To form a good quality silicon oxide film provided with both a superior Qbd characteristic and Rd characteristic, a wafer W is loaded into a plasma treatment apparatus where the surface of a silicon layer 501 of the wafer W is treated by plasma oxidation to form on the silicon layer 501 to a film thickness T1 a silicon oxide film 503. Next, the wafer W on which the silicon oxide film 503 is formed is transferred to a thermal oxidation treatment apparatus where the silicon oxide film 503 is treated by thermal oxidation to thereby form a silicon oxide film 505 having a target film thickness T2.

The present invention relates to a method of forming a silicon oxide film, a method of production of a semiconductor memory device, and a computer readable storage medium.
One type of semiconductor device, a flash memory, has a small size of cells and can be made large in capacity and is also superior in shock resistance, so has been rapidly growing in demand in recent years. As a typical system used in a flash memory, it is known to form an ONO (oxide-nitride-oxide) structure insulating film between a control gate electrode and a floating electrode and inject electrons to the floating gate electrode paired with the control gate electrode or remove them so as to write and erase data.
Further, among flash memories, ones having a multilayer structure called the SONOS (silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon) type or the MONOS (metal-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon) type are known. In these types of flash memories, a silicon nitride film (nitride) sandwiched between the silicon dioxide films (silicon-oxide) holds information as a charge storage layer. That is, voltage is applied between a semiconductor substrate (silicon) and a control gate electrode (silicon or metal) to inject electrons into the silicon nitride film of the charge trapping layer to store data or to remove electrons stored at the silicon nitride film to erase data.
A flash memory has superior characteristics as a storage medium as explained above, but there is the problem that there are limits to the number of times data can be written. The tunnel oxide film of a flash memory has to maintain its insulating ability over a long period in order to hold charges injected into the charge storage layer (the above floating gate electrode or silicon nitride film etc.) However, if repeating a data write operation or erase operation applying voltage to run electrons through the tunnel oxide film hundreds of thousands of times, the tunnel oxide film will deteriorate and leakage current will increase (SILC: Stress Induced Leakage Current) and therefore the function as an insulating film will drop. Such deterioration of the tunnel oxide film has become a factor limiting the product lifetime of flash memories and lowering reliability.
A tunnel oxide film usually is a silicon dioxide film formed by oxidation of the surface of silicon. As a method of oxidizing silicon, in general thermal oxidation using a WVG (water vapor generator), thermal radical oxidation such as ISSG (in-situ water vapor generation), and other thermal oxidation and plasma oxidation utilizing plasma for oxidation are known, but in the case of a tunnel oxide film, for the purpose of giving a flash memory high reliability, a high quality insulating film of a thermal oxide film (including thermal radical oxide film) is being used. A thermal oxide film is formed by thermal oxidation of the silicon surface at high temperature such as usually 800° C. or more than 800° C. However, even if using a thermal oxide film, the tunnel oxide film continues to degrade when repeating a data write operation or erase operation, so improvement has been sought.
Japanese Patent Publication (JPA) No. 2004-356528 proposes the method of improving the insulation performance of a gate insulating film to reduce the leakage current by treating the insulating film for improvement by oxygen plasma, then treating it for improvement by thermal annealing. However, JPA 2004-356528 covers improvement of an insulating film formed by CVD. In general, compared with a silicon oxide film obtained by CVD, a thermal oxide film obtained by thermal oxidation of silicon is dense and extremely high in quality, so almost no attention has been paid up to now to further improving the performance of a thermal oxide film.
As indicators of the reliability of an insulating film, two parameters obtained from the TDDB (time dependent dielectric breakdown) are known. One is the Qbd characteristic expressing the total charge until dielectric breakdown when giving electrical stress to an insulating film, while the other is the Rd characteristic expressing the amount of voltage shift with respect to the electrical stress (degradation speed) (refer to Z. Lu et al., IWDTF, 123 (2008).) In evaluating the reliability of the tunnel oxide film of a flash memory as well, it is believed necessary to consider said two parameters.

Method of forming silicon oxide film and method of production of semiconductor memory device using this method


An integrated individual listening device and decoder for receiving an audio signal including a decoder for decoding the audio signal by separating the audio signal into a voice signal and a background signal, a first end-user adjustable amplifier coupled to the voice signal and amplifying the voice signal; a second end-user adjustable amplifier coupled to the background signal and amplifying the background signal; a summing amplifier coupled to outputs of said first and second end-user adjustable amplifiers and outputting a total audio signal, said total signal being coupled to an individual listening device.

As one ages and progresses through life, over time due to many factors, such as age, genetics, disease, and environmental effects, one's hearing becomes compromised. Usually, the deterioration is specific to certain frequency ranges.
In addition to permanent hearing impairments, one may experience temporary hearing impairments due to exposure to particular high sound levels. For example, after target shooting or attending a rock concert one may have temporary hearing impairments that improve somewhat, but over time may accumulate to a permanent hearing impairment. Even lower sound levels than these but longer lasting may have temporary impacts on one's hearing, such as working in a factory or teaching in a elementary school.
Typically, one compensates for hearing loss or impairment by increasing the volume of the audio. But, this simply increases the volume of all audible frequencies in the total signal. The resulting increase in total signal volume will provide little or no improvement in speech intelligibility, particularly for those whose hearing impairment is frequency dependent.
While hearing impairment increases generally with age, many hearing impaired individuals refuse to admit that they are hard of hearing, and therefore avoid the use of devices that may improve the quality of their hearing. While many elderly people begin wearing glasses as they age, a significantly smaller number of these individuals wear hearing aids, despite the significant advances in the reduction of the size of hearing aids. This phenomenon is indicative of the apparent societal stigma associated with hearing aids and/or hearing impairments. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a technique for improving the listening experience of a hearing impaired listener in a way that avoids the apparent associated societal stigma.
Most audio programming, be it television audio, movie audio, or music can be divided into two distinct components: the foreground and the background. In general, the foreground sounds are the ones intended to capture the audiences attention and retain their focus, whereas the background sounds are supporting, but not of primary interest to the audience. One example of this can be seen in television programming for a "sitcom," in which the main character's voices deliver and develop the plot of the story while sound effects, audience laughter, and music fill the gaps.
Currently, the listening audience for all types of audio media are restricted to the mixture decided upon by the audio engineer during production. The audio engineer will mix all other background noise components with the foreground sounds at levels that the audio engineer prefers, or at which the audio engineer understands have some historical basis. This mixture is then sent to the end-user as either a single (mono) signal or in some cases as a stereo (left and right) signal, without any means for adjusting the foreground to the background.
The lack of this ability to adjust foreground relative to background sounds is particularly difficult for the hearing impaired. In many cases, programming is difficult to understand (at best) due to background audio masking the foreground signals.
There are many new digital audio formats available. Some of these have attempted to provide capability for the hearing impaired. For example, Dolby Digital, also referred to as AC-3 (or Audio Codec version 3), is a compression technique for digital audio that packs more data into a smaller space. The future of digital audio is in spatial positioning, which is accomplished by providing 5.1 separate audio channels: Center, Left and Right, and Left and Right Surround. The sixth channel, referred to as the 0.1 channel refers to a limited bandwidth low frequency effects (LFE) channel that is mostly non-directional due to its low frequencies. Since there are 5.1 audio channels to transmit, compression is necessary to ensure that both video and audio stay within certain bandwidth constraints. These constraints (imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)) are more strict for terrestrial transmission than for digital video disk (DVD)s, currently. There is more than enough space on a DVD to provide the end-user with uncompressed audio (much more desirable from a listening standpoint). Video data is compressed most commonly through MPEG (moving pictures experts group) developed techniques, although they also have an audio compression technique very similar to Dolby's.
The DVD industry has adopted Dolby Digital (DD) as its compression technique of choice. Most DVD's are produced using DD. The ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Committee) has also chosen AC-3 as its audio compression scheme for American digital TV. This has spread to many other countries around the world. This means that production studios (movie and television) must encode their audio in DD for broadcast or recording.
There are many features, in addition to the strict encoding and decoding scheme, that are frequently discussed in conjunction with Dolby Digital. Some of these features are part of DD and some are not. Along with the compressed bitstream, DD sends information about the bitstream called metadata, or "data about the data." It is basically zero's and ones indicating the existence of options available to the end-user. Three of these options are dialnorm (dialog normalization), dynrng (dynamic range), and bsmod (bit stream mode that controls the main and associated audio services). The first two are an integral part of DD already, since many decoders handle these variables, giving end-users the ability to adjust them. The third bit of information, bsmod, is described in detail in ATSC document A/54 (not a Dolby publication) but also exists as part of the DD bitstream. The value of bsmod alerts the decoder about the nature of the incoming audio service, including the presence of any associated audio service. At this time, no known manufacturers are utilizing this parameter. Multiple language DVD performances are currently provided via multiple complete main audio programs on one of the eight available audio tracks on the DVD.
The dialnorm parameter is designed to allow the listener to normalize all audio programs relative to a constant voice level. Between channels and between program and commercial, overall audio levels fluctuate wildly. In the future, producers will be asked to insert the dialnorm parameter which indicates the sound pressure level (SPL)s at which the dialog has been recorded. If this value is set as 80 dB for a program but 90 dB for a commercial, the television will decode that information examine the level the end-user has entered as desirable (say 85 dB) and will adjust the movie up 5 dB and the commercial down 5 dB. This is a total volume level adjustment that is based on what the producer enters as the dialnorm bit value.
A section from the AC-3 description (from document A/52) provides the best description of this technology. "The dynrng values typically indicate gain reduction during the loudest signal passages, and gain increase during the quiet passages. For the listener, it is desirable to bring the loudest sounds down in level towards the dialog level, and the quiet sounds up in level, again towards dialog level. Sounds which are at the same loudness as the normal spoken dialogue will typically not have their gain changed."
The dynrng variable provides the end-user with an adjustable parameter that will control the amount of compression occurring on the total volume with respect to the dialog level. This essentially limits the dynamic range of the total audio program about the mean dialog level. This does not, however, provide any way to adjust the dialog level independently of the remaining audio level.
One attempt to improve the listening experience of hearing impaired listeners is provided for in The ATSC, Digital Television Standard (Annex B). Section 6 of Annex B of the ATSC standard describes the main audio services and the associated audio services. An AC-3 elementary stream contains the encoded representation of a single audio service. Multiple audio services are provided by multiple elementary streams. Each elementary stream is conveyed by the transport multiplex with a unique PID. There are a number of audio service types which may be individually coded into each elementary stream. One of the audio service types is called the complete main audio service (CM). The CM type of main audio service contains a complete audio program (complete with dialogue, music and effects). The CM service may contain from 1 to 5.1 audio channels. The CM service may be further enhanced by means of the other services. Another audio service type is the hearing impaired service (HI). The HI associated service typically contains only dialogue which is intended to be reproduced simultaneously with the CM service. In this case, the HI service is a single audio channel. As stated therein, this dialogue may be processed for improved intelligibility by hearing impaired listeners. Simultaneous reproduction of both the CM and HI services allows the hearing impaired listener to hear a mix of the CM and HI services in order to emphasize the dialogue while still providing some music and effects. Besides providing the HI service as a single dialogue channel, the HI service may be provided as a complete program mix containing music, effects, and dialogue with enhanced intelligibility. In this case, the service may be coded using any number of channels (up to 5.1). While this service may improve the listening experience for some hearing impaired individuals, it certainly will not for those who do not employ the proscribed receiver for fear of being stigmatized as hearing impaired. Finally, any processing of the dialogue for hearing impaired individuals prevents the use of this channel in creating an audio program for non-hearing individuals. Moreover, the relationship between the HI service and the CM service set forth in Annex B remains undefined with respect to the relative signal levels of each used to create a channel for the hearing impaired.
Other techniques have been employed to attempt to improve the intelligibility of audio. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,344 discloses a method of creating a "center channel" for dialogue in cinema sound. This technique disclosed therein correlates left and right stereophonic channels and adjusts the gain on either the combined and/or the separate left or right channel depending on the degree of correlation between the left and right channel. The assumption being that the strong correlation between the left and right channels indicates the presence of dialogue. The center channel, which is the filtered summation of the left and right channels, is amplified or attenuated depending on the degree of correlation between the left and right channels. The problem with this approach is that it does not discriminate between meaningful dialogue and simple correlated sound, nor does it address unwanted voice information within the voice band. Therefore, it cannot improve the intelligibility of all audio for all hearing impaired individuals.
In general, the previously cited inventions of Dolby and others have all attempted to modify some content of the audio signal through various signal processing hardware or algorithms, but those methods do not satisfy the individual needs or preferences of different listeners. In sum, all of these techniques provide a less than optimum listening experience for hearing impaired individuals as well as non-hearing impaired individuals.
Finally, miniaturized electronics and high quality digital audio has brought about a revolution in the digital hearing aid technology. In addition, the latest standards of digital audio transmission and recordings including DVD (in all formats), digital television, Internet radio, and digit radio, are incorporating sophisticated compression methods that allow an end-user unprecedented control over audio programming. The combination of these two technologies has presented improved methods for providing hearing impaired end-users with the ability to enjoy digital audio programming. This combination, however, fails to address all of the needs and concerns of different hearing impaired end-users.
The present invention is therefore directed to the problem of developing a system and method for processing audio signals that optimizes the listening experience for hearing impaired listeners, as well as non-hearing impaired listeners, individually or collectively.

