A positioning correction method for a motor-operated injection molding machine, intended to eliminate waste of power supply to or overheat of servomotors by locking up in an ideal state the motor-operated injection molding machine, which uses a toggle mechanism or crank for mold clamping and other operations. During the lockup period, a load RA acting on a mold clamping servomotor 7 is detected (S8), and a position command value PM for the servomotor 7 is increased or decreased in the next cycle in a direction such that the value of the load RA is reduced, if the value of the load RA is greater than a preset reference value V0 (S12, S13). As a result, a rotation center Q1 of a crank 2 and two opposite ends Q2 of a link 3 are locked up in a straight line, so that a moment of rotation produced by a mold clamping reaction force is removed from the rotation center Q1 of the crank 2. In this manner, the mold clamping reaction force can be maintained during the lockup period without applying a driving torque to the mold clamping servomotor 7 by energizing the same. Thus, not only the waste of power can be prevented but also the load on the mold clamping servomotor 7 can be reduced, thereby unnecessitating the use of a stopper or other means for maintaining the mold clamping reaction force.

Conventionally known are motor-operated injection molding machines which use servomotors for driving a mold clamping mechanism, nozzle touching mechanism, etc.
The motor-operated injection molding machines which utilize a servomotor for the mold clamping mechanism are classified broadly into two categories: a straight-hydraulic type, in which a movable platen fitted with a movable-side mold is linearly moved for mold clamping by driving a ball-nut-and-screw mechanism by means of the servomotor, and a type in which the mold clamping is effected by pushing out the movable platen by means of a link mechanism. In general, the link mechanism of the latter type may be formed of a toggle mechanism or a crank mechanism.
Referring now to the diagrams of FIGS. 4 and 5, the respective operations of mold clamping mechanisms, in which the movable platen is pressed against a stationary platen by means of the link mechanism, will be described. In FIG. 4, which illustrates the operation of a link mechanism using a crank, symbol 1a designates the crank, which is rotated around a support joint Q1 by means of a servomotor M. A driving joint Q2 of the crank 1a is connected to an action joint Q3, on the side of a movable platen mp for use as a movable member through a link 1b. When the crank 1a is rotated in the clockwise direction of FIG. 4 by driving the servomotor M in this arrangement, the movable platen mp linearly moves in the direction of the arrow of FIG. 4 (i.e., toward the stationary platen) to come into contact with the stationary platen, thereby producing a mold clamping force. Thereupon, positioning is effected by commanding the servomotor M to take a position such that the driving joint Q2 is located on a line which connects the support joint Q1 and the action joint Q3, after adjusting the position of the support joint Q1 or the like so that a set mold clamping force is produced in a state (lockup state) such that the support joint Q1, driving joint Q2, and action joint Q3 are situated substantially on a straight line, as indicated by dotted line in FIG. 4. In the state that the set mold clamping force is obtained with the support joint Q1, driving joint Q2, and action joint Q3 arranged on a straight line, as a result, the crank 1a and the link 1b receive a reaction force against the mold clamping force in the lockup state in which they are stretched to their full length and situated on a straight line, so that no rotatory force is applied to the crank 1a. Thus, no external force acts so as to rotate the servomotor.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for illustrating the operation of a mold clamping mechanism using a link mechanism of the (double) toggle type. The principle of operation of this mechanism resembles that of the one using the crank mechanism of FIG. 4.
More specifically, when a ball screw bs is driven by a servomotor M, a toggle head th, which is integral with a nut threadedly engaged with the ball screw bs, linearly moves. As this is done, the movable platen moves toward the stationary platen in a manner such that links 1a and 1b and links 1c and 1d gradually shift their respective postures from bent positions, indicated by full lines in FIG. 5, to stretched positions, indicated by dotted lines. Thereupon, the servomotor is commanded to take a position for a set mold clamping force (position such that a support joint Q1, driving joint Q2, and action joint Q3 are situated on a straight line), after adjusting the position of the support joint Q1 or the like so that the set mold clamping force is produced in a state (lockup state) such that the support joint Q1, driving joint Q2, and action joint Q3 are situated substantially on a straight line, as indicated by each dotted line in FIG. 5. In the state that the set mold clamping force is obtained in this manner, as in the case of FIG. 4, the links 1a and 1b and the links 1c and 1d receive a reaction force against the mold clamping force in the lockup state, in which the links in each set are stretched to their full length and situated on a straight line, so that no rotatory force is applied to the link 1a. Thus, no external force acts to rotate the servomotor. Although the toggle shown in FIG. 5 is of the double-toggle type, a single-toggle type is based on the same principle, so that its description will be omitted here.
Although the prior-art principle of operation in the case where the mold clamping mechanism is driven by means of the link mechanism using the crank or toggle has been described, this link mechanism is also utilized in a nozzle touching mechanism. More specifically, the link mechanism using the crank or toggle is utilized for moving an injection apparatus, as a movable member, toward a stationary mold and pressing a nozzle of the injection apparatus against the stationary platen to produce and maintain a predetermined touching force. This principle of operation of the nozzle touching mechanism is equivalent to that of an arrangement in which the movable platen mp of FIG. 4 is replaced with the injection apparatus (which is moved toward the stationary mold during nozzle touching operation) in the case of the nozzle touching mechanism using the crank mechanism, and to that of an arrangement in which the movable platen mp of FIG. 5 is replaced with the injection apparatus in the case of the nozzle touching mechanism using the toggle mechanism. Since these arrangements are based on the same principle as the ones described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, individually, further description thereof will be omitted here.
In performing the mold clamping or nozzle touching operation through the link mechanism using the crank or toggle, as described above, an assigned position for the servomotor is judged such that the one link (or crank) and the other are in the lockup state in which they are stretched substantially to their full length. When the delivery of the position command to the servomotor is finished, the link mechanism is locked up by being positioned in this manner, so that the force from the mold clamping mechanism acting around the axis of the servomotor can be thoroughly removed. Consequently, no load acts on the servomotor, so that only a very small driving current is needed to keep the servomotor in its rotational position. Thus, a predetermined mold clamping state or nozzle touching state can be maintained with a supply of fine current.
According to the motor-operated injection molding machine described above, however, various problems arise in the positioning control for the servomotor due to secular changes such as changes in dimensions of various parts of mechanisms or changes in friction coefficient, which are attributable to fit abrasion, deterioration of relative dimensional accuracy attributable to local temperature changes, etc.
In case of fit abrasion at part of a drive transmission section of the mold clamping mechanism which uses the toggle mechanism or crank for mold clamping, for example, the toggle mechanism or crank may sometimes fail to reach a predetermined position (position for the lockup state), or may possibly move beyond the predetermined position, even when the servomotor is controlled so as to be driven to a preset command position. In such a case, a predetermined mold clamping force or nozzle touching force cannot be obtained or maintained, so that the mold clamping mechanism or nozzle touching mechanism cannot establish and maintain a precise lockup state. Thus, in this state, a reaction force from the mold clamping mechanism or a reaction force based on the nozzle touching force acts around the axis of the servomotor, so that a driving current corresponding to the reaction force must be supplied continuously during the mold clamping period or nozzle touching period, in order to control the servomotor so that its present position is maintained. In some cases, therefore, the servomotor may overheat.

Positioning correction method for motor-operated injection molding machine


A method and system are provided for a user to determine the status of a shipment being transported by a carrier. The user performs a transaction at a web site, and chooses a type of shipment. A file in markup language includes at least one link to shipment tracking information, and this file is provided to the user and saved locally at a user device. The user activates the file to check the shipping status, which is then displayed. In this way, the user is able to access aggregated shipping information from a plurality of carriers. Also, the user is able to obtain pinpoint shipping status, if the user needs more details than merely finding out a checkpoint through which a shipment has passed.

People who use online merchants or delivery companies with online access usually have at least two possible methods to track and confirm delivery of packages or other items. According to the first method, users must remember a unique—and usually difficult to remember—tracking identifier. Such a tracking code is normally a string of letters and/or numbers that have no easily remembered meaning. According to a second alternative method, the user must go through a time-consuming authentication process in order to access the tracking identifier, or in order to directly access the tracking information. Plainly, either of these two methods has drawbacks.
If the shipment was initiated in conjunction with a purchase, then the user can authenticate to the merchant web site where the user made the purchase, but less time spent authenticating normally means less security for the customer. Following a lengthy authentication, the user would then see a merchant's or shipping carrier's display of the tracking identifier as a hypertext shortcut directly to the tracking information, or a display of the tracking information itself, or the user would see a query for even more information if the merchant has not automatically provided that information to the carrier. Thus, the existing art has not yet achieved a satisfactory alternative to memorization of long tracking identifiers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for providing a shortcut to shipping information


