A circuitized substrate which includes a conductive paste for providing electrical connections. The paste, in one embodiment, includes a metallic component including nano-particles and may include additional elements such as solder or other metal micro-particles, as well as a conducting polymer and organic. The particles of the paste composition sinter and, depending on what additional elements are added, melt as a result of lamination to thereby form effective contiguous circuit paths through the paste. A method of making such a substrate is also provided, as is an electrical assembly utilizing the substrate and including an electronic component such as a semiconductor chip coupled thereto.

Responsive to the demands for miniaturization in many of today's circuitized substrate designs, multilayered printed circuit boards (PCBs), laminate chip carriers, and the like organic products require formation of multiple circuits in a minimum volume or space. These typically comprise a stack of electrically conductive layers of signal, ground and/or power planes (lines) separated from each other by a layer of organic dielectric material. Selected lines or pads of one conductive layer are often in electrical contact with selected ones of lines and/or pads of other conductive layers using plated holes passing through the dielectric layers. The plated holes are often referred to as "vias" if internally located, "blind vias" if extending a predetermined depth within the board from an external surface, or "plated-thru-holes" (PTHs) if extending substantially through the board's full thickness. By the term "thru-hole" as used herein is meant to include all three types of such conductive openings.
Fabrication of such PCBs, chip carriers and the like typically require the formation of separate inner-layer circuits (circuitized layers), which are often made by coating a photosensitive layer or film (often referred to simply as photo-resist) over a copper layer of a copper clad inner-layer base material. The organic photosensitive coating is imaged, developed and the exposed copper is etched to form conductor lines. After etching, the photosensitive film is stripped from the copper leaving the circuit pattern on the surface of the inner-layer base material. This processing is also referred to as photolithographic processing in the PCB art and further description is not deemed necessary. Following the formation of individual inner-layer circuits, a multilayer stack is formed by preparing a lay-up of inner-layers, ground planes, power planes, etc., typically separated from each other by a dielectric, organic pre-preg typically comprising a layer of glass (typically fiberglass) cloth impregnated with a partially cured material, typically a B-stage epoxy resin. Such an organic material is also referred to in the industry as "FR-4" dielectric material. The top and bottom outer layers of the stack usually comprise copper clad, glass-filled, epoxy planar substrates with the copper cladding comprising exterior surfaces of the stack. The stack is laminated to form a monolithic structure using heat and pressure to fully cure the B-stage resin. The stack so formed typically has metal (usually copper) cladding on both of its exterior surfaces. Exterior circuit layers are formed in the copper cladding using procedures similar to the procedures used to form the inner-layer circuits. A photosensitive film is applied to the copper cladding. The coating is exposed to patterned activating radiation and developed. An etching solution such as cupric chloride is then used to remove copper bared by the development of the photosensitive film. Finally, the remaining photosensitive film is removed, leaving the desired circuit layers on the external surfaces.
As is known, conductive thru-holes (or interconnects) serve to electrically connect individual circuit layers within the structure to each other and to the outer surfaces and typically pass through all or a portion of the stack. Thru-holes may be formed prior to the formation of circuits on the exterior surfaces by drilling holes through the stack at appropriate locations. Alternatively, such holes may be formed within the individual circuitized layers prior to incorporation within the multi-layered structure and final lamination thereof. In both methods, the bare walls of these holes are usually subjected to at least one pre-treatment step after which the walls are catalyzed by contact with a plating catalyst and metallized, typically by contact with an electro-less or electrolytic copper plating solution. If the thru-holes are PTHs, interconnections are thus formed between selected ones of the circuitized layers of the multilayered final product which have one or more conductive lines or elements in contact with the inner conductive layer of the PTHs. If the thru-holes are individually formed within selected layers and then coupled to one another during product stacking, connectivity is accomplished preferably using a conductive paste or the like. (It is also known to use such pastes in PTHs as described above, including in combination with the plated walled versions thereof.) Such conductive pastes are known to include a highly conductive metal such as silver in the form of flakes. Following formation of the conductive thru-holes in multilayered structures such as PCBs in which the thru-holes are provided as PTHs, exterior circuits (outer-layers) are formed using the procedure described above. Such external formation may also occur when stacking layers already having thru-holes formed therein. It is also possible to form the two outer conductive layers, and then stack the layered sub-composites together.
In typical substrate construction, semiconductor chips and/or other electrical components are mounted at appropriate locations on the exterior circuit layers of the multilayered stack after construction of the substrate having such connections therein has been accomplished. In some examples, such components are mounted and electrically coupled using solder ball technology, one form of which is referred to in the industry as ball grid array (BGA) technology. For PCBs, these components may include capacitors, resistors, and even chip carriers. For chip carriers having multilayered substrates, a chip is often solder bonded to the carrier laminate substrate's upper surface and the carrier is in turn solder bonded to an underlying substrate, typically a PCB. In either form (PCB or chip carrier), the components are in electrical contact with the circuits within the structure through the conductive thru-holes, as desired. The solder pads are typically formed by coating an organic solder mask coating over the exterior circuit layers. The solder mask may be applied by screen coating a liquid solder mask coating material over the surface of the exterior circuit layers using a screen having openings defining areas where solder mount pads are to be formed. Alternatively, a photoimageable solder mask may be coated onto the exterior surfaces and exposed and developed to yield an array of openings defining the pads. The openings are then coated with solder using processes known to the art such as wave soldering.
With respect to particle usage, it is known that a decrease in particle size may result in enhanced sintering kinetics of some particulate materials. When particle size reaches the nanometer range, full densification is often possible at substantially lower temperatures than those needed for sintering coarse-grained particulates. This is because nanoparticles imply shorter diffusion lengths while promoting boundary diffusion mechanisms. In addition to savings in energy, lower sintering temperatures also result in reduced contamination, stresses and cracking during cooling. The enhanced sintering kinetics of nanoparticulate materials are already exploited in the microelectronic packaging industry, where metal alloy nanopowders are incorporated in cold-weldable welding pastes to achieve ductile and electrically conductive metal to metal bonds.
Examples of organic products such as defined above are shown in the patents listed below, as are substrates of the non-organic (ceramic) type.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,828,514, issued Dec. 7, 2004, there is defined a multilayered PCB including two multilayered portions, one of these able to electrically connect electronic components mounted on the PCB to assure high frequency connections there-between. The PCB further includes a conventional PCB portion to reduce costs while assuring a structure having a satisfactory overall thickness for use in the PCB field. Coupling is also possible to the internal portion from these components. This patent is assigned to the same Assignee as the instant invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,815,837, issued Nov. 9, 2004, there is defined an electronic package (e.g., a chip carrier) and information handling system utilizing same wherein the package substrate includes an internally conductive layer coupled to an external pad and of a size sufficiently large enough to substantially prevent cracking, separation, etc. of the pad when the pad is subjected to a predetermined tensile pressure. This patent is also assigned to the same Assignee as the instant invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,809,269, issued Oct. 26, 2004, there is defined a circuitized substrate assembly and method for making same wherein the assembly includes individual circuitized substrates bonded together. The substrates each include at least one opening, only one of which is substantially filled with a conductive paste prior to bonding. Once bonded, the paste is also partially located within the other opening to provide an effective electrical connection therewith. One example of a product using this technology is a chip carrier. This patent is also assigned to the same Assignee as the instant invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,496, issued Jul. 13, 2004, there is described a sintered aluminum nitride substrate which has a via hole and an internal electrically conductive layer with, allegedly, high thermal conductivity and high adhesion strength between the sintered aluminum nitride substrate and the internal electrically conductive layer or the via hole. The substrate consists of an internal electrically conductive layer, at least one electrically conductive via hole formed between the internal electrically conductive layer and at least one surface of the substrate, wherein the thermal conductivity of the aluminum nitride sintering product at 25 degrees Celsius (C) is described as being 190 W/mK or more, with a corresponding adhesion strength between the aluminum nitride sintering product and the internal electrically conductive layer also mentioned.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,319, issued Jun. 1, 2004, there is described an electronic circuit which is made by printing a "Parmod®" composition (commercially available from a company called Parelec, LLC, from Rocky Hill, N.J. and, per the author, described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,882,722 and 6,036,889) on a temporary substrate and curing it to produce a pattern of metal conductors. The conductors are laminated to a substrate under heat and pressure to produce a laminate with the metal pre-patterned into the desired circuit configuration. The conductor can also be coated with a polymer and cured to form a pre-patterned substrate. Single and double-sided circuits or multi-layers can be made this way. Per the author, the compositions include printable inks and pastes, which consist of metal flakes and/or powders mixed with a Reactive Organic Medium (ROM). The compositions are printed on the substrate and heated, as mentioned above, which decomposes the ROM, which in turn chemically welds the particulate constituents together, causing the residual organic material to leave as vapor. The result, according to this author, is a metallic deposit which can function as an electrical conductor with low resistivity and which is solderable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,740,287, issued May 24, 2003, there is described a method of fabricating nanostructure bodies by integrating the steps of attriting precursor nanometer-sized particulate materials, desorbing the exposed surfaces of the attrited nanoparticulates, adsorbing a surfactant on at most fifty percent of the desorbed surfaces and dispersing the surfactant-coated nanoparticulates in an organic matrix to form a homogeneous thermoplastic compound from which green bodies are shaped, dewaxed and sintered.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,898, issued Nov. 4, 2003, there is described a heated and pressed printed wiring board which is made by filling "via" holes formed in layers of insulating film of the wiring board with an interlayer conducting material. The insulating film is stacked with conductor patterns, and each conductor pattern closes a hole. The interlayer conducting material forms a solid conducting material in the holes after a heating a pressing procedure. The solid conducting material includes two types of conducting materials. The first type of conducting material includes a metal, and the second type of conductive material includes an alloy formed by the metal and conductor metal of the conductor patterns. The first type of conducting material includes indium particles, tin and silver wherein tin accounts for approximately 20-80 weight percentage of the solid conductive material, and the second type of conducting material includes an alloy comprised of the solid conductive material and the conductor metal. The conductor patterns are electrically connected reliably without relying on mere mechanical contact.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,663, issued Sep. 23, 2003, there is described an electro-conductive paste for use in making ceramic substrates containing from about 5 to 18 percent by weight of an organic vehicle consisting of a solvent and a binder, from about 80 to 93 percent by weight of an electro-conductive metal powder in a spherical or granular shape and with a particle diameter in the range of about 0.1 to 50 microns, and from about 2 to 10 percent by weight of a resin powder with a particle diameter in the range of about 0.1 to 50 microns which is insoluble in the solvent and has a low level of water absorption. This paste may be used for forming via hole conductors to be converted to external electrode terminals for the resulting ceramic products.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,708, issued Sep. 19, 2000, there is described a conductive paste for forming via-holes in a ceramic substrate, which paste contains about 80-94 weight percentage spherical or granular conductive metal powder having a particle size of about 0.1-50 microns, 1-10 weight percentage resin powder which swells in a solvent contained in the conductive paste and has a particle size of about 0.1-40 microns, and about 5-19 weight percentage of an organic vehicle. The paste is described to hardly generate cracks during firing to thereby attain excellent reliability in electric conduction and which can provide a via-hole or through hole having excellent solderability and platability in a ceramic substrate structure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,283, issued Apr. 6, 1999, there is described a conductive paste for use in forming ceramic substrates in which the composition consists of an organic vehicle, copper powder and an organo-metallic resinate which includes, as the metal, at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Ni and Bi. The amount of the metal component in the organo-metallic resinate is in the range of about 0.1 to 5 weight percentage with respect to the total amount of the copper power and the metal component. The copper powder has preferably an average diameter in the range of about 2 to 30 microns.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,439, issued Oct. 4, 1988, there is described a method of "applying a slurry of a vaporizable solvent, metal particles and a small amount of binder in the shape of the circuit pattern desired to a removable layer, vaporizing the solvent, covering the powdered metal and binder with an adhesive to hold the powdered metal and carrier in place on the removable layer, laminating the hydrocarbon containing substrate with pressure and heat to cause compacting of said powder and bonding of said compacted powder to said substrate by adhesive layer(sic), said heat being insufficient to destroy said adhesive, substrate and removable layer, and separation of the removable layer." The authors state that the adhesive is essential not only to bond the finished circuit to the final substrate but also to bond the metal particles together. They further state "A metal slurry of metal particles, e.g. noble metals such as silver, palladium, gold and platinum, is preferably mixed with the combination of other metal particles such as nickel or tin. A vaporizable solvent is mixed therewith as well as a small amount of a curable plastic binder." A particular mixture is given as an example this patent and described in column 4, lines 8-18. It is believed that such mixtures are similar to mixtures known as "Ormet" and are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,538,789 and 5,565,267, among others. The mixtures are described by Ormet Corp. (formerly Toronaga Technologies) as "Transient Liquid Phase" materials because these function by heating the combination of high melting point and low melting point metal powders in a fluxing environment to the eutectic temperature at which the powders alloy and freeze again to form a continuous conductor. The mixture also includes an epoxy resin, which cures at the eutectic temperature and acts as a binder to fill the porosity between the metal particles and to adhere these to the substrate.
Complexity of the above organic products (those including organic dielectric layers, including the aforementioned PCBs and laminate chip carriers) has increased significantly over the past few years, especially as such products increase in demand over those of the ceramic variety. For example, PCBs for mainframe computers may have as many as thirty-six layers of circuitry or more, with the complete stack having a thickness of as much as about 0.250 inch (250 mils). Laminate chip carriers, in turn, may have as many as fifteen or more circuit layers as part thereof. Such organic products are known with three or five mil (a mil being one thousandth of an inch) wide signal lines and twelve mil diameter thru-holes, but for increased circuit densification in many of today's products, the industry is attempting to reduce signal lines to a width of two mils or less and thru-hole diameters to two mils or less. Such high densification understandably necessitates the most efficient means of interconnecting the respective layers in the smallest space available and using the best materials possible. As defined herein, the present invention is able to accomplish this.
As defined herein, the present invention utilizes a new and unique type of conductive paste to provide interconnections within circuitized substrates. As will be defined, this paste is adapted for providing interconnections between conductive pads or the like conductors (including the end segments of thru-holes) on separate organic dielectric layers of the substrate, as well as within openings (included plated thru-holes or openings intended for plated thru-holes but wherein the plating has not been provided) provided with the dielectric layer(s) to couple selected conductors of the conductive layers within the substrate. More particularly, one embodiment of the conductive pastes as taught herein includes what are referred to herein as metal "nano-particles" (particle size range defined below). Other embodiments include such "nano-particles" in combination with solder particles (of "nano-particle" and/or "micro-particle" (size range defined below also) size), solder "micro-particles" including with conducting polymer material (defined below) and also with an organic (defined below), metal "micro-particles", including with such conducting polymer and possibly organic, and simply with conducting polymer and possibly organic. Use of these compositions as the conductive pastes allow the sintering and/or melting of the compositions during lamination of the substrate layers, a highly desirable feature since such lamination is required to bond the layers together, thereby avoiding additional processing and equipment. Accordingly, successfully formed circuit paths are formed in the pastes without harming the dielectric layers which form part of the substrates because the sintering and/or melting points of the paste composition are lower than those of the dielectric layers. It is believed that a circuitized substrate having organic dielectric material and an excellent conductive paste as defined herein for interconnecting electrical conductors as part thereof would constitute a significant advancement in the art. It is further believed that a method of making same, as well as an electrical assembly adapted for using same would constitute significant art advancements.

