping operation and therefore the water repellent property deteriorates.
Meanwhile, use of ink having a relatively low surface tension is expected to show better performance of preventing generation of ink pools. However, use of ink having a relatively low surface tension deteriorates wettability and thereby it becomes difficult to uniformly wet the peripheral part of an ejection orifice of each nozzle. In this case, the formation of a proper meniscus and the steady ink ejection performance can not be attained.


The present invention provides a composition for forming a top anti-reflection coating having such a low refractive index that it can be suitably used in pattern formation with an ArF excimer laser beam, and further the invention also provides a pattern formation method employing that composition. The top anti-reflection coating composition comprises a particular naphthalene compound, a polymer, and a solvent. The composition is used for forming a top anti-reflection coating provided on a photoresist layer. From the photoresist layer, a pattern can be formed by use of light in 160 to 260 nm.

Photolithographic processes have hitherto been used for manufacturing FPDs such as liquid crystal displays, semiconductor devices, CCDs, color filters and the like. For example, the photolithographic process for producing an integrated circuit device comprises: spreading a positive- or negative-working resist composition on a substrate; removing the solvent of the composition by baking; exposing the resist to radiation such as ultraviolet rays, far ultraviolet rays, electron beams or X-rays; and developing the exposed resist to form a resist pattern.
In many cases, the substrate used in the process has a high reflectance. Accordingly, in the exposure step, light having passed through the resist layer is often reflected by the substrate and then reenters the resist layer again, so that the light is applied to the resist layer even in areas not expected to be exposed. As a result, there is a problem that the aimed pattern cannot be obtained or that the obtained pattern may have defects. Further, reflection of the light at the interface between the substrate and the resist layer often causes a standing-wave effect to corrugate the resist layer, and consequently serious troubles may occur in controlling the line width of the resist pattern. These phenomena are remarkable particularly when light of a shorter wavelength is used in the exposure step to form a finer pattern.
For the purpose of coping with those problems, various methods have been studied and developed. For example, there have been proposed a method in which a dye having absorption in the wavelength range of light for exposure is dispersed in the resist, a method in which a bottom anti-reflection coating (BARC) or a top anti-reflection coating (TARC) is provided, a top surface imaging (TSI) method, and a multilayer resist (MLR) method. Among them, the method employing a bottom anti-reflection coating is most popularly adopted at present. As the bottom anti-reflection coating, there are known inorganic anti-reflection coatings and organic ones. The inorganic coatings can be formed by known methods in which inorganic or metal material is deposited according to, for example, CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process, normal vapor deposition process or sputtering process. The organic coatings can be also formed by known methods in which the substrate is coated, for example, with an organic polymer solution dissolving or dispersing a dye or with a solution or dispersion of a polymer dye containing chromophores chemically combined with a polymer skeleton.
Meanwhile, it is known that a top anti-reflection coating can be formed by applying a composition containing a fluorine compound, such as perfluorooctanic acid or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, onto the top surface of the resist layer. The top anti-reflection coating reduces interference of light caused by thickness variation of the resist layer, so as to form a pattern in the aimed shape. It is, therefore, required for the top anti-reflection coating to have both a low refractive index and a high transmittance.
It is known that multiple interference changes the pattern dimension to the smallest degree when the refractive index of the top anti-reflection coating (nt) and that of the resist layer (nr) satisfy the condition of: nt=√nr. On the other hand, when the resist layer is treated with an ArF excimer laser, the refractive index of the resist layer is normally approx. 1.70 at 193 nm, which is the wavelength of ArF excimer laser beams. Accordingly, in that case, the optimal refractive index of the top anti-reflection coating is approx. 1.30.
In spite of that, it is difficult to form a top anti-reflection coating having such a low refractive index. In many practical cases, a top anti-reflection coating having a relatively low refractive index is formed from highly fluorinated polymer materials. However, even though the top anti-reflection coating is formed from those materials, its refractive index is nevertheless not less than approx. 1.4. Further, the highly fluorinated polymer materials are generally expensive, and hence it has been desired to replace them with a new composition for forming a top anti-reflection coating.
In the meantime, it is studied to make the anti-reflection coating have absorption at a particular wavelength so as to obtain preferred effects by use of anomalous dispersion (see, Patent document 1). The term "anomalous dispersion" means a phenomenon in which the refractive index changes drastically at the wavelength where the coating absorbs light. However, Patent document 1 is silent about what compound should be used for the coating exposed to light of a short wavelength such as an ArF excimer laser beam. Further, the present inventors' study has revealed that, in order to obtain the preferred refractive index, it is not enough if the absorption wavelength merely corresponds to the exposure wavelength.    [Patent document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,295

Composition for formation of antireflection film and pattern formation method using the same


The present invention provides a method and apparatus for providing program clock reference (PCR) data to various devices in a digital transmission system in a robust manner. According to the present invention, PCR data representative of a snapshot of the system clock is encoded only an existing frequency reference signal. The frequency reference signal is a signal to which all clock dependent components lock to ensure that the proper frequency lock is used. By encoding the frequency reference with PCR data, effectively using the frequency reference as a PCR carrier wave, the PCR is efficiently and robustly delivered to the various devices requiring this PCR data.