A vertical or three-dimensional non-planar configuration for a decoupling capacitor is provided, which significantly reduces the required die area for capacitors of high charge carrier storage capacity. The non-planar configuration of the decoupling capacitors also provides enhanced pattern uniformity during the highly critical gate patterning process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of fabricating integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to the formation of semiconductor devices including field effect transistors, such as MOS transistors, and decoupling capacitors for reducing switching noise.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern integrated circuits, a huge number of individual circuit elements, such as field effect transistors in the form of CMOS, NMOS, PMOS elements, resistors, capacitors and the like, are formed on a single chip area. Typically, feature sizes of these circuit elements are steadily decreasing with the introduction of every new circuit generation, to provide currently available integrated circuits with an improved degree of performance in terms of speed and/or power consumption. A reduction in size of transistor is an important aspect in steadily improving device performance of complex integrated circuits, such as CPUs. The reduction in size commonly brings about an increased switching speed, thereby enhancing signal processing performance and also dynamic power consumption of the individual transistors. That is, due to the reduced switching time period, the transient currents, upon switching a CMOS transistor element from logic low to logic high, are significantly reduced.
On the other hand, the reduction of feature sizes, such as the channel length of the transistor elements in the deep sub-micron regime, entails a plurality of issues that may partially offset the advantages obtained by the improved switching performance. For example, reducing the channel length of field effect transistors requires the reduction of the thickness of the gate insulation layer in order to maintain a sufficiently high capacitive coupling of the gate electrode to the channel region so as to appropriately control the formation of the conductive channel that builds up upon application of a control voltage to the gate electrode. For highly sophisticated devices, currently featuring a channel length of 0.1 μm or even less, a thickness of the gate insulation layer, typically comprising silicon dioxide for the superior and well known characteristics of the interface between the silicon dioxide and the underlying channel region, is on the order of 1.5-3 nm or even less. For a gate dielectric of this order of magnitude, it turns out that, in total, the leakage current passing through the thin gate dielectric may become comparable to the transient currents, since the leakage currents exponentially rise as the gate dielectric thickness is linearly reduced.
In addition to the large number of transistor elements, a plurality of passive capacitors are typically formed in integrated circuits that are used for a plurality of purposes, such as for decoupling. Decoupling in integrated circuits is an important aspect for reducing the switching noise of the fast switching transistors, since the decoupling capacitor may provide energy at a specific point of the circuitry, for instance at the location of a fast switching transistor, and thus reduce voltage variations which may otherwise unduly affect the logic state represented by the transistor. Since these capacitors are usually formed in and on active semiconductor regions, significant die area is consumed by the decoupling capacitors. Typically, these capacitors are formed in a planar configuration over active semiconductor regions, which act as a first capacitor electrode. The capacitor dielectric is formed during the process of manufacturing gate insulation layers of field effect transistors, wherein the gate material is usually patterned along with gate electrode structures so as to serve as the second capacitor electrode. Thus, in addition to the significant consumption of die area, increased leakage currents may be encountered in devices requiring highly capacitive decoupling elements, thereby significantly contributing to the total static leakage consumption and, therefore, to the total power consumption of the integrated circuit. For sophisticated applications, in terms of power consumption and/or heat management, the high amount of static power consumption may not be acceptable, and, therefore, usually a so-called dual gate oxide processing may be used to increase the thickness of the dielectric layer of the capacitors, thereby reducing the leakage current of these elements.
With reference to FIGS. 1a-1c, a typical prior art process flow for forming a semiconductor device comprising a highly capacitive decoupling capacitor having a moderate leakage current will now be described. FIG. 1a schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device 100 at a specific manufacturing stage. The semiconductor device 100 comprises a substrate 101, for example a silicon substrate, including a first semiconductor region 130 for receiving a transistor element and a second semiconductor region 120 for receiving a decoupling capacitor of high capacitance. Thus, the semiconductor region 120 may, contrary to the semiconductor region 130, occupy a significant fraction of a functional block of the device 100. The first and second semiconductor regions 130, 120 are enclosed by respective isolation structures 102. The first semiconductor region 130 and, partially, the corresponding isolation structure 102, are covered by a mask layer 103 that may be comprised of photoresist. The second semiconductor region 120 comprises a surface portion 104 having severe lattice damage caused by an ion implantation, as indicated by 105.
A typical process flow for forming the semiconductor device as depicted in FIG. 1a includes sophisticated photolithography and etch techniques for defining the isolation structures 102, followed by a further photolithography step to pattern the resist mask 103. As these process techniques are well known in the art, a detailed description thereof is omitted. Subsequently, the ion implantation 105 is carried out with any appropriate ions, such as silicon, argon, xenon and the like, wherein a dose and energy are selected to create severe lattice damage in the portion 104, thereby significantly changing the diffusion behavior of the portion 104 during an oxidation process that is to be carried out subsequently.
FIG. 1b schematically shows the semiconductor structure 100 in an advanced manufacturing stage. A first dielectric layer 131, substantially comprised of silicon dioxide and having a first thickness 132, is formed on the first semiconductor region 130. A second dielectric layer 121, having a second thickness 122 and comprised of the same material as the first dielectric layer 131, is formed on the second semiconductor region 120. The first and the second dielectric layers 131 and 121 are formed by conventional oxidation in a high temperature furnace process or by a rapid thermal oxidation process. Due to the severe lattice damage of the surface portion 104, the oxygen diffusion in this surface portion 104 is significantly enhanced compared to silicon portions having a substantially undisturbed crystallinity, such as in the surface region of the first semiconductor region 130. Consequently, oxide growth in and on the second semiconductor region 120 is increased compared to the growth rate of the first semiconductor region 130 so that the first thickness 132 differs from the second thickness 122 by approximately 0.2-1.0 nm for a thickness of the first dielectric layer 131 on the order of 1-5 nm.
FIG. 1c schematically shows the semiconductor device 100 in a further advanced manufacturing stage, wherein a decoupling capacitor 140 is formed in and on the second semiconductor region 120, and a field effect transistor 150 is formed in and on the first semiconductor region 130. The transistor element 150 comprises a gate electrode 133 including, for example, highly doped polysilicon and a metal silicide portion 135. Moreover, sidewall spacers 134 are formed adjacent to sidewalls of the gate electrode 133. Source and drain regions 136, each including a metal silicide portion 135, are formed in the first semiconductor region 130. The capacitor 140 comprises a conductive electrode 123 comprised of the same material as the gate electrode 133 and formed over the second dielectric layer 121. The electrode 123 represents a first electrode of the capacitor 140. The capacitor electrode 123 includes a metal silicide portion 125 and is enclosed by sidewall spacer elements 124.
A typical process flow for forming the transistor element 150 and the capacitor 140 may include the following steps. A polysilicon layer may be deposited over the device as shown in FIG. 1b and may be patterned by well-known photolithography and etching techniques to create the capacitor electrode 123 and the gate electrode 133 in a common process. Subsequently, the drain and source region 136 are formed by ion implantation, wherein intermittently the sidewall spacers 134 and the sidewall spacers 124 are formed so that the sidewall spacers 134 may act as implantation masks to appropriately shape the dopant concentration of the drain and source regions 136. Thereafter, the metal silicide portions 125 and 135 may be formed by depositing a refractory metal and initiating a chemical reaction between the metal and the underlying polysilicon of the capacitor electrode 123, the gate electrode 133 and the silicon in the drain and source regions 136.
As is evident from FIG. 1c, the capacitor 140 having the second dielectric layer 121 with the increased thickness 122 will exhibit a reduced leakage current rate compared to the corresponding leakage rate caused by the relatively thin first dielectric layer 131 having the second thickness 132 that is optimized to provide the required dynamic performance of the transistor 150. Although a remarkably improved leakage rate of the capacitor 140 may be obtained with the above-described conventional approach, one decisive drawback is the significantly reduced capacitance per unit area of the capacitor 140 owing to the increased thickness of the second dielectric layer 121. Thus, for a given desired charge storage capacity as required for an enhanced decoupling effect, an even more enlarged area is necessary for the capacitor 140. A further disadvantage of the conventional prior art approach is the requirement of a high temperature oxidation process for forming the first and second dielectric layers 131 and 121 so that this process scheme may not be compatible with alternative solutions for forming extremely thin gate dielectrics, such as advanced deposition methods for forming ultra-thin gate insulation layers. Moreover, the process flow described above leads to a highly non-uniform pattern density, i.e., regions with increased dimensions representing, for instance, the capacitor 140, are located in the vicinity of tiny regions such as the transistor 150, which may compromise the patterning process for forming the highly critical gate electrodes, such as the gate electrode 133.
In view of the above-described situation, there is a need for an improved technique that enables the formation of capacitors, while avoiding, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems identified above.

Semiconductor device including a vertical decoupling capacitor


A boil cooling method forms, with a surface of an object to be cooled or a surface of a heating member in close contact with the surface of the object to be cooled made to serve as a cooling surface, a main flow channel and a sub-flow channel for a cooling liquid from the side of the cooling surface in the above-described order, arranges a plurality of nozzles penetrating a partition wall separating the sub-flow channel and the main flow channel and protruding into the main flow channel in a flow channel direction of the main flow channel, causes tip end parts of individual nozzles to be in the vicinity of or in contact with the cooling surface, causes a cooling liquid to circulate to the main flow channel and the sub-flow channel, and cools the cooling surface by boiling of the cooling liquid flowing through the main flow channel, and at the same time, supplies the cooling liquid from the side of the sub-flow channel through each of the nozzles to the vicinity of the cooling surface, and cools the cooling liquid in the main flow channel.