Circuitized substrate with conductive paste, electrical assembly including said circuitized substrate and method of making said substrate

Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc.


A method is disclosed for transmitting data packets in wide area networks (WAN) by way of a synchronous digital data transmission network (SDH), wherein the data packets are packed into synchronous transport modules (STM-N) and are transmitted by way of virtual connections formed by subunits of synchronous transport modules of the same size. The virtual connections are entered into an address table and an evaluation of the target address of the data packets takes place in one of the network elements of the synchronous digital data transmission network. On the basis of the address table and the target address, at least for a part of the data packets, a decision is made by at least one of the network elements of the synchronous digital data transmission network as to which one of the virtual connections is used to transmit this data packet. Furthermore, a network element is disclosed, which operates in accordance with the transmission method.

Wide area networks, so called WANs, are used as a transmission medium for connecting local area networks, so called LANs. An article by G. Parr et al. ("A Proposed Protocol Improvement for ATM Cell Processing within SDH Multiplexers", ConneXions Vol. 10, No. 11, Nov. 1996, pp. 14-24) describes the fact that the data packets are first transmitted to an interworking unit, which has a routing table for its local nodes. Outgoing data packets whose addresses are not contained in the routing table are converted by an ATM access unit into ATM cells (ATM: asynchronous transport mode) and are conveyed by an ATM switch into suitable virtual channels within virtual paths of the ATM-WANs. From there, the ATM cells travel to a synchronous multiplexer, which operates in accordance with the SDH or SONET recommendations and standards of the ITU and ANSI, and are packed into virtual containers and synchronous transport modules for transmission. So that all of the data packets do not have to be unpacked again at each SDH node, data bytes are written into the path overhead of the virtual containers, which indicate whether a virtual container must be unpacked again in the next SDH node. Disadvantages of this method are that a number of costly devices are required for the ATM network and that the transmission times are relatively long.
Today, data packets are mostly structured in accordance with the internet protocol (IP) and have a source IP address and a target IP address. In an article from the Ipsilon Networks Co. ("IP Switching: The Intelligence of Routing, the Performance of Switching", Ipsilon Technical White Paper on IP Switching, Feb. 1996, which can be accessed on the internet at http://www.ipsilon.com/productinfo/wp-ipswitch.html), a device (IP switch) is disclosed, which combines the function of an IP router and an ATM switch. It is in a position to identify longer sequences of data packets with the same source and target address, so-called flows and to establish device-internal connections suitable for them. As a result, the throughput of data packets through the IP switch increases and the average switching time is reduced. The costs for a transmission system with this kind of IP switches are relatively high.
In RFC1619 (W. Simpson, Request for Comments 1619, Internet Engineering Task Force, Network Working Group, May 1994), for point-to-point connections, the proposal is made to pack data packets by means of a frame structure, which is called a synchronous payload envelope (SPE), directly into synchronous transport modules (STM-N) from SDH or synchronous transport signals (STS-N) from SONET. However, this has the disadvantage that all of the transport modules must be unpacked in each network node of the synchronous data transmission network, which on the one hand, puts a strain on the network nodes and can lead to stoppages, and on the other hand, increases the transmission times.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for transmitting data packets and network element for carrying out the method


A portable terminal, comprising a main body having a plurality of keys, a folder having a protrusion on the outer surface thereof, a first hinge part which connects the main body and the folder having a first hinge axis, and a second hinge part which connects to the first hinge part having a second hinge axis perpendicular to the first hinge axis, wherein the protrusion is formed to correspond to at least one of the keys when the main body and the folder are superposed with the inner surface of the folder exposed to the exterior, is convenient to use and carry, as the user may rotate the folder by a predetermined angle and use the keys attached to the main body.

