In a magnetic disk processing apparatus, read command processing instructs reading data out to compare a physical address (PA) of data which has been read out with a PA being retained. If the addresses coincide with each other, then processing returns to a command executing operation and, if not, after a flag condition is ascertained by a flag determining operation, a seek command is issued for a PA being stored independently of the software. A flag indicates that a seek command, resulting from a mismatch of a comparison, has been completed and the processing returns to read command processing. In this manner, any seek error caused by a mismatch of seek address management which occurs between a seek command from software and a patrol seek is compensated for.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seek system for a magnetic disk processing apparatus having a patrol seek function.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, a magnetic disk apparatus having a patrol seek function has been controlled by a firmware such as a flowchart of a magnetic disk processing apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 (a) and FIG. 1 (b). FIG. 1 (a) illustrates a main routine in which the condition of the magnetic disk is monitorred and the timer control is carried out for patrol seeking by polling operation (step 311), and for each period of time, a patrol seek control operation carries out the control of the patrol seek (step 312). If the I/O operation (a command for executing a chain of software instructions) is activated (step 313), then the processing is shifted to a command fetch/decode portion and, in accordance with the processing result therein, the command (software instruction) is actually executed by the command processing (steps 315 and 316). Then, after the chain of commands (hereinafter referred to as CC) is executed or a terminating operation is executed (steps 318 and 319) depending on whether the chain of commands (command chain) is present or not (step 317), the procedure is returned to the command processing or polling operation.
Next, FIG. 1 (b) illustrates a read command subroutine, which is part of the subroutine of the command execution shown in FIG. 1 (a). After a read command is issued to the magnetic disk apparatus in accordance with the read command processing (step 321), a physical address PA of data which has been read and a PA stored within the magnetic disk unit are compared with each other (step 32) and, if that result coincides with each other, then the command execution is continued and, if otherwise, an error processing is conducted.
In such a conventional magnetic disk processing unit, since the seek command is issued to the magnetic disk unit by patrol seeking independently of the command from the software, there occurs a mismatch between the PA of the magnetic disk unit, which is retained by the software and the magnetic disk processing unit, and the PA where the magnetic head actually lies, which, when the data of the magnetic disk unit is read from or written onto the magnetic disk unit in accordance with the command from the software, causes a track completely different from one of which the software is conscious (unit accessed by the magnetic disk unit which may be universally defined by the PA) to be accessed. In addition, in such a case, there is no method of determining by software whether the error has occurred due to the patrol seek or not and, depending on the case, a erroneous operation of the software can be incurred, which damages the system reliability.