When heating of liquid is continued, the liquid temperature gradually rises and reaches "a saturation temperature" wherein the liquid temperature does not rise any more. If the liquid is further heated, "vaporization of liquid" occurs in the liquid. This state is boiling, and the above-described saturation temperature is called a boiling point.
In the boiling state, the liquid temperature does not rise, and the energy to be added to liquid by heating is consumed in "vaporizing the liquid inside of the liquid". This heat energy is called "latent heat". The latent heat is extremely large as compared with the heat energy raising the temperature of liquid. Accordingly, by using boiling of liquid, a large cooling effect can be obtained.
Cooling using boiling is called "boil cooling", and heretofore, various boil cooling apparatuses have been proposed.
For example, a boil cooling apparatus of an immersion method has been proposed, which is constituted of a vessel accommodating liquid for cooling and a pipe running through the liquid for cooling in the vessel, and in which boil cooling is performed with a semiconductor element as an object to be cooled immersed in the liquid for cooling, and liquid having a boiling point lower than the liquid for cooling is circulated in the pipe (see, for example, patent document 1).
Boiling phenomenon generally follows the development as described below. The surface of "a heating block" constituted of, for example, metal, etc. is immersed in liquid, and the heating block is heated to raise the heating surface temperature thereof. When the heating surface temperature rises to a certain extent, "a minute bubble about 1 mm or smaller in size" is generated at the surface of the heating block. This state is a state in which the temperature of a liquid layer part of the liquid in contact with the surface of the heating block has reached a saturation temperature, and boiling is occurring at the above-described surface part of the heating block.
As the physical quantity expressing the effect of cooling by boiling of liquid, there is "heat flux". Expressing in the context of examples in the description, heat flux is "the amount of heat transferred to liquid per unit time from a unit area of the surface of the heating block (the surface in contact with the liquid)", and the cooling effect is greater as the heat flux is greater.
As a minute bubble starts to be generated at the surface of the heating block, "the growth rate of heat flux" increases, and if heating the heating block is further continued, the quantity of bubbles generated at the surface of the heating block also increases, and the heat flux also continues to increase at a large growth rate, which however is finally saturated.
"The state in which the heat flux has been saturated" this way is in the state that the heating block surface has been covered with "a large bubble".
That is, if the quantity of minute bubbles generated at a heating surface increases, generated bubbles coalesce to grow to "a large bubble" so large as to be several centimeters in size though depending on the size of the heating surface. A bubble greatly grown in size this way is "a bubble thin in thickness like the squashed one", and if such a large bubble adheres to the surface of the heating block, at the part of the heating surface the large bubble has adhered to, the heating block is not in direct contact with the liquid, so that boiling is inhibited, and thereby the heat flux is saturated. The heat flux at this time is called "critical heat flux".
If the heating block is heated even after the heat flux has reached the critical heat flux, at the part of the surface of the heating block the large bubble has adhered to, the heating surface starts to be dried, and with a rapid rise of the heating surface temperature, the heat flux rapidly decreases, so that the cooling effect rapidly deteriorates. If heating further continues, the heating surface is completely dried at the part thereof covered with the large bubble, and this part turns into "the state wherein the part is covered with a thin film of steam". At this dried part, the heat energy of the heating block is transferred as radiant heat to the liquid, and the heat flux shifts to increase again, however, because the heating surface is not in contact with the liquid, the temperature of the heating block also increases, and if this temperature exceeds a melting point of the heating block, the heating surface "burns out".
The boiling form from the state that a minute bubble starts to be generated at the surface of the heating block until when the heat flux reaches the critical heat flux is called "nucleate boiling", the boiling form from the state that the heat flux is the critical heat flux until when the heat flux decreases and the heat flux shifts to increase again is called "transition boiling", and the boiling form after the change in the heat flux has shifted to increase again is called "film boiling", respectively.
That is, if heating the heating block immersed in liquid is continued, the boiling forms of nucleate boiling, transition boiling, and film boiling sequentially develop, finally leading to burning out of the heating block. Generally, after the state in which the heat flux is the critical heat flux, "the process leading to burning out from the transition boiling through the film boiling" develops extremely rapidly, and control thereof is extremely difficult, so that boil cooling has been heretofore commonly performed in "the area of nucleate boiling in which the heat flux is equal to or below the critical heat flux".
More specifically, in the conventional boil cooling method, it is typical that for example, the heat flux (about 100° C.) of about 100 W/cm2 can be obtained at most to a heating surface 1-2 cm long.
On the other hand, various attempts have been made to obtain a high heat flux, and for example, a cooling apparatus rapidly dissolving boiling bubbles using a nozzle and aiming for a high cooling efficiency has been proposed (see, for example, patent document 2).
The cooling apparatus in the above-described proposal is the one for cooling mainly a semiconductor device as a heat-generating body, and the apparatus carries out a cooling method performing cooling, using two types of nozzles, by emitting a jet of a low temperature refrigerant medium liquid from the first nozzle toward the heat-generating body and at the same time, emitting a jet of the same low temperature refrigerant medium liquid from the second nozzle toward the jet of the low temperature refrigerant medium, that has been emitted from the first nozzle and turned into a high temperature refrigerant medium liquid in a vapor-liquid two-phase state as a result of occurrence of boiling bubbles by the heat of the heat-generating body, to rapidly cool the refrigerant medium liquid emitted from the first nozzle, thereby causing the boiling bubbles to be condensed and dissolved.
According to this proposal, it is envisioned that the heat flux of about 200 W/cm2 can be obtained in the temperature area of about 120° C., however, it is believed that the proposed method is applicable only to cooling of a short heating surface like a semiconductor device.
At the same time, it has been reported that when performing boil cooling while causing cooling liquid to circulate along the cooling surface of an object to be cooled, if the cooling liquid is supplied to the cooling surface after sub-cooling the cooling liquid in advance to "the temperature lower than the saturation temperature", in a certain time frame after the start of cooling, without generating "shifting to transition boiling", the nucleate boiling form is kept and satisfactory boil cooling can be realized up to a considerably high temperature area (see non-patent document 1).
When performing boil cooling while causing cooling liquid to circulate along the cooling surface of an object to be cooled, if the cooling liquid has been sub-cooled, the heat from the cooling surface rapidly raises the temperature of the cooling liquid in contact with the cooling surface up to a saturation temperature, and thereafter, causes boiling. The place where the temperature rises and boiling occurs at this time is "a thin layered part of the cooling liquid in the vicinity of the cooling surface", and it is believed that the cooling liquid in the sub-cooled state, that is, the cooling liquid lower than the saturation temperature in temperature exists in the area outside of this layered part of the cooling liquid.
"The cooling liquid lower than the saturation temperature in temperature", which exists outside of the layered area where boiling is occurring, decreases "the temperature of the cooling liquid in the layered area" in the state of boiling. Due to this temperature decrease, "a bubble in the cooling liquid in the state of boiling is condensed and/or collapsed".
Because heat is further transferred from the heating surface to the liquid, if sub-cooled liquid is used, it is possible to increase the critical heat flux.
If liquid that has been sub-cooled to a great sub-cooling degree is used as the cooling liquid, the temperature at the vapor-liquid boundary face between a coalesced bubble grown in the transition boiling area and the liquid decreases, and the bubble is collapsed by condensing (the phenomenon opposite of the boiling phenomenon) into micro-bubbles, so that it comes to that the liquid is supplied to the heating surface, and thereby cooling can be performed without causing the boiling form to shift from transition boiling to film boiling, and the critical heat flux can be increased more than in ordinary cases. This phenomenon is called "micro-bubble emission boiling".
However, even when performing boil cooling using sub-cooled cooling liquid, with passing of the time that the cooling liquid flows along the cooling surface, the temperature of the whole part of the cooling liquid gradually increases, and the effect of sub-cooling inevitably decreases, so that there is a limit to "performing boil cooling to a large cooling area without causing transition boiling" in a considerably high temperature area.
Recently, the length of a heating surface of an IC package of a high heat-generating density electronic device used in an inverter for power conversion being normally 10-30 cm, a cooling method capable of cooling such a surface to be cooled long in the heating surface is demanded, and further, a cooling method capable of dealing with a wide fluctuation in the heat load for example as in the case that the heat generation immediately rises by rapid acceleration or abnormal driving in an electric automobile is demanded.
Further, it is expected in future that a cooling method enabling obtaining the heat flux of about 300 W/cm2 or more will be required, however, those requirements cannot be met by the conventional cooling method, and the advent of a boil cooling method capable of dealing with those requirements is desired.
Patent document 1: Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 1986-54654
Patent document 2: Japanese patent Laid-open publication No. 1993-136305
Non-patent document 1: "Sub-cooled Flow Boiling with micro-bubble emission" (Proc. 41st Japan Symposium on Heat Transfer, June 2004, Vol. 1, pp. 19-20)

Boil cooling method, boil cooling apparatus, flow channel structure, and applied technology field thereof

Tokyo University of Science Educational Foundation Administrative Organization


In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, a system includes a phase-locked loop circuit that receives a reference signal and a feedback signal and provides an output signal. A control circuit also receives the reference signal and the feedback signal and provides a correction current for the phase-locked loop circuit to reduce a phase error of the output signal.