Various standards have emerged for the transport of digital data, such as, for example, digital television data. One example of such a standard is the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standard, referred to as MPEG-2. The MPEG-2 standard is widely known and recognized as the video and audio compression specification sanctioned by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in Document ISO 13818. MPEG-2 is composed of four parts: video; audio; systems; and compliance. The MPEG-2 standard provides a syntax and set of rules for the construction of bit streams containing a multiplexed combination of one or more programs. A program is composed of one or more related elementary streams. An elementary stream is the coded representation of a single video, audio or other data stream that shares the common time base of the program for which it is a member. For example, in the context of a subscription television system, a program may comprise a network television broadcast consisting of two elementary streams: a video stream and an audio stream.
In addition to video and audio compression features, the MPEG-2 specification also contains a systems layer that provides a transmission medium independent coding technique to build bitstreams containing one or more MPEG programs. The MPEG coding technique uses formal grammar (i.e., "syntax") and a set of semantic rules for the construction of bitstreams to be transmitted. The syntax and semantic rules include provisions for multiplexing, clock recovery, synchronization and error resiliency.
The MPEG-2 transport stream is specifically designed for transmission in conditions that can generate data errors. MPEG transport packets each have a fixed length of 188 bytes. Many programs, each with different components, may be combined in a transport stream. Examples of services that may be provided using MPEG format are television services broadcast over terrestrial, cable television and satellite networks, as well as interactive telephony-based services. The syntax and semantics of the MPEG-2 transport stream are defined in the International Organisation for Standardisation, ISO/IEC 13818-1, International Standard, Nov. 13, 1994, entitled "Generic Coding of Moving Pictures and Associated Audio: Systems", recommendation H.222.0, and ISO/IEC 13818-2, International Standard, 1995, entitled, "Generic Coding of Moving Pictures and Associated Audio: Video", recommendation H262, both incorporated herein by reference, in their entireties.
Multiplexing according to the MPEG-2 standard is accomplished by packaging raw elementary data streams such as coded video and audio into packetized elementary stream (PES) packets which are then inserted into transport packets. As noted above, each MPEG-2 transport packet has a fixed length of 188 bytes. The first byte is a synchronization byte having a unique eight-bit pattern. The synchronization byte is used to locate the beginning of each transport packet.
Following the synchronization byte, there is a three byte prefix that includes a one bit transport packet error indicator, a one bit payload unit start indicator, a one bit transport priority indicator, a 13 bit packet identifier (PID), a two bit transport scrambling control, a two bit adaptation field control, and a four bit continuity counter. Use of the synchronization byte and the three byte prefix leaves up to 184 bytes of payload which carry the data to be communicated. An optional adaptation field may follow the prefix for carrying both MPEG related and private information relevant to a given transport stream or the elementary stream carried within a given transport packet. Provisions for clock recovery, such as, for example, a program clock reference (PCR) and splicing control are typical of the information carried in the adaptation field. By placing such information in the adaptation field, it becomes encapsulated with its associated data to facilitate remultiplexing and network routing operations. When an adaptation field is used, the payload is correspondingly shorter.
The PCR is a count which reflects the value of the system time clock for the associated program at the time the PCR bytes were inserted into the transport stream. The decoder uses the PCR to synchronize a decoder time clock with the encoder system clock. The lower nine bits of the 42-bit PCR provide a modulo-300 counter that is incremented at the system clock rate. Since each program or service carried by the data stream may have its own PCR, the programs and services may be multiplexed asynchronously.
As defined in the MPEG-2 systems standard, an elementary stream, whether video, audio or some other type of data, contains a continuous stream of access units. An access unit is the coded representation of a presentation unit. For video elementary streams, the presentation unit is a picture, and an access unit for that picture includes all the coded, e.g., compressed, data for that picture. The presentation unit for audio elementary streams is defined as the set of digital audio samples in a single audio frame. An access unit for a given audio frame will include all the coded, e.g., compressed, data for that audio frame.
Each elementary stream, as further defined by the MPEG-2 standard, is packetized to form a packetized elementary stream (PES). Each PES packet in a given stream includes a PES packet header followed by a payload containing one or more access units of that elementary stream. The PES structure provides a means for packaging subparts, i.e., one or more access units, of a longer elementary stream into consecutive packets along with associated indicators and overhead information used to synchronize the presentation of that elementary stream with other related elementary streams, e.g., elementary streams of the same program. Each PES is assigned a unique packet identifier (PID).
Additionally, one or more PES may be further segmented or packetized to facilitate combining those streams into a single bitstream for transmission over a given medium. MPEG-2 specifies two different protocols for combining one or more PESs into a single bitstream: (1) the program stream (PS) protocol; and (2) the transport stream protocol. Both stream protocols are packet based and fall into the category of transport layer entities, as defined by the ISO Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model. Program streams utilize variable length packets and are intended for error-free environments in which software parsing is desired. Program stream packets are generally large, e.g., in the range of 1K to 2K bytes. Transport streams utilize fixed length packets and are intended for transmission in noisy or "errored" environments. Each transport stream packet comprises a header portion and a payload portion. As described above, transport stream packets have a relatively short length of 188 bytes and include features for enhanced error resiliency and packet loss detection.
The MPEG-2 transport stream specification provides a standard format for combining one or more PESs into a single transport stream that may then be transmitted over a given medium. FIG. 1 graphically illustrates the generation of an MPEG-2 transport stream from a plurality of PESs. Generation of an MPEG-2 transport stream begins by segmenting each PES and inserting successive segments into the payload sections of successive transport stream packets. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, one of the PES packets 10 of the PES containing the coded video of elementary stream "Video 1", is segmented and inserted into the payload sections of two consecutive transport packets 12, 14. Every transport packet has a header, for example, header 16 of transport packet 12, and the header of each transport packet contains the PID associated with the PES carried in that transport packet. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the PES carrying the coded video of elementary stream "Video 1" has been assigned a PID of `10`, and therefore, the header of each transport packet 12, 14 carrying the data of that PES will contain a PID value of `10`. Similarly, the headers of each transport packet 18, 20 carrying the PES data for elementary stream "Audio 1" will contain the PID assigned to that elementary stream, which in the example shown is `23` . As each PES is segmented and inserted into respective transport packets, those packets are fed to a transport stream multiplexer 22 that multiplexes the packet to form a single bit stream, referred to as a "Transport Stream". Thus, a transport stream comprises a continuous sequence of transport packets, each of which may carry data from one of a plurality of PESs. At a decoder location, a given PES can be recovered from the incoming transport stream by simply extracting every incoming packet whose header contains the PID assigned to that PES.
Generation of transport packets is carried out by an encoder employing a common system clock. Decoders for receiving and presenting a selected program must have a system clock whose frequency of operation and absolute instantaneous value match those of the encoder. However, in practice, a decoder's free running system clock frequency will not match the encoder's system clock frequency exactly. Therefore, some method for synchronizing the decoder system clock with the encoder system clock is required. In the MPEG-2 systems standard, synchronization of the encoder's and decoder's system clocks is achieved using time stamps called Program Clock References (PCRs). A PCR is typically an actual sample of the encoder's system clock. For each program carried in a given transport stream, PCRs must be generated at least once every 100 ms and inserted into the transport packets carrying one of the elementary streams that make up that program. For programs comprised of a video elementary stream and an audio elementary stream, PCRs are typically generated and inserted into the transport packets that carry the PES data for the video elementary stream. In the example shown in FIG. 1, one PCR 24 was generated during the creation of transport packet 12 and another PCR was generated during the creation of transport packet 14, each of which carry PES data for the video elementary stream "Video 1". Similarly, a PCR 28 was generated during the creation of transport packet 32 which carries PES data for the video elementary stream "Video 21". Each PCR, as set forth above, is an actual sample of the encoder system clock at the time the PCR was generated and inserted into its respective transport packet.
At the reception site, a decoder can use the transmitted PCRs to "slave" its system clock to the encoder's system clock. Decoders allow recipients of a transport stream to select one of the programs carried in the transport stream for output or presentation at the reception site. For example, in a subscription television system, wherein each program may represent a different television broadcast, a subscriber may employ a decoder to select one of those programs for viewing on a television set. A television program will typically comprise a video elementary stream and an audio elementary stream.
In certain prior art systems, plural multiplexers are used in conjunction with the encoding equipment, thereby providing a redundant system that provides improved fault tolerance and system reliability. In the case of a system that employs redundant multiplexers, it is important to synchronize the various equipment to a requisite reference. In one prior art example shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,499, entitled "Synchronizing Waveform Generator", to Birch et al., and assigned to Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., the assignee of the instant invention, the disclosure of which is incorporated by herein by reference in its entirety, the arrangement involving plural multiplexers or other digital or analog data equipment is synchronized using a continuous wave signal for locking all of the equipment to a common reference. This situation is analogous to the common practice in telecommunication systems of providing a continuous "pilot" signal at various frequencies for regulation, alarms and/or protection switching control in steps of a multiplex above a channel bank level.
As will be appreciated, it is extremely important to insert accurate PCR data into MPEG-2 packets so that proper synchronization of programs that are encoded on different encoders and which may be transmitted using different redundant multiplexers or decoded by different decoders may be accurately delivered to the end user. For example, related audio and video signals for a given program may be encoded on different encoders, transmitted by different multiplexers and decoded by different decoders. If the PCR is not accurately provided to each of the devices, synchronization of the audio and video portions of a program may be compromised, thereby causing the received program to be unintelligible. Accordingly, what is needed is a method and apparatus for accurately providing PCR data to various equipment in a robust manner, especially in the case of a system that includes redundant equipment arrangements, in which case it is not necessarily known what equipment will be transmitting at any given moment in time.

Method and apparatus for encoding PCR data on a frequency reference carrier


An object of the present invention is to provide a 6000-series aluminum alloy material for a high-pressure gas container which has both of resistance to hydrogen embrittlement and mechanical properties. In the aluminum alloy material for a high-pressure gas container, the contents of Fe, Mn and Cu fall within narrower ranges than the standard composition of AA6066 alloy. The aluminum alloy material is produced to have a structure in which a predetermined amount of fine dispersed particles are dispersed therein and coarse crystallized materials are small, and therefore strength and resistance to hydrogen embrittlement are improved, which are required for a high-pressure gas container.