Seek system for a magnetic disk apparatus


A method and apparatus for bundling flexible risers uses a vertically-hanging riser support shaft extending below the turret of a turret-moored FPSO to manage the motions of the risers. The risers may transition to a catenary configuration as they exit a bottom structure at the lower end of the riser support shaft and connect to wellheads or flowlines on the seafloor. Certain embodiments are suitable for use with a disconnectable buoyant turret mooring system while other embodiments may be used with spread-moored FPSOs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to offshore vessels used for the production of petroleum products. More specifically, it relates to subsea risers used to connect a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel to flow lines on the seafloor.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
A Floating Production Storage and Offloading system (FPSO) is a floating facility installed above or close to an offshore oil and/or gas field to receive, process, store and export hydrocarbons.
It consists of a floater, which may be either a purpose-built vessel or a converted tanker, that is moored at a selected site. The cargo capacity of the vessel is used as buffer storage for the oil produced. The process facilities (topsides) and accommodations are installed on the floater. The mooring configuration may be of the spread mooring type or a single point mooring system, generally a turret.
The high pressure mixture of produced fluids is delivered to the process facilities mounted on the deck of the tanker, where the oil, gas and water are separated. The water is discharged overboard after treatment to eliminate hydrocarbons. The stabilized crude oil is stored in the cargo tanks and subsequently transferred into shuttle tankers either via a buoy or by laying side by side or in tandem to the FPSO.
The gas may be used for enhancing the liquid production through gas lift, and for energy production onboard the vessel. The remainder may be compressed and transported by pipeline to shore or reinjected into the reservoir.
Typically, offshore systems are designed to withstand the "100 year storm"—i.e. the most extreme storm that may statistically be expected to happen once every hundred years at the location where the system is installed. All locations have different hundred year storm conditions, with the worst storms being in the North Atlantic and the northern North Sea. Exceptionally bad storm conditions may occur in hurricane (typhoon) infested areas, but the storm path is relatively narrow (typically about 50 km). Thus, some FPSO mooring systems are designed to be disconnectable, so that the FPSO may temporarily move out of the storm path, and the mooring system need only be designed for moderate conditions.
There are three main types of mooring systems for FPSO vessels:    Spread Mooring wherein the FPSO is moored in a fixed position;    Single Point Mooring (SPM) Systems wherein the FPSO weathervanes around a fixed point; and,    Dynamic Positioning (DP) systems which do not require anchor wires/chains or piled/seabed anchors. This system is the most accurate for station keeping but the most expensive to operate.
A Buoyant Turret Mooring (BTM) system is one type of disconnectable SPM that utilizes a mooring buoy fixed to the seabed by catenary anchor legs and supports crude oil and gas risers—steel or flexible pipes that transfer well fluids from the seabed to the surface. The BTM may be connected by means of a structural connector to the fixed turret. The fixed turret extends up through a moonpool in the tanker, supported on a weathervaning bearing and contains the reconnection winch, flow lines, control manifolds and fluid swivels located above the main deck. The weathervaning bearing allows the vessel to freely rotate about the mooring buoy, in accordance with the prevailing environmental conditions.
The BTM system was developed for areas where typhoon, hurricane or icebergs pose a danger to the FPSO and, primarily for safety reasons, rapid disconnection/reconnection is required. Disconnection and reconnection operations may be carried out from the tanker without external intervention. When disconnected, the mooring buoy sinks to neutral buoyancy under water and the FPSO may sail away.
Another type of FPSO is the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading system for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG FPSO), a floating facility installed above or close to an offshore gas field in order to receive, process, liquefy, store and export natural gas. It typically consists of a purpose-built floater containing LNG storage tanks with process facilities, gas treatment, liquefaction train(s) and an accommodation block on the deck. The LNG FPSO may be permanently moored to the seabed by a turret-type mooring system.