A phase-locked loop (PLL) is typically characterized by a certain, non-zero phase error (also referred to herein as phase offset or propagation delay (TPD)), which represents a phase difference between a reference clock input and a feedback clock input when the PLL is in a locked state. This phase difference, for example, may be caused by non-idealities and mismatches in circuit elements both within and outside of the PLL. The control of the phase error or phase difference is often one of the primary objectives in every PLL design (e.g., a phase difference less than a few hundred picoseconds may be desired).
A common approach for maintaining a low phase error is to design the PLL's charge pump so as to reduce its susceptibility to the various factors causing systematic and random mismatch in the output currents of the charge pump. For example, various circuit implementations exist that are known to improve the insensitivity of the charge pump currents to supply voltage variation, output voltage range, and device mismatch. However, these circuit implementations generally provide an optimal result for just a certain set of conditions (e.g., process, supply voltage, or output voltage/current) and charge pump architecture.
Another drawback to this approach is that these solutions generally do not provide active compensation for the current mismatch in the charge pump, which is translated into a charge difference in a loop filter of the PLL and consequently a timing difference or a phase error on the PLL input. Thus, these general approaches, for example, only offer an improvement that may be insufficient to meet the tight phase error specifications of current clock generator products. As a result, there is a need for improved PLL circuit techniques.

Systems and methods for reducing static phase error


A storage system has a plurality of control modules for controlling a storage device for accesses from a mainframe host and an open system host respectively supporting different protocols. An open channel adaptor and a mainframe channel adaptor are separately provided. The mainframe channel adaptor is connected to a plurality of control managers via front routers and performs parallel write access from the mainframe host for mirroring. In the write processing for the mainframe host, the connection is maintained until the completion of processing. In particular, even in case of a write miss, disk read processing can be performed in parallel, thus contributing to the high-speed processing in case of the write miss. Further, for an access from the open system host, a high throughput can be obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the configurations of a data storage system for use as an external storage device of a computer, and a data storage control apparatus, and more particularly, a data storage system having the combinations and connections of units so as to configure the data storage system connecting a multiplicity of disk devices with high performance and flexibility, and a data storage control apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as a variety of data has been structured of electronic form and handled by computers, the importance of a data storage apparatus (external storage apparatus) capable of storing a large amount of data with good efficiency and high reliability, independently of a host computer for processing the data, is increasing.
As such a data storage apparatus, a disk array apparatus constituted of a large quantity of disk devices (for example, magnetic disk drives and optical disk drives) and a disk controller for controlling the above large quantity of disk devices has been put into use. The disk array apparatus can control such the large quantity of disk devices by accepting disk access requests simultaneously from a plurality of host computers. In recent years, there has been provided a disk array apparatus capable of controlling disk devices of a few thousands or more in number, or in terms of storage capacity, a disk device group of a few hundred terabytes or more, by use of a single disk array apparatus.
Such a disk array apparatus incorporates a memory that plays the role of a disk cache. With this, it becomes possible to reduce a data access time required when a read request or a write request is received from a host computer, making it possible to obtain high performance.
In general, the disk array apparatus is constituted of a plurality of kinds of major units, namely, channel adaptors provided in the connection portion to the host computer, disk adaptors provided in the connection portion to disk drives, control units taking charge of controlling the cache memory and the disk array apparatus as a whole, and a large quantity of disk drives.
FIG. 15 shows a configuration diagram of a disk array apparatus 100 according to a first conventional example. As shown in FIG. 15, the conventional disk array apparatus 100 is structured of a plurality of major units, including control managers (shown as CM in the figure) 10 each having a cache memory and a cache control unit, channel adaptors (shown as CA in the figure) 11 for interfacing with host computers (not shown in the figure), disk enclosures 12 each having a plurality of disk drives, and disk adaptors (shown as DA in the figure) 13 for interfacing with the above disk enclosures 12.
Furthermore, there are provided routers (shown as RT in the figure) 14 for interconnecting among the control managers 10, the channel adaptors 11, and the disk adaptors 13 to perform data transfer and communication among such the major units.
There are provided four control managers 10 in the above disk array apparatus 100. Also, the four routers 14 are provided corresponding to the control managers 10. The above control managers 10 and routers 14 are interconnected in one-to-one correspondence. By this, the connections between the plurality of control managers 10 become redundant, so as to increase availability (for example, the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-256003).
Namely, in the event that one of the routers 14 becomes faulty, the connections among the plurality of control managers 10 can be secured by passing data through another router 14. Thus, the disk array apparatus 100 can continue normal operation even in such a case.
Further, in the above disk array apparatus 100, two channel adaptors 11 and two disk adaptors 13 are connected to each router 14. The channel adaptors 11 and disk adaptors 13 can communicate with any control managers 10 through the interconnections between the control managers 10 and routers 14.
Also, the channel adaptors 11 are connected to host computers (not shown) processing data, through, for example, Fibre Channel and Ethernet (registered trademark). Meanwhile, the disk adaptors 13 are connected to the disk enclosures 12 (typically, a group of the disk drives) through, for example, a Fiber Channel cable.
Further, exchanges of a variety of types of information (for example, data mirroring processing among a plurality of cache memories), which maintains the consistency of the operation inside disk array apparatus 100 as well as user data from the host computers, are performed between the channel adaptors 11 and the control managers 10, as well as between the disk adaptors 13 and the control managers 10.
In the above disk array apparatus 100, a control manager taking charge of the cache function is assigned in advance on the basis of each address of each mounted disk. Therefore, on receipt of a disk access request from a host, first, it is necessary for the disk array apparatus 100 to perform operation for determining a control manager that takes charge of the requested address. Further, since the cache memory is structured of a volatile memory, it is necessary to perform mirroring, that is, storing the identical data into a cache memory of another control manager, to prepare for the occurrence of a fault.
Namely, in case of write operation from a host computer, data from the host computer are first received in the channel adaptor 11. The channel adaptor 11 inquires one control manager 10 which control manager 10 is taking charge of the disk requested from the host. Thereafter, the channel adaptor 11 writes the data into the cache memory provided in the control manager 10 in change. When the write operation is completed normally, the channel adaptor 11 sends a completion notification to the host computer.
Similarly, on receipt of a read request from a host computer, the channel adaptor 11 inquires one control manager 10 which control manager 10 is taking charge of the requested data. Thereafter, the channel adaptor 11 requests the control manager 10 in charge to send the read data.
The received control manager 10 immediately notifies the read data to the channel adapter 11, if the data of interest is existent in the cache memory. On the contrary, the data of interest is not existent in the cache memory, the control manager 10 requests the disk adaptor 13 to read out the data from the disk.
The disk adaptor 13 reads out the data from the disk, then the disk adaptor 13 writes the data into the cache memory of the control manager 10 in charge. In response to the above data write, the control manager 10 in charge notifies the channel adaptor 11 that it has become possible to read out the data. On receipt of the above notification, the channel adaptor 11 reads out the data from the cache memory, and then transfers the read data to the host computer.
FIG. 16 shows an explanation diagram of a second conventional technique. A disk array apparatus 102 shown. in FIG. 16 includes four (4) control managers (cache memories and control units) 10. Each control manager (CM) 10 is connected to the channel adaptor (CA) 11 and the disk adaptor (DA) 13.
Further, four control managers 10 are interconnected by a pair of routers 14 so as to enable communication among each other. The channel adaptor 11 is connected to a host computer(s) (not shown) through Fibre Channel or Ethernet (registered trademark). Also, the disk adaptor 13 is connected to the disk drives in the disk enclosure 12, through, for example, Fiber Channel cables.
Further, the disk enclosure 12 has two ports (for example, Fiber Channel ports) connected to the different disk adaptors 13. With this, redundancy is provided in the configuration, so as to increase fault tolerance.
Through the above routers 14, exchanges of a variety of types of information (for example, data mirroring processing among a plurality of cache memories) are performed so as to maintain the consistency of the operation inside disk array unit 102.
In the above second conventional example, the channel adaptor 11 receives the write data from the host computer, and transfers the write data to the control manager 10 under connection. On receipt of the write data, the control manager 10 confirms a control manager 10 in charge, and if the data-received control manager is taking charge, the control manager 10 of interest notifies the channel adaptor 11 that data write processing has been completed. Meanwhile, if another control manager 10 is taking charge of the relevant data, the data is transferred to the other control manager 10 in charge, and the completion of data processing is notified to the channel adaptor 11. On receipt of the notification from the control manager 10 in charge, the channel adaptor 11 sends a write completion notification to the host.
In case of receiving a read request from the host computer also, first, the channel adaptor 11 issues a request to the control manager 10 under connection. On receipt of the above request, the control manager 10 confirms the control manager in charge. If the request-received control manager is taking charge, the control manager 10 of interest either extracts the data from the cache memory, or reads out the data from a disk via the disk adaptor 13, and then transfers the readout data to the channel adaptor 11.
On the other hand, in case another control manager 10 is taking charge, a request is sent to the relevant control manager 10 in charge. The control manager 10 in charge then transfers to the channel adaptor 11 the returned data through the read operation similar to the above description. The channel adaptor 11 then transfers the data received from the control manager 10 to the host computer.
Through spread of electronic data having been promoted in recent years, there are demands on a data storage system of larger capacity and higher speed. In each of the storage units shown in the above-mentioned two conventional examples, high availability and flexibility have been attained. However, in some aspects, it is insufficient to support a plurality of host interface types.
Namely, the support types are different depending on the difference in protocols and throughputs of the host interface. For example, for Fibre Channel and iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface), which are interfaces for so-called open system host computers like a UNIX (registered trademark) server or an IA (Internet Appliance) server, a high throughput of 200 MB/s or more is required. In contrast, in FICON (registered trademark) and ESCON (registered trademark), which are the interfaces for mainframe host computers, it is sufficient if the throughput of 20 MB/s to 200 MB/s or of that order is provided.
Also, there is a difference in the response time expected by the hosts. In case of the open system host, after a request is transmitted, the connection to a storage device is once disconnected, and in the meantime, other processing is performed. On the other hand, in case of the mainframe host, a series of processing from first request transmission, data transfer to status reception is performed in most cases, through which the connection to a storage device is maintained. Accordingly, the mainframe host requires a short response time for one data transfer.
In case that such a plurality of host interfaces having different types of protocols or throughputs are to be supported, according to the configuration using the first conventional technique, a bottleneck of throughput is apt to be produced in the router, because the whole paths between the channel adaptors to the control managers, between the disk adaptors and the control managers, and among the respective control managers pass through the router. In short, it can be said that, by such a configuration, it is hard to provide the channel adaptor with a sufficient throughput.
Further, according to the configuration using the second conventional technique, a throughput problem does not occur because buses connecting between the channel adaptors and the control managers, between the disk adaptors and the control managers, and among the respective control managers are entirely independent. However, there are some cases that are hard to satisfy a required response speed for the host.
The above situation will be described below, taking an exemplary case of producing a substantially slow response speed. Consider a case of rewriting a portion of data on the disk by a data from a host. Since the disk data are protected by check codes given on the basis of a certain unit of data, when a portion of the data is to be rewritten, it is necessary to generate the check code a fresh, using the remaining portion of the unit of data, as well as the exact portion to be rewritten. If the remaining data does not exist in the cache, readout operation from the disk becomes necessary in spite of write processing, which takes a substantially long time to respond.
In particular, according to the second conventional technique, there are cases that the control manager taking charge of data requested from a host is not connected to the channel adaptor having received the request from the host. In such cases, the response time becomes still longer. In the following description, for the sake of explanation, a control manager to which a channel adaptor having received a request from a host is connected is referred to as CM-R (receive-CM), a control manager taking charge of the data concerned is referred to as CM-M (master-CM), and a control manager having mirror data of the cache data is referred to as CM-S (slave-CM).
(1) The channel adaptor 11 receives a write data from a host.
(2) In order to generate a check code, the disk adaptor 13 reads out the remaining data from the disk.
(3) The disk adaptor 13 writes the data into the control manager CM-M.
(4) The control manager CM-M transfers the data to the control manager CM-R.
(5) The channel adaptor 11 writes the data into the control manager CM-R.
(6) The control manager CM-R generates a check code corresponding to the new data, and transfers the generated check code to both control managers CM-M, CM-S.
Further, according to the aforementioned second conventional disk array apparatus, in order to increase the capacity and/or the speed, when an additional set(s) of control manager 10, channel adaptor 11 and/or disk adaptor 13 are to be installed, it is necessary to increase the number of ports of the disk enclosure 12, and also increase the number of connection cables between the disk adaptor 13 and the disk enclosure 12.
When increasing the number of ports of the disk enclosure 12, the number of cables corresponding to the number of the disk adaptors connected to one disk enclosure is to be increased also. This requires a larger mounting space, and therefore brings about a larger device size. Further, since two path systems for one disk enclosure are sufficient in view of a redundant configuration, it is not recommendable to increase the number of ports. Furthermore, since the number of connected disk adaptors is not constant but variable depending on a user's request, if a large number of ports are increased, it becomes wasteful against a small number of disk adaptors. On the other hand, if a small number of ports are increased, it becomes not possible to cope with a large number of disk adaptors. Namely, versatility is lost.
Meanwhile, in the first conventional disk array unit, when configuring a large-scale disk array unit provided with a multiplicity of major units, the number of connection lines between control managers 10 and routers 14 abruptly increases. This produces complicated connection relation, making it difficult to mount physically.
For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 15, as shown in FIG. 17, the disk array apparatus has a mounting structure such that four (4) control managers 10 and four (4) routers 14 are connected through a back panel 15. In this case, as described earlier, the number of signal lines becomes 4×4×[the number of signal lines per path], as shown in FIG. 15. For example, as described before, when one path connection is constituted of a 64-bit PCI (parallel bus), the number of signal lines including control lines on back panel 15 becomes approximately 1,600 (=4×4×100). In order to wire the above signal lines, the printed board for back panel 15 requires six signal layers.
In case of a larger scale configuration, for example, constituted of eight (8) control managers (four sheets) 10 and eight (8) routers (four sheets) 14 connected through back panel 15, the required number of signal lines reaches approximately 6,400 (=8×8×100). The printed board for back panel 15 in this case requires four times as many as the above, namely 24 layers. It is hard to realize.
In place of the 64-bit PCI bus, when assuming a case of connection through a 4-lane PCI-Express bus of reduced signal lines, the required number of signal lines becomes 1,024 (=8×8×16). As compared to a PCI bus of 66 MHz, the PCI-Express bus is a high-speedbus of 2.5 Gbps in speed. In order to maintain the signal quality of the high-speed bus, it is necessary to use an expensive material for the substrate.
Furthermore, when using a low-speedbus, it is possible to exchange among wiring layers using vias. On the other hand, use of the vias in the high-speedbus produces degraded signal quality, which is to be avoided. Accordingly, when using the high-speed bus, it is necessary to allocate the entire signal lines so as not to intersect mutually. As compared to the case of a low-speed bus having the same number of signal lines, the substrate is required approximately twice as many signal layers, for example twelve signal layers. Further, the substrate is to be structured of expensive material, which is also not realistic.
Moreover, in the first conventional disk array apparatus 100, if a fault occurs in one of routers 14, the channel adaptors 11 and the disk adaptors 13 connected in subordination to the failed router 14 become unavailable immediately when the fault occurs in the router 14.