In recent years, hydrogen, which is used as a fuel for fuel cells, receives attention as a clean energy. However, hydrogen causes hydrogen embrittlement in metallic materials such as iron and aluminum alloys. Therefore, it is difficult to efficiently store highly pressurized hydrogen in a storage container for high-pressure hydrogen gas (e.g., a gas cylinder) to be mounted in an automobile. This problem also occurs not only in dominating iron high-pressure gas containers but also in high-pressure gas containers in which an aluminum alloy liner is used for weight reduction purposes. Thus, high-pressure gas containers are required to have excellent resistance to hydrogen embrittlement from the view point of reliability.
In a storage container for high-pressure hydrogen gas using an aluminum alloy liner, it is a mainstream practice to include a composite material produced by winding a fiber-reinforced resin or a fiber for reinforcement around the outer surface of the aluminum alloy liner (filament winding), rather than including an aluminum alloy alone.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a storage container for high-pressure hydrogen gas using an aluminum alloy liner made of a precipitation hardened 7000-series aluminum alloy extrusion material having high strength. That is, the 7000-series aluminum alloy extrusion material is subjected to drawing, and the drawn product is subjected to a solution heat treatment and then subjected to impact processing, thereby forming a cylindrical body with a bottom. Subsequently, a gas discharge port is formed on the cylindrical body with a bottom by cold forging, and the cylindrical body with a bottom is then aged. In this manner, a small-sized high-pressure gas container is produced.
In Patent Documents 2 and 3, it is proposed to further improve the yield strength of an aluminum alloy liner and also improve a method for producing the liner. That is, it is proposed that a 7000-series aluminum alloy material is subjected to a solution heat treatment and then subjected to ironing while applying a plastic strain to shape the material into the form of a liner, thereby to eliminate an aging treatment to be performed after the solution heat treatment. In Patent Document 3, it is also proposed to use a 7000-series aluminum alloy or an aluminum alloy having a composition standardized to AA6066 (also referred to as "AA6066-standardized aluminum alloy" or an "AA6066 alloy", hereinafter) which has excellent stress corrosion cracking resistance (SCC resistance) as a liner material.
This type of a liner material for a storage container for high-pressure hydrogen gas including a 6066 aluminum alloy is also proposed in Patent Document 4. Among 6000-series aluminum alloys, the 6066 alloy is a precipitation-hardened aluminum alloy material having high Mg and Si amounts and relatively high strength, and is therefore a promising liner material for a storage container for high-pressure hydrogen gas.
However, if the 6066 aluminum alloy material is used as a liner material regardless of the types of hot processing methods to be employed or the forms of a rolled sheet, an extrusion material, a forged material and the like, the 6066 aluminum alloy material is required to have resistance to hydrogen embrittlement such that the 6066 aluminum alloy material does not embrittle even when the pressure employed for filling a hydrogen gas into a storage container for high-pressure hydrogen gas to be mounted in an automobile is increased. The 6066 aluminum alloy material is also required to have higher strength for the purpose of reducing the thickness of the liner for reducing the weight of the liner.
In this regard, the above-mentioned 7000-series aluminum alloy has higher strength than that of the 6066 alloy. However, the 7000-series alloy contains major elements such as Zn, Mg and Cu at high contents, and therefore has a problem of the occurrence of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in which hydrogen embrittlement is also involved. Particularly in a high-strength 7000-series alloy of which the strength is increased by performing a peak aging treatment or the like in place of an over-aging treatment, resistance to hydrogen embrittlement is further decreased. Moreover, when the amounts of the major elements added are increased, the cracking of a billet or a slab is likely to occur during melting or casting. In addition, cracking is likely to occur during hot processing such as rolling, forging or extrusion, and during extrusion, problems also occur such that an extrusion rate becomes extremely low, which leads to a reduction in production performance.
For this reason, it can be said that, among aluminum alloys, the AA6066 alloy material is best suited for a storage container for high-pressure hydrogen gas. However, in order to use the 6066 aluminum alloy material as a liner material, it is continuously perceived as an important issue to be improved in both resistance to hydrogen embrittlement and strength.
For this reason, Patent Document 5 proposes that Mg and Si, which are elements contained in AA6066 alloy composition, are contained in amounts falling within specified ranges that satisfy each formula: Mg≦1.73 Si-0.52%, Mg≦1.5%, Mg≧0.9% and Si≦1.8%, thereby improving the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement of the AA6066 alloy.

Aluminum alloy material for storage container for high-pressure hydrogen gas


One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for browsing a collection of metadata to locate media content associated with an item of metadata. The system operates by receiving a selection of an affinity from a user, wherein the affinity specifies a baseline preference of the user. Next, the system determines a value for each item of metadata in the collection of metadata that specifies how well each item of metadata fits the affinity. Finally, the system arranges the collection of metadata in a view, so that items of metadata with similar values are arranged in close proximity within the view, and so that items of metadata with dissimilar values are not arranged in close proximity within the view.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to media content. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for browsing media content based on user affinity.
2. Related Art
Traditional browsers or search methodologies for browsing media content typically present the media in a linear grid format. The resulting view of the media content resembles the image of a "brick wall". For example, cable or satellite providers typically allow consumers to browse an on-screen programming guide. These guides typically use the "brick wall" format, with channels listed down the left side and times listed across the bottom. This format works well for a relatively small amount of content, but as the amount of content grows, this format makes it increasingly difficult for the consumer to locate items of interest.
Furthermore, many of these television providers do not group channels together by type. For example, if a parent is browsing for suitable children's programming, the parent may have to scroll through various pages of information to find the available children's programming channels. This process can be time consuming, and can involve numerous button clicks on the remote. In addition, traditional systems rely on the consumer's ability to remember where each channel is located in the guide, and what type of content each channel provides.
To help alleviate the complexity, some of these on-screen programming guides include the ability to perform a text-based search for programs by title, but such searches are of little use unless the consumer already knows exactly what he or she is looking for.
Hence, what is needed is a method and an apparatus for browsing large collections of media content without the problems listed above.

Method and apparatus for browsing media content based on user affinity


A mechanical activation system including a first mechanical device mechanically connectable to and controllable by an external device, with a rotational orientation of the first mechanical device controllable by the external device, the rotational orientation representative of a parameter of the external device. The first mechanical device and second mechanical device having interacting surfaces for controlling a valve for preventing the parameter of the external device from reaching a critical value. An operator actuation device interacts with a surface of the first mechanical device, permitting a single operator input that is automatically resettable by the system.

Fluid systems are widely used to control components in devices. For example, aircraft utilize fluid systems to control flight control surfaces. While maintenance is being performed, workers may need to override normal operational settings, for such reasons as replenishing working fluid or for other reasons. Often, the settings must be manually reset upon completion of maintenance. Failure to return the aircraft to the normal operational settings upon completion of maintenance may result in improper aircraft operations.
What is needed is a mechanical system that does not suffer from these drawbacks.


A solar cell comprising a substrate having a surface, a first conductive layer disposed on the surface of said substrate, said first conductive layer having a roughened surface provided with irregularities at the surface thereof, a second conductive layer disposed on the roughened surface of said first conductive layer, said second conductive layer having a roughened surface provided with irregularities, a semiconductor active layer disposed on the roughened surface of said second conductive layer and an upper conductive layer disposed on said semiconductor active layer, wherein said second conductive layer is formed of a 10 nm to 150 nm thick highly reflective metal film. The solar cell exhibits an improved photoelectric conversion efficiency and can be mass-produced at an improved yield.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar cell provided with an improved light reflection layer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a solar cell provided with an improved light reflection layer capable of improving the quantity of light absorbed by the semiconductor active layer, which exhibits an improved photoelectric conversion efficiency and which can be provided at a reduced cost.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, there has been an increased societal demand for early realization of a power generation system capable of providing clean energy without causing CO.sub.2 buildup as in the case of thermal power generation.
There have been various proposals to meet such societal demands. Of those proposals, solar cells are expected to be a future power generation source since they supply electric power without causing problems such as above mentioned.
There are presently a variety of solar cells which have been put into practical use. These solar cells can be categorized roughly into cells made of a single crystal material (which is commonly called "single crystal solar cell"); solar cells made of a polycrystalline material (which is commonly called "polycrystalline solar cell"); solar cells made of an amorphous material (which is commonly called "amorphous solar cell"); and solar cells made of a compound semiconductor material (which is commonly called "compound solar cell").
In order to make a solar cell which is usable as a daily power source, it is essential that large area solar cells can be industrially mass produced at low cost. This requirement is hardly accomplished by either the single crystal solar cells or the polycrystal solar cells. In view of this, amorphous solar cells and compound solar cells have been spotlighted since they can relatively easily be made in a large area and industrially mass produced at a low cost. Various studies have been made of these amorphous and compound solar cells, especially in terms of their production cost and improvement in their photoelectric conversion efficiency.
In any case, one of the most important factors for these solar cells to be usable as a daily power source is that they stably provide a desirable photoelectric conversion efficiency. For this purpose, there have been proposed a number of semiconductor films as the semiconductor active layer which serves to absorb incident light and generate photocarriers causing a photoelectromotive force. In addition, various techniques have been proposed in order to improve their photoelectric conversion efficiency. As one such technique, it is known to dispose a reflection layer comprised of a film of a metal with a high reflectivity such as Ag, Al, Cu, and Au at the side of the solar cell which is opposite the side through which light is impinged. This technique is aimed at improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency by reflecting light which has passed through the semiconductor active layer without being absorbed back into the semiconductor active layer, whereby the output current is increased. Also, there are known a number of other techniques for improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency of a solar cell. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,150 and Japanese Laid-open patent application 56(1981)- 152276 describe a method of improving the power output of a solar cell provided with a light reflective substrate by using a light reflective member having a roughened surface provided with irregularities as the light reflective substrate to reflect and scatter light which has passed through the semiconductor active layer, thereby increasing the optical path of long wavelength light with a small absorption coefficient. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,974 describes an optically enhanced solar cell provided with a substrate having a surface textured by using a lithographic technique.
Thomas C. Paulick, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 62(7), pp. 3016-3024 (Oct. 1, 1987) reports observations of optically reflective characteristics of amorphous silicon solar cells with a textured interface.
As for the method of forming irregularities at the surface of a substrate to be used in a solar cell, there have been various proposals. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,865 describes a wet-etching method; Japanese Laid-open patent applications 58(1983)-159383 and 59(1984)-82778 describe a sputter etching method and a sand blasting method; and Japanese Laid-open patent application 59(1984)-14682 describes a method of roughening the surface of an aluminum substrate by means of direct current electrolytic etching or chemical etching.
As for the material to be treated to provided a roughened surface, there are various proposals. For example, Japanese Laid-open patent application 58(1983)-180069 describes the use of an organic insulating layer and a metal reflective layer disposed on said organic insulating layer which can be easily treated to provide a roughened surface; and Japanese Laid-open patent application 59(1984)-213174 describes use of a ceramic substrate.
In addition to those above mentioned, Japanese Laid-open patent publication 55(1980)-108780 describes interposition of a transparent and conductive layer between the back electrode and the thin film solar cell semiconductor substrate in order to obtain a high reflectivity back electrode. Similarly, Japanese Laid-open patent application 56(1981)-69875 describes interposition of a transparent and conductive layer between the amorphous semiconductor layer and the conductive substrate in order to relax the conditions required for the mirror state of the substrate surface.