With such functions as camera and camcorder implemented on portable phones, PDA's, and portable computers, the swivel hinge is being extensively used, which allows display on a wide screen by rotating the folder and fitting it to the main body. In particular, with the wide-spread use of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting), the need to fit the folder to the main body for long hours is increasing. Also, the addition of multimedia functions has caused a demand for keys that can perform various complicated functions, which creates a burden on the design stage of implementing extra keys.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective view of a portable terminal having a conventional eccentric swivel hinge and a perspective view illustrating the state wherein the folder is rotated and fitted to the main body.
For the portable terminal having a swivel hinge shown in FIGS. 1-2, the folder 1 is asymmetrically rotated by a swivel hinge 6 formed eccentrically to the central axis X and is attached to the main body 3. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, a portion of the keys 4 on the main body 3 is exposed to the exterior. Extra functions are assigned to the exposed keys 4 when the folder 1 is fitted to the main body 3. For example, when the folder 1 has not rotated, they may be used as dial or alphanumeric keys, whereas when the folder 1 rotates to expose the interior display screen 2 to the exterior as shown in FIG. 2, the exposed keys 4 act as keys that perform multimedia functions such as camera, camcorder, MP3 player, or DMB, etc.


A transparent board-like digitizer is placed near a display screen. Images of the same size as that of the digitizer images entered on the digitizer are displayed on the screen. A co-ordinates standard of the digitizer is set to be identical with that of the screen. Thereby, the point indicated on the digitizer of a first cursor device is shown at a position corresponding to that of the point indicated by the cursor. The screen displays right-angle scale lines controlled by a second cursor device on the digitizer. The right-angle scale lines can carry out parallel movements and rotations on the screen. When a straight line drawing is carried out, an operator indicates two points on the digitizer by means of the first and the second cursor devices and inputs the data of such two points, whereby a straight line connecting these two points, dimension supplemental lines in parallel with the right-angle scaling lines, dimension lines extending between the two points, and a dimension figure, respectively, are displayed on the screen.

The present invention relates to a drawing co-ordinates input device used in a computer-aided-designing and drawing system or CAD.
Japan Patent Laid-open No. 62-59329 shows a conventional co-ordinates input device constructed by assembling a position detective tablet or a digitizer and a display device so as to display patterns or shapes on the display device.
Such a conventional co-ordinates input device provided with an integrated assembly of the digitizer and the display device fails to have a size indication function. Consequently, it is the purpose of the present invention to provide an input device for CAD of a type of an integrated assembly of the digitizer and display device provided with a size indication function.


An apparatus for transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TNS) with a power supply, a frequency generator and an electric circuit for the generation of different output frequencies of variable intensity at the output electrodes which may be connected to the apparatus and to an output short circuit to improve the pulse form emitted. The output short circuit network comprises a transistor T1, which upon actuation by a triggering pulse activates with its collector the base of a subsequent transistor T2, in a manner such that the trigger pulse is inverted in the transistor T1, whereby the transistor T2 switches to the negative pulse flank and the outlet is short-circuited by the discharge resistor R(ent) connected to the emitter side.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TNS) with a power supply, a frequency generator and an electric circuit for variable frequency and intensity electrode output signals connectable with the apparatus and an output short circuit to improve the pulse form emitted.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Various kinds of painful conditions have been treated by electric nerve stimulation by stationary devices. These methods are standard physical therapy. These processes involve application of current to the skin. A high stress is applied to the skin by a direct current and currents of a DC character. However, the depth of current penetration, which is important to the treatment of numerous painful conditions, is very low.
Only by the development of electronic structural elements, in particular semiconductors, has it been possible to produce pulsed currents and frequencies of different kinds and to determine their therapeutic effects.
By virtue of technical developments in the field of power sources and electronic miniaturization, small portable therapy devices suitable for adequate continuous use were developed. The decisive difference between the high voltage devices designed for stationary use and the portable TNS is merely different power outputs. An effective and adequate current density may be obtained with TNS devices by the use of relatively small electrode surfaces, which are entirely sufficient, as the concentration and strength of this form of treatment applies to local pain therapy.
It was found in actual practice that the pulse form emitted by TNS devices is not entirely suitable for the actual characteristics of TNS applications. Current intensity measurements were performed heretofore on a purely ohmic load resistor, with their value amounting in most cases in about 1 KOhm. The resultant pulse form corresponds to a square pulse with steep flanks.
It has been discovered in practice that the equivalent network diagram does not consist of purely ohmic resistors, but of a series of horizontal load resistors with a parallel connected capacitor on one resistor. The pulse forms obtained in this manner greatly differ from those mentioned above.
It has been found that the dimensioning of the structural elements in the simplified equivalent network diagram depends on a number of parameters, i.e., the type of skin of the patient, the electrode gel used, the electrodes and the frequency applied.
It was also discovered that the current measured on the patient is higher than at the 1 KOhm measuring resistor. Finally, the voltage pulse determined on the patient is strongly rounded, i.e., the rise flattens after a steep onset to a maximum, which decreases steeply and declines asymptotically. The correct pulse is saw-tooth like, with a strongly negative pulse.

Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation system


A thin-film transistor includes a substrate (10), a gate electrode (20) provided on a portion of the substrate, an insulation layer (30) arranged to cover the gate electrode and the substrate, a source or drain (40) provided on the insulation layer in a region corresponding to a region of the gate electrode, a semiconductor layer (50) arranged to cover the source or drain (40) and the insulation layer, a drain or source (60) provided on the semiconductor in a portion of a region corresponding to a region of the source or drain (40) that overlaps with the gate electrode, and a channel (70) formed between the source or drain (40) and the drain or source (60) and having a length defined by a film thickness of the semiconductor layer (50).