Data storage system and control apparatus with a switch unit connected to a plurality of first channel adapter and modules wherein mirroring is performed


A macroemulsion composition for controlling odors and including droplets of water-immiscible, odor counteracting material dispersed as the discontinuous phase of the macroemulsion in a water soluble binder, which constitutes the continuous phase of the macroemulsion. Upon deposition of the composition onto an appropriate substrate, such as pet litter, and after evaporation of the water within the binder solution, the water soluble binder solidifies on the substrate. In so doing, the solidified water soluble binder substantially encloses the droplets of the odor counteracting material. The water soluble binder easily dissolves upon contact with water in pet excreta, thereby releasing the odor counteracting material in an amount appropriate to counteract the offensive odors at the offensive area where such counteraction is needed most.

This invention relates to an odor counteractant to be applied as a coating on a substrate to control or modify odors resulting from the use of the substrate in contact with malodorous material and moisture. The invention further relates to the method of forming and using a macroemulsion incorporating the counteractant and to a product comprising the macroemulsion. In particular, the invention relates to the control of odors associated with the use of pet litter.
In the past, attempts have been made to control the odor in particulate pet litter by spraying an odor-modifying material directly on the litter. The odor-modifying material gave off its own odor, which was more pleasing than the odor resulting from normal use of the litter by pets, but the effect of the odor-modifying material dissipated rather soon.
An improved odor-modifying material described by Colborn et al. in U.S. Pat. No 4,407,231 was produced by encapsulating fragrance oil as an odor counteractant in microcapsules and spraying those microcapsules on the particles of litter. The microcapsules were frangible, and the typical digging or scratching action indulged in by the pet, especially a cat, using the litter broke some of the microcapsules with each use, releasing some of the fragrance to counteract the unpleasant odors resulting from pet excreta. This same frangibility required in a certain amount of microscapsule breakage in handling and transportation of the containers of treated litter, which was not altogether bad, because it released a small amount of the fragrance, which would be sensed by the pet owner when opening the container of litter.
However, in actual use, it is desirable to have no further odor counteractant released until the pet uses it. When that does happen, it is not only essential that some of the microcapsules be broken, but it is further desirable that the amount of odor counteractant released be generally proportional to the need, which means generally proportional to the quantity of excreta rather than to microscapsule breakage. Breakage by mechanical scratching action is proportional to the activity of the animal and not necessarily to the amount of malodorous material that needs to be counteracted.
This further requires that the odor counteractant be carried by material that is soluble in pet urine to release the counteractant, whether the pet paws the litter intensely or little or not at all. Microcapsules, as used heretofore, are not very soluble and, thus, the fragrance oils contained in them are not released in proportion to need as specifically as is desired.

Macroemulsion having an odor-counteracting discontinuous phase


The present invention provides methods and compositions for the diagnosis of hyperproliferative disease and autoimmune disease. Tumor associated antigens, nucleic acids encoding them and antibodies to the tumor associated antigens are provided for the diagnosis of hyperproliferative disease, such as, for example, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and other epithelial cancers, and for the diagnosis of autoimmune disease.