Voice-to-remaining audio (VRA) interactive hearing aid and auxiliary equipment


An apparatus for processing variable length coded data includes a coefficient buffer unit and several lookup tables. The coefficient buffer unit includes a coefficient memory and an index register for storing an indication of a non-zero nature of coefficients stored in the coefficient memory. Advantageously, the lookup tables may be altered to adapt the apparatus for processing variable length coded data to handle encoding or decoding video adhering to a specific standard. Furthermore, the lookup tables may be adapted to accelerate the determination of the presence of escape codes and the subsequent handling of the escape codes.

There has recently been a great deal of interest in supporting a wide array of standards for video encoding and decoding in consumer products. Digital video standards of commercial interest include: the International Standards Organization (ISO) MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 standards; the Microsoft® VC-1 draft standard; the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) H.263 and H.264 standards; the On2 VP6 standard; and the digital videotape (DV) standard.
It is likely that multi-standard video encoders and decoders will become more prevalent in coming years in a wide array of products. Such products may include: set-top boxes for receiving video over cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), satellite link and/or the Internet; digital TVs; personal video recorders; handheld devices (including personal digital assistants, dedicated personal video players and mobile phones); and wireless devices. High performance processors will be required for running applications on these widely varied products.
Fixed function variable length coder/decoder units are available, where "fixed function" refers to the fact that such units are dedicated to a particular standard, for example, the H.264 standard. Fixed function variable length coder/decoder units may also be found in typical MPEG-2 video encoder and video decoder chips including the Xilleon™ 200 family of chips from ATI Technologies Inc. of Markham, Ontario, Canada. Unfortunately, fixed function variable length coder/decoder units lack the flexibility to work across a variety of video compression methods.
It is also known that variable length coding/decoding may also be performed by a general purpose reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor or a complex instruction set computer (CISC) processor, such as those found in personal computers. However, such high-performance general purpose processors are hard to characterize in terms of worst case performance, due to the dependence of general purpose processors on the statistical behavior of instruction and data caches. Additionally, general purpose processors are expensive to implement, as they require large die area. General purpose processors are also relatively inefficient at handling variable-length data, since they are implicitly designed for processing byte-aligned data.
Many of the digital video standards transform eight pixel by eight pixel arrays that are representative of a portion of a frame in a digital video sequence. The result of this transformation may be called a block of coefficients. The block of coefficients may be encoded using variable length codes as a form of efficient compression. A macroblock may be defined to include four eight-by-eight luminance blocks of coefficients and two eight-by-eight chrominance blocks of coefficients.
The output of a video encoder in some standards is known as an Elementary Stream (ES). The lowest-level entity in the ES is a encoded block of coefficients. Each encoded block is terminated by an end-of-block code. A macroblock may be formed by concatenating the four luminance blocks and the two chrominance blocks. The six encoded blocks may be preceded by a macroblock header that contains control information belonging to the macroblock: spatial address, motion vectors, prediction modes, field/frame DCT mode, quantizer step size. The result is a coded macroblock.
Variable length codes often arise out of attempts to compress an amount of data to be transmitted. One type of variable length code is the "run-level" type of code. Run-level codes recognize situations in which a sequence of values are to be transmitted, where many of the values are null (0). The code replaces a long series of null values with an indication of the value (level) that follows the series and an indication of the length (run) of the series. Through the use of such a code, a series of 28 0-valued bits that precede a value of 17 may be reduced to a indication of the 17 (a level value) and five bits (a run value) indicating that there is a series of 28 null values ahead of the 17.
Compression codes also include so-called entropy encoding schemes wherein the most common symbols are mapped to the shortest code strings. An example of an entropy encoding scheme is Huffman coding, which is used in the MPEG-2 standard. In the MPEG-2 standard, for example, blocks of coefficients are first run-level encoded and then each run-level combination (symbol) is Huffman encoded.
Run-level encoding, in particular, requires that a block of coefficients be written into locations in a coefficient buffer. A run-level encoder may then read the coefficient buffer, location by location, to determine run-level combinations representative of the block of coefficients. In the reverse, decoding, case, a run-level decoder receives run-level combinations and uses the run-level combinations to formulate a block of coefficients in a coefficient buffer. As there are typically many null entries in a block of coefficients, it may be considered that the writing, by the run-level decoder, of null entries to the coefficient buffer is inefficient.
Huffman encoding, in particular, requires that a code be determined to correspond to each received run-level combination. For the sake of efficiency, a single code may map to more than one run-level combination. For instance, a maximum run value may be defined and a given run-level combination may include a given run value and a given level value. When the given run value exceeds the maximum run value, the maximum run value may be subtracted from the given run value to provide an intermediate run value. The code generated then corresponds to a combination of the intermediate run value and the given level value. To distinguish this code from the same code generated when the received run value is equivalent to the intermediate run value just determined, the former code may be preceded by an "escape code". In particular, the escape code may identify the following code to be a "delta-run" code. A "delta-level" code may be similarly determined and identified.
Determining an escape code to generate based on received run and level values can be a complex and processor-time consuming exercise. Existing encoders are known to either implement a hardwired approach, which is inherently inflexible, or implement a programmed approach on a general-purpose RISC processor or a purpose-specific processor. Unfortunately, such existing approaches do not specifically accelerate the determining and handling of escape codes.
Clearly, then, there is a need for methods and apparatus for efficiently encoding and decoding data that manipulates variable length coded data efficiently at very high processing rates.