In recent years, various integrated circuit technologies have been proposed that use organic semiconductor thin-film transistors. It is expected that it will be possible to fabricate such integrated circuits by a simple, convenient manufacturing method, such as printing technology or the like, while other advantages include the possibility of realizing large-area processing and low-cost manufacturing processes, and good compatibility for fabrication on flexible substrates. This is also attracting expectations for the good compatibility with integrated circuit technology that will enable the low-price supply of electronic equipment, such as portable displays and electronic tags, such as electronic price tags and electronic labels and the like.
The development of thin-film transistors using organic semiconductors has been gradually becoming more active since the latter half of the 1980s, and in recent years has reached the point where, in terms of basic performance characteristics, it has surpassed amorphous silicon thin-film transistors. A representative example of this is the performance of a thin-film transistor using pentacene as the organic semiconductor, reported by Schön, et al., in Science, volume 287, page 1022 (2000).
The basic device structure of an organic semiconductor thin film up to now has generally been either what is called a bottom contact structure, as shown in FIG. 21, comprising layers constituted by a gate electrode 21 formed on a substrate 11, an insulation layer 31 formed on the gate electrode 21, on which are then formed, in parallel and simultaneously, a source 61 and a drain 41, and a semiconductor layer 51 formed thereon; or what is called a top contact structure, as shown in FIG. 22, comprising layers constituted by a gate electrode 22 formed on a substrate 12, an insulation layer 32 formed on the gate electrode 22, a semiconductor layer 52 formed on the insulation layer, on which are then formed, in parallel and simultaneously, a source 62 and a drain 42. These device structures are both characterized by the source and drain being fabricated in parallel and simultaneously. In endeavoring to improve basic properties, such as the high-speed responsiveness and low-voltage driving of a thin-film transistor, one of the most critically important factors is to shorten the distance between the source and drain, that is, the channel length. However, if the type of structure shown in FIG. 21 or FIG. 22 is used, just how short a distance between the source and the drain can be obtained depends in most cases on the basic fine processing technology. Although various techniques have been studied up until now, the problem is that a superior technique has yet to be established.
Of the known methods of fabricating the source and drain in parallel and simultaneously, one of the most simple and convenient methods is to adapt a method of forming electrodes under a vacuum, such as by vacuum deposition or sputtering or the like, using a mask. A problem with this method is that, so long as an ordinary mask is used, it is difficult to obtain a short source-drain distance of or below 10 μm. Another problem is that when a special mask is used that can be adapted to fine processing a single fabrication of an electrode clogs the mask, making it unsuitable for mass-fabrication.
The most representative technology used to obtain a shorter channel is photolithography. With respect also to organic thin-film transistors, there are reports, including Applied Physics Letters, volume 76, page 1941, 2000, that describe the use of photolithography technology to form channels having a shorter length, thereby obtaining superior thin-film transistor characteristics. However, in order to thus apply the technology, the semiconductor layers of the thin-film transistor are composed of organic material, which makes it difficult to introduce the operation of washing off the photo-mask with an organic solvent. Moreover, even if manufacturing processes were to be devised to which photolithography could be adapted, thereby enabling the performance provided by a thin-film transistor to be utilized, when the cost and time requirements of the photolithography technology are taken into consideration, it becomes impossible to achieve the low-cost, low-energy production that characterizes the use of organic material for thin-film transistors.
It is known that electron beam lithography technology can be used to obtain a shorter channel length than that obtained using photolithography technology. There is a report that describes a technology that achieves a very short channel length of 30 nm by using electron beam lithography, thereby enabling low-voltage driving of 0.35 V/decade at a source-drain voltage of 1 V (Applied Physics Letters, volume 76, page 1941, 2000). However, a problem with this technology is that it requires the adapting of electron beam lithography, which, being an extremely high-level, costly technology, means that the characterizing ability to adapt a simple, convenient process, such as printing or the like, provided by the use of organic material for thin-film transistors, is not achieved. Another problem is that of reduced throughput.
A technology that uses printing to fabricate devices is reported in Science, volume 290, page 2123, (2000). This achieves a short channel length of 5 μm by positioning fine spacer rods at the electrodes between the source and the drain. However, a problem with the technology is that the channel length depends on the width of the spacers, which necessarily means a reliance on fine-processing technology for how fine the spacers can be manufactured.
The use of a static induction transistor that is a transistor, in which the control of the channel length is not dependent on fine processing technology, has been reported (Nature, volume 372, page 344, 1994, and Synthetic Metals, volume 111, page 11, 2000). With this transistor structure, the channel length can be controlled by the thickness of the films that are fabricated. However, the thin-film transistor in this case has a different operating principle, so the circuit design pointers have to be changed in order to incorporate it as a conventionally applied thin-film transistor. Another problem is that although source-drain fabrication is easy, it is extremely difficult to fabricate the gate electrode.
As described above, in order to improve transistor characteristics, it is necessary to shorten the channel (the distance between the source and the drain) in which the current flows. In the prior art, the channel has been shortened adapting a high-level, fine processing technology, such as photolithography or electron beam lithography. It has been difficult to fabricate low-cost, high performance devices with these methods, due to the very high level and high cost of the adapted fine processing technologies.
Furthermore, drastically reducing the channel length has given rise to a problem in terms of the transistor characteristics, caused by an increase in the leakage current between the source and the drain that has made it impossible to obtain a large current amplification ratio (on/off ratio).
An object of the invention is to provide an organic thin-film transistor in which channel length is precisely controlled to improve basic transistor characteristics, and a method of manufacturing the transistor.
Another object of the invention is to provide a thin-film transistor that reduces leakage current arising between the source and the drain in cases in which the channel length is shortened.

Organic thin-film transistor and method of manufacturing the same

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology


A glass composition for protecting a semiconductor junction is made of fine glass particles prepared from a material in a molten state obtained by melting a raw material which contains at least SiO2, B2O3, Al2O3 and oxide of alkaline earth metal and substantially contains none of Pb, As, Sb, Li, Na, K and Zn, and contains no filler.

There has been known a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device where a glass layer for passivation is formed such that the glass layer covers a pn junction exposure portion in a process of manufacturing a mesa-type semiconductor device (see patent literature 1, for example).
FIG. 15A to FIG. 15D and FIG. 16A to FIG. 16D are views for explaining such a conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. FIG. 15A to FIG. 15D and FIG. 16A to FIG. 16D are views showing respective steps of the conventional method.
The conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes, as shown in FIG. 15A to FIG. 15D and FIG. 16A to FIG. 16D, "semiconductor base body forming step", "trench forming step", "glass layer forming step", "photoresist forming step", "oxide film removing step", "roughened surface region forming step", "electrode forming step", and "semiconductor base body cutting step" in this order. Hereinafter, the conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is explained in the order of these steps.
(a) Semiconductor Base Body Forming Step
Firstly, a p+ type diffusion layer 912 is formed by diffusion of a p type impurity from one surface of an n− type semiconductor substrate (n− type silicon substrate) 910, and an n+ type diffusion layer 914 is formed by diffusion of an n type impurity from the other surface of the n− type semiconductor substrate 910 thus forming a semiconductor base body in which a pn junction arranged parallel to a main surface of the semiconductor base body is formed. Thereafter, oxide films 916, 918 are formed by thermal oxidation on a surface of the p+ type diffusion layer 912 and a surface of the n+ type diffusion layer 914 respectively (see FIG. 15A).
(b) Trench Forming Step
Next, predetermined opening portions are formed on the oxide film 916 at predetermined positions by photo etching. After etching the oxide film, subsequently, the semiconductor base body is etched thus forming trenches 920 having a depth exceeding the pn junction from one surface of the semiconductor base body (see FIG. 15B).
(c) Glass Layer Forming Step
Next, a layer made of the glass composition for protecting a semiconductor junction is formed on inner surfaces of the trenches 920 and a surface of the semiconductor base body in the vicinity of the trenches 920 by an electrophoresis method, and the layer made of the glass composition for protecting a semiconductor junction is baked so that a glass layer 924 for passivation is formed on surfaces of the trenches 920 (see FIG. 15C).
(d) Photoresist Forming Step
Next, a photoresist 926 is formed such that the photoresist 926 covers a surface of the glass layer 924 (see FIG. 15D).
(e) Oxide Film Removing Step
Next, the oxide film 916 is etched using the photoresist 926 as a mask so that the oxide film 916 in a portion 930 where an Ni plating electrode film is formed is removed (see FIG. 16A).
(f) Roughened Surface Region Forming Step
Next, surface roughening treatment is applied to a surface of the semiconductor base body in the portion 930 where the Ni plating electrode film is formed thus forming a roughened surface region 932 for increasing adhesion between the Ni plating electrode and the semiconductor base body (see FIG. 16B).
(g) Electrode Forming Step
Next, an Ni plating is applied to the semiconductor base body thus forming an anode electrode 934 on the roughened surface region 932, and forming a cathode electrode 936 on the other surface of the semiconductor base body (see FIG. 16C).
(h) Semiconductor Base Body Cutting Step
Next, the semiconductor base body is cut by dicing or the like at a center portion of the glass layer 924 thus dividing the semiconductor base body into a plurality of chips whereby mesa-type semiconductor devices (pn diodes) 900 are formed (see FIG. 16D).
As has been explained heretofore, the conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the step of forming the trenches 920 exceeding the pn junction from one surface of the semiconductor base body where the pn junction arranged parallel to the main surface is formed (see FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B), and the step of forming the glass layer 924 for passivation in the inside of the trench 920 such that the glass layer 924 covers a pn junction exposure portion (see FIG. 15C). Accordingly, in the conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, by cutting the semiconductor base body after forming the glass layer 924 for passivation in the inside of the trench 920, mesa-type semiconductor devices having high reliability can be manufactured.

Glass composition for protecting semiconductor junction, method of manufacturing semiconductor device and semiconductor device

SHINDENGEN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


This invention disclosed is a tangerine peel extract with the effect of weight gain. This extract uses tangerine peel as the raw ingredient and is obtained through extraction processes using supercritical CO2, water, or organic solvents. The resulting extraction component contains a large quantity of flavonoids and terpenoids, which can effectively regulate the function of the spleen and stomach leading to desired weight gain. This invention also declares the preparation methods of the above mentioned tangerine peel extraction, which is simple in technique and highly effective in extraction. This invention also further declares the application of the above mentioned tangerine peel extraction in preparing healthcare food with the function of gaining weight.

There are reportedly 60 million people in China trying to increase body weight. According to the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, "the spleen is responsible for the Cangkang meridian and stomach is responsible for the cereal meridian." Emaciation of the body is mainly caused by congenital or acquired hypo-functions of the spleen and stomach as well as by deficiencies in nutrient transformation. The spleen and stomach are fundamental organs that support the performance of the body and represent sources of "Qi" and "Blood". When the spleen and stomach are healthy, the "Qi" is vigorous and "Blood" transportation and transformation are functioning at normal levels; muscles and body fat are well maintained and the limbs are strong and powerful. Otherwise, emaciation of the body and weakened limbs result. Therefore, maintaining the spleen and stomach functions and enhancing transformation and assimilation of the nutrient substances are important measures to effectively increase body weight.
The theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes preventive measures against illness and pays attention to the therapeutic role of a well-balanced diet. The present invention is based on active substances extracted from raw materials used in traditional medicine for enhancing functions of the spleen and stomach.