Ovarian carcinoma remains one of the most lethal gynecologic malignancies. It has been reported to be the fifth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality among women in the United States (see Maller et al., SEER Cancer Statistics Review. 1973–1990, Bethesda, Md., National Cancer Institute(1993)).
Due to the lack of powerful diagnostic tests and also to the absence of any overt symptoms, early detection of ovarian cancer is difficult. In approximately two-thirds of patients, the disease is at an advanced stage (i.e., stage III or IV) at the time of diagnosis (see Boring et al., Ca. Cancer J. Clin. 44:7–26 (1994); Coppleson et al., Gynecologic Oncology: Fundamental Principles and Clinical Practice, 2nd ed, London, Churchill Livingstone Press (1992); Hung et al., "The Female Reproductive System: Cell Lines from Tumor of the Human Ovary and Uterus", in Hay et al., Atlas of Human Tumor Cell Lines, Academic Press, San Diego, pp 359–386(1994)). Currently, diagnostic assays are limited to a few markers. Numerous studies on ovarian carcinomas have reported genetic alterations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes (see, e.g., Piver et al., Semin. Oncol. 18: 177–85 (1991)). Specifically, amplification or activation of the oncogenes HER-2/neu, K-ras and c-myc, as well as inactivation of the tumor suppressor genes p53, BRCA1 and the human mismatch repair genes hMLH1, hMSH2, hPMS1 and hPMS2, have been detected in ovarian cancers. It has been reported that mutation of the p53 gene occurs in about 30–50% of ovarian cancers (see, e.g., Berchuck et al., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 170:246–52 (1994)). p53 gene mutations are common in a variety of other tumors, however.
Accordingly, there exists a need to identify new markers associated with ovarian cancer and other epithelial cancers. The present invention satisfies this and other needs.

Tumor associated antigens and methods of using the same

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason


There is therefore provided, in one aspect, a method for imaging an object utilizing a computed tomographic (CT) imaging system having a rotating gantry, a multislice detector array on the rotating gantry and using at least n greater than 1 rows of detector channels, and a radiation source on the rotating gantry configured to project a beam of radiation towards the multislice detector array through an object to be imaged. The method includes helically scanning the object with the CT imaging system at a pitch p greater than n to acquire projection data from the n rows of detector channels; applying a combined helical weight and conjugate weight to at least a portion of the acquired projection data to produce virtual projection data compensating for incomplete helical row data of the acquired projection data; and reconstructing an image of the object utilizing the acquired projection data and the virtual projection data.

This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for computed tomographic (CT) imaging, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for conversion of helical projection data into axial projection data for the reconstruction of sectional images.
Cardiac and many other new applications of computed tomographic (CT) imaging demand that multislice CT imaging systems produce high quality images with thinner slice profiles and faster coverage speeds than have been available in the past. To reduce the x-ray dose received by patients, it is desirable to increase the table speed of the CT imaging system. The higher table speed results in a higher helical pitch that often makes it impossible to use full scan algorithms because the data acquired spans a region less than 2xcfx80. One solution is to utilize helical linear interpolation algorithms followed by application of Parker weights to the scan data for image reconstruction.
For example, an axial half-scan algorithm has been used for modes in which the helical pitch is p greater than n, where n is the number of image slices. The performance of such weighting functions (in terms of image quality) is satisfactory when helical pitch is low. However, artifacts and noise increase as the pitch increases.
For example, where a helical view-weight is followed by an axial half-scan weight, the axial half-scan weighting function has been used merely as a passive measure to eliminate data redundancy. Furthermore, a significant portion of data required for image reconstruction has to be obtained by extrapolation. Extrapolation results in increased artifacts and noise.
There is therefore provided, in one aspect, a method for imaging an object utilizing a computed tomographic (CT) imaging system having a rotating gantry, a multislice detector array on the rotating gantry and utilizing at least n greater than 1 rows of detector channels, and a radiation source on the rotating gantry configured to project a beam of radiation towards the multi slice detector array through an object to be imaged. The method includes helically scanning the object with the CT imaging system at a pitch p greater than n to acquire projection data from the n rows of detector channels; applying a combined helical weight and conjugate weight to at least a portion of the acquired projection data to produce virtual projection data compensating for incomplete helical row data of the acquired projection data; and reconstructing an image of the object utilizing the acquired projection data and the virtual projection data.
In another aspect, there is provided a computed tomographic (CT) imaging system having a rotating gantry, a multislice detector array on the rotating gantry and configurable to utilize at least n greater than 1 rows of detector channels, and a radiation source on the rotating gantry configured to project a beam of radiation towards the multislice detector array through an object to be imaged. The imaging system is configured to helically scan the object at a pitch p greater than n to acquire projection data from the n rows of detector channels, apply a combined helical weight and conjugate weight to at least a portion of the acquired projection data to produce virtual projection data compensating for incomplete helical row data of the acquired projection data, and reconstruct an image of the object utilizing the acquired projection data and the virtual projection data.
In yet another aspect, there is provided a computer configured to read projection data obtained by helically scanning an object at a pitch p greater than n utilizing a computed tomographic imaging system using n rows of detector channels, apply a combined helical weight and conjugate weight to at least a portion of the acquired projection data to produce virtual projection data compensating for incomplete helical row data of the acquired projection data, and reconstruct an image of the object utilizing the acquired projection data and the virtual projection data.
In still another aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having recorded thereon instructions configured to instruct a computer to read projection data acquired by helically scanning an object at a pitch p greater than n utilizing a computed tomographic imaging system using n rows of detector channels, apply a combined helical weight and conjugate weight to at least a portion of the acquired projection data to produce virtual projection data compensating for incomplete helical row data of the acquired projection data, and reconstruct an image of the object utilizing the acquired projection data and the virtual projection data.

Methods and apparatus for high pitch helical computed tomography image reconstruction

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


Solvent-based processes for producing latent curing catalysts without causing an extreme exotherm. The process of the present invention includes combining an amine compound curing agent with a solvent, heating the mixture, adding an epoxy/solvent mixture via slow addition, removing the solvent and then heating the remaining composition. Following the heating, a phenolic resin is added to produce the final catalyst. The final catalyst comprises an amine compound, an epoxy, phenolic resin and a solvent. Catalysts having differing properties may be produced by varying the elements of the catalyst.