Methods and apparatus for processing variable length coded data


A permanent magnet armature solenoid has a tip formed of a non-magnetic material operably connected to a ferromagnetic insert which is firmly held to the end of the magnetic armature by the magnetic attraction between the insert and armature. The magnetic field of the armature holds the armature and the insert together as a single unit, even under high acceleration, deceleration and rapid movement of the armature. The insert is relatively small compared to the armature and the addition of the insert to the solenoid does not significantly adversely affect the performance of the solenoid. The insert is preferably formed of a magnetically susceptible metal such as iron, steel or stainless steel. Desirably, the tip is formed of a polymeric material and preferably of an elastomer so that the tip may be molded directly to the insert by conventional molding techniques to facilitate molding the non-magnetic tip onto the insert.

Permanent magnet armature solenoids are well known and commercially available. Such solenoids may be used to control the air and/or fuel flow within a fuel system. With control provided by an electronic circuit, the solenoid can open and close passages carrying fuel or air to control the fuel and air mixture flow inside a diaphragm carburetor as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,312, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
A solenoid elastomer tip deformable against a seat to close a passage may be molded directly to the end of the magnetic armature to ensure a sufficient seal of the passage when the solenoid is in its closed position and also to absorb the impact energy when the tip of the solenoid initially engages the seat. Conventional molding techniques require a relatively high die clamping force to mold the elastomeric tip onto the armature and this high force can deform or even fracture the brittle magnetic material of the armature. A reduction in the die clamping force results in excessive flash being formed adjacent to the elastomeric tip which requires an extra manufacturing step, which is usually performed manually, to remove the excess flash. This additional step is labor intensive and time consuming and hence, costly.
Another disadvantage of a permanent magnet armature solenoid is the limited reach, or extent to which the armature may project out of the solenoid coils. In a permanent magnet armature solenoid, there is a very close relationship between the given coil configuration and the volume of magnetic material in the armature such that if a significant portion of the armature extends beyond the coils of the solenoid, the performance of the solenoid is degraded.

Magnetically retained polymeric solenoid tip


An implantable electrode arrangement for a cochlear implant system is described. A retraction limiter fits around and securely engages a portion of the distal end of an electrode lead. The retraction limiter includes flexible retraction limiting projections longitudinally distributed along its outer surface. An insertion tube fits around the electrode array and the retraction limiter and engages against the outer surface of the patient cochlea at a cochlear opening. An insertion plunger fits within the insertion tube and engages against the proximal end of the retraction limiter. The insertion plunger slides within the insertion tube to push against the proximal end of the retraction limiter to push the electrode array through the cochlear opening into the patient cochlea.

A normal ear transmits sounds as shown in FIG. 1 through the outer ear 101 to the tympanic membrane (eardrum) 102, which moves the bones of the middle ear 103, which in turn vibrate the oval window and round window openings of the cochlea 104. The cochlea 104 is a long narrow duct wound spirally about its axis for approximately two and a half turns. The cochlea 104 includes an upper channel known as the scala vestibuli and a lower channel known as the scala tympani, which are connected by the cochlear duct. The scala tympani forms an upright spiraling cone with a center called the modiolus where the spiral ganglion cells of the acoustic nerve 113 reside. In response to received sounds transmitted by the middle ear 103, the fluid filled cochlea 104 functions as a transducer to generate electric pulses that are transmitted to the cochlear nerve 113, and ultimately to the brain. Hearing is impaired when there are problems in the ability to transduce external sounds into meaningful action potentials along the neural substrate of the cochlea 104.
In some cases, hearing impairment can be addressed by an auditory prosthesis system such as a cochlear implant that electrically stimulates auditory nerve tissue with small currents delivered by multiple stimulation contacts distributed along an implant electrode. FIG. 1 shows some components of a typical cochlear implant system where an external microphone provides an audio signal input to an external signal processing stage 111 which implements one of various known signal processing schemes. The processed signal is converted by the external signal processing stage 111 into a digital data format, such as a sequence of data frames, for transmission into a receiver processor in an implant housing 108. Besides extracting the audio information, the receiver processor in the implant housing 108 may perform additional signal processing such as error correction, pulse formation, etc., and produces a stimulation pattern (based on the extracted audio information) that is sent through an electrode lead 109 to an implanted electrode array 110 which penetrates into the cochlea 104 through a surgical opening in the outer surface of the cochlea 104. Typically, this electrode array 110 includes multiple stimulation contacts 112 on its surface that deliver the stimulation signals to adjacent neural tissue of the cochlea 104 which the brain of the patient interprets as sound. The individual stimulation contacts 112 may be activated sequentially or simultaneously in one or more contact groups.
Cochlear implantation is a major surgery that involves full anesthesia and usually takes from 1.5 to 5 hours. A significant portion of that time is required for the labor intensive mastoidectomy in which the surgeon creates an opening in the outer mastoid bone of the skull and a bore path through that bone and the middle ear to gain access to the cochlea prior to implantation. During this process, the surgeon needs to carefully mill down through the mastoid bone to the cochlea starting right behind the ipsilateral ear, and using anatomical landmarks to find his way. One of these landmarks is the facial nerve which, if damaged or cut, may cause facial paralysis of the patient. Aiming at the reduction of surgery time, patient stress, and risk of accidents such as facial nerve damage, there are research attempts to perform cochlear implantation using image guidance using preoperative CT images for the determination of a single bore path from behind the ear down to the point on the outer surface of the cochlea through which the implant electrode array needs to be inserted.
These methods are described in detail, for example, in Labadie et al. "Minimally invasive, image-guided, facial-recess approach to the middle ear: demonstration of the concept of percutaneous cochlear access in vitro." Otology & Neurotology 26.4 (2005): 557-562; which is incorporated herein by reference. While these attempts are known to be very beneficial in terms of the severity of the surgery, the actual insertion of the electrode array into the cochlea becomes significantly more difficult—the geometrical boundary conditions do not allow for visual access of the cochlea opening, and there is little or no space available for surgical insertion mechanisms.
FIG. 2A shows structural details of a cochlear implant electrode arrangement at the electrode opening 201 into the implanted cochlea 104. After the insertion procedure, the electrode array 110 in this example tends to lie toward the outer lateral wall of the spiral-shaped cochlea 104. Over time, there can be a tendency for the electrode array to spring back and retract back out through the electrode opening 201, as shown in FIG. 2B. The degree of spring back varies depending among other factors on how deeply the electrode array 110 is inserted into the cochlea 104, how well the electrode opening 201 is packed with fascia material, and the specific geometry at the electrode opening 201.
Such post-surgical electrode retraction pulls the nearest stimulation contact 112 away from its intended target neural tissue within the cochlea 104 back toward the electrode opening 201, or even further, back outside the cochlea 104 into the middle ear 104. This can produce pain sensation in the patient when that stimulation contact 112 is energized. Usually in such circumstances, that stimulation contact 112 will be inactivated and fewer stimulation contacts 112 remain for use to produce sound sensation. In some cases even revision surgery may be required, see for example Connell, S. S., Balkany, T. J., Hodges, A. V., Telischi, F. F., Angeli, S. I., Eshraghi, A. A. in "Electrode migration after cochlear Implantation" published in Otology & Neurotology, 2008 No. 29: 156-159.
Various approaches have been attempted to resist such post-surgical retraction. A cork-shaped stopper has been used to tightly wedge the electrode lead in the electrode opening. An anti-retraction skirt has been implemented on the electrode array at the electrode opening which is made of polymer material that swells when contacted by the liquid preilymph medium, thereby holding the electrode array in place. Some electrode arrays have a permanent pre-curved shape that does not relax or spring back after insertion into the cochlea. Other electrode arrangements contain an internal malleable material on either side of the electrode opening which maintains a bent shape after full insertion of the electrode array to resist retraction. A surgical group in Hannover Germany has added to the implant electrode a wing of flexible silicone material that can be fixed to a groove in the bony material on the outer surface of the cochlea near the electrode opening. All of these efforts have suffered from various issues that leave each an imperfect solution.

Fixation component for insertion tools for minimally invasive cochlear implants


The invention comprises a method and system for scheduling product orders for a manufacturing facility. One aspect of the invention is a method for scheduling product orders wherein a pool of product order records and a pool of physical attribute records are maintained. A list of partially completed physical products available at an evaluation point in a manufacturing facility is maintained wherein the list includes a first physical attribute record. A digital computer is then used to compute a grade value for each of a plurality of product order records having a list of order attributes comprising sets of which the list of physical attribute data items associated with the first physical attribute record is a subset. The grade value comprises a weighted sum of a plurality of objective factors where each objective factor comprises a numerical measure of how well a particular objective is being met. One of the plurality of product order records is associated with the first physical attribute record based upon the grade value of each of the plurality of product order records.