Tangerine peel extract and its preparation and application


A plate lockup apparatus for a printing press includes a lockup table, a gripper plate, a cam shaft, a pin, and a compression coil spring. The lockup table is supported on a bottom surface of a gap in a circumferential surface of a cylinder to be movable forward/backward perpendicularly to the axis of the cylinder, and extends in the axial direction of the cylinder. The gripper plate is swingably and pivotally supported on the lockup table such that its gripper surface opposes the lockup table, and is constituted by a horizontal member extending in a circumferential direction of the cylinder and a vertical member extending in a radial direction of the cylinder to have a substantially L-shaped section. The cam shaft is disposed between the lockup table and the wall surface of the gap to be rotatable in the axial direction of the cylinder. The pin is moved forward/backward in accordance with rotation of the cam shaft to close the gripper surface by acting on the vertical member of the gripper plate when the pin moves forward/backward within a predetermined amount, and to move the lockup table in a direction opposite to the cam shaft by acting on the lockup table when the pin moves forward/backward exceeding a predetermined amount. The compression coil spring biases the lockup table toward the cam shaft.

The present invention relates to a plate lockup apparatus provided in a plate cylinder of a printing press for fixing leading and trailing sides of a plate to be wound on a circumferential surface of the plate cylinder.
Generally, a gap having a substantially rectangular section is formed in the circumferential surface of the plate cylinder of each of various types of printing presses to extend for almost an entire length of the cylinder. A plate lockup apparatus consisting of a leading-side plate lockup device for gripping the leading end of a plate and a trailing-side plate lockup device for gripping the trailing end of the plate gripped by the leading-side plate lockup device and wound on the circumferential surface of the cylinder extends in the gap in the axial direction of the cylinder by being supported on the bottom surface of the gap.
Conventionally, of the plate lockup apparatuses of this type, a spring closed plate lockup apparatus has a structure as disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-65343 proposed by the present applicant. More specifically, each of the leading- and trailing-side plate lockup devices of this plate lockup apparatus has an elongated lockup table extending in the axial direction of the cylinder, and gripper plates pivotally supported by the lockup table and opened and closed by rotation of the lockup table to grip and release the plate with cooperation with the lockup table. Leading- and trailing-side cam shafts each having a plurality of cams to engage with the corresponding gripper plates extend in the vicinity of the gripper plates in the axial direction of the cylinder. In the spring closed plate lockup apparatus having the above structure, compression coil springs are interposed between the gripper plates and each lockup table to bias the gripper plates in a closing direction toward the corresponding lockup table.
In the conventional plate lockup apparatus having the above structure, when the plate is to be gripped, the leading-side cam shaft is pivoted manually or by a driving unit to open the gripper plates by the function of the cams against the elastic force of the compression coil springs, and one end of the plate is inserted between the gripper surfaces of the gripper plates and the lockup table. Then, the cam shaft is pivoted in the reverse direction, so that the gripper plates are released from the function of the cams and are closed by the elastic force of the compression coil springs, thus gripping one end of the plate. When the plate cylinder is rotated by almost one revolution, the plate is wound on the circumferential surface of the cylinder. The trailing end of the plate is gripped by the trailing-side plate lockup device in the same manner as in the leading end of the plate. When the trailing-side cam shaft is further pivoted, the trailing-side plate lockup device is moved in the circumferential direction of the plate, thus tightening the plate to be brought into tight contact with the circumferential surface of the cylinder.
However, in such a conventional plate lockup apparatus, since the plate gripping operation by the plate lockup devices and the plate tightening operation are performed by the spring force, the plate cannot sometimes be sufficiently gripped or mounted depending on its thickness or material. In addition, the structure of the apparatus is complicated. Also, the trailing end of the plate must be bent almost at 90.degree. to the circumferential surface of the plate so that the plate is gripped by the trailing-side plate lockup device. For this purpose, a special plate bending machine must be used.

Plate lockup apparatus for printing press


Provided is a fast and efficient method of burnishing a brake pad. The brake pad is contacted with a heat source having a power density greater than about 270 Mw/m.sup.2. Also provided is pre-burnished brake pad having an increased coefficient of friction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of burnishing brake pads, and more particularly, to a method of burnishing brake pads using a high intensity heat source. The invention also relates to a pre-burnished brake pad.
2. Description of Related Art
New brake pads have a low coefficient of friction, typically less than 75% of a burnished pad. To increase the coefficient of friction, the new brake pads require a break-in treatment, otherwise known as a burnish, which consists of several hard stops before the coefficient of friction increases to a stable level, otherwise known as the steady state.
The ability of vehicle drivers to carry out a successful break-in varies widely. Therefore, automobile manufacturers prefer that the brake pads be pre-burnished to increase the coefficient of friction before they are mounted on the vehicles.
Conventional methods of pre-burnishing include burnishing the brake pads on a brake dynamometer by engaging the brake pads onto a rotor therebetween, flame scorching, and searing on a hot plate. These types of pre-burnishing treatments are not precise and are very inefficient and costly.
The article entitled "SAP Technical Paper Series" by David T. Patten in the SAP The Engineering Resource For Advancing Mobility, Feb. 24-28, 1986 discloses that lasers with a power source up to 100 Mw/m.sup.2 have been used unsuccessfully to pre-burnish brake pads. The increase in friction provided by applying a laser having less than 100 Mw/m.sup.2 only provides an increase in the coefficient of friction of 20%. This article further teaches that a medium power laser (less than 100 Mw/m.sup.2) is preferred because it provides a 20% increase over a high power laser (less than 100 Mw/m.sup.2 but greater than the medium power laser) which only provides a 17% increase in the coefficient of friction.
There is a great need for a simple and fast method of pre-burnishing brake pads which increases the coefficient of friction by at least 25% over the initial coefficient of friction, or which increases the coefficient of friction to an adjustable level of desired initial friction to within about 15% of the long-term steady-state coefficient of friction.


A nonvolatile memory is provided with a counterfeit detection mechanism by storing an encryption key and performing cryptographic operations on chip. The encryption key, which is stored in the nonvolatile memory in a protected manner such that it is never exported, is based on unique data within the nonvolatile memory. Unless an expected encryption key calculated from the unique data matches the stored encryption key, the system will not allow the resource containing the nonvolatile memory to be utilized. Equivalence of the expected and stored encryption keys is tested by enciphering and deciphering a random number. The data in the nonvolatile memory may be copied but not altered since each data block includes an electronic signature. Modification of the data in the nonvolatile memory as part of an effort to counterfeit the stored encryption key is therefore useless.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to security features in data processing systems and in particular to security systems employing system component serial numbers in encryption mechanisms. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to preventing data processing system component serial numbers used for encryption type security features from being duplicated or counterfeited.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many software manufacturers write electronic data in nonvolatile memories, such as hard disk drives, to provide system security features. However, because the data is written in a nonvolatile memory, the data can be easily counterfeited, thus bypassing the system security. For example, many data processing systems contain a license manager which utilizes a password to verify that specific software is entitled to run on a specific data processing system. When the software is ordered, a password is sent with the software which enables the code to run on the system. The password is normally based on a serial number stored in some nonvolatile memory in the system. If the system serial number can be counterfeited (copied or duplicated), then the same password may be utilized to enable the software on any data processing system, rather than just the specific data processing system for which the license was purchased. To prevent counterfeiting of the serial numbers, manufacturers need a nonvolatile memory which can be written with data but which also allows the manufacturer to detect whether the data has been modified or copied.
Various attempts have been made to create alteration detection schemes for data written to nonvolatile memory. One method, for example, places a block on nonvolatile memory preventing data from being written to the memory only if privileged commands are utilized. This protection is easily avoided by simply clipping leads onto the nonvolatile memory from an external tester and writing the data. Alternatively, the nonvolatile memory may be simply replaced with a memory chip which was loaded with a copy from another system. This type of protection allows duplication of data or modification of any data by simply "echoing back" the expected results.
A more secure alteration detection method employs an electronic signature placed with the data. Again, however, if the data is copied from another nonvolatile memory chip, the data may be duplicated (but not modified). Since the intent is to prevent duplication and reuse of serial numbers, the security provided by this method is unsatisfactory.
The electronic signature may be made harder to counterfeit by adding a unique chip serial number, generated in another chip (other than the nonvolatile memory chip), to the data containing the system serial number. However counterfeiting is not impossible since the chip serial number may be counterfeited along with the data containing the system serial number so that the electronic signature compares with the expected result. Since any data passed to a processor may be intercepted and counterfeited, only when the chip serial number is on the processor chip will acceptable security be achieved. Putting the serial number on the processor chip achieves acceptable security for a processor card, but does nothing to provide security for other cards in a data processing system.
It would be desirable, therefore, to detect counterfeiting of data contained in a nonvolatile memory, preventing duplication and reuse of serial numbers used as part of a security feature in a data processing system. It would also be advantageous if the mechanism used to detect counterfeiting prevented detection of encryption keys and circumvention of the security feature by echoing back data.

Method of counterfeit detection of electronic data stored on a device

International Business Machines Corporation


One embodiment of the present invention is a parallel processing unit (PPU) that includes one or more streaming multiprocessors (SMs) and implements a replay unit per SM. Upon detecting a page fault associated with a memory transaction issued by a particular SM, the corresponding replay unit causes the SM, but not any unaffected SMs, to cease issuing new memory transactions. The replay unit then stores the faulting memory transaction and any faulting in-flight memory transaction in a replay buffer. As page faults are resolved, the replay unit replays the memory transactions in the replay buffer—removing successful memory transactions from the replay buffer—until all of the stored memory transactions have successfully executed. Advantageously, the overall performance of the PPU is improved compared to conventional PPUs that, upon detecting a page fault, stop performing memory transactions across all SMs included in the PPU until the fault is resolved.

Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer science and, more specifically, to replaying memory transactions while resolving memory access faults.
Description of the Related Art
A typical computer system includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a parallel processing unit (PPU). As software applications execute on the computer system, the CPU and the PPU perform memory operations to store and retrieve data in physical memory locations. Some advanced computer systems implement a unified virtual memory architecture (UVM) common to both the CPU and the PPU. Among other things, the architecture enables the CPU and the PPU to access a physical memory location using a common (e.g., the same) virtual memory address, regardless of whether the physical memory location is within system memory or memory local to the PPU (PPU memory).
Computer systems typically include memory management functions to facilitate virtual memory and paging operations. During the course of normal operation, an instruction may request access to a virtual address associated with a page of data that is paged out, resulting in an access fault. In response to the access fault, conventional processing units may complete instructions preceding the faulting instruction, and cancel the faulting instruction along with all instructions that began execution subsequent to the faulting instruction. At this point, an access fault handler pages-in the requested page of data and re-starts execution beginning with the faulting instruction. In some cases, the access fault handler may require a significant amount of time to complete relative to typical instruction execution time. In particular, if the computer system implements a unified virtual memory architecture, then the access fault handler may perform lengthy faulting procedures that migrate memory pages between system and memory local to the PPU.
In a highly-parallel, multithreaded, advanced PPU, hundreds or many thousands of memory transactions, and therefore many address translations, may be outstanding at any moment. Consequently, numerous memory access faults may be active at any moment. If a PPU were to implement a conventional instruction-cancellation fault handing technique, then the PPU would frequently cancel thousands of instructions over all execution units. Further, the PPU would wait for lengthy access fault handling procedures to load paged out data for each faulting instruction within each executing thread. Such latencies would significantly, and often unacceptably, degrade overall system performance.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a more effective approach to handling access faults involving a multithreaded processing unit.

Replaying memory transactions while resolving memory access faults


This invention concerns processes for converting oxygenates to olefins that include a step of pretreating catalyst used in the conversion reaction. A fresh or regenerated metalloaluminophosphate molecular sieve, which is low in carbon content, is pretreated with an aldehyde. The aldehyde forms a hydrocarbon co-catalyst within the pore structure of the molecular sieve, and the pretreated molecular sieve containing the co-catalyst is used to convert oxygenate to an olefin product.

Methanol is used as a feed stock for a variety of chemical manufacturing processes. One process that is more recently being developed is the conversion of methanol to olefin products, particularly products containing the olefins ethylene and propylene. The olefins produced from the methanol conversion process are of suitable quality to be used in polymer manufacturing processes. Of particular commercial concern in the methanol conversion process, however, is whether sufficient quantities of light olefins (i.e., ethylene and propylene) can be produced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,242 (Kaiser) describes the use of a silicoaluminophosphate (SAPO) molecular sieve catalyst for converting various oxygenates, such as methanol, to olefins. According to the patent, the SAPO catalyst is an extremely efficient catalyst for the conversion of oxygenates to light olefin products when the feed is converted in the presence of a diluent. The diluent used has an average kinetic diameter larger than the pores of the SAPO molecular sieve. The selected SAPO molecular sieves have pores that an average kinetic diameter characterized such that the adsorption capacity (as measured by the standard McBain-Bakr gravimetric adsorption method using given adsorbate molecules) shows adsorption of oxygen (average kinetic diameter of about 3.36 angstroms) and negligible adsorption of isobutane (average kinetic diameter of about 5.0 angstroms).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,372 (Brown et al.) discloses another method of converting methanol to light olefins. The method incorporates the use of medium pore zeolite molecular sieves, particularly medium pore ZSM type zeolites, in converting methanol and/or dimethyl ether to light olefin. Light olefin production is aided by the use of an aromatic compound as a co-feed. The aromatic compound has a critical diameter less than the pore size of the catalyst, and is capable of alkylation by the methanol and/or dimethyl ether. Ethylene product selectivity is believed to be derived from the back-cracking of ethylaromatic intermediates. The formation of the ethyl-aromatic intermediates is believed to be facilitated by a mechanism in which the aromatic compound effectively acts as a catalyst in the conversion of two molecules of methanol to one molecule of ethylene.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,746 (Sun et al.) also describes a method for increasing light olefin selectivity in the conversion of oxygenates using a small pore molecular sieve catalyst. The selectivity is increased by exposing a catalyst to a modifier before or during the conversion reaction. The modifier is a polynuclear aromatic having at least three interconnected ring structures, with each ring structure having at least 5 ring members. It is adsorbed onto the catalyst prior to or simultaneously with the introduction of feed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,022 (Kuechler et al.) is to a process for increasing the selectivity of a reaction to convert oxygenates to olefins. The process involves contacting the oxygenate in a reaction zone containing 15 volume percent or less of a catalyst comprising SAPO molecular sieve, and maintaining conversion of the feedstock between 80% and 99% under conditions effective to convert 100% of the feedstock when the reaction zone contains at least 33 volume percent of the molecular sieve material. The process is considered to be beneficial in maximizing the production of ethylene and/or propylene, and to minimize the production of undesired products.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,225,254 (Janssen et al.) is directed to a method of maintaining acid catalyst sites of a SAPO molecular sieve catalyst. According to the patent, catalyst sites are lost when exposed to a moisture-containing environment. In order to maintain the catalyst sites, and thereby preserve catalyst activity, template-containing SAPO molecular sieves are heated in an oxygen depleted environment under conditions effective to provide an integrated catalyst life that is greater than that obtained in a non-oxygen depleted environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,869 (Searle et al.) is directed to a method of obtaining olefin product high in ethylene and/or propylene content, while reducing the amount of any one or more of C1–C4 paraffin by-products, and to reduce the amount of coke deposits on the catalyst during the reaction. The method is accomplished by providing a catalyst that comprises SAPO crystals, a binder comprising ALPO crystals, and nickel, cobalt and/or iron, wherein the catalyst does not contain significant amounts of amorphous binder, but rather contains crystalline SLPO.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,437,208 (Kuechler et al.) discloses a method for making olefin product from an oxygenate-containing feedstock. In the method, a SAPO molecular sieve catalyst is contacted with the oxygenate-containing feedstock in a reactor at an average catalyst feedstock exposure index of at least 1.0. The average catalyst feedstock exposure index is the total weight of oxygenate plus hydrocarbon fed to the reactor divided by the total weight of fresh and regenerated SAPO molecular sieve (i.e., excluding binder, inerts, etc., of the catalyst composition) sent to the reactor, both total weights measured over the same period of time. The method is shown to be effective in maintaining a high ethylene and propylene selectivity.
WO 01/62382 A2 (ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.) discloses that selectivity to ethylene and propylene can be increased by pretreating a SAPO molecular sieve to form an integrated hydrocarbon co-catalyst within the framework of the molecular sieve prior to contacting with oxygenate feed. Acetone, methanol, propene, butene, pentene and hexene are given as examples of pretreatment compounds capable of forming an integrated hydrocarbon co-catalyst. The conditions for pretreatment include pretreating at a lower temperature relative to the reaction temperature. A preferred pretreatment vessel is an auxiliary fluidized bed reactor system associated with the oxygenate conversion reactor.
In spite of the recent technological advances in converting oxygenates to olefins, there remains a need to further increase the quantity of light olefins in the conversion product. In particular, there remains a need to increase product selectivity to ethylene and propylene, and particularly to ethylene.

Catalyst pretreatment with aldehyde in an oxygenate to olefins reaction system


The present invention relates to a two stage variable flow valve assembly for use in fluid handling. The valve assembly includes a body with a flow restrictor disposed therein to define two internal chambers which are closed at one end by a wall and open at the opposite end by a discharge opening. A valve having a bulb and a profiled valve stem extends axially through and is movable within the internal chambers to open and close the valve assembly for flow therethrough. Flow is halted through the valve assembly when a portion of the profiled valve stem enters the flow restrictor, prior to the bulb's closing of the discharge opening.

In the field of fluid handling, valves are often used for the purpose of filling containers, such as bottles, on a manufacturing line. Containers on an assembly line are moved into position below valve assemblies and liquid flows through the valve assemblies and is dispensed into the containers. The valve assemblies are opened to allow liquid to enter the containers and then closed after the containers are appropriately filled. This fluid entering the valve assemblies is often under pressure. When a valve assembly is opened and closed under unrestrained flow conditions, the fluid exiting through the valve assembly has a tendency to splatter.
The problem of splattering is more likely when an aseptic type of valve assembly is used because aseptic valves typically include a diaphragm to seal the product/actuator stem interface. An aseptic valve assembly is typically used where sterile conditions are required, such as, inter alia, when food is being handled. For instance, when juice is being bottled, the juice is first heated and then cooled to insure that the juice is sterile. In addition, the bottle is sterilized prior to being filled. The juice travels through the valve assembly and is dispensed into the sterilized bottle. Aseptic valves, utilized for this purpose, typically include a diaphragm to seal the product/actuator stem interface in order to prevent the juice from exiting the valve at an undesirable location and to prevent contaminants from entering the juice through the valve assembly.
The use of a diaphragm in aseptic valves tends to result in a greater likelihood and occurrence of splattering. As the aseptic valve is opened or closed under unrestrained flow conditions, the diaphragm inside of the valve assembly has a tendency to flex, which exerts a pressure wave on the tip of the valve near the exit point of the valve assembly. The pressure wave typically occurs just as the tip of the valve approaches its seat, or point of closure, which causes a rapid acceleration of the liquid stream. Rapid acceleration can cause a disruption in the column of liquid exiting the valve assembly, such as a jetting effect, which causes the product to splash out of the container. This is an undesirable characteristic in that it results in a waste of the product as well as contamination or soiling of the production line. Thus, it is desirable to reduce the likelihood of splatter.
It is also desirable to provide a valve assembly which is useful with different types of products, including those having a tendency to foam. Foaming may be reduced by reducing or restricting the liquid filling velocity of the valve assembly. Thus, it is desirable to provide a valve assembly which is adjustable to provide varying rates of flow of the product through the valve assembly.