The present invention relates to novel solvent-based processes for making curable epoxy resin compositions.
Articles prepared from an epoxy resin have excellent adhesion, mechanical properties, thermal properties, chemical resistance and electrical properties. These properties have led to the widespread commercial use of the articles in such items as paints, adhesives, and electrical and electronic insulation. Epoxy resin formulations used for such applications can be either a one-component system or a two-component system.
One-component systems are highly desirable for numerous reasons. For example, one-component systems allow manufacturers and consumers to avoid the complex packaging required of two-component systems, to avoid the additional mixing step of a two-component system and to avoid the possibility of an inaccurate mixing step. Further benefits of a one-component system include a reduction in variation of properties via incomplete mixing and, frequently, a longer pot life.
Amine compounds, and in particular imidazoles, are widely used as curing agents for epoxy resins because products cured with imidazoles generally exhibit highly desirable chemical and physical properties. Like most tertiary-nitrogen-containing curing agents, imidazoles react very rapidly with epoxy resin systems, even at room temperature. The resulting catalyst is generally a thermoplastic solid which has a melting point between about 70xc2x0 C. and 140xc2x0 C. The catalyst may be repeatedly melted and allowed to cool and resolidify. These catalysts are not subjected to cure or cross-linking when heated. Most conveniently, the catalysts are provided as finely divided powders, such as those capable of passing through a 200-mesh screen. Further, the resulting catalyst provides a synergistic effect when combined with an additional curing agent, such as a dicyandiamid.
The use of phenolic novolac resins as a reactant with the epoxy resin and the imidazole compound is highly advantageous. The composition resulting from the addition of the phenolic resin has a shelf life of up to five times longer than without the phenolic resin. This improvement is believed to be achieved by the formation of an acid-base complex or polysalt between the novolac phenolic resin and the product of the addition reaction between the oxirane group and the imino nitrogen. The epoxy resins which are most advantageous for the reaction with imidazole those with an epoxide equivalent weight of from about 170 to about 2000 and preferably a melting point below about 140xc2x0 C. Sufficient epoxy resin should be utilized in order to provide a ratio of oxirane groups to imidazole compound molecules between 1:1 and 2:1. Larger relative quantities of oxirane groups will result in a thermosetting or high melting reaction product which is excessively difficult to activate with heat. Smaller relative quantities of oxirane groups will result in a reaction product which melts at a temperature below 70xc2x0 C. or which contains a high proportion of residual imidazole, thus resulting in a shorter shelf life of the catalyst.
The amount of phenolic novolac resin to be included with the epoxy resin may be as much as 1.5 equivalent per molecule of the imidazole. More preferably, the ratio of phenolic novolac resin to imidazole is in the range of about 0.7-1.5 with an optimum ratio of approximately 1:1.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,625 discloses a unitary catalyst comprising epoxy, an imidazole and phenolic resin. The processes for the reactions between the ingredients of the catalyst, along with the various ingredients and mechanisms of reaction, are set forth in that patent and U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,625 is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full. No solvents are used in these disclosed processes. The solvent-free process of that patent of combining the epoxy and the imidazole produces an extremely high exotherm within minutes. Consequently, the process for manufacturing the catalyst is quite dangerous and requires extreme caution during the period in which the imidazole is added to the epoxy. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a process for manufacturing the catalyst which utilizes a solvent and eliminates the risk of the high exotherm during the addition of the imidazole to the epoxy.
The present invention provides a process for producing a catalyst without causing an extreme exotherm. The process of the present invention includes combining an amine compound curing agent with a solvent, heating the mixture, adding an epoxy/solvent mixture via slow addition, removing the solvent and then heating the remaining composition. Following the heating, a phenolic resin is added to produce the final catalyst. The final catalyst comprises an amine compound, an epoxy, phenolic resin and a residual solvent. The process may also be reversed such that the amine compound is added to the epoxy. Alternatively, epoxy resin may be added via slow addition to an initial charge solution of solvent and imidazole. Phenolic resin may be added either to the initial charge solution or via slow-addition along with the epoxy resin.
A catalyst for use with epoxy resins may be produced via a method which eliminates the exotherm upon the combination of imidazole and epoxy resin. The imidazole and epoxy components which are to be selected as the starting materials for the preparation of the catalyst are chosen for the desired properties of the resulting adduct as a catalyst. Properties which are generally important and should be considered include the catalyst""s chemical structure which promotes the curing reaction by anionic polymerization, the catalyst""s melting point, the catalyst""s compatibility with the epoxy resin which will be cured in a molten state, its quick curability and its effect of addition (high curing reactivity with the smallest amount of addition).
The starting point for the process of manufacturing the adduct is combining either an amine compound or an epoxy with a solvent. While a wide range of ratios of amine to solvent may be employed, it is most preferable to combine the amine and the solvent in a ratio of about 1:1. Preferably, the amine compound is used as the starting material. While any amine compound may be utilized for the present invention, the selection of the particular amine compound is determined by the type of epoxy compound to be combined. While it is possible to use any type of amine compound which have at least one active amino-hydrogen in their molecule with monofunctional epoxy compounds, the amine which can be combined with polyfunctional epoxy compounds is an amine compound which has only one active amino-hydrogen, i.e., having a secondary amino group, in its molecule which contributes to the addition reaction with the epoxy group. Use of compounds having at least one tertiary amino group, i.e., having no active hydrogen, is also permitted, since the presence of the tertiary amino group is desirable for increasing the concentration of the amino groups which contribute to the curing reaction of the adduct, or in other words to increase the effect of the curing agent. If this condition for combination is met, any combinations of one, two or more kinds of amine compounds may be employed.
Exemplary amines which may be utilized include imidazoles such as 2-methylimidazole; 2,4-dimethylimidazole; 2-ethyl, 4-methylimidazole; 4,5 dimethylimidazole; 2,4,5 trimethylimidazole; 2 propyl, 4,5-dimethylimidazole; 2-cyclohexyl, 4-methylimidazole; 2-butoxy, 4-allylimidazole; 2-octyl, 4-hexylimidazole; 2-ethyl, 4-phenylimidazole; 2-butyl, 5-methylimidazole; 2,5 chloro, 4-ethylimidazole; 4-methyl-2-phenylimidazole; imidazolines such as 2-methylimidazoline; piperazines such as N-methyl piperazine; anabasines such as anabisine; pyrazoles such as 3,5-dimethyl pyrazole; purines such as tetramethyl quinidine and purine; and triazoles such as 1,2,4-triazole.
Once the amine compound is chosen, a solvent is added to that amine compound. The solvent should be one which will dissolve the amine compound or the epoxy compound starting material and can precipitate the adduct in the form of particles without dissolution. Generally, a substance can dissolve in a solvent having a similar polarity. The level of polarity of a solvent is often expressed by a solubility parameter having units (cal/cm3)xc2xd. A typical range of solubility parameters of epoxy compounds will be 8 to 11 (cal/cm3)xc2xd and that of amine compounds will be 8 or greater. The solubility of the amine compound/epoxy compound adduct will be 11 to 16. Thus, in order to achieve the desired precipitation or dispersion addition reaction of the present invention, it is suitable to use a solvent having a solubility parameter of 8 to 11.
Exemplary solvents which may be utilized include 4-methyl-2-pentanone, methyl ethyl ketone; methyl isobutyl ketone; methyl isopropyl ketone; acetone; n-butyl acetate; isobutyl acetate; ethyl acetate; methyl acetate; tetrahydrofuran; 1,4-dioxane; 2-ethoxyethanol; ethylene glycol monomethyl ether; diethylene glycol dimethyl ether; methyphenylether; toluene; p-xylene; benzene; cyclohexane; methylene chloride; chloroform; trichloroethylene; chlorobenzene; and pyridine. These solvents may be utilized separately or in mixtures of two or more solvents. It is also possible to use solvents having a solubility parameter outside the range of 8 to 11 if two or more solvents are combined to bring the solubility parameter within the desired range. However, since the precise solubility parameter of the solvents to be used may naturally differ depending upon the chemical structures of the amine compound and the epoxy compound, it is essential to make a precise selection for each individual situation.
Following the mixing of the amine and solvent, the composition is heated. The composition is heated to approximately 40-150xc2x0 C. and preferably to approximately 114-118xc2x0 C. Once the composition has reached this temperature, a mixture of epoxy and solvent is added via slow addition. The solvents set forth above may be also be utilized for mixture with the epoxy. While a variety of ratios of epoxy to solvent may be utilized, it is preferred to utilize a solvent to epoxy ratio of about 1:2. Any kind of epoxy compound can be employed for producing the adduct. Exemplary epoxy compounds include monofunctional epoxy compounds such as n-butyl glycidyl ether; styrene oxide and phenylglycide ether; bifunctional epoxy compounds such as bisphenol A diblycidyl ether, bisphenol F diblycidyl ether, bisphenol S diglycidyl ether, and diglycidyl phthalate; trifunctional epoxy compounds such as triglycidyl isocyanurate, triglycidyl p-aminophenol; tetrafunctional epoxy compounds such as tetraglycidyl m-xylene diamine and tetraglycidyl diaminodiphenylmethane; and compounds having more functional groups such as cresol novolac polyglycidyl ether and phenol novolac polyglycidyl ether. The selection of epoxy compounds is also determined by the type of the amine compound to which it is to be combined. Thus, while the amine compounds having only one active hydrogen can be combined with any kind of epoxy compounds, monofunctional epoxy compounds alone can only be combined with amine compounds having two or more active hydrogens.
Following the combination of the amine compound/solvent and epoxy/solvent mixtures, the solvents are removed from the composition. The removal of the solvent may be performed by any number of processes, including the use of a trap and/or a vacuum. It is preferable to remove essentially all of the solvent, however it is likely that the composition will contain a small amount of residual solvent. Once the solvent is removed, the composition is heated to a temperature of about 120-250xc2x0 C. and most preferably about 160xc2x0 C.
The desired phenolic resin may be added to the mixture to produce the final adduct at various points in the process. The phenolic novolac resins may be added before or after the removal of the solvent or they may be added with a solvent. In an alternative procedure, the phenolic novolac resins may be added to the initial charge solution. The phenolic novolac resins which are advantageously reacted with an imidazole compound and epoxy resin to form particularly advantageous curing agents are the so-called xe2x80x9ctwo-stepxe2x80x9d resins or phenolic novolacs containing at least two phenolic groups per molecule and are usually obtained by the use of acidic catalysts by reacting phenol and formaldehyde in a mol ratio greater than 1 to 1. Commercially available examples of phenolic novolac resins are Durez 12686 (Oxychem), HRJ -2190 (Schenectady), SP-560 (Schenectady), HRJ-2606 (Schenectady), HRJ-1166 (Schenectady), HRJ-11040 (Schenectady), HRJ-2210 (Schenectady), CRJ-406 (Schenectady), HRJ-2163 (Schenectady), HRJ-10739 (Schenectady), HRJ-13172 (Schenectady), HRJ-11937 (Schenectady), HRJ-2355 (Schenectady), SP-25 (Schenectady), SP-1068 (Schenectady), CRJ-418 (Schenectady), SP-1090 (Schenectady), SP-1077 (Schenectady). SP-6701 (Schenectady), HRJ-11945 (Schenectady), SP-6700 (Schenectady), HRJ-11995 (Schenectady), SP-553 (Schenectady), HRJ-2053 (Schenectady), SP-560 (Schenectady). It is important to note that the properties of the resulting catalyst may be changed by changing the ingredients and the ratios of the ingredients.

Solvent-based process for manufacturing latent curing catalysts

National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation


A proximity detection circuit is contemplated to detect connection of a cordset to a vehicle charging system or connection of another device to some other electrical circuit where it may be desirable to facilitate detection. A short protection circuit may be included as part of the proximity detection circuit to facilitate disconnection in the event of a shorter other condition where undesirable currents and/or voltages may be propagated to other systems of portions of the vehicle charging system.

An on-board vehicle charger may be used to charge a high voltage battery or other energy storage device found in a hybrid electric or electric vehicle to provide energy to an electrically powered motor or other vehicle system. In some cases, the charging may be facilitated with a cordset or other element having capabilities to facilitate delivering current to the on-board charger, such as from a wall charger or other type of non-vehicle positioned charging station. The cordset may include an adaptor to facilitate attachment to an outlet or other receptacle associated with the on-board charger. The on-board charger may include electronics or other elements to control and manage current flow to the high voltage battery and other the related charging operations.