In some industries, manufacturers produce similar but varying products where product variance depends upon customer choice of various options. The automobile industry, for many models of cars, is an example, as customers may choose from a number of options for certain models and then obtain an automobile matching their desires from the factory. Some manufacturers of personal computers also allow customers to select various options and then custom build a computer to meet the customer's desires. Similarly, other industries also allow customers their choice of options.
In many manufacturing facilities that produce similar products containing customer-defined options, methods used for processing orders are often fixed. A particular customer order may be coupled to a physical product very early in the manufacturing process. Once the order is coupled to the physical product, a one-to-one relationship between the order and that physical product remains intact throughout the assembly process. When the physical product is delayed, then so is the order associated with it. Thus, orders may not be decoupled from partially completed physical products and recoupled with a different partially completed product during the manufacturing process. The inability of existing computerized manufacturing scheduling systems to decouple an order from a physical product being manufactured defeats the ability to expedite an order once that order has been coupled to a specific product.
Manufacturers may also employ computerized scheduling systems at multiple evaluation points in a manufacturing facility. At these evaluation points, there may be multiple physical products from which to choose to pass on to the next manufacturing step. Existing systems normally base this decision upon a predetermined business objective. Because business objectives may change from day-to-day or hour-to-hour, existing systems do not allow adequate flexibility to adjust to changing business objectives.

Method and system for scheduling product orders in a manufacturing facility


An address latch, a display device, and an address latching method are disclosed. The address latch includes a write control circuit, a write latch circuit, a latch control circuit, an intermediate latch circuit, and an output latch circuit. The write latch circuit is configured to latch an address data in response to N write control signals generated by the write control circuit, N data bits of the address data are divided into (M−1) data bit groups; the latch control circuit is configured to sequentially generate M latch control signals; the intermediate latch circuit is configured to, in response to first to (M−1)-th latch control signals, latch first to (M−1)-th data bit groups latched by the write latch circuit in a time-division manner; and the output latch circuit is configured to output the address data latched by the intermediate latch circuit in response to an M-th latch control signal.

When designing an address latch, in order to ensure the accuracy of the address transmission, usually, the delay time of a signal should be strictly controlled to prevent the address transmission from misplacement. However, in an existing address latch, it is often difficult to control the delay of the signal within one clock cycle due to factors such as long wiring, which will eventually cause the address signal to be transmitted incorrectly.

Address latch comprising intermediate latch circuit that latches the address data latched by the write latch circuit, display device and address latching method

Beijing BOE Technology Development Co., Ltd.


A heat-cooking apparatus includes blowing means (100) that blows cooling air to an opening (20a) of a heating chamber (20) when a door (11) is opened after steam is supplied to the heating chamber (20) for preparatory operation before heat-cooking or for heat-cooking itself. More specifically, after steam is supplied to the heating chamber (20), when the door (11) is opened, the blowing means (100) drives a conventionally existing cooling fan (101) to suck in cooling air from outside the apparatus, and deflects the cooling air toward the opening (20a) of the heating chamber (20) with a decoration box (102) so that the cooling air is blown to the opening (20a) so as to pass sideways substantially across it. Thus, the cooling air mixes with high-temperature steam that tends to overflow frontward as soon as the door (11) is opened, and thereby lowers the temperature of the steam. This surely prevents the user from being hurt, as by being burnt, with the overflowing steam. Thus, without use of special exhausting means, it is possible to open the door (11) while ensuring the safety of the user even immediately after a heating medium (for example, steam) is supplied to the heating chamber (20).

There have conventionally been proposed various heat-cooking apparatuses that heat and thereby cook an article-to-be-heated by means of a heating medium. With a heat-cooking apparatus of this type, on completion of heat-cooking, if the user, wanting to take the heated article out of the heating chamber, immediately opens the door provided at the front of the heating chamber, the heating medium remaining inside the heating chamber overflows frontward out of it, and this may cause the user to be hurt, as by being burnt with the heating medium.
To prevent this inconvenience, for example, in the steam convection oven disclosed in Patent Document 1 listed below, when the user is detected as starting to open the door, before the door is opened, the heating medium inside the heating chamber is forcedly exhausted. More specifically, a push switch is provided at the handle of the door to the heating chamber so that, when the user, wanting to open the door, grips the handle, the push switch is turned on, signaling the detection of the user starting to open the door. As soon as the user is thus detected as starting to open the door, the heating medium stops being supplied to the heating chamber, and the heating medium inside the heating chamber is forcedly exhausted by exhausting means.    Patent Document 1: JP-A-H9-89260


An optical receptacle includes a cylindrical optical fiber attaching section for attaching an end portion of an optical fiber by insertion; a cylindrical photoelectric conversion device attaching section that includes an inner circumferential surface into which a photoelectric conversion device having a light-receiving element is inserted and for attaching the photoelectric conversion device with an adhesive that is interposed within an annular adhesion space; and a lens for optically coupling the end portion of the optical fiber and the light-emitting element, and the lens is a Fresnel lens in which a second face that faces the light-receiving element includes a convex face.

An optical module component referred to as an optical receptacle has been used since the past in optical communication using optical fibers. The optical receptacle is configured such that an end portion of an optical fiber held within a cylindrical ferrule is inserted into the optical receptacle together with the ferrule and fixed thereto. In addition, a photoelectric conversion device having a photoelectric conversion element is attached to the optical receptacle. The optical receptacle onto which the photoelectric conversion device and the optical fiber are assembled in this way optically couples the photoelectric conversion element and the end portion of the optical fiber.
Here, FIG. 6 shows an example of this type of optical receptacle 1 (refer to, for example, FIG. 4 of Patent Literature 1). The optical receptacle 1 is integrally formed by injection molding of a light-transmitting resin material, such as polyetherimide (PEI), polycarbonate (PC), polyethersulfone (PES), cyclo olefin polymer (COP), or poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA).
As shown in FIG. 6, the optical receptacle 1 has a lens 2 in a substantially center position in a length direction. The lens 2 is formed into a plano-convex lens in which a first face 2a on the upstream side of light in an optical axis OA direction of the lens 2 (upper side in FIG. 6) is a planar face, and a second face 2b on the downstream side of light (lower side in FIG. 6) is a convex face.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the optical receptacle 1 has a photoelectric conversion device attaching section 3 that extends from an outer position in a radial direction of the lens 2 towards the downstream side (lower side in FIG. 6) in the optical axis OA direction. The photoelectric conversion device attaching section 3 is formed into a cylindrical shape of which an inner circumferential surface is a circular cylindrical surface that is concentric with the optical axis OA. However, as shown in FIG. 6, a through-hole 4 is drilled in the photoelectric conversion device attaching section 3 to allow gas to escape outside, the gas being generated from an adhesive (such as thermoset resin) when a photoelectric conversion device is fixed to the photoelectric conversion device attaching section 3 using the adhesive.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the optical receptacle 1 has an optical fiber attaching section 5 that extends from the outer position in the radial direction of the lens 2 towards a direction in the optical axis OA direction opposite to the photoelectric conversion device attaching section 3. The optical fiber attaching section 5 is formed into a cylindrical shape of which an inner circumferential surface is a substantially circular cylindrical shape that is concentric with the optical axis OA.
Next, FIG. 7 shows an optical module 7 for reception as an example of an optical module including the optical receptacle 1, such as that described above.
In other words, as shown in FIG. 7, in the optical module 7, a CAN-package-type photoelectric conversion device 8 including an optical reception function is attached to the photoelectric conversion device attaching section 3 of the optical receptacle 1 by an adhesive 18. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the photoelectric conversion device 8 is configured by: a circular disk-shaped stem 9; a light-receiving element 10, such as a photodetector (PD), mounted on the stem 9; a cap 11 having a window portion in the peak portion and disposed such as to cover the light-receiving element 10; and a lead 12 through which electrical signals flow based on a light-reception result (photoelectric conversion) of the light-receiving element 10.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, in the optical module 7, an optical fiber 15 is detachably attached, together with a ferrule 17 that holds the optical fiber 15, to the optical fiber attaching section 5.
In the optical module 7 for reception such as that described above, light including transmission information that has been transmitted from a transmission-side device (such as a semiconductor laser LD) is transmitted over the optical fiber 15 and emitted from an end portion (end face) 15a of the optical fiber 15 towards the lens 2. The light emitted towards the lens 2 is then converged by the lens 2 and emitted towards the photoelectric conversion device 8. Thereafter, the light is received by the light-receiving element 10 of the photoelectric conversion device 8. In this way, the end portion 15a of the optical fiber 15 and the light-receiving element 10 are optically coupled.
In the optical module 7, the optical fiber 15 is used so as to be frequently attached and detached to and from the optical fiber attaching section 5, together with the ferrule 17.

Optical receptacle and optical module including the same


A flexible material such as a transparent tape includes a material which enhances the visibility of a newly formed edge. The material can include a fluorescent dye disposed in the tape, or can be a material which reacts with oxygen, moisture or some other component of the ambient atmosphere to render the edge more visibly evident.