The high-pressure well stream fluid is delivered from the seabed, via flexible hoses and the swivel, to process facilities on the deck of the LNG FPSO. The process facility, located on the deck, separates the fluid in gas, condensate and water. The water is treated to eliminate any remaining hydrocarbons and discharged overboard. The condensate is treated and stored in separate crude oil tanks.
The gas is separated in methane for LNG production and propane and butane for treatment into LPG. Methane is then treated and liquefied in one or more of the LNG trains which are also located on the deck. The LNG is finally stored at minus 162° C. in the special LNG cargo tanks. On a regular basis the LNG may be transferred from the LNG cargo tanks to LNG shuttle tankers via side-by-side or tandem offloading.
LNG production is by far the largest product on an LNG FPSO, however the FPSO also produces condensate and LPG, which are stored in special LPG and condensate tanks and are offloaded separately via their specific offloading system.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is predominately butane and propane, separated from well fluid stream. LPG may be transported under pressure or in refrigerated vessels (LPG carriers).
A Steel Catenary Riser is a steel pipe hung in a catenary configuration from a floating vessel in deep water to transmit flow to or from the seafloor.
A Single Point Mooring (SPM) is a mooring system that enables the vessel to weathervane whilst it loads or unloads hydrocarbons, chemicals or fresh water. The two categories of SPMs are:                a single point mooring buoy or tower that is designed for use by any trading tanker, and is thus independent of the vessel;        a system, such as a turret mooring, that is incorporated within a vessel such as an FPSO.
A swivel is a mechanical component consisting of a fixed and a rotating part, connected by means of a roller bearing and a sealing arrangement, allowing fluids to pass between the stationary and the weathervaning part of a Single Point Mooring system.
A swivel stack is an arrangement of several individual swivels stacked on top of each other to allow the continuous transfer on a weathervaning FPSO of fluids, gases, controls and power between the risers and the process facilities on the FPSO deck.
The turret system may be integrated into or attached to the hull of the tanker, in most cases near the bow, and allows the tanker to weathervane around it and thereby take up the line of least resistance to the combined forces of wind, waves and current. A high pressure oil and gas swivel stack is mounted onto the mooring system. This swivel stack is the connection between the risers from the subsea flowlines on the seabed to the piping onboard the vessel. It allows the flow of oil, gas and water onto the unit to continue without interruption while the FPSO weathervanes. For reasons of size and cost, the number of swivels is kept to a minimum, and therefore the flow of oil and gas has to be manifolded in the turret area, particularly when the system produces from a large number of wells.
The turret mooring and high pressure swivel stack are thus the essential components of an FPSO.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,193 to Syvertsen et al. describes a vessel for use in the production and/or storage of hydrocarbons, including a receiving device having a downwardly open space for receiving and releasably securing a submerged buoy connected to at least one riser, a rotatable connector for connection with the buoy and transfer of fluids, and a dynamic positioning system for keeping the vessel at a desired position. The vessel includes a moonpool extending through the hull, and the receiving device is a unit which is arranged in the moonpool for raising and lowering, the rotatable connector being arranged at deck level, for connection to the buoy when the receiving unit with the buoy has been raised to an upper position in the moonpool.
U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0299179 describes a riser configuration having a rigid riser portion and a flexible riser portion. The riser configuration also includes a subsea buoy across which the riser portions are connected. Buoyancy means are mounted on the flexible riser portion.
GB2504065 (A) describes a subsea flexible riser used for conveying fluids, such as hydrocarbons. The riser comprises an internal fluid-tight liner, a load-bearing structural layer arranged to withstand internal and external pressure, at least one external load bearing structural layer and an outer protective layer. The internal load bearing structural layer and the internal liner comprise fusible polymer matrix materials and the internal load bearing structural layer is bonded to the internal liner. The internal load-bearing structural layer comprises a fiber reinforced composite material. At least one external load-bearing structural layer is a tensile armor comprising wound metal wires. A method of manufacturing a subsea flexible riser by extrusion is also described.