Solar cell provided with a light reflection layer


The invention relates to treatment of microorganisms from an activated sludge process operating with enhanced biological phosphorus removal in a reactor with baffles or other devices to induce similar plug-flow effort, designed to optimally release phosphorus and/or magnesium from the microorganisms with or without chemical addition. Further, the disclosure relates to a process designed to produce both a lower solids, phosphorus and magnesium enriched liquid stream and a higher solids, phosphorus and magnesium enriched stream. The reactor operates to give optimal performance by operating in a plug-flow mode.

Increasingly stringent wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent phosphorus permit limits have led many utilities to consider a variety of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) activated sludge systems. When using EBPR systems to achieve high effluent quality, the presence of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) in the EBPR process leads to an accumulation of phosphorus and magnesium content of the waste activated sludge, which can lead to the unintended consequence of increased mineral struvite (MgNH4PO4.6H2O) formation for facilities with anaerobic digestion. This in turn causes decreased performance and high maintenance costs of the anaerobic digesters and associated equipment.
To mitigate struvite, some utilities are installing phosphorus recovery systems. These recovery systems often include a phosphorus release system. The release system receives waste activated sludge and/or activated sludge mixed liquor and utilizes an anaerobic process that focuses on the release of the phosphorus from PAOs and may release phosphorus from other organisms so that the phosphorus can be diverted to the recovery system and away from solids treatment processes where struvite has a high potential to form. Release systems may also release magnesium, which is also beneficial for some types of recovery processes such as those that produce phosphorus in the form of struvite. Other recovery systems produce phosphorus in the form of calcium phosphate or other forms that would still benefit from the high phosphorus content stream from the release system.
Referring to FIG. 1, conventional release systems typically utilize complete or well-mixed anaerobic reactors 1 with hydraulic retention times of 18 to 36 or more hours to release sufficient phosphorus in an effluent stream 4 for the subsequent recovery process from waste activated sludge and/or activated sludge mixed liquid feed 2, which may or may not be pre-thickened. Where solids are present such reactors, the hydraulic retention time of the reactor is equal to the solids retention time. A complete or well-mixed reactor configuration also provides no elutriation benefit. In some cases, the hydraulic retention time may be reduced, however this requires additional equipment, processes and/or chemicals at additional expense. Further, prior art release systems, such as that shown in FIG. 1, use reactors with long hydraulic retention times (HRT), and may exceed 18 to 36 or more hours. HRT in prior art reactors may be reduced, however, require additional processes such as: addition of a chemical and/or supplemental biodegradable organic compounds stream 3, which may be expensive and requires additional equipment, facilities, operations, and maintenance effort; and/or pre-reactor solids thickening which is expensive and requires additional equipment, facilities, operations, and maintenance effort. Post-reactor dilution and/or re-thickening is also required of these systems. The accompanying lower reactor solids concentrations of prior art reactor systems result in lower phosphorus release kinetics, as well as lower solids concentrations in reactor effluent results, lower post-reactor (external) solids separator efficiency and increased demand for chemical input to support separation performance. Still further, the prior art reactors systems have longer HRT and therefore, larger volumes, costs and footprint requirements compared to equivalent performance of the reactor systems described in the present invention. Another disadvantage of the prior art reactor systems is potentially higher operating dissolved oxygen concentrations and/or oxidation reduction potential exists due to air entrainment from use of continuous mixing thus resulting in lower efficiency operation.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the invention to provide a reactor system to treat microorganisms from an activated sludge process operating with enhanced biological phosphorus removal in a reactor with baffles or other devices to induce similar plug-flow effort, designed to optimally release phosphorus and/or magnesium from the microorganisms with or without chemical addition.
A further object of the invention is to provide a reactor system which reduces headspace volume, thereby eliminating excessive malodor generation.
A further object of the invention is to provide thickening and/or solids separation benefits internal to the reactor system.
A further object of the invention is to provide a reactor system which provides expanded monitoring and control capabilities for conditions favorable to phosphorus and/or magnesium release.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