Modern adhesive tapes and flexible sheet materials are now mass-produced with a very high degree of uniformity, both in terms of thickness and color or transparency. As a result, without a dispenser, it is often very difficult to find the edge of such materials, particularly if allowed to fall back onto the outer surface of the roll once cut or tom for use.
Many different types of tape exhibit this frustrating problem, including mending tapes and packing tapes, particularly the clear varieties. One clever solution to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,578, simply entitled "TAPE." According to this patent, a piece of tape includes a continuous marking imprinted thereon, which preferably extends diagonally from one corner of the tape to the other, or, alternatively, a wavy line is used which forms part of the repeating pattern. In both cases, after the tape is formed into a roll, the free end of the tape can be plainly visualized because the continuous line is broken and separated. It is clear from the disclosure of this patent, that the concept is not intended for use with transparent tapes, since only "insulating tapes" are specifically mentioned. If applied to transparent tapes or other materials, the line might be undesirable, particularly if the layers of the material are substantially transparent.
Although certain tape structures make use of fluorescence, its use is for surface highlighting as opposed to edge-finding. Using U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,946 as an example, which is entitled "FLUORESENCE ADHESIVE TAPE FOR USE AS A HIGHLIGHTER," fluorescent ink is applied to one face of the transparent film or support base, having a layer of low-tack adhesive, allowing the removal of the material from library books, and so forth, without damaging the printed matter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,394, entitled "PRESSURE-ACTIVATED FLUORESCENT MARKING TAPE," includes an adhesive fluorescent coloring layer coated on a carrier, wherein, upon application of pressure on the back of the carrier, the coloring layer is transferred to a substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,482, entitled "REMOVABLE HIGHLIGHTING TAPE," adds the feature of a dispenser having a cutting edge, further evidence that the prior art does not teach or consider the use of fluorescence or other optically-activated materials as an edge-finding feature. It is a notable, and required, feature of these highlighting tapes that they are highly colored, and this precludes their use in many applications.
Although at least one patent discloses the use of colored edges for edge-finding, this is not disclosed for use with newly-formed edges, but, rather, for use in conjunction with existing edges which are not torn or cut. This particular reference is U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,629, entitled "ADHESIVE TAPE," which is directed to the translucent material having an adhesive-free colored edge, enabling a health-care worker to visually discern and manipulate a tape edge even when using protective gloves. Thus, any mechanism tending to make newly formed edges on tapes or other materials more visually apparent would be welcomed by users thereof.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Tape and wrapping materials with edge-finding feature


A low-profile multipathway automatic drug delivery system utilizing a battery powered control pad coupled to a disposable drug storage and delivery system and strapped to a patient's limb or torso. A preprogrammed or on-demand drug administration sequence is input to the control pad. When a drug is to be administered, the control pad ignites a high energy density propellant charge in the drug delivery system. Expanding propellant gas exerts pressure on a drug in a second chamber and forces it from the storage reservoir. Depending upon the type of drug delivery system required for the drug being administered, the propellant will either: (i) force a hypodermic needle into a patient's muscle tissue, propel the drug in the storage container into the needle embedded in the patient, and withdraw the needle; (ii) force the drug from the storage container through a jet nozzle where the drug is injected into subcutaneous tissue; (iii) force the drug from the storage container into a patch for passive transdermal delivery; (iv) force the drug into a patch for iontophoretic transdermal diffusion; or (v) force together two drugs stored separately that are unstable when mixed, and then administer them through one of the methods described in steps (i) to (iv).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a drug delivery system. More specifically, the invention pertains to automatic delivery of a drug or drugs in single or multiple dosages. The invention includes an electronically programmable controller coupled to a low-profile module for attachment to a drug recipient and consisting of a multiple vesicle drug containment system and a plurality of different drug administration methods which are contained therein.
2. State of the Art
Administration of injectable drugs to a patient usually requires a trained and skilled professional to personally prepare the drug, prepare the patient, and administer the drug. If the drug requires injection, a needle must be inserted and removed. Typically, a clinical setting is required for but not limited to this type of drug administration because of the health risks when not using a sterilized environment. Furthermore, monitoring of the patient after drug delivery is often needed to evaluate drug therapy effectiveness or changing patient condition.
Automatically administering drugs without the need for a trained professional has so far met with limited success. To appreciate the dilemma fully, it is necessary to realize that it is not only the personal attention and skills required in administering drugs that make automation difficult to implement, but also the variety of situations in which drugs are administered. A further complication is that the great variety of drugs require different administration techniques.
For example, when a person requires regular insulin injections, that person is taught how to administer injections themselves. If the patient is young, other non-medical personnel are often taught how to administer drugs which severely hinders personal freedom of the drug administrator and the drug recipient. The situation is complicated in an emergency such as when a person goes into shock and is unable to personally inject the medication.
However, it is not only emergencies where automatic administration of drugs can be of benefit. For example, people who must work in confining conditions such as astronauts in space suits, pilots in combat aircraft, or soldiers in combat gear could also benefit from such a drug delivery system. In these situations, the cramped environment prohibits the manipulations necessary to administer a drug by self-administration by conventional means, thus creating a need for the present invention. Similarly, infantry soldiers fighting in the modern combat theater face deadly biological, chemical and nuclear threats that will almost certainly preclude advance drug therapy/prophylaxis of more than a few minutes in advance of critical need due to performance impairing side effects.
It should be apparent from the situations described that there are both military and civilian applications for an automatic drug delivery system capable of administering drugs which require a variety of delivery methods. The prior art solutions are limited in application and typically involve a single delivery method.
One example of a prolonged release drug delivery system that has recently become available is a transdermal patch that delivers a regulated dose of nicotine once it is attached to a smoker's skin. In a lipophilic form, the nicotine is absorbed through the skin, thereby alleviating the cravings for nicotine which is normally obtained through smoking. Unfortunately, very few drugs can be administered transdermally. Furthermore, even those that can be delivered transdermally are not necessarily conveniently administered when needed. There is a need for a drug delivery system that can handle a variety of delivery methods. There is also a need for the system to be automatic once a need for a drug is identified, thereby decreasing the possibility of human error in dosage, timing and delivery, especially under stressful conditions.
As the above situations illustrate, it would be an advantage over the prior art to provide an easily portable, automatic, electronically programmed and controlled multipathway drug delivery system that can be modified for the specific situation in which it will be used. It would be a further advantage if the system could be modified to include such things as programming to provide regular periodic injections, to thereby eliminate the chances of human error. The advantageous system would include different drugs and delivery modalities packaged in one device to provide alternative medical treatments if the drug therapy requirements change. It would also be an advantage over the prior art if a plurality of drugs requiring different delivery methods could all be administered from the same device. The device should be low-profile so that it can be strapped to a person ahead of time before entering an environment where medical attention by conventional means are difficult or impractical for such as reasons as urgency or space constraints. Therefore, ideally the system would be small, light weight, rugged, inexpensive and disposable.

Multipathway electronically-controlled drug delivery system


A telephone system (10) having an automatic call distributor (12a-c) for receiving calls and distributing the calls to at least one ubiquitous agent associated with the automatic call distributor (12a-c), a switch (20) connected to the automatic call distributor (12a-c), and a device (16) for controlling the switch (20) for connecting the switch (20) to the ubiquitous agents.

The present invention relates to automatic call distributor systems.
Before the present invention, telephone systems have been provided with a plurality of automatic call distributors (ACD) comprising a switch for routing incoming calls to a plurality of agents associated with each of the automatic call distributors. At certain times, the number of calls to any given call distributor may be excessive, and the callers are placed in a line (queue) for answering. Routing calls from a given automatic call distributor in an overflow manner from the originating automatic call distributor to another automatic call distributor is sometimes attempted if the call can be accepted at the other ACD. Such an overflow of calls may, for example, be required in an emergency situation, such as an ice storm when answering personnel (agents) cannot get to work to answer the telephone calls. However, each of the calls which are overflowed from one ACD to another ACD have required at least one trunk line for each call transferred which imposes an excessive need for trunks and equipment on the telephone system. In addition, the overflow of calls required that a sufficient number of agents at the other ACD be available to answer the calls to permit such overflow to be practical.
In addition, such overflow from one ACD to another ACD is relatively inefficient since it does not make the maximum use of the various agents servicing the ACDs in a multi-node ACD network. Further, if an answering agent is required to establish a conference between the caller and a third party it is presently necessary for the agent servicing the call at the second ACD to return the call on a trunk line to the originating ACD, such that the overflow calls are routed from the originating ACD to a second ACD and back to the originating ACD, which requires yet another trunk line thus posing additional equipment requirements of trunks and telephone system equipment. Further, many calls such as operator service calls send a series of identification and control digits to the switch during initial call set up. If the call cannot be answered in the originating ACD/switch for any reason, the identifier control digits must be regenerated and forwarded (overflowed) to another switch. This imposes additional requirements on the telephone system but is needed for proper operation and disposition of the overflow answered call.
In many instances, it would be desirable to connect incoming calls to an agent with special skills, such as an agent having knowledge of a particular foreign language, product, or caller service requirement. This invention would allow the calls requiring the special skill to be answered in the originating ACD by an agent with the special skill if one is available and connected to the network.
The use of remote agents to answer calls for a "closed" ACD center is in not an accepted solution because remote agents are dedicated to serving only the center from which they are remoted. In other words, they are physically remoted but electronically the same as local agents. Assume a call center location with agents remoted from one or more ACD call centers. If traffic to the ACD center is low (or none at all), the remoted agents connected to that ACD are idle. At the same time, other agents remoted from the other ACD call centers physically next to the "idle" remoted agents may be swamped with calls from their respective ACD call centers. Without physically moving to a new position, which is electronically connected to the "busy" center, the "idle" remote agents cannot answer an incoming call. If the agent does move to a new position, his assistance is still limited to only that one center which is connected to the position. Other call centers in the network with a call queue are not capable of being helped by the idle agents. The invention allows each ubiquitous agent position to be assigned to the call center with the greater need on a real time basis.
Historically, moving incoming calls to other call centers by the overflow method is used to improve service levels, utilize idle agents, and/or to close a call center after hours. This overflow method is acceptable when dealing with basic traffic (seize and ring), low traffic periods during off-hours, and/or during peak call volume periods. Operator Service traffic and calls with data and control digits as part of the call supervision are complex and cannot be routed over standard overflow circuits with existing ACD software. Also, the number of circuits required to provide full contingency coverage for emergencies, such as ice storms, with conventional diversion is one inter-switch circuit for each incoming trunk, and would require an excessive amount of circuits to perform a 100% contingency coverage. With the invention, a circuit (or fractional circuit with multiplexing) for each agent is required. (The trunk circuit to agent ratio is typically 1.2 to 1 in most call centers).