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,766,710 discloses a mooring system that includes a vessel with a lower-side cavity, a turret extending from deck level to the cavity, and a coupling mechanism releasably attaching a mooring buoy to the cavity, at least one buoy-supported riser. The riser end has a coupling member, the riser being slidable via a buoy opening, a riser connector member being attached to a movable transport member upwardly displaceable by a drive element, for when the buoy and vessel are coupled, attaching the riser connector member to the transport member transporting the transport member upward while sliding the riser through the buoy and attaching the coupling member to a vessel transfer duct, and for lowering the riser while sliding the riser through the buoy until the connector member is supported by the buoy, prior to coupling member release, and release of the riser connector member from the transport member, followed by buoy lowering.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,607 describes a mooring system for a vessel having a mooring turret which is rotatably coupled to a well of the vessel such that the vessel is free to weathervane about the mooring turret. An anchor leg support base is fixed with the mooring turret with anchor lines secured thereto and anchored to the seafloor. A riser turret is rotatably coupled to the mooring turret and is fixed to the well of the vessel. A riser support base is pivotally coupled to a riser support device for mounting the upper ends of a plurality of flexible risers extending from the seafloor. The riser mounting device is arranged and designed to pivot about two axes at right angles to each other relative to the riser support base. The gimbaled riser mounting device provides a generally uniform load distribution among the risers upon twisting or bundling of the risers which results from weathervaning of the vessel about the mooring turret.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,637,335, 4,727,819, 4,802,431, and 5,025,743 disclose a mooring system which can be rapidly installed. The system includes a transfer structure attached to a vessel, an anchor line extending from the transfer structure to a chain table near the seafloor, and catenary chains extending from the chain table to the seafloor. A weight hangs from the chain table to help in setting up the system and in mooring a vessel thereafter. The transfer structure includes a platform that can rotate with respect to the vessel, and a direction sensor for controlling a motor that rotates the platform opposite to rotation of the vessel, to avoid twist of the anchor line.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,699,191 and 4,708,178 disclose an improved hose structure for passing fluid across a universal joint, that permits a transfer structure to pivot about two horizontal axes with respect to a vessel or the like at the sea surface. A hose or other flexible conduit has a lower end connected to a pipe on the transfer structure and an upper end connected to a pipe on the vessel which can move up and down and which is biased upwardly. When the transfer structure tilts, to raise or lower the lower end of the hose, the upper end can also rise or fall to minimize bending of the hose, so that a substantially straight hose can be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,467 discloses an improved offshore terminal of the type that includes a riser loosely anchored at the seafloor so its upper end can extend from a deep underwater level up to the surface to moor a tanker and transfer hydrocarbons to it. A weight hangs from the lower end of the column to improve dynamic mooring and, when the riser is disconnected, to limit the sink depth of the riser. For movement to the deployed position, the riser is lifted by extending a line downwardly from a winch on the vessel, through a central hole in the connector frame down to the top of the riser, the line being pulled to raise the riser until its upper end lies within the central hole of the connector frame. A perforated upper portion of the riser is then in fluid communication with the inner portion of a fluid swivel, so that hydrocarbons can pass out of a conduit within the riser and into the swivel.
EP 0062125 describes a self-standing marine riser which comprises a base, a riser column, a flexible joint between the base and the riser column, and means for providing a loose coupling between the top of the riser column and a vessel, rig or platform on the surface above the location of the riser. The riser column comprises an upper column section which includes at least one buoyancy chamber, and a lower, relatively slender column section The riser includes, or is adapted to support, at least one conduit for the conveyance of a fluid (e.g. oil or gas) or a control line. The buoyancy provided by the upper section of the riser column is preferably variable, and this facilitates the connection and use of the riser. The riser may be used for drilling operations or for production operations. It is said that when employing such a riser, it is not necessary to use large riser tensions in order to maintain the position and structural integrity of the riser in deep water and rough weather.