A circuit board storage bag and a storage rack are disclosed. A plurality of printed circuit board storage bags for accommodating a circuit board comprise a front surface portion and a rear surface portion opposed to the obverse and reverse surfaces, respectively, of the circuit board accommodated in the circuit board storage bag and connecting portions for connecting the front surface portion and the rear surface portion. The front surface portion and the rear surface portion bend at the connecting portions to open and close the circuit board storage bag for use in transporting the circuit board. The circuit boards are stored in a storage rack having an inclined mounting surface for mounting the storage bags and a bag stopper at the lower end of the mounting surface. The bags are stored in vertical position on one side at the lower end of the mounting surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a storage bag, and a box for accommodating the storage bag, used to accommodate and transport electrical circuit boards for electrical devices or electronic circuit boards for the electronic devices or, in particular, to a storage bag, and a box for accommodating the storage bag, used to transport the electrical circuit boards or electronic circuit boards between fabrication or test processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, the fabrication and assembly of the printed circuit boards of electronic devices such as information equipment and communication devices include a plurality of processes such as the primary assembly line making up the SMT (surface mount technology) assembly process and the secondary assembly line making up the IMT (insert mount technology) assembly process.
In the case where a single printed circuit board is fabricated through a plurality of processes, the printed circuit boards in fabrication process are sequentially charged from one process into next. However, the primary assembly line (SMT assembly process) making up the present process and the secondary assembly line (IMT assembly process) making up the next process may be installed at a distance from each other, e.g. on different floors, due to limited factory space.
In the prior art, to transport the printed circuit board on which the job in the present process has been completed to the next process, a container 91, as shown in FIG. 1, is used. As shown in FIG. 1, the container 91 is partitioned by a plurality of partitioning plates 92 and can accommodate a plurality of (four to eight, for example) printed circuit boards 90 at a time. The printed circuit boards 90 are stored in the container 91 in vertical position in the container 91 for dual purpose of increasing the number of the printed circuit boards to be stored on the one hand and preventing the parts mounted on the surface of the printed circuit boards from being damaged or coming off on the other hand. The size of the container 91, for example, is 400 mm wide by 700 mm long by 500 mm tall, and that of each printed circuit board 90 is 280 mm wide by 390 mm long and 15 mm tall.

Circuit board storage bag and storage rack


A vehicle reporting its position, typically derived from a global positioning or other navigation system, implements idle time limitation protocols based on its position. The particular protocol can be derived from a central, updated location using a telematics link.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to geofencing for vehicles, and more particularly, to providing adaptive vehicle responses to differing jurisdictional requirements relating to vehicle operations, and still more particularly to limiting engine idle operation on commercial vehicles based on local/territorial regulatory regimes.
2. Description of the Problem
A geofence may be defined in part as a virtual spatial boundary. Geofences are a byproduct of the marriage of mobile, inexpensive telecommunications platforms and data processing systems. While not dependent upon global positioning systems in theory, their accuracy is greatly enhanced by making use of global positioning systems to provide accurate and precise determination of the location of the mobile platform. A geofence is manifested in programmed responses of a data processing system installed on the mobile platform responsive to changes in the platform's position. Typically the positions which produce a given set of responses define a contiguous region. The edges of the region become a virtual boundary or geofence. The spatial location of a geofence, that is the limits of region, have commonly been established by selecting a point feature, which may be a point defined by latitude and longitude, and then defining either a radius, or lengths for the major and minor axes through the point, to establish a boundary around the point. Geofences may also be constructed to conform to jurisdictional and other arbitrary boundaries.
Another development of significance to vehicle fleet management has been telematics, which may be realized in satellite enabled operational data uplinking from vehicles to remote servers and downloading of management and routing relating data from the remote server to the vehicles.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, the State of California limits idling of primary engines for commercial vehicles to no longer than 5 minutes. It would be advantageous if such a system operated automatically, and provided responses that alerted the driver/operator of the situation. Commercial operators can anticipate other jurisdictions will enact similar restrictions.

Engine idle control using GPS telematics

International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC


A dishwasher door closing device (10; 110) includes an engagement element (11; 111), fitted on the casing (C) of the household appliance (W) releasably held by a retaining element (16) on the door (D). The engagement element (11; 111) includes a support body (12), a catch (14) releasably coupled to the retaining element (16) moving between a refracted position coupled to the retaining element (16) and the door (D) is closed, and an extracted position coupled to the retaining element (16) and the door (D) is in a pre-opening condition. A stop mechanism (18) tends to move from a release condition, in which it (18) frees the catch (14) to move from the retracted position to the extracted position, to a locking position and (18) holds the catch (14). An electrically-operated actuator system (20) controls passage of the stop mechanism (18) from the locking position to the release position.

In the field of household appliances, solutions have to be found, in order to allow an inner chamber obtained in a casing of said appliances, typically a washing chamber of a washing machine, such as a dishwasher, to be closed. To this regard, a door is used, which is mobile with respect to the casing so as to open and close an access opening, through which the inner chamber is able to communicate with the outside of the household appliance.
Generally, these devices comprise an engagement element, adapted to be fitted on either said casing or said door, and a retaining element, adapted to be fitted on the other one between the door and the casing. The retaining element is adapted to hold the engagement element in a releasable manner, so as to constrain the door to the casing, when the household appliance is being used.
Typically, the coupling between the engagement element and the retaining element takes place by means of the action of a user, who brings them closer by manually pushing the door against the casing, so as to obtain a complete closing. The decoupling between the engagement element and the retaining element takes place by means of the action of the user, who manually pulls the door away from the casing, if necessary by operating on suitable control interfaces (for example, provided on the front wall of the door or on the front or upper face of the casing), which activate inner mechanisms of the retaining element, which release the engagement element from the retaining element.
WO 2009/146874 discloses a dishwasher having a rinsing container that can be closed by a pivoting door, wherein to provide locking a locking device disposed on the door engages into a clamp disposed on the rinsing container, and wherein to open the door in gaps the clamp is disposed on an adjustable connecting rod that is adjustable in the opening direction by means of a drive. In order to also ensure the automatic retracting of the clamp when the electric gear motor is replaced with a more cost-effective drive, the invention provides means for returning the clamp at least approximately to the initial position thereof opposite to the opening direction as a result of the further opening movement of the door.

Device for closing the door of a household appliance, in particular for a washing machine, such as a dishwasher


This invention provides methods of inhibiting the export of a leaderless protein from a cell by contacting the cell with a cardiac glycoside or aglycone derivative. Leaderless proteins include FGF-1, FGF-2, IL,-1.alpha., IL-1.beta. and factor XIIIa. These methods are useful in treatment of conditions, including tumors and diabetes.

Many proteins exert an effect on cell growth, differentiation, and inflammation through signal transduction, mediated by binding to a cell surface receptor. Yet other proteins such as factors that initiate or are necessary for blood clot formation, act enzymatically in blood. While these actions are generally part of normal processes, under certain circumstances, it may be desirable to limit or inhibit the action of certain proteins and the effects of subsequent signaling. For example, tumor growth promoted by a growth factor, such as bFGF acting on melanoma cells, is deleterious and often leads to fatalities.
Approaches to inhibit specific proteins have concentrated primarily on interfering with protein-substrate or protein-receptor interactions. Typically, this involves using an antibody or other molecule that competitively binds the protein, by administration of competitors for receptor binding, or by protease digestion of the protein. An alternative approach, not generally pursued, is to reduce the level of the protein by inhibiting its expression at a transcriptional or translational level. Methods of reducing protein levels by inhibiting the transcription or translation of the protein have been difficult to achieve because of inherent problems of inhibiting the specific expression of one or a few proteins.
The discovery that certain proteins, such as growth factors, mediators of inflammation, and mediators of blood clotting, are exported through a nonclassical secretory pathway allows the development of specific inhibitors for these proteins. These proteins are identified by their lack of a hydrophobic leader sequence that mediates secretion by the classical Golgi/ER pathway. These proteins are believed to be exported from a cell by exocytosis.
This invention provides inhibitors of the export of these leaderless proteins, allowing control of undesired proliferation and inflammation, as well as other related advantages.


Carbogenic molecular sieve devices comprising a porous support (e.g., a metal support) having a carbogenic molecular sieve membrane attached to one or more surfaces of the support so that small pores in the membrane are in communication with larger pores in the support and methods of making the devices.