A dendritic compound of the following structure: PDn-Z-L is disclosed. In the structure above, P is X—(CH2CH2—O)r—, r is an integer ranging from 1000 to 4000, X is OH, NH2, or OR, R is C1 to C10alkyl, Dn is a residue of branched C3 to C30 polyol compounds, n is the quantity of layers of the residue of branched compounds and is an integer equal to or greater than 1, L is a metal cation, Z is the residue of a C3 to C30 compound with multi functional groups. The functional groups illustrated above can be carboxylic groups, amino groups, amide groups, or chelating groups. The carboxylic groups, ester groups, amino groups, or amide groups bind to Dn, and the chelating groups bind to the metal cations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dendritic compound, and more particularly, to a dendritic compound suitable for chelating with metal cations.
2. Description of Related Art
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of the most significant diagnosing techniques in modern medical science. Compared to X-rays or CT scanning, MRI provides multi-angle scanning which can be applied to the central nerve system, the skeletal nerve system, the abdomen, the chest, angiography, cholangiography, and the most important and valuable of all, to discover and diagnose tumor tissues.
The principle of MRI is to transform the hydrogen atoms within human tissues into tiny radio transmitters. Under the same magnetic field change, hydrogen atoms within water or other molecules transmit different signals. MRI traces these signals and forms the 3-D image of a human body through Fourier Transfer. In other words, the greater the differences in each radio-transmitted signal, the clearer contrast will be transformed. So far, it is known that the use of super-paramagnetic elements, such as Gadolinium (Gd), can enhance the contrast. As a result, the density of super-paramagnetic elements is the critical factor for the clarity of image.
In addition, due to the fact that free Gd is toxic, a chelator must be added when the Gd is applied to human bodies. The addition of the chelator can decrease the chemical reaction during body circulation. Diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) is one of the most common and commercially mass produced chelators for application in MRI.
However, when applying the commercialized non-polymer carrier Gd-DTPA as an imaging agent, chelators with small molecule weight penetrate vascular endothelial cells easily and thus extensive losses occur while circulating. Furthermore, it requires high concentration of Gd to achieve the desirable image. In addition to the potential danger of toxicity caused by high concentration of Gd, it is also difficult to massively accumulate an imaging agent on a certain position. Therefore, there exists a great disadvantage for clinical application of prior art non-polymer Gd-DTPA imaging agents.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A transmission for coupling a starter-generator electrical machine to an internal combustion engine and having a transmission ratio that is a function of the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine. The ratio of the rotational speed of the electrical machine to that of the internal combustion engine can be increased at a lower rotational speed of the internal combustion engine than at a higher rotational speed of the internal combustion engine. A control device is provided for switching the transmission ratio, which is held by means of spring force in a condition in which the ratio of rotational speeds is high, and as the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine rises increases the transmission ratio is switched to a condition in which the ratio of rotational speeds is lower.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmission for coupling a starter-generator electrical machine to an internal combustion engine in a way to assure satisfactory functional reliability of transmission of torque even when the electrical power fails.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern motor vehicles, increasing use is being made of electrical machines, which are usable both for starting the internal combustion engine and as generators for charging the battery during certain operating conditions. The starter function can be used additionally to supply additional starting torque in certain operating conditions. With the generator function it is possible to recover energy when braking the vehicle, for example, or to recharge the battery during certain operating conditions. Thus the electrical machine serves both to improve driving convenience and to reduce fuel consumption.
For coupling between the electrical machine and the internal combustion engine, a transmission is provided that operates at a high transmission ratio between the rotational speed of the electrical machine and the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is running at low rotational speeds, and with a low transmission ratio when the internal combustion engine is running at high rotational speeds. The result is that the electrical machine supplies sufficient electrical energy at low rotational speeds of the internal combustion engine and that sufficient torque is available for starting the internal combustion engine. The lower transmission ratio ensures that the electrical machine does not overspeed at high rotational speeds of the internal combustion engine.
A transmission ratio control device is normally actuated by centrifugal force, so that the system operates with a high transmission ratio at low rotational speeds. With a good battery charge even the low transmission ratio is sufficient, since the battery does not have to be charged and lower driving losses occur for the electrical machine. It therefore makes sense with regard to energy to actively switch over the transmission ratio in accordance with need.
Active switching results in a conflict of objectives for functional reliability when the electrical power fails. If the control system operates so that a low transmission ratio continues in effect when the electrical power fails, it can no longer be possible to start the internal combustion engine, since there is not sufficient torque available.
If the control is instead operated so that a high transmission ratio remains in effect when the electrical power fails, the electrical machine overspeeds at high crankshaft rotational speeds and is destroyed.
An object of the present invention is to further develop an appropriate type of transmission such that satisfactory functional reliability is ensured even when the electrical power fails.

Transmission for coupling a starter-generator electrical machine to an internal combustion engine

LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG


A solid-state imaging apparatus including: an electronic shutter scanning circuit for outputting to a pixel section a second line select signal for selecting second lines to which an operation setting corresponding to exposure time is effected; and a scanning control section for executing a first control for controlling selection of first lines through a read scanning circuit in a read region consisting of a plurality of lines within the pixel section and a second control for controlling selection of the second lines through the electronic shutter scanning circuit with taking the read region and an unread region in the vicinity of the read region as subject of selection and controlling timing for resetting the pixel cells belonging to the second liens in accordance with the exposure time.

The present invention relates to solid-state imaging apparatus, and more particularly relates to solid-state imaging apparatus having function for reading an optional region and having an electronic shutter function.
Various techniques have been proposed concerning solid-state imaging apparatus having an electronic shutter function. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open hei-5-316431, for example, discloses a solid-state imaging apparatus where an electronic shutter function is achieved by providing a vertical scanning circuit for scanning rows to be read of a pixel section, and an electronic shutter scanning circuit for determining the timing of exposure operation where light is caused to be incident on each pixel.
The construction of a solid-state imaging apparatus having a known electronic shutter function will now be described by way of a block diagram shown in FIG. 1. The shown solid-state imaging apparatus includes: a pixel section 11 having a plurality of pixel cells PIX11 to PIX88 disposed in a matrix (showing only the sixty-four pixel cells PIX11 to PIX88 for ease of explanation); a vertical scanning circuit 12 for use in selecting rows to be read out of the pixel section 11; an electronic shutter scanning circuit 13 for use in determining start of exposure; a multiplexer 14 for providing to the pixel section 11 an output of one or the other of the vertical scanning circuit 12 and the electronic shutter scanning circuit 13; a noise suppressing circuit 15 for suppressing noise contained in the signals read out to vertical signal line V1 to V8 of each column; a horizontal scanning circuit 16 for fetching signals from the noise suppressing circuit 15 by selectively turning ON/OFF horizontal select switches M1 to M8; and an output amplifier 17 for amplifying the fetched signals.
Also referring to FIG. 1, symbols are respectively used to denote: read row select lines φV1 to φV8; electronic shutter row select lines φVE1 to φVE8; pixel reset pulse line of each row φRST1 to φRST8; pixel transfer pulse line of each row φTR1 to φTR8; vertical signal line of each column V1 to V8; column select lines φH1 to φH8; and a sensor output line OUT.
An operation of the solid-state imaging apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will now be described by way of a timing chart shown in FIG. 2. The timing chart of FIG. 2 is to show the waveforms of: VD (vertical synchronizing signal); φV1 to φV8 (read row select line), φVE1 to φVE8 (electronic shutter row select line), φRST1 to φRST8 (pixel reset pulse line of each row), and φTR1 to φTR8 (pixel transfer pulse line of each row). Further PD11 and PD12 represent electric potentials of photodiodes (not shown) of the pixel cells PIX11 and PIX12 in FIG. 1, respectively.
When an electronic shutter row select line φVE1 is driven to "H" level by the electronic shutter scanning circuit 13 at a timing point t1, the electronic shutter row select line φVE1 is brought into its selected state. The pixel reset pulse line φRST1 is then driven to "H" level by the multiplexer 14 to set pixel cell PIX11 to a predetermined voltage value. Subsequently, when pixel transfer pulse line φTR1 is driven to "H" level at time t2, the photodiode of pixel cell PIX11 discharges an electric charge so that electric potential PD11 of the photodiode is reset. The pixel transfer pulse line φTR1 is then driven to "L" level at time t2′. Next, read row select line φV1 is selected by the vertical scanning circuit 12 at time t4, and after that, at time t5, the pixel transfer pulse line φTR1 is driven to "H" level again by the multiplexer 14. The time period from time t2′ to time t5 until the transfer of the pixel signal of pixel cell PIX11 becomes an exposure time of the pixel cell PIX11. Since sequential scanning is effected of the electronic shutter scanning circuit 13 and the vertical scanning circuit 12, the time period from time t3′ to time t6 similarly becomes an exposure time of the pixel cell PIX12 as shown in FIG. 2.
An electronic shutter function is achieved in this manner by providing a vertical scanning circuit for scanning rows to be read of the pixel section and an electronic shutter scanning circuit for determining the timing of exposure operation where light is caused to be incident on each pixel.
Further, various techniques have been proposed concerning solid-state imaging apparatus that are capable of reading pixel signals at high rates. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open hei-6-350933 discloses a solid-state imaging apparatus having a scanning circuit capable of scanning an optional region where scanning is started from an optional location and the scanning can be stopped at an optional location. By using a scanning circuit capable of optional region scanning as the vertical scanning circuit 12 and the electronic shutter scanning circuit 13 of the solid-state imaging apparatus shown in FIG. 1, an optional region of the pixel section 11 can be read out. It may be used for example in a mode where signals of all pixels are read out in taking a high-definition still image while, on the other hand, signals are read out at high speed by windowing an optional region in providing dynamic image outputs.