Phosphorus release reactor for water treatment

Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority


Provided is a substrate processing apparatus, a semiconductor device manufacturing method, and a substrate manufacturing method. The substrate processing apparatus comprises: a reaction chamber configured to process substrates; a first gas supply system configured to supply at least a silicon-containing gas and a chlorine-containing gas or at least a gas containing silicon and chlorine; a first gas supply unit connected to the first gas supply system; a second gas supply system configured to supply at least a reducing gas; a second gas supply unit connected to the second gas supply system; a third gas supply system configured to supply at least a carbon-containing gas and connected to at least one of the first gas supply unit and the second gas supply unit; and a control unit configured to control the first to third gas supply systems.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing method and a substrate manufacturing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since silicon carbide (SiC) has advantageous characteristics such as a wide energy band gap, a high dielectric strength voltage, and a high heat conductivity as compared with silicon (Si), silicon carbide attracts attention as an element material, particularly for an element of a power device. However, due to other characteristics of SiC such as a non-liquid state at normal pressure and a low impurity diffusion coefficient, it is difficult, as is known, to fabricate a crystal substrate or a semiconductor device by using SiC as compared with the case of using Si. For example, since a SiC epitaxial film is formed in a high temperature range of about 1500° C. to about 1800° C. as compared with a temperature range of 900° C. to 1200° C. in which a Si epitaxial film is formed, it is necessary to study technology for heat-resistant structures of SiC epitaxial film forming apparatuses and source material decomposition preventing methods. Furthermore, in the case of a substrate processing apparatus configured to form a SiC epitaxial film, since two elements (silicon (Si) and carbon (C)) are used to form a film, additional studies which are not necessary for a silicon film forming apparatus are required for ensuring the uniformities of a film thickness and a composition ratio and controlling a doping level.
As mass-production SiC epitaxial film forming apparatuses, pancake type apparatuses are widely sold in the market. Epitaxial films can be formed by arranging several substrates to about tens of substrates on a susceptor which is heated to a film forming temperature, for example, by high-frequency waves, and supplying a silicon-containing gas (hereinafter also referred to as a Si source gas), a carbon-containing gas (hereinafter also referred to as a C source gas), and a carrier gas to the substrates. Propane (C3H8) gas or ethylene (C2H4) gas is widely used as a C source gas, monosilane (SiH4) gas is widely used as a Si source gas, and hydrogen (H2) gas is widely used as a carrier gas. To control formation of silicon nuclei in a gaseous phase and improve crystalline quality, hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas may be added to a source gas, or a material including chlorine (Cl) in its formula such as trichlorosilane (SiHCl3) gas or tetrachlorosilane (SiCl4, silicon tetrachloride) gas may be used as a Si source (for example, refer to Non-patent Document 1).
However, such mass-production substrate processing apparatuses configured to form SiC epitaxial films have the following problems. FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic view illustrating a relationship between a structure of a pancake type susceptor and positions of substrates. As shown in FIG. 1, the diameter and number of substrates that can be placed on the susceptor are limited to the diameter of the susceptor. Therefore, if the diameter of the substrates is large, the number and total area of the substrates that can be processed at a time are reduced. For example, in the case of FIG. 1, if the diameter of the substrates arranged on the susceptor is increased by a factor of 1.5, the number of the substrates that can be processed at a time is reduced from twenty to eight, and the total area that can be processed at a time is reduced by about 10%. Thus, for mass production with such a pancake type susceptor, it is necessary to increase the number of substrate processing apparatuses or the area of a susceptor of a substrate processing apparatus (that is, the footprint of a substrate processing apparatus); otherwise, production costs are largely increased.
Therefore, the inventors considered that: like in the case of a substrate processing apparatus used for forming a Si film, if one hundred or more substrates having a diameter of, for example, 300 mm are vertically stacked and are batch-processed by employing a vertical structure, an increase of production costs can be prevented without having to increase the number of substrate processing apparatuses or the footprint of a substrate processing apparatus. In such a vertical type substrate processing apparatus, a gas supply nozzle is installed in a reaction chamber to introduce a source gas and uniformly supply the source gas to stacked substrates. In this way, the source gas can be efficiently and uniformly supplied to a plurality of substrates which are vertically stacked, and thus the uniformity of a film thickness can be improved between the substrates and in the surfaces of the substrates.
[Non-patent Document 1] P. VAN DER PUTTE, L. J. GILING and J. BLOEM, "GROWTH AND ETCHING OF SILICON IN CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION SYSTEMS; THE INFLUENCE OF THERMAL DIFFUSION AND TEMPERATURE GRADIENT", Journal of Crystal growth, vol. 31, 1975, pp. 299-307.
However, if the above-described vertical structure is applied to a substrate processing apparatus configured to form a SiC epitaxial film so as to vertically stack a plurality of substrates and process the substrates at a time, there occur problems related with the decomposition temperature of a Si source gas. Although varying according to the composition of a Si source, the thermal decomposition temperature of monosilane (SiH4) generally used as a silicon source is known to be about 950° C. to 1050° C., and even tetrachlorosilane (SiCl4) including chlorine is known to be thermally decomposed at about 1150° C. to 1250° C. Generally, SiC is epitaxially grown at about 1500° C. to about 1800° C. Properties of Si source gases are exemplarily shown in FIG. 9.
In the case where the above-described vertical structure is applied to a substrate processing apparatus configured to form a SiC epitaxial film, a gas supply nozzle for supplying a Si source gas is installed in a reaction chamber in a manner such that the gas supply nozzle extends along a region where substrates are stacked for a batch process, that is, a region where substrates are arranged. For this reason, the inside temperature of the gas supply nozzle becomes equal to the inside temperature of the reaction chamber, that is, the inside temperature of the gas supply nozzle becomes higher than the decomposition temperature of the Si source gas. As a result, when the Si source gas is supplied into the reaction chamber, the Si source gas may decompose while passing through the gas supply nozzle, and thus the Si source gas may be insufficiently supplied into the reaction chamber. Moreover, due to the decomposition of the Si source gas, Si may be deposited on the inner wall of the gas supply nozzle; the inside of the gas supply nozzle may be clogged by deposited Si; an ejection hole formed in the gas supply nozzle may be clogged by deposited Si; and thus the Si source gas may not be supplied into the reaction chamber. In addition, Si deposited on the gas supply nozzle may enter the inside of the reaction chamber to contaminate the inside of the reaction chamber. In addition, since the inside temperature of the gas supply nozzle is higher than the melting point of extracted deposited Si, some of deposited Si may melt and flow to a substrate to cause a crystalline defect on the surface of the substrate.

Semiconductor device manufacturing method and substrate manufacturing method of forming silicon carbide films on the substrate


A system including a first system-on-chip (SoC) and a second SoC. The first SoC includes a first module and a second module. The second module is separate from the first module. The second module is in communication with the first module via a first bus. The first bus is internal to the first SoC. The second SoC is separate from the first SoC. The second SoC is in communication with the first SoC via a second bus. The second bus is external to both the first SoC and the second SoC. The first bus and the second bus are configured to use a same communication protocol to respectively transfer information (i) between the first module and the second module via the first bus and internally within the first SoC and (ii) between the first SoC and the second SoC via the second bus.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Advanced silicon manufacturing processes are allowing an ever increasing number of gates to be included in a given area of a SoC. Certain bus (or fabric) architectures have been introduced to allow for transfer of information (e.g., data, commands, parameters, addresses, etc.) between processor modules and interface control modules within a SoC. For example, an advanced microcontroller bus architecture (AMBA) is an on-chip interconnect specification for connection and management of modules in SoCs. One interface generation of AMBA is referred to as an advanced extensible interface (AXI).
A SoC having an AXI-based architecture may include multiple processor (or core) modules, a master AXI interconnection bus (or master fabric), a slave AXI interconnection bus (or slave fabric), and interface controllers. The processor modules control and/or access peripherals connected to the interface controllers via the interconnection buses. The AXI interconnection buses may be referred to as multi-level AXI fabrics and provide a mesh of interconnections between the processor modules and the interface controllers. The interface controllers may be connected respectively to peripheral devices and/or networks. The peripheral devices may include memory devices, such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The peripheral devices may include a display, a flash drive, a hard disk drive, a hybrid drive, a camera, an embedded multi-media card (eMMC), an Ethernet device, a serial small computer system interface (SCSI) protocol (SSP) device, a device communicating via a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) interface, etc. The networks may include wireless or wired networks. An example of a wireless network is a wireless local area network (WLAN) such as a WiFi network.
The processor modules may be referred to as bus masters. The processor modules control and initiate operations of peripherals connected to the SoC. This may include the processor modules (or masters) transmitting commands to the interface controllers via the master AXI interconnection bus. Each of the interface controllers includes a master port (or interface) and a slave port (or interface). The master ports are connected to the master AXI interconnection bus. The slave ports are connected to the slave AXI interconnection bus. Commands may be transmitted to the master ports and then forwarded to the peripheral devices. Data may then be received from the peripheral devices at the slave ports. The slave AXI interconnection bus forwards the data from the slave ports to the processor modules.
In a SoC having an AXI architecture, each connection between the processor modules and the interface controllers includes multiple channels. The channels include a read address channel, a read data channel, a write address channel, a write data channel, a buffer write response channel, and a clock channel. These connections are provided via AXI bus interfaces of the processor modules and interface controllers. AXI bus interfaces may exist (i) between the processor modules and the AXI interconnection buses, and (ii) between the AXI connection buses and the interface control modules. The AXI bus interfaces and the AXI interconnection buses include a large number of wires. For example, write channels of an AXI bus interface may include as many as 224 wires for a parallel transfer of 128 bits. Read channels of an AXI bus interface may include as many as 208 wires for a parallel transfer of 128 bits. The slave AXI interconnection bus may include 200 wires for a parallel transfer of 32 bits. A 10-port AXI interconnection bus may include 5000 wires for a parallel transfer of 128 bits per port. S another example, a 10-port AXI interconnection bus may include 3000 wires for a parallel transfer of 32 bits per port. Additional wires are also required for transfer of interrupts. The AXI interconnection buses are large mesh networks of interconnections with limited data transfer speeds (e.g., 312 mega-hertz (MHz) or slower). Point-to-point transfer speeds between adjacent nodes in the mesh networks is also limited (e.g., 416 MHz) or slower.
The modules in a SoC with an AXI architecture operate based on a commonly shared clock. A clock signal is provided via a large clock tree of branches (or interconnections) in the AXI interconnection buses. As a result, communication between the modules is synchronous. If two of the modules are to operate based on different protocols (e.g., different AMBA protocols such as AXI and AMBA high-performance bus (AHB)) and/or different clocks (or clock signals having different frequencies), then a bridge is typically incorporated between the modules. The bridge allows for communication between two different domains having, for example, different bus widths (e.g., number of parallel transferred bits) and clock frequencies. Although integrators can be incorporated in the SoC to assure proper bandwidth and latency for the connections between the modules, allocation of bandwidth and control of access latency for each of the modules is difficult. This is because of the larger number of wires and interconnections between the modules and the distribution of the shared clock signal over the large mesh network.
It can be difficult to set the frequency of the clock signal to provide proper clock tree derating. Proper clock tree derating refers to setting the frequency of the clock signal to a highest frequency possible without negatively affecting operation and/or lifetime of a corresponding SoC. Increasing the frequency of the clock signal can increase process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations of the SoC. As a result, ability to increase the frequency of the clock can be limited due to the potential of increased PVT variations. The larger the clock tree, the slower the frequency of the clock signal.