Bundled, articulated riser system for FPSO vessel


An infinitely variable power branching transmission with first and second operating modes, whereof the components are distributed between two power paths connecting in parallel an engine to vehicle wheels. At least two planetary trains, two electrical machines, a reduction stage, and a control orient differently the power between the transmission input and output based on the operating mode thereof. Two reduction stages are arranged in parallel between the two planetary trains on the same power path, the two reduction stages being respectively urged in the first and in the second operating transmission mode.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a power-splitting transmission wherein, regardless of how fast the internal combustion engine is spinning, a continuous variation from reverse gear to forward gear can be achieved by passing through a special position known as "engaged neutral", in which the speed of movement of the vehicle is zero.
More precisely, its object is a power-splitting infinitely variable transmission having two modes of operation, wherein the constituent elements are distributed between two power trains that provide parallel connections between the internal combustion engine and the wheels of the vehicle, these means including at least two epicyclic gear sets, two electrical machines, one reducing gear stage and control means that guide the power between the input and output of the transmission differently depending on the mode of operation thereof.
2. Background Art
Power-splitting transmissions may be based on three known principles or modes of power splitting. According to the first mode, known as "coupled input", the transmission is provided with a pair of power-splitting pinions that splits the power at the input of the mechanism and with an epicyclic "assembler" gear set that recombines the powers at the output of the mechanism. The control element is a variator.
In transmissions with power splitting of the "coupled output" type, there is provided, for example, a power-dividing planetary gear set at the input of the mechanism and a power-reassembling pair of pinions at the output of the mechanism, the control element again being a variator.
Finally, in transmissions with power splitting of the "two matching points" type, a first power-dividing epicyclic gear set can be positioned at the gearbox input, while a second power-reassembling epicyclic gear set is disposed at the gearbox output, the control element again being a variator.
The traditional infinitely variable transmissions (IVT) use only one or two of these three operating principles.
From U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,558,589 and 5,935,035 there are known infinitely variable transmissions with two modes of operation combining at least two planetary gear sets, two mode-changing clutches and one electrical variator, and using as the first mode of operation the principle of power splitting with coupled output.
According to these publications, the mode-changing means are positioned outside the epicyclic gear sets.
The significance in having two modes of operation available lies in the increase of the range of transmission ratios and in the possibility of reducing the size of the electrical machines.
Nevertheless, in these known two-mode architectures, the mode changes are achieved by multiple-disk clutches disposed on the transmission output, and for this reason are accompanied by torque jolts that are sensed as unpleasant by the users.
Another disadvantage of the architectures described in these publications lies in their complexity, which is related in particular to the presence of at least two clutches and one brake.

Infinitely variable power branching transmission with two operating modes


This invention relates to human fibroblast growth factor (hFGF-21), and to variants thereof and to polynucleotides encoding FGF-21. The invention also relates to diagnostic and therapeutic agents related to the polynucleotides and proteins, including probes and antibodies, and to methods of treating liver disease such as cirrhosis and cancer, methods of treating conditions related to thymic function, and methods of treating conditions of the testis. The invention also relates to mouse fibroblast growth factor (mFGF-21), and to variants thereof and polynucleotides encoding mFGF-21.