The instant invention relates to methods of preparing and stabilizing complex multiphase compositions that include distinct phases of water, gel, liquid crystal or oil and perfluoropolyether dispersed in a continuous phase of a silicone fluid. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of preparing a stable multiphase composition comprising the steps of mixing an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polymeric emulsifier, a silicone-based emulsifier and an oleophobic, hydrophobic silicone fluid in amounts effective to form a stable water-in-silicone emulsion; mixing the water-in-silicone emulsion with a hydrophilic gel comprising a homogeneous mixture of water and a sufficient amount of at least one viscosity-enhancing, water-soluble polymer, the emulsion and gel being combined in amounts effective to form a dispersion in which the gel is dispersed in the emulsion; and adding to the dispersion an oil or a thermotropic liquid crystal and a perfluoropolyether in amounts effective to form a stable, multiphase composition comprising a continuous phase of silicone fluid and independent, polydisperse phases of water, gel, oil or liquid crystal and perfluoropolyether.

Conventional cosmetic vehicles for skin moisturization deliver moisture to the skin only on the initial application of the cosmetic moisturizer. The need for a cosmetic, dermatologic or medicinal multiphasic vehicle that will, in addition, provide sustained skin moisturization while blocking skin moisture loss has been long felt. There has also been a need for a multiphasic vehicle that can be used to provide water- soluble and lipid-soluble active ingredients, such as vitamins, plant extracts, antioxidants, proteins, polymers, oils and the like. Most cosmetic vehicles consist of emulsions.

Method of preparing a multiphase composition


A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes mountain a first semiconductor chip on a wiring substrate, bonding a spacer having a first main surface and a second main surface opposing the first main surface such that the first main surface is in contact with the first semiconductor chip. The method further includes bonding a second semiconductor chip having a surface, onto the second main surface via a layer of a die bonding material selectively formed on a part of a third main surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a fabrication method for the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, thinner semiconductor chips are desired for mounting in a card-shaped thin package and providing a small mounted area of multiple semiconductor chips. However, wafer cracks or underside chipping may occur when transferring or dicing individual semiconductor chips, which are obtained by dicing a thin wafer provided by grinding the side (underside) opposing a device formed wafer side.
Dicing before grinding (DBG) methodology has been proposed as a method of preventing, to the utmost, wafer cracks or underside chipping due to thinned semiconductor chips (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open 2002-118081, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open 2003-147300).
A semiconductor device 110 fabricated through the DBG methodology is shown in FIG. 1A, and a semiconductor device 120 is shown in FIG. 1B. The semiconductor device 110 shown in FIG. 1A is made up of a wiring substrate 106, a first and a second semiconductor chip 101a and 101b, a spacer 113, die bonding sheets (material) 104, and wires 112a, 112b connected to the first and the second semiconductor chip 101a and 101b. The first semiconductor chip 101a mentioned above has the die bonding sheet 104 on a first main surface opposing the wiring substrate 106, and a semiconductor element is formed on a second main surface opposing the first main surface. Accordingly, the second semiconductor chip 101b mentioned above has the die bonding sheet 104 on a third main surface opposing the wiring substrate 106, and a semiconductor element is formed on a fourth main surface opposing the third main surface. The die bonding sheet 104 having the same width as the spacer 113, which is sandwiched between the first and the second semiconductor chip 101a and 101b, is bonded to the first main surface opposing the wiring substrate 106. The first semiconductor chip 101a is mounted on the wiring substrate 106 via the die bonding sheet 104 formed on the first main surface. The second semiconductor chip 101b is adhered so that the third main surface opposes the first semiconductor chip 101a and that the spacer 113 is sandwiched therebetween.
A earlier technology fabrication method for the semiconductor device 110 is explained forthwith while referencing the process drawings of FIG. 2A to 2G and FIG. 3A to 3F.    (i) To begin with, as shown in FIG. 2A, semiconductor chips 101, which are obtained by being divided into diced shapes through the DBG methodology, are mounted on a surface protection sheet 102 so that the device formation face (the first or the third main surface) opposes the surface protection sheet 102.    (ii) Next, the die bonding sheet 104 is mounted on the semiconductor chips 101 as shown in FIG. 2B, and protruding portions 104c of the die bonding sheet 104 are removed as shown in FIG. 2C.    (iii) After turning the die bonding sheet over as shown in FIG. 2D, the die bonding sheet 104 is bonded on a sheet 108 so that the sheet 108 opposes the die bonding sheet 104. Afterwards, by peeling off the surface protection sheet 102, the adhesion faces of the respective semiconductor chips 101 are changed to the side of the sheet 108, and are joined to the die bonding sheet 104.    (iv) The semiconductor chip 101 with the die bonding sheet 104 is irradiated with ultraviolet light using a earlier technology method as shown in FIG. 2E. Consequently, an ultraviolet irradiated portion of the die bonding material 104b is hardened to be integrated with the sheet 108. Meanwhile, the remaining portion of the die bonding sheet 104 that was not irradiated since it is behind the semiconductor chip 101 maintains viscosity that allows it to be peeled off.    (v) This allows only each semiconductor chip 101 with the die bonding sheet 104 to be picked up when picking up the semiconductor chip 101 in the direction of the arrow using a transfer collet (not shown in the drawing) as shown in FIG. 2F.    (vi) A semiconductor chip 101 is mounted as the first semiconductor chip 101a on the wiring substrate 106 via the die bonding sheet 104 as shown in FIG. 3A. A spacer 113a is mounted on the first semiconductor chip 101a via the die bonding sheet 104 as shown in FIG. 3B. At this time, the spacer 113a with a predetermined width is mounted so as to secure a clearance d between the first semiconductor chip 101a and the second semiconductor chip 101b as shown in FIG. 3D. This prevents the wire 112a from being in contact with the die bonding sheet 104a during wire bonding, which is explained later.    (vii) The first semiconductor chip 101a is bonded with a wire 112a as shown in FIG. 3C.    (viii) The second semiconductor chip 101b is mounted on the first semiconductor chip 101a via the spacer 113a and the die bonding sheet 104 as shown in FIG. 3D.    (iv) The second semiconductor chip 101b is bonded with a wire 112b as shown in FIG. 3E.    (x) Afterwards, the semiconductor device 110 is fabricated as shown in FIGS. 3F and 1A by encapusulating with a encapusulating material 111.
However, in the step of picking up each semiconductor chip 101 shown in FIG. 2F, it is not easy to peel the unhardened portion of the die bonding sheet 104 off the hardened portions 104b of the die bonding sheet merged with the sheet 108. In other words, it is difficult to pick up selectively each semiconductor chip 101 adhered to the die bonding sheet 104.
To solve this problem, by a earlier technology, the semiconductor chip 101 is pushed upwards from below the sheet 108 by a needle 114 or the like as shown in FIG. 2G, thereby relaxing and allowing the sheet 108 to be peeled off and then removing the hardened portions 104b of the die bonding sheet.
Also, according to earlier technology, since it is difficult to control the location of the die bonding sheet 104, the die bonding sheet 104 is adhereed across the entire undersides (the first or the third main surfaces) of the semiconductor chips 101. As a result, the die bonding sheet 104 adhered to the underside of the second semiconductor chip 101b protrudes from the spacer 113a, as shown in FIG. 3D. A thick spacer 113a is formed so as to prevent the wire 112a from being in contact with this protruding die bonding sheet 104a. Consequently, the greater the number of wiring layers, the thicker the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device and fabrication method for the same


A method for manufacturing a light reflecting metal wall including a step (a) forming a cavity structure on a metal plate on which back surface a substrate is laminated, the cavity structure including on its side wall a light reflecting wall, the step (a) including the steps of (b) forming a first mask on a surface of the metal plate, the first mask having a mask opening portion corresponding to an opening portion of the cavity structure, and (c) forming the light reflecting wall on a side wall of the metal plate by carrying out wet etching with respect to the metal plate with the first mask, in the step (c), in the middle of the wet etching, the first mask being bent by press working along the light reflecting wall formed by the wet etching. As a result, the light reflecting metal wall is stably formed by securing both (i) an area of an LED chip mounting surface and (ii) a thickness of the light reflecting metal wall even if a packaged light-emitting element has a narrow lateral width of its short side.