Method and apparatuses for respectively transferring information within and between system-on-chips (SOCS) via an internal bus and an external bus according to the same communication protocol


A brush head assembly for a vacuum cleaner having an improved structure. The brush head assembly has a brush head body having a triangle structure including a vertical plane to which an upholstery brush is attached, a lower plane horizontally which is formed at a lower portion of the vertical plane and having a dusting brush attached thereunder, and an inclined plane which is formed between the vertical plane and the lower plane, has a connecting pipe integrally formed on the inclined plane of the brush head body and extending upward at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the inclined plane, and a neck pipe having a front end portion having a hemisphere shape which is inserted into the connecting pipe, a rear end portion which is inserted into an extension bar, and an inlet hole which is formed below the hemisphere shaped front end portion. The brush head body is rotatable about the neck pipe so that the vertical plane and the lower plane alternately make contact with a floor as the brush head body rotates. The brush head assembly for a vacuum cleaner can be used at various places to be cleaned without changing the brush assembly, so cleaning efficiency is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particular to a brush head assembly for a vacuum cleaner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A vacuum cleaner is an apparatus for sucking dust and impurities by suction generated by a blower assembly. Generally, the vacuum cleaner comprises a body having wheels mounted at both sides thereof, a blower assembly accommodated in the body for generating suction force, a duct collecting chamber for collecting dust and impurities, a control panel for controlling an operation of the vacuum cleaner, a brush assembly connected to the body for sucking dust and impurities from a floor, and a flexible hose for connecting the body with the brush.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional vacuum cleaner 100. As illustrated in FIG. 1, vacuum cleaner 100 has a main body 110 which is movable by wheels 112 mounted at both sides thereof, a brush assembly 120 for sucking dust and impurities from a floor, a control panel 140 for controlling an operation of vacuum cleaner 100, a flexible hose 130 which connects control panel 140 to main body 110 so as to allow dust and impurities to flow into main body 110, and an extension bar 150 for connecting control panel 140 and brush assembly 120.
The main body 110 is provided therein with a blower assembly (not shown) for generating suction force, and a dust collecting chamber 118 for collecting dust and impurities sucked by the blower assembly. In addition, a dust indicator 114 for displaying an amount of dust or impurities collected in collecting chamber 118 is provided on an upper surface of main body 110, and a cord reel 116 is provided at a rear portion of main body 110. The blower assembly includes a motor for generating a rotational force and a blowing fan which is rotated by the motor, thereby generating suction force.
In general, brush assembly 120 can be detachably coupled to extension bar 150 and can be equipped with various brushes corresponding to the place to be cleaned.
FIGS. 2A and 2B respectively show a brush assembly 210 having a dusting brush 218 and a brush assembly 220 having an upholstery brush 228. Brush assembly 210 is used for cleaning a floor or a window frame. Brush assembly 210 comprises a brush body 214 provided at its underside 216 with dusting brush 218, and a connecting pipe 212 which is integrally formed with brush body 214 and is connected to an extension bar. At a center of underside 216 of brush body 214, there is formed a suction hole 215 for sucking air containing dust or impurities. Dusting brush 218 prevents brush body 214 from adhering to the floor caused by suction due to the operation of the blower assembly so that dust or impurities adhering to the floor are easily separated from the floor.
Brush assembly 220 is used for removing a thread or hairs which adheres to a carpet or a sofa. Brush assembly 220 is provided with a brush body 224, upholstery brush 228 adhered to an edge 226 of brush body 224, and a connecting pipe 222 which is integrally formed with brush body 224 and is connected to an extension bar. At a center of an underside of brush body 224, there is formed a suction hole 225 for sucking air containing dust or impurities.
While the cleaning is being performed, the user can selectively couple brush assemblies 210 and 220 to the extension bar corresponding to the place to be cleaned, thereby effectively carrying out the cleaning thereof.
However, when such brush assemblies 210 and 220 are used, the user should purchase both brush assemblies 210 and 220. In addition, if the use of one brush assembly is required while the other brush assembly is being used, the user should separate the other brush assembly from the extension bar so as to replace it with the required brush assembly, thereby resulting in a waste of time.
Furthermore, the user should separately store the various brush assemblies in a storing place after the cleaning is finished. Otherwise, the brush assemblies will be lost.

Brush head assembly for a vacuum cleaner


A product withdrawal tube for use in a fluidized bed reactor is disclosed. The tube features a plurality of elongated tubular segments which are fitted together to obtain flexible and sealing engagement between the segments whereby the tube is durable despite the vibrations and shocks experienced by it due to the operation of the fluidized bed reactor.

This invention relates to an improved product recovery tube for use in recovering polysilicon from a fluidized bed reactor. High purity monocrystalline silicon is in great demand as a semiconductor material. The purity of the silicon is critical as impurities, especially metal impurities, in amounts as small as a few parts per billion, can adversely alter the silicon's conductivity or electronic characteristics.
Most of the world's supply of semiconductor grade monocrystalline silicon is produced from polycrystalline silicon, i.e., polysilicon, which in turn is produced from the thermal decomposition of a silicon source, e.g., silane, monochlorosilane, and the like. The thermal decomposition can be efficiently carried out in a fluidized bed reactor which accepts, as a feed, a mix of a silicon source gas and a carrier gas. The silicon source gas decomposes to yield silicon which deposits on silicon seed particles which are maintained in a fluidized state. As deposition occurs, the seed particles grow until they are of the desired size. Removal of the grown particles from the fluidized bed reactor is accomplished by providing a product withdrawal tube which extends downwardly from the gas distributor in the reactor to a separate cooling vessel which holds a charge of previously withdrawn polysilicon. Gas is fed upwardly in the product withdrawal tube so as to fluidize at least a portion of the polysilicon which is present in the tube. The fluidization in the tube serves at least two important functions: (1) fluidization tends to minimize the tendency of the polysilicon particles to fuse one to the other in the presence of decomposing silicon source gas, and (2) since fluidization facilitates heat transfer, there is a smaller temperature difference between the polysilicon in the tube nearest the reactor and the polysilicon in the tube farthest from the reactor and, thus, there is a diminishment of thermal shock when the polysilicon is discharged from the tube.
To effect removal of the grown polysilicon from the fluidized bed reactor, the cooling vessel is periodically emptied of a portion of the polysilicon previously fed thereto. This emptying allows for the polysilicon in the product withdrawal tube and in the fluidized bed reactor to flow through the product withdrawal tube into the cooling vessel. After a measured amount of polysilicon has been so withdrawn, the emptying of the cooling vessel is stopped and, as a consequence, the flow through the product withdrawal tube is stopped.
All of this residence time in and movement through the product withdrawal tube would be of concern from a metals contamination standpoint if the product withdrawal tube were made of metal. The contamination specifications on high grade polysilicon allow for so little contamination that mere moving contact between polysilicon and a metal can be deleterious. This contamination problem can be obviated by constructing the product withdrawal tube from a silicon based material, say poly- or monocrystalline silicon, or by coating a substrate with polysilicon. In this way, the "contamination" is silicon contamination and is not harmful. While such provides a solution, it has been found that the solution is still short of the ideal.
It has been the practice to use a unitary polysilicon tube as the product withdrawal tube. These tubes were sealingly held in place against the gas distributor in the reactor by applying, at the bottom of the tube, a force parallel to the long axis of the tube and in a direction towards the distributor. In this way a good seal and tube support were obtained. However, these tubes were fragile owing to their silicon based construction, and fragile tubes are not favored when held in tight relationship with a gas distributor which is subject to the vibrations and shocks associated with fluidized bed processes. Unitary tubes generally have short lives due to breakage. Not only were the unitary tubes fragile, they also were expensive to construct owing to their considerable length, say 6 to 8 feet.
Therefore, there is a need for a product discharge tube which is non-contaminating to polysilicon and which has extended service life.


The invention relates to the treatment of metabolic disorders in an overweight or obese patient characterized in that empagliflozin and one or more antiobesity drugs are administered to the patient.