The prototypic fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), FGF-1 and FGF-2, were originally isolated from brain and pituitary as mitogens for fibroblasts. However, FGF-1 and FGF-2 are widely expressed in developing and adult tissues, and are polypeptides with multiple biological activities including angiogenesis, mitogenesis, cellular differentiation and repair of tissue injury (Baird, A. et al., Cancer Cells 3:239-243 (1991); Burgess, W. H. et al., Annu. Rev. Biochem. 58:575-606 (1989). According to the published literature, the FGF family now consists of at least nineteen members, FGF-1 to FGF-19. FGF-3 was identified to be a common target for activation by the mouse mammary tumor virus (Dickson et al., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 638:18-26 (1991); FGF-4 to FGF-6 were identified as oncogene products (Yoshida et al., Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 638:27-37 (1991); Goldfarb et al., Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 638:38-52 (1991); Coulier et al., Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 638:53-61 (1991)). FGF-10 was identified from rat lung by homology-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Yamasaki et al., J. Biol. Chem. 271:15918-15921 (1996)). FGF-11 to FGF-14 (FGF homologous factors (FHFs) 1 to 4) were identified from human retina by a combination of random cDNA sequencing, data base searches and homology-based PCR (Smallwood et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:9850-9857 (1996)). FGF-15 was identified as a downstream target of a chimeric homeodomain oncoprotein (McWhirter et al., Development 124:3221-3232 (1997)). FGF-16, FGF-17, and FGF-18 were identified from rat heart and embryos by homology-based PCR, respectively (Miyake et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 243:148-152 (1998); Hoshikawa et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 244:187-191 (1998); Ohbayashi et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273:18161-18164 (1998)). Recently, FGF-19 was identified from human fetal brain by data base search (Nishimura et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1444:148-151 (1999)). They have a conserved ˜120-amino acid residue core with ˜30 to 60% amino acid identity. These FGFs also appear to play important roles in both developing and adult tissues. Thus, there is a need in the art for additional FGF molecules having functions and activities that differ from the known FGFs and for FGF molecules specifically expressed in tissues implicated in human disease.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Human FGF-21 gene and gene expression products


A method for manufacturing an electrode of a capacitor used in a semiconductor device, wherein a support insulating layer, an etch stop layer including a tantalum oxide layer, and a mold sacrificial insulating layer are sequentially formed on a semiconductor substrate. The mold sacrificial insulating layer, the etch stop layer and the support insulating layer are sequentially patterned to form a three-dimensional mold for a storage node. A storage node layer is formed to cover the inner surface of the mold. Next, storage nodes for capacitors are formed by dividing the storage node layer. The residual mold sacrificial insulating layer is removed by selectively wet etching, using the tantalum oxide layer as an etch stopper.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional capacitor electrode using an insulating layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the integration density of semiconductor devices increases, the area of the capacitor decreases. The required capacitance of a capacitor, however, increases. Accordingly, methods have been proposed for enlarging the effective surface area of a dielectric layer for a storage node, which is adopted in a semiconductor device, such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM).
A representative method of enlarging the effective surface area of a storage node is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,248, issued to Charles H. Dennison et al., entitled xe2x80x9cOptimized Contained Stacked Capacitor DRAM Cell Utilizing Sacrificial Oxide Deposition and Chemical Mechanical Polishing.xe2x80x9d In U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,248, a sacrificial oxide layer is used for making the shape of a storage node into a three-dimensional shape.
As semiconductor devices have become more highly integrated, another approach of using a high dielectric constant material, such as ditantalum pentaoxide (Ta2O5) or BST ((Ba, Sr)TiO3), for the dielectric layer of a capacitor has been proposed. Use of such high dielectric constant materials for a dielectric layer requires that a capacitor electrode is formed of a metal layer, such as a titanium nitride (TiN) layer, instead of conductive polysilicon. That is, use of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure for a capacitor has been favorably proposed.
When a metal electrode is used, it is difficult to form a storage node of a three-dimensional shape, such as cylinder, container or stack, using a sacrificial oxide layer. For example, a sacrificial oxide layer, which is adopted for forming a three-dimensional storage node, is utilized as a mold for making the shape of a storage node three-dimensional. An additional sacrificial oxide layer may be adopted for isolation of a storage node. It is preferable to remove this sacrificial oxide layer in a later process to obtain the maximum effective surface area of the storage node.
A sacrificial oxide layer is typically removed by a wet etching process. It is essential to introduce an etch stop layer under the sacrificial oxide layer in order to control the wet etching process. For such an etch stop layer, a silicon nitride layer is utilized. When such silicon nitride layer is utilized as an etch stop layer, an insulating layer under the etch stop layer may be damaged during a wet etching process for removing the sacrificial oxide layer. Put another way, an etchant used in the wet etching process may permeate along the border between the silicon nitride layer and the storage node into the underlying insulating layer and liquefy the insulating layer. This phenomenon is substantially caused by the low adhesive property between a silicon nitride layer and a metal electrode.
Since the insulating layer under the etch stop layer serves to support the storage node, the storage electrode may fall down or slant due to dissolution of the underlying insulating layer, thereby causing a defect in an electrode. Accordingly, to utilize a metal electrode as a capacitor electrode, it is desirable to adopt a new etch stop layer, which can prevent an underlying insulating layer from being corroded by an etchant.
To solve the above problem, a feature of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an electrode of a capacitor using a new etch stop layer. The new etch stop layer can prevent an underlying insulating layer from being dissolved or an electrode from falling down or sinking due to a wet etching process for removing a residual sacrificial insulating layer, during formation of a three-dimensional capacitor electrode using a sacrificial insulating layer.
Specifically, an additional feature of an embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an electrode of a capacitor. Initially, a lower insulating layer surrounding a conductive plug, which is electrically connected to a semiconductor substrate, is formed on the semiconductor substrate. Next, a support insulating layer is formed on the lower insulating layer. Then, an etch stop layer including a tantalum oxide layer is formed on the support insulating layer. Additionally, a mold sacrificial insulating layer is formed on the etch stop layer.
A mold, exposing the conductive plug, is formed by sequentially patterning the mold sacrificial insulating layer, the etch stop layer and the support insulating layer. The patterning for forming the mold is performed by dry etch. To control the extent of etching, an auxiliary etch stop layer may be formed on or under the tantalum oxide layer. The auxiliary etch stop layer may be formed of an aluminum oxide layer or a tantalum nitride layer.
A storage node layer covering the inner surface of the mold is formed on the mold such that the storage node layer is electrically connected to the conductive plug. A storage node is formed by separating the storage node layer. The residual mold sacrificial insulating layer that is exposed by the separation of the storage node layer is selectively etched and removed using the etch stop layer as an etch stopper.
Accordingly, the storage node having a three-dimensional shape, such as a cylindrical shape or a stack shape, is completed.
These and other features of the embodiments of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the detailed description that follows.