Conventionally, a light-emitting element such as a Light Emitting Diode (hereinafter, referred to as LED) is used as a light source of a backlight for irradiating a display panel, such as a liquid crystal display panel, from a side of the display panel. Light-emitting elements adopting various arrangements have been proposed so that light emitted from the LED is efficiently taken out from the light-emitting elements.
For example, FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b) illustrates a light-emitting element disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-282004 (published on Oct. 7, 2004) (Publicly Known Document 1).
FIG. 10(a) is a plan view illustrating a conventional light-emitting element, and FIG. 10(b) is a cross-section view taken along the line I-I in FIG. 10(a).
As illustrated in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), the conventional light-emitting element includes an LED 501, a first electrode 503 formed on a substrate 505, a second electrode 504 formed so as to be away from the first electrode 503, and a light reflecting metal body 502 for reflecting light emitted from the LED 501.
The light reflecting metal body 502 has a light reflecting plane 502a, which is formed by etching around a position where the LED 501 is to be provided, and also is stacked integrally with the substrate 505. Further, translucent resin such as a translucent resin lens 506 is provided so that an outer circumferential rim of its convex plane is located at a top rim of the light reflecting plane 502a of the light reflecting metal body 502. This causes a surface on which the LED 501 is mounted is coated with the translucent resin lens 506.
Note that the light reflecting metal body 502 is preferable arranged to efficiently emit the light emitted from a light-emitting plane of the LED 501, via the translucent resin lens 506. The following description deals with how to form the light reflecting metal body 502 in a method for manufacturing this conventional light-emitting element.
FIG. 11 (a) illustrates a state, in a step for manufacturing the conventional light-emitting element, where the light reflecting metal body 502 has been not formed yet. FIG. 11(b) illustrates a state, in the step for manufacturing the conventional light-emitting element, where the light reflecting metal body 502 has been already formed.
As illustrated in FIG. 11(a), a mask layer 511 is formed on a metal layer 512 such that at least a region where the LED 501 is to be provided is opened. Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 11(b), the light reflecting plane 502a is formed by selectively etching the metal layer 512. At this point, a shape of the light reflecting plane 502a is controlled by adjusting an etching level, so as to have a curved surface. This allows the light to be efficiently reflected from the side surface of the light reflecting metal body 502.
Meanwhile, the method for manufacturing the light reflecting metal body 502 is also applied to a method for manufacturing other components. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-167086 (published on Jun. 23, 2005) (Publicly Known Document 2) discloses an arrangement in which, by using a method similar to the aforementioned method, a convex metal portion is formed on an LED mounting substrate.
FIG. 12 is a cross-section view illustrating a conventional LED mounting substrate.
The conventional LED mounting substrate, as illustrated in FIG. 12, includes a convex metal portion 603 formed in a region where an LED 601 is to be mounted via a heat radiating pattern 602b. With this arrangement, heat created at the LED 601 is led to a metal substrate 604 via the heat radiating pattern 602b and the convex metal portion 603. This improves a heat radiation effect. Further, the LED 601 is electrically connected with an electrode section 602a, and a light reflecting body 605 is formed on a surface of the electrode section 602a so as to surround the LED 601.
As in the aforementioned method, the convex metal portion 603 is formed by (i) forming a metal layer on a metal substrate 604, (ii) forming an etching resist on a surface of the metal layer, and then (iii) etching the surface of the metal layer selectively.
Meanwhile, the light-emitting element, including a light reflecting surface formed by carrying out wet etching with respect to a metal plate, is not manufactured individually. Instead, a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged at a prescribed interval and simultaneously manufactured in a single metal plate, and ultimately cut with a blade (a cutter) into light-emitting elements, individually.
FIG. 13(a) is a cross-section view illustrating the light-emitting element that has not been cut into light-emitting elements individually, as viewed from a side surface along a short side thereof. FIG. 13(b) is a plan view illustrating a state where a mask member 705 is detached from the light-emitting element of FIG. 13(a). FIG. 13(c) is a plan view illustrating a state where the mask member 705 is attached to the light-emitting element of FIG. 13(a). Additionally, only the two light-emitting elements are illustrated in FIGS. 13(a) to 13(c) for convenience.
The light-emitting element illustrated in FIGS. 13(a) to 13(c) includes a Cu wiring layer 701, a resin layer 702, an etch stop layer 703, a light reflecting metal wall 704 having a light reflecting surface 704a, and a mask member 705 which is made of metal. In such a light-emitting element, it is necessary to form the light reflecting plane 704a by carrying out wet etching with respect to the metal plate under three conditions described below.
Condition A
An LED chip mounting surface 706 should be made flat and wide.
Condition B
A thickness B of the light reflecting metal wall 704 should be made as thick as possible, the thickness B being in a direction parallel to the LED chip mounting surface 706.
Condition C
A height C of the light reflecting metal wall 704 should be higher than a desired height, the height C being in a direction perpendicular to the LED chip mounting surface 706.
The following describes CONDITION A. In a case where the LED chip is provided and is subjected to a conductive connection by wire bonding, there is a need to secure an area for industrial tools. Therefore, on the LED chip mounting surface 706, a minimum required width A needs to be secured and widened. Further, the LED chip mounting surface 706 needs to be flat so that the LED chip is suitably mounted.
The following describes the CONDITION B. By cutting a part with a blade, the part indicated by an arrow X, the light-emitting elements is prepared individually. Therefore, when the light reflecting metal wall 704 has a thin thickness B, there is a possibility that the light reflecting metal wall 704 is damaged during the cutting. Further, in cases where the light-emitting element is the one obtained by being individually cut, when the light reflecting metal wall 704 has a thin thickness t, this also causes some problem in view of an end product. As such, the thickness B of the light reflecting metal wall 704 needs to be made as thick as possible by taking into consideration a width P of the blade used in the cutting.
The following further describes the CONDITION C with reference to FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b). FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) are diagrams explaining the height C of the light reflecting metal wall 704.
As illustrated in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b), the light-emitting element has an arrangement in which sealing resin 709 is filled in an inner circumferential space, where the light reflecting surface 704a of the light reflecting metal wall 704 is formed, so that an exposed surface of the sealing resin 709 and the top surface of the light reflecting metal wall 704 form a single surface. This causes the sealing resin 709 to cover an LED chip 707 and a wiring 708. Thus, an area in which the sealing resin 709 is provided is determined in accordance with the height C of the light reflecting metal wall 704. As a result, it is necessary to determine the height C of the light reflecting metal wall 704 in accordance with a positional relationship causing the LED chip 707 and the wiring 708 not to protrude from the sealing resin 709.
Further, in a case where the light reflecting metal wall 704 has a low height C as illustrated in FIG. 14(a), a directivity angle α (an angle at which the light emits) becomes wider than a case where the light reflecting metal wall 704 has a high height C as illustrated in FIG. 14(b). It is not preferable to make the directivity angle α too wide, because if the directivity angle α is wide, then loss of light will increase. As such, it is necessary to set the height C of the light reflecting metal wall 704 to be higher than a desired height, by taking into consideration (i) the positional relationship causing the LED chip 707 and the wiring 708 not to protrude from the sealing resin 709 and (ii) the setting of the directivity angle α.
It is desirable to meet the aforementioned three conditions. However, as described in Public Known Documents 1 and 2, according to the conventional method, the metal plate is protected with the mask member and wet etching is carried out with respect to the metal plate. It is difficult to form a required shape of the opening portion of the light reflecting surface, because metal is a material which is etched isotropically.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, it is assumed that the height C of the light reflecting metal wall 704 (a distance from the etch stop layer 703 to the opening portion) is set to be longer than a lateral width W of a packaged light-emitting element. In this case, since etching is performed isotropically, the etching is carried out up to an area of the LED chip mounting surface in a lateral direction of the opening portion but the etching is not carried out up to the etch stop layer 703 in a height direction of the opening portion (see an arrow Z).
On the contrary, it is assumed that the height C of the light reflecting metal wall 704 is set to be shorter than the lateral width W of the packaged light-emitting element. In this case, the etching is carried out up to the etch end layer 703 in the height direction of the opening portion but the etching is not carried out enough in a lateral direction of the opening portion. As a result, the light reflecting surface 704a has a shape causing a vicinity of the LED chip mounting surface to rise in a curved manner. This causes the area of the LED chip mounting not to be secured sufficiently.
It is possible to further carry out the etching because the etch end layer 703 is formed on a surface that is to be the LED chip mounting surface. However, an opening width of the light reflecting metal wall 704 becomes wider than necessary in the vicinity of the mask member 705, and the thickness of the light reflecting metal wall 704 becomes too thin in the vicinity of the mask member 705. This arises a problem that a shape of the light reflecting metal wall 704 can not be kept due to lack of strength.
For the aforementioned reasons, in order that (i) the area of the LED chip mounting surface and (ii) the thickness B of the light reflecting metal wall 704 are both secured while the height C of the light reflecting metal wall 704 is kept at a desired required height, the only way is to increase the size of a light-emitting element, in particular, the lateral width W of the short side of the packaged light-emitting element.

Method for manufacturing light reflecting metal wall

Fuji Machinery Mfg. & Electronics Co., Ltd.