Membranes have gained considerable importance as an inexpensive, low energy alternative to distillation for separation of gases. In particular, sieving of molecules based purely on size differences has emerged as a mechanism for obtaining extremely high selectivities of a particular component.
Currently, inorganic membranes constitute the bulk of separation materials, mostly for their stability at high temperatures. Other potential candidates for use as membrane materials include zeolites, polymers, ceramics and Carbogenic Molecular Sieve materials (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "CMS" or "CMS materials"). CMS materials have the advantage of being relatively inexpensive compared to zeolites, more temperature resistant than polymers and less brittle than ceramics Numerous studies have shown that a relatively narrow pore size distribution of 4-6.ANG. can be obtained by controlled pyrolysis of CMS precursor materials. Thus, it would be advantageous to utilize CMS in the form of a membrane to perform molecular sieving.
CMS materials can be derived from natural sources such as wood and coconut shells, as well as synthetic polymer precursors. The basis for their sieving action arises from the complex microstructure, which has been described as consisting of a network of aromatic domains and amorphous carbon. Disclinations between the various domains result in predominantly slit-shaped pores than can exclude certain molecules on the basis of size and shape. However, unlike zeolites, which have a unique pore size, CMS typically has a distribution of pore sizes that can range from 3 to 10.ANG.. one application of CMS is in the separation of nitrogen and oxygen using the pressure swing adsorption method. The kinetic diameters of the two molecules differ by a mere 0.2.ANG.--but careful control of the pore size results in very high selectivities for oxygen. This example also demonstrates the difference between a CMS, which performs true molecular sieving, and an activated carbon, whose performance is based on the difference in the adsorption equilibrium of gases. As nitrogen is more strongly adsorbed on activated carbon than oxygen, it would be held back and would have to be desorbed when the separation was complete. In a CMS, however, the equilibrium uptakes of both gases are the same--hence, the time of sieving becomes important to obtain a high selectivity.
CMS materials have been synthesized using a variety of different polymeric precursors. The controlled deposition of pyrolyzed carbon to narrow pores in activated carbons and other supports has also been studied extensively. Established synthesis methods involve pyrolyzing the precursor at a high temperature in an inert gas flow. However, not all polymers can be utilized for CMS production--this depends on whether they undergo cross-linking at high temperatures or not. The thermodynamically preferred structure for carbon at high temperatures is graphite. In the case of "graphitizing" polymers like PVC, graphite-like layers are formed at around 1000.degree. C., which results in a considerable decrease in microporosity of the material. Hence, the resulting carbon is not suitable for gas separations. On the other hand, PAN, PVDC and PFA cross-link at high temperatures to stabilize the structure and prevent the formation of graphite layers. This "non-graphitizing" character of the polymers is due to the presence of heteroatoms such as oxygen and nitrogen, as well as excess hydrogen. The pore sizes obtained are between 4-6 .ANG., which make them ideal for use as molecular sieves.
CMS materials are globally amorphous and do not exhibit any long range order as evident in zeolites. X-ray diffraction studies, which can resolve features on a length scale of 25 .ANG., do not reveal a distinct diffraction pattern for the microstructure. HRTEM studies of the structure combined with FFT analysis, can be used to determine the spacing between the graphite layers. The structure of CMS is thought to consist of a tangled network of ribbon-like aromatic regions. The evolution of the microstructure depends on the polymer precursor as well as the pyrolysis parameters of soak time and temperature. Investigations have shown that for most precursors, high temperature sintering leads to shrinkage of pores. There is, however, a collapse of the structure above a certain temperature, leading to a loss in the sieving property. A comprehensive review of CMS materials has been carried out by Foley (see Foley, H. C., Carbogenic Molecular Sieves: Synthesis, Properties and Applications; Microporous Materials, 1995;4; pp. 407-433).
There are two forms of CMS membranes--the unsupported "hollow fiber" form, and the supported form. The hollow fiber membrane was developed by Koresh and Soffer (see Koresh, J. E. and A. Soffer, Molecular Sieve Carbon Permselective Membrane Part I. Presentation of a New Device for Gas Mixture Separation; Separation Science and Technology, 1983; 18 (8); pp. 723-734) by pyrolysis of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers. Despite their good sieving properties, the membranes lacked the requisite mechanical strength for use in various applications. A hollow fiber also cannot be converted easily into a module form that would be suitable for industry.
Supported CMS membranes can be synthesized using numerous techniques such as dip coating, spin coating, vapor deposition and sputtering. The ideal structure of such a membrane is shown in FIG. 4. It consists of a thin CMS layer 5 on top of a macroporous, non-selective support 7. The support provides mechanical strength to the membrane, which is a considerable improvement over the hollow fiber configuration. It also has the advantage of being available in various geometries such as flat plates, tubes and disks, which can be used depending on the requirements of the particular application. The support should be an inexpensive material and the pores in the support should be much larger than those in the CMS layer. For example, the pores in the support should be at least twice as large as the pores in the CMS material. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pores in the support are from 5-500,000 times as large as the pores in the CMS material. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pores in the support are from 10 to 2,000 times as large as the pores in the CMS material.
Although the actual size of the pores in the various support materials can be widely varied, the nominal diameter of the pores in the support material should be greater than 100.ANG. (e.g., typical pore sizes in the support material are from 0.1 to 100 .mu.m in diameter). The size of the pores in the CMS material can also vary, but over a much narrower range. For example, the nominal diameter of the pores in the CMS material is generally from 3-100.ANG.. Preferably, the nominal diameter of the pores in the CMS material is from 3-20.ANG.. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the nominal diameter of the pores in the CMS material is from 3-10.ANG.A.
CMS membranes have been successfully prepared on porous graphite and ceramic supports. These supports overcome the disadvantage of the hollow fiber configuration by providing durability to the membrane. However, neither of these materials is a good choice for process unit construction compared to metals and alloys. Further, the issue of forming a workable module of the composite membrane needs to be addressed. To successfully use the membrane, it must be put into a module that creates two zones for gas flow separated by the membrane. The critical parts of the module are the points of contact between the membrane and the module wall. These contact points are called end fittings or edge fittings in the case of a planar membrane. The fittings (seals) must provide complete isolation of the two sides of the membrane and should be devoid of any leaks that can create transport through a route other than the CMS layer. It is nearly impossible to fabricate leak free end fittings and modules for graphite and ceramic supported membranes. In the event that modules have been constructed, special end fittings were required, which would increase the cost if the process were commercialized. Thus, graphite and ceramic supports, while a definite improvement over hollow fiber membranes, are not able to meet the requirements of an industrial scale separation process.
One of the first attempts at making supported CMS membranes was by Bird and Trimm (see Bird, A. J. and D. L. Trimm, Carbon Molecular Sieves Used in Gas Separation Membranes; Carbon, 1983; 21; p.177). They pyrolyzed polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) on various support materials including silica frits, sintered bronze and copper and iron gauzes. Experiments were carried out to measure the diffusivities of various gases as a function of temperature. The researchers encountered the problem of being unable to create a uniform, defect free layer on any support surface, with the exception of silica frits. The control of the CMS microstructure was also very poor--membranes synthesized under similar conditions exhibited widely varying behavior in terms of gas diffusivities. However, there was some degree of separation obtained between gases, and this was attributed to flow through cracks as well as surface diffusion on the carbon. There was some evidence of activated diffusion as well, and activation energies were obtained for different gas-support material pairs.
Rao and Sircar (see Rao, M. B. and S. Sircar, Nanoporous Carbon Membranes for Separation of Gas Mixtures by Surface Selective Flow; Journal of Membrane Science, 1993; 85; pp. 253-264) developed the "Surface Selective Flow" (SSF.TM.) membrane, in which the primary mechanism for gas separation was the difference in surface flow of various gases on carbon. The membranes were synthesized by coating a layer of poly(vinylidene chloride)-acrylate terpolymer latex on a macroporous graphite disk with a pore size of 0.7 .mu.m. The samples were pyrolyzed at 1000.degree. C. in a nitrogen stream, and the coating procedure was repeated to increase the carbon layer thickness. SEM analysis revealed a crack-free membrane with a layer thickness of approximately 2.5 .mu.m. As compared to other separation mechanisms like Knudsen and molecular sieving, surface flow by selective adsorption was found to have several advantages. Components present in low concentrations could be separated, which eliminated the need for a large pressure drop across the membrane. Also, since surface adsorption increased at lower temperatures, ambient operating conditions improved the selectivity. The membrane was used to separate hydrocarbons from hydrogen and hydrocarbon mixtures and provided high selectivities for the former. Graphite supports were also used by Chen and Yang (see Chen, Y. D. and R. T. Yang, Preparation of Carbon Molecular Sieve Membrane and Diffusion of Binary Mixtures in the Membrane; Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 1994; 33; pp.3146-3153) to synthesize membranes from polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA). Again, the carbon layer was found to be crack free and its thickness was 15 .mu.m. Diffusivities of gases in the membrane were found to be concentration dependent. The experimental data was explained quite well by the binary diffusivity theory developed by the authors.

Supported carbogenic molecular sieve membrane and method of producing the same