The rising prevalences of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represent major challenges for global public health. Worldwide, there are more than 400 million adults with a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 30 kg/m2 (defining "obesity") and 220 million with type 2 diabetes mellitus, figures which are projected to rise to 700 million and 366 million, respectively, by 2030 (World Health Organisation 2010; International Diabetes Federation 2010). According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus have tripled in the past 30 years. This is caused largely by the global epidemic of obesity, a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediabetes. Diabetes now affects an estimated 23.6 million people in the United States; another 57 million have prediabetes. Prediabetes raises short-term absolute risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus five- to sixfold. The development of type 2 diabetes mellitus can be delayed or sometimes prevented in individuals with obesity who are able to lose weight. In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, weight loss improves glycemic control and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an increasingly prevalent disease that due to a high frequency of complications leads to a significant reduction of life expectancy. Because of diabetes-associated microvascular complications, type 2 diabetes is currently the most frequent cause of adult-onset loss of vision, renal failure, and amputations in the industrialized world. In addition, the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a two to five fold increase in cardiovascular disease risk.
After long duration of disease, most patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus will eventually fail on oral therapy and become insulin dependent with the necessity for daily injections and multiple daily glucose measurements.
The UKPDS (United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study) demonstrated that intensive treatment with metformin, sulfonylureas or insulin resulted in only a limited improvement of glycemic control (difference in HbA1c˜0.9%). In addition, even in patients within the intensive treatment arm glycemic control deteriorated significantly over time and this was attributed to deterioration of β-cell function. Importantly, intensive treatment was not associated with a significant reduction in macrovascular complications, i.e. cardiovascular events. Therefore many patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus remain inadequately treated, partly because of limitations in long term efficacy, tolerability and dosing inconvenience of existing antihyperglycemic therapies.
Oral antidiabetic drugs conventionally used in therapy (such as e.g. first- or second-line, and/or mono- or (initial or add-on) combination therapy) include, without being restricted thereto, metformin, sulphonylureas, thiazolidinediones, glinides and α-glucosidase inhibitors.
The high incidence of therapeutic failure is a major contributor to the high rate of long-term hyperglycemia-associated complications or chronic damages (including micro- and macrovascular complications such as e.g. diabetic nephrophathy, retinopathy or neuropathy, or cardiovascular complications) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Therefore, there is an unmet medical need for methods, medicaments and pharmaceutical compositions with a good efficacy with regard to glycemic control, with regard to disease-modifying properties and with regard to reduction of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality while at the same time showing an improved safety profile.
Empagliflozin is a novel SGLT2 inhibitor that is described for the treatment or improvement in glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, for example in WO 05/092877, WO 06/117359, WO 06/120208, WO 2010/092126, WO 2010/092123, WO 2011/039107, WO 2011/039108. The use of a SGLT2 inhibitor in a method for treating obesity is described in WO 08/116,195 for example.

Pharmaceutical composition, methods for treating and uses thereof


An improved shock-proof displaying and packing box adapted for a computer keyboard is a combination of a one-piece board folded into a topless case and a modified transparent dust cover for a keyboard which can be firmly engaged with the folded case serving as a top cover. The dust cover is mounted on top of a computer keyboard which is located in the unfolded board first and wrapped by the folded case then whereby the computer keyboard can be safely packed therein and clearly displayed for commercial purpose in a store. The one-piece board is made up of a front, rear, left and right side flap each of which has an extended top fold, and an inner fixing fold that are integrally connected but foldably separated respectively by a folding line; and four reinforcement flaps disposed at each corner of the board with each extending from a corner flap. On the periphery of each inner fixing fold are disposed a plurality of recessed cuts so as to form a number of engagement inserts therealong; the modified transparent cover is provided with a number of elongated grooves and protrusions on the edges thereof which are in engagement with the corresponding inserts and the recessed cuts on the periphery of each fold thereof so as to firmly fix the dust cover in place.

The present invention relates to an improved shock-proof packing and displaying box which is made up of a one-piece board folded into a topless case and a modified dust cover commonly disposed on top of a computer keyboard which can be firmly engaged with the topless case so as to integrate the two into a box for both packing and displaying purpose.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional packing box is a one piece board folded into a box form with a foldable top cover disposed thereon, and an item, such as a computer keyboard, is housed therein unvisibly when the top cover is closed. The prior art packing box is made up of a one piece board having a bottom piece with four side pieces extended therefrom, the four side pieces are folded and engaged with each other into a box and fixed in place by way of protrusions and slots. To prevent the item housed therein from being damaged as a result of vibration or shock in delivery, some buffer or shock absorbing material made of foamed polystyrene is used to protect the item inside and also to hold the same firmly in place.
Such prior art packing box has some disadvantages in practical application; the use of this kind of packing box makes the packing process complicated and time consuming; and the inside buffer material can cause serious enviromental problems when discarded at random; moreover, the structure of the conventional packing box is material wasting due to the addition of a foldable cover; and the weight thereof is relatively heavy and the cost thereof is high, causing the delivery expense of the boxes high; besides, the conventional dust cover is disposed inside a packing box or is packed uneconomically in a separate manner; and the item received in the closed box can not be exposed for displaying in a store and must be taken out thereof.


A DRAM structure on a silicon substrate has an active area, gate conductors, deep trench capacitors, and vertical transistors. The deep trench capacitors are formed at intersections of the active area and the gate conductors, and each deep trench capacitor is coupled electrically to the corresponding vertical transistor to form a memory cell. The transistor includes a gate, a source in a lateral side of the gate, and a drain in another lateral side of the gate The depth of the drain is different from the depth of the source.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and more particularly, to a checkerboard trench DRAM.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical products are becoming lighter, thinner, shorter, and smaller, and dynamic random access memory (DRAMs) geometries are being scaled down to match the trends of high integration and high density. In a conventional planar trench capacitor DRAM, a source, a gate, and a drain of a MOS transistor are horizontally positioned on a surface of a substrate. This is an important factor affecting a design of a size of transistors in the DRAM. Therefore, vertical transistors are used in trench capacitor DRAMs.
Generally speaking, fabrication of a vertical transistor structure involves etching the substrate for producing a deep trench, fabricating a trench capacitor in the deep trench, forming a vertical transistor near the trench capacitor, and locating the drain, gate, and source vertically to decrease a horizontal area of the transistor substantially and increase semiconductor component integration.
A length and a width of the gate channel are important factors that affect an efficiency of the vertical transistor in a vertical transistor trench capacitor DRAM. The length of the gate channel decides a channel length, along which electrons pass from the source to the drain. The width of the gate channel decides a number of electrons that pass from the source to the drain. If the length of the gate channel can be shortened in the vertical transistor trench capacitor DRAM, a leakage of the transistor will be decreased significantly, and the efficiency of the vertical transistor trench capacitor DRAM will increase.
Industry research has produced a checkerboard trench-DRAM. One transistor matches with a corresponding trench capacitor in the checkerboard trench-DRAM. It is suitable for 90 nm manufacture in order to improve planar standard manufacture, and to achieve satisfactory capacitances without needing to use a high dielectric material. If a vertical transistor with a shorter gate channel length could be fabricated, the leakage current effect of the transistor could be decreased. And applying the vertical transistor to the checkerboard trench DRAM could greatly increase the effectiveness of the checkerboard trench DRAM. Thus, developing a vertical transistor with a short gate channel length is an important objective of the semiconductor industry.


The present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium comprising:. as a support film a biaxially oriented polyester film comprising. a polyester base film and PA1 a coating layer provided on the surface of the base film during the film forming process, and PA1 having the thickness t (.mu.m) of said coating layer, the thickness tM (.mu.m) of said magnetic layer and the average center line roughness (sRa (nm)) of the surface of said magnetic layer, which satisfy the following formulae (1)-(4); EQU 0.01.ltoreq.tM.ltoreq.2.0 (1) EQU 0.05.ltoreq.t.ltoreq.1.39 (2) EQU 0.1<t+tM.ltoreq.1.4 (3) EQU sRa<10 (4). a magnetic layer comprising a magnetic substance dispersed in a resin binder, formed on the surface of said coating layer and