Method for manufacturing an electrode of a capacitor


The present invention relates to a circuit configuration having a feedback operational amplifier (AMP), which is implemented as fully differential, for amplifying an input signal differentially input to the circuit configuration and for outputting the amplified input signal as a differential output signal. In order to increase the freedom in setting the input common mode voltage, according to the present invention, a combination made of a coupling resistor (R1b) and a level shifter (I1b, Nsfb) connecting the positive amplifier output (y1) to the inverting amplifier input (x2) and a combination made of a coupling resistor (R1a) and a level shifter (I1a, Nsfa) connecting the negative amplifier output (y2) to the noninverting amplifier input (x1) are provided.

1. Area of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit configuration having a feedback operational amplifier, implemented as fully differential, for amplifying an input signal input differentially into the circuit configuration and outputting the amplified input signal as a differential output signal.
The term "operational amplifier" as defined in the present invention is to be understood very broadly as a configuration capable of amplifying an electrical variable such as a voltage. In particular, it refers to amplifiers, for example, in which a signal applied to the amplifier input is provided having relatively high voltage amplification at the amplifier output. This open amplification ("open loop again") may be in the magnitude of approximately 104 through 105, for example.
An essential characteristic of the circuit configuration according to the species is that the circuit amplification, i.e., the ratio between output signal and input signal, is practically completely independent of this open amplification (except for transient occurrences) and is solely predefined by an additional (external) configuration or a "feedback network" of the operational amplifier. The feedback network is formed in the circuit configuration according to the species from the totality of coupling, feedback, and decoupling paths.
The feedback network determines the resulting circuit amplification. In the simplest case, the feedback network comprises a configuration of one or more (ohmic) resistors. Alternatively or additionally, other components such as capacitors and/or inductors may be provided to produce the feedback network. Very generally, these components provided to produce the feedback network are thus identified in the following as impedances.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The fully differential implementation of the operational amplifier, which is advantageous for many applications, means that the difference of the potentials applied to the two amplifier inputs (amplifier input voltage) is provided amplified by the open amplification at the two amplifier outputs as the amplifier output voltage, no galvanic coupling between the amplifier inputs and the amplifier outputs being performed by the operational amplifier itself. In order to provide defined potential ratios at the output of such an operational amplifier, in practice, the output common mode voltage is typically set to a predefined value. This output common mode voltage, referred to in short in the following as the "output CM", is defined as the mean value of the two voltages provided at the amplifier output (each in relation to a reference potential, e.g., a supply potential). Fully-differential operational amplifiers typically have a CM setting input to be impinged by a setting voltage for setting the output CM to a value which precisely corresponds to this setting voltage applied to the setting input.
If the feedback network provides resistive feedback paths from the amplifier outputs to the amplifier inputs, these feedback paths not only influence the resulting circuit amplification, but rather also influence the input-side potential ratios of the operational amplifier through the galvanic coupling which is thus more or less implemented. In many cases, this is a desired effect (or side effect), for example, to set the input common mode voltage, also referred to in the following in short as the "input CM", to the same value as the output CM. This is true in particular if the input CM was not yet defined using the input-side circuitry of the operational amplifier alone. In this context, it is to be noted that for some operational amplifier circuits, both the input CM and also the output CM are to each be kept reliably in a specific range to ensure perfect function of the operational amplifier. These ranges are at least within the range predefined by two supply potentials of the operational amplifier. For the output CM, it is additionally favorable in regard to a large control range of the operational amplifier if it is approximately in the middle of the range predefined by the two supply potentials. In this case, it is disadvantageous under certain circumstances, however, if the output CM at approximately half of the supply voltage causes an equally large input CM via resistive feedback paths.

Circuit configuration having a feedback, fully-differential operational amplifier


The present provides the improved structure of a chip package, comprising an electrical contact surface of at least a chip configured with a under fill layer, the first solder mask layer, the first metal layer, dielectric material layer, the second metal layer, the second solder mask layer, and metal ball layer, characterized in the electrical contact surfaces among the first metal layer, the second metal layer, and the chip accomplish the electrical connection by employing the contacts of the surfaces of the conducting layers.

The conventional transistor package structure is classified to three types. The first type is shown as FIG. 1. It is so-called Turbo CSP, and its configuration comprises the first adhesion layer 11, metal layer 12, the second adhesion layer 13, and lead frame 14 in order in the electrical contact surface of the chip 10. The electrical contact and the metal layer 12 of the chip 10 form the electrical connection with the lead frame 14 respectively b employing multiple metal wires 15 to be the main structure characteristic. The transistor comprising this kind of structure characteristic usually includes the drawbacks of slow transportation sped and high defect rate of the package, because the metal wires 15 connecting the chip 10, metal layer 12, and the lead frame 14 are too long and they are point-to-point connections.
The second type of the transistor package structure is shown as FIG. 2, which is so-called Window BGA and its configuration comprises the adherent layer 21, metal layer 22, and solder 23 in order on the electrical contact surface of the chip 20, and employs the metal wires 24 to electrically connect the chip 20, and metal layer 22. But because the kind of transistor package structure only comprises single metal layer 22, signal wire layer and the ground power layer needed by the transistor are both configured in the metal layer 22 in the manufacture procedure. When manufacturing memory with big capacity and numerous wires, the space between wires becomes very tight so that the drawback that the electromagnetic wave interference cannot be reduced happens. And the mental wires 24 electrically connects the chip 20 and the metal layer 22 are too long and the structure is in the manner of point-to-point can also cause the drawbacks of the very slow transportation speed and very high defect rate of the package.
The third type of the transistor package structure is shown in FIG. 3, which is so-called T2BGA. Its difference from the Window BGA is that the T2BGA comprises two metal layers 31 to separate the signal wire layer and the ground power layer for configuration. It performs the better effect of electromagnetic interference compared with the Window BGA. But the T2BGA also needs the metal wires 32 electrical connects the chip 20 and the two metal layer 31. The structure mentioned above can also cause the drawbacks of the very slow transportation speed and very high defect rate of the package.
Therefore, in order to resolve the drawbacks of the several transistors package structure mentioned above, the inventor of the present invention develops a dielectric material layer connected to the electric conducting object and a bump. In the manner of big-area electrical connection by the contact of the surfaces, the dielectric material electrical connected to the first metal layer can accomplish the improvement of the chip package structure which performs the better insulation of the electric noise, the better effect for reducing the electromagnetic interference, the higher transportation speed, and higher yield of the package.