Proximity detection circuit having short protection


Included in the present disclosure are a system, method and program of instructions operable to protect vital information by combining information about a user and what they are allowed to see with information about essential files that need to be protected on an information handling system. Using intelligent security rules, essential information may be encrypted without encrypting the entire operating system or application files. According to aspects of the present disclosure, shared data, user data, temporary files, paging files, the password hash that is stored in the registry, and data stored on removable media may be protected.

In a business world threatened by negligence, regulatory compliance, sabotage, corruption and terrorists, never has corporate data been more available and less secure. Certain industry groups estimate that through 2006, 90% of mobile devices containing business information will have insufficient power-on protection and stored data encryption to withstand casual to moderate hacker attacks.
Desktop and notebook personal computers, along with PDA's and smartphones, (collectively "devices") have become indispensable tools for business and home use. Notebooks and tablet PCs are popular business tools—approximately 55 million portable PCs will have been shipped in 2005 according to estimates. Consider that the vast amount of information on these devices is at risk in less than one minute, unless additional security measures beyond the standard Windows® login password are used.
Sensitive company and personal information is routinely stored on the hard disk drives within these devices. This sensitive information includes login information for banks and corporate systems as well as account numbers and other information necessary to use these systems. Storing such information on devices is necessary for the operation of business both in corporations and at home. However, the need to store this information creates a serious risk of identity theft if the device is lost or stolen and the information is not protected. For this reason, there is a significant need to protect the information stored on devices.
There are numerous public examples of notebooks and desktops being targeted for theft. For example, Wells Fargo alone had three separate incidents in one year where devices were stolen and information was potentially compromised—not to mention the damage done to their reputation and credibility by the publicity surrounding the thefts. Nearly 50% of the respondents to a 2004 industry study noted they had experienced lost or stolen laptops. While hardware is replaceable, a $1500 notebook can easily contain millions of dollars worth of sensitive information. In addition, regulations such as California SB-1386, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and HIPAA dictate fines for the exposure of certain sensitive information.
The expectations for protecting information stored on a PC are quite simple—ensure that only authorized users are permitted access to sensitive information stored on the device. Of course, there are vast amounts of data on a notebook or desktop hard disk drive that need not be protected because it does not contain sensitive information. Windows® operating system ("OS") and program files, for example, are binary files typically devoid of sensitive data. Encrypting these files—scrambling the information making it inaccessible to unauthorized users—can have catastrophic consequences. For example, corruption of an encrypted OS or program file can cause system instability and possibly prevent machine booting or user log-ins, hampering the productivity of remote or traveling employees. In addition, within corporations, there also exists a need to centrally manage the encryption parameters for a device because of the difficulty to physically access each device when encryption needs change.

System and method for intelligence based security


In accordance with an embodiment of the invention the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is capable of forming a semiconductor substrate having an embossing structure. The method includes forming a layer having a plurality of hemispherical single crystal silicon elements, and forming one or more carbon nano tubes between adjacent hemispherical single crystal silicon elements, thereby, increasing a length of an effective channel of a transistor.

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. Recently, as a design rule of a semiconductor device has been rapidly reduced to less than a 100 nm class, correspondingly, the length and width of channel of a transistor is decreased. Additionally, the concentration of doping to a junction area is increased such that a junction leakage current according to an increment of electric field is increased. Thus, in a transistor structure having a conventional planer channel structure, it is difficult to obtain a desired threshold voltage Vt in a highly integrated device, while reaching uppermost limit in improving a refresh characteristic. Accordingly, implementation of a semiconductor device having various forms of recess channels capable of securing an effective channel length of a transistor and the implementation of a semiconductor device having a three-dimensional channel structure capable of extending a channel width and practical process development researches are actively progressing. However, in the process of implementing the semiconductor device having three-dimensional structure channel, a fault frequently happens.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device


Known fluid friction clutches, which are electromagnetically controlled from either an engine side or a driving side, require very strong and space-consuming coils in order to produce magnetic forces which are sufficient to control valve levers which, on the side of the clutch away from the coil, open or close a connection opening between a storage chamber and a working chamber. To address this problem, the magnet coil is placed as close as possible to the clutch housing and, by way of inserted flux guiding rings, achieve a magnetic shunt of the lines of magnetic flux such that the coil does not have to be overdimensioned. The flux guiding rings extend to just in front of an armature of the valve lever and, with small radial air gaps, to the housing of the coil. The rings can otherwise be arranged opposite the rotatable shaft made of a magnetic material. Such clutches are appropriate for use as fan clutches of vehicle engines.

This invention relates to a fluid friction clutch having a primary disk fastened to a live shaft and an output clutch housing, which surrounds the primary disk, having a working chamber which is formed between the primary disk and the clutch housing and into which a shearing fluid can enter from a storage chamber as a function of the position of a valve plate having an armature. The valve plate opens and closes a connection opening between the storage chamber and the working chamber and can be adjusted against a spring effect into an opened or a closed position by a magnetic force caused by a stationary electromagnet coil arranged on the driven side of the shaft.
A liquid friction clutch of this type is known from German Patent Document DE 27 18 723 A1. In this type of construction, the magnetic flux from the electromagnet coil arranged on a stationarily held sleeve is transmitted exclusively by way of the live shaft to the armature of a valve plate arranged coaxially with respect to the shaft. Since the distance between the magnetic coil and the armature to be activated by its field is very large, the coil must have correspondingly large dimensions if a use is to be permitted at all in practice.
One object of this invention is to provide an improved arrangement for a fluid friction clutch which is electromagnetically controlled from the output side. The space requirement of this fluid friction clutch is low and its efficiency is clearly improved in comparison to the known construction.
In order to achieve this object, according to the invention, a fluid friction clutch of the initially mentioned type has the primary disk, or at least a hub of this disk, placed upon the shaft, constructed as a magnetic insulator and provided with a magnetic flux guiding ring. The flux guiding ring extends into the proximity of the armature of the valve plate and rests against the bearing for the clutch housing which is placed on the hub and is in a magnetic shunt with the electromagnet coil.
This development achieves a very effective magnetic field construction which, in turn, results in an electromagnet coil which will not become too large. This new fluid friction clutch is advantageous in that it can be controlled from the live side, that is, as a rule, from the engine side, and is extremely compact.
As a further development of the invention, a second flux guiding ring may be arranged concentrically within the first flux guiding ring and on an end of the shaft facing the valve plate. The second flux guiding ring also ends just in front of the armature of the valve plate. The magnetic field can thus be connected by way of the core area of the shaft.
As yet a further development of the invention, the two sleeve-shaped flux guiding rings can form the inner boundary of the storage chamber which is fixedly connected with the primary disk and is bounded to the outside by axially projecting ring ribs of the primary disk. In this construction, as a further development of the invention, axial boundaries of the storage chamber can be provided by the primary disk, on the one side, and by a separating wall, on the other side, which is fixedly inserted into the ring ribs and has a decentrally arranged connection opening which can be closed by the valve plate.
As a further development of the invention, this connection opening can be covered by a guiding plate on the side facing away from the storage chamber. The guiding plate guides the emerging shearing fluid directly into the outer area of the working chamber. As the result of this measure, the emerging shearing fluid can be supplied directly to the outer area of the working chamber which, as a rule, is constructed as a profile area. Depositing of shearing fluid on the interior side of the clutch housing, which also slowly rotates, is avoided.
As a further development of the invention, the storage chamber may also be divided into two concentrically arranged "areas" or volumes by the arrangement of two concentrically extending ring ribs which project axially from the primary disk. The area radially inside the interior ring rib is covered by another separation disk toward the second outer ring surface, which separation disk is provided with at least one flow-through bore. As a result of this measure, overfilling of the working chamber is avoided at low driving speeds. A shorter disconnecting time of the clutch can therefore be achieved at these low rotational or driving speeds. With a corresponding arrangement of the flow-through bore, at higher driving speeds, more and more shearing fluid from the inner part of the storage chamber will flow by way of the flow-through bore into the outer storage chamber. This fluid can flow from the outer storage chamber through the connection opening into the working chamber.
In yet another development of the invention, the sleeve-shaped flux guiding rings assigned to the armature of the valve plate also form a portion of the storage chamber and are therefore provided with radial overflow openings which open into the adjacent portions of the storage chamber. As a further development of the invention, in this embodiment, the return flow of the shearing fluid from the working chamber may take place in a known manner by way of pumping bodies and through a return flow opening which is arranged in a separating wall fixed to the clutch housing. This return flow opening advantageously is centrally arranged in the separating wall and is provided with a sleeve which leads into the central area of the storage chamber which is bounded by the inner sleeve-shaped flux guiding ring.
As an even further development of the invention, the valve plate may be arranged on the separating wall so as to swivel and may be swivellable about a spring joint which, when the magnetic coil is currentless, holds the valve plate in the opened position of the connection opening. As a result, the fluid friction clutch becomes fail-safe.
Finally, as a further development of the invention, it is possible to construct the outer sleeve-shaped flux guiding ring for the armature as a part which is integrally cast with the primary disk. The magnetic coil may adjoin the clutch housing as closely as possible and may be provided with flux guiding rings with radial gaps to the shaft. In this case, one of these flux guiding rings adjoining the magnetic coil may be fixedly pressed onto the shaft. A second flux guiding ring on the magnetic coil may be fixedly connected with it and, on its interior side, may form a very small radial gap with the shaft.