The present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium suited for high-density recording.
Recently, in the magnetic recording media such as VTR tapes, audio tapes and computer tapes, there have been rising necessity of higher recording density to meet the requests for higher performance, longer recording time and miniaturization and light-weight of the recording media.
Shortening of the recording wavelength is essential for high-density recording, but when the thickness of the magnetic layer exceeds a certain level of thickness in relation to a particular recording wavelength, the magnetic flux of the magnetic substance in the depth of the layer is unable to pass through the reproducing head and forms a closed loop, resulting in a loss of the magnetic flux. Therefore, in principle, it is advantageous for magnetic recording that the more the recording wavelength is shortened, the more the magnetic layer is thinned. Based on this concept, an ME (metal evaporation) type magnetic recording medium has been developed in which the magnetic layer is formed with an extremely small thickness by depositing a ferromagnetic metal by a pertinent method such as evaporation or sputtering to realize the reduction of the magnetic flux loss by the thickness resulting from shortening of the recording wavelength.
However, this ME type magnetic recording medium is at a disadvantage in that the ferromagnetic metal film using cobalt, nickel or a mixture thereof used as magnetic substance tends to gather rust. Therefore, despite various proposals of improvement, this type of magnetic recording medium still lacks reliability for long-time preservation of recording.
On the other hand, in the case of the MP (metal powder) type magnetic recording medium in which a ferromagnetic metal is used as magnetic substance and this magnetic substance is dispersed in a resin binder and applied on a support film, it is relatively easy to take a measure against rusting, such as forming an anti-oxidizing film on the metal particle surfaces.
In the case of the coated type magnetic recording medium, however, there are involved the problems in coating, such as formation of pinholes or streaks, when the magnetic layer is reduced in thickness. It is also a negative factor against thickness reduction of the magnetic layer that it is hardly possible to increase the fill of the magnetic substance because of use of a resin binder containing various additives.
As a solution to these problems of the coated type magnetic recording medium, there has been proposed a magnetic recording medium in which the magnetic layer coated on the support film is divided into two layers so that a lower non-magnetic layer will be provided on the support film and an upper magnetic layer will be provided on the said non-magnetic layer. (See, for example, JP-A 4-270106 and JP-A 5-28464).
However, in the case where the magnetic layer is divided into two layers and the two layers are formed simultaneously by coating, disturbance tends to occur at the interface between the lower non-magnetic layer and the upper magnetic layer, resulting in generation of tape modulation noise. It has been proposed to first form the lower non-magnetic layer and then form the upper magnetic layer thereon while the lower non-magnetic layer is still in a wet state. This method, however, is still incapable of perfectly preventing disturbance at the interface, and further improvements have been desired.
As a result of the present inventors' earnest studies on the subject matter, it has been found that by forming a coating layer on the surface of a biaxially oriented polyester film composed of a polyester base film as a support film during the film forming process by an in-line coating method, the said coating layer being formed by an in-line coating method in the film forming process, and calendering the coated film to flatten its surface so as to satisfy the relations of the following formulae (1)-(4) in the said layers, the obtained magnetic recording medium has excellent adhesion between the polyester film and the coating layer, and is suited for use as a high-density recording medium in the shorter wavelength recording. EQU 0.01.ltoreq.tM.ltoreq.1.35 (1) EQU 0.05.ltoreq.t.ltoreq.1.39 (2) EQU 0.1<t+tM.ltoreq.1.4 (3) EQU sRa<10 (4)
(wherein t (.mu.m) is thickness of the coating layer, tM (.mu.m) is thickness of the magnetic layer and sRa (nm) is the average center line roughness of the surface of the said magnetic layer). The present invention has been attained on the basis of the above finding.


A method and system are provided for a molded electronic package geometry that enables control of warpage and die stress. A mold tool can be closed to define a space or cavity about a semiconductor die disposed on a substrate. Once the mold tool is closed, a mold material can be applied to the space to produce a mold cap. The mold cap geometry can have a first surface that is in contact with the surface of the substrate and a second surface that is opposite the first surface. The second surface can define a tapered portion of the mold cap in which the larger thickness of the tapered portion of the mold cap is in proximity to the semiconductor die and the smaller thickness of the tapered portion of the mold cap is away from the semiconductor die. The thickness of the tapered portion can vary linearly or non-linearly.

Electronic packages can be molded in a plastic compound to improve the interconnect reliability between a semiconductor die and a substrate and to help keep the substrate flat for assembly onto a circuit board. The molding compound and the substrate can have different coefficients of thermal expansion, glass transition temperatures, shrink rates, and/or mechanical rigidity, which can cause warping and/or stresses on the semiconductor die and/or on the substrate when there are room temperature changes or during temperature cycling.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Molded electronic package geometry to control warpage and die stress


A reactor for dissociating waste in a molten metal bath includes a vertical reaction section for containing a molten metal bath and a horizontal separation section extending from an upper portion of the vertical reaction section. A waste is directed into the vertical section of the reactor. An oxidant is directed into the reactor for reaction with dissociation products of the waste to form gaseous, vitreous and molten metal reaction products in the molten metal bath. The horizontal separation section has discharge outlets for proximate and separate discharge of vitreous and molten metal product streams from the reactor at a location which is remote from the vertical reaction section. The vitreous and molten metal reaction products formed in the vertical reaction section flow from the vertical reaction section through the horizontal separation section to the discharge outlets, thereby promoting physical separation of the reaction products to form distinct gaseous, vitreous and molten metal product streams for separate discharge of the streams from the reactor.

Many types of hazardous wastes are generated every year. The wastes include organic materials, such as pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), paints and solvents. Also, other wastes include inorganic material, such as the oxides of iron, zinc, aluminum, copper and magnesium and the salts of ferric chloride, ferrous chloride, aluminum chloride, etc.
Disposal of organic wastes in landfills and by incineration has become an increasingly difficult problem because of diminishing availability of disposal space, strengthened governmental regulations, and the growing public awareness of the impact of hazardous substance contamination upon the environment. Release of hazardous organic wastes to the environment can contaminate air and water supplies thereby diminishing the quality of life in the affected populations.
To minimize the environmental effects of the disposal of organic wastes, methods must be developed to convert these wastes into benign, and preferably, useful substances. In response to this need, there has been a substantial investment in the development of a variety of methods for treating hazardous organic wastes. One of the most promising new methods is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,574,714 and 4,602,574, issued to Bach and Nagel. The method for destroying organic material, including toxic wastes, involves dissociation of the organic material to its atomic constituents in a molten metal and reformation of these atomic constituents into environmentally acceptable products, including hydrogen, carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide gases.

Reactor and method for disassociating waste


A message component for an industrial automation system is provided. This includes a service component that is employed to locate functionality of applications associated with a control system message bus. An operations component exchanges messages with the message bus, where the service component and the operations component form an external view to facilitate communications between the applications.

Industrial controllers historically have operated in factory networks where a plurality of controllers and associated I/O modules communicate. These lower level control elements are often in communication with higher level computing systems or servers that aggregate data from the controllers and help to manage day-to-day activities of an enterprise. As systems have become more complex however, communications and functional cooperation between components has become a challenge. For instance, when users purchase multiple products from one or more vendors there is often limited interoperability and consistency between such products. Software and control engineers must then learn their unique product and how the components interact with each other. Limited product and component consistency suggest that techniques engineers learn in one product do not necessarily carry over to other implementations. In general, control and application systems use different interfaces that make mapping difficult; meanwhile qualified personnel that understand both hardware and software environments are in short supply and command high salaries.
Often times, integration of products (production and automation systems in particular) is too complex and difficult to manage. Process and control engineers cannot code and configure their respective components of a solution without concern for other system components. In addition, system startup metrics are generally not sufficient to supply clear and measurable information for the user/integrator. In one example, a user specifies a line production system with both control and software system components. The development (customization) and integration cost is significant allowing for long ramp-up and integration due to the complexity of connecting systems and uncertainty of how the system will perform. This has a significant impact beyond the cost of the control system as line commissioning and ramp-up are delayed during control system integration. A more predictable process and less complex system integration capability will reduce these costs.
Another problem with current control solutions is that users currently focus on implementation and glue logic rather than the production solution at hand. The underlying technical details have become a primary worry where engineers from multiple environments do not focus on process information (application level concerns) and values exchanged, rather they more often focus on the "how" not the "what." For instance, a user may decide to automate a manual section of their plant. The design may start at a high level but soon becomes a series of discussions regarding nonfunctional requirements e.g., DCOM, TCP, transaction rates, and the like. While these nonfunctional requirements are important, the design of functional requirements is where the true value is to the designer or end user. Thus, the user would prefer to focus on functional requirements (equipment control, product flow control, and so forth) providing direct improvements in value rather than dealing with superfluous technology issues.
In another case, system design does not sufficiently enable trade-offs between overhead burden (memory footprint, CPU cycles, and so forth) and application coupling. For instance, processing load should be better distributed across the system in accordance with system capabilities. Thus, if one part of the system is shut down, alternative processing capability should be in place to allow production to continue. For example, a user initially designs and installs a control system suiting their immediate needs. Incremental changes are then applied to controllers and often new interface functions are added to the human machine interface (HMI) for such controllers. Current solutions however do not facilitate a smooth and uncomplicated transition for the respective changes. Multiple technologies underneath many vendors' products complicate configuration and management of systems. This is also aggravated when third party systems are involved. Such complexity hinders the system's capacity to provide higher-level information and reduces its ability to easily configure such systems.