Lunghwa Univerity Of Science and Technology


A method of selectively etching titanium-containing materials without attacking aluminum or silicon dioxide is describe, wherein an atomic chlorine etching environment is generated using downstream techniques. Atomic chlorine in the absence of ion bombardment (as provided by downstream etching) etches titanium-containing materials such as titanium nitride without attacking silicon dioxide. In one embodiment of the invention, atomic chlorine is generated by the discharge of energy into molecular chlorine. In another embodiment of the invention, discharge of energy into a fluorine-containing gas causes the generation of atomic fluorine. Molecular chlorine is then added, creating a fluorine-chlorine exchange reaction which produces atomic chlorine. The presence of fluorine inhibits etching of aluminum, but does not impede the etching of titanium-containing materials.

In the processing of a semiconductor wafer to form integrated circuits, it is common to etch holes through one or more layers of materials formed on the wafer to provide access to underlying materials. Typically, this is done to permit conductive materials to be deposited in these holes for the purpose of creating contacts for external connections circuits or conductive "vias" between different internal wiring layers. Via holes provide electrical access to underlying metal conductive layers (wiring layers) while contact holes provide electrical access to underlying silicon or polysilicon (e.g., source or drain diffusion regions or gate polysilicon). In the process of etching these holes, formations called "fences" are known to be created on vertical surfaces (e.g., the "walls" of the holes). These fences are formed of a carbon-fluorine-silicon-oxygen polymer that is a natural result of the etching process and which is deposited evenly across the wafer. On horizontal surfaces, the polymer is removed as fast as it is deposited by ion bombardment that occurs on those surfaces during etching. On vertical surfaces, however, the polymer builds up creating "fences".
If fences are left on the wafer, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to create good contacts or vias due to poor adhesion of the contact material, contamination, or step coverage problems (i.e., inability to completely fill the holes with conductive material) leading to high contact resistance with the underlying material. Typically, fences are removed with organic solvents (such as NMP) prior to depositing conductive materials.
During the etching of contact holes to underlying silicon or polysilicon, the "fence" polymer has the beneficial side-effect of protecting silicon and polysilicon materials (commonly used in silicon-based integrated circuit structures) from being attacked by the etching process. The polymer has no beneficial effect when via holes are etched to underlying metal.
In modern integrated circuit devices, aluminum (chemical symbol "Al") is commonly used as an internal interconnect (wiring) material and for contacts. Titanium and titanium compounds, such as titanium nitride (hereinafter referred to by its chemical formula "TIN") are used as an antireflective coating over aluminum, as a diffusion barrier under aluminum, and as an adhesion layer under tungsten (chemical symbol "W"), which is often used to fill contact and via holes. Small geometries of modern integrated circuits have necessitated the use of "dull" antireflective materials, such as TiN, over shiny materials, such as aluminum, to prevent reflections off of the shiny materials from affecting "photo" processes.
Hereinafter, titanium and titanium compounds will be referred to collectively as "titanium-containing materials", and will be understood to encompass both elemental titanium and titanium compounds.
In the process of etching contact or via holes (e.g., by plasma etching, well known to those skilled in the art), if Al is exposed to the etching process, it may be rapidly "sputtered" about and becomes incorporated into the fence polymer. This makes the fence polymer difficult to remove effectively, since removal of an Al-tainted fence requires the use of solvents which also attack the aluminum wiring material. A similar effect can occur if a titanium-containing material is encountered during the etching process, similarly causing titanium to be incorporated into the fence polymer, creating a Ti-tainted fence, which is equally difficult to remove effectively. (It is also possible to incorporate both titanium and aluminum into a fence.)
In integrated circuits where TiN is used, it is often desirable to etch away just the TiN in a selective etch process. Three techniques of etching TiN are known in the prior art:
Etching in a fluorine plasma with high ion bombardment, PA0 Etching in a chlorine plasma PA0 Wet etching
Wet etching may remove thin films of TiN, but cannot be used in small contact holes or vias. Surface tension in combination with the small size of the holes prevents the etchant from reliably wetting the bottom of the contact holes or vias. A vacuum method of etching is preferable, to help ensure contact of the TiN film with the etchant.
Fluorine plasma for etching with high ion bombardment is most commonly used as an over-etch step for etching vias and contact holes. This method has the following problems:
The etch rate of the TiN is very slow (10% of the etch rate of SiO.sub.2). The etch process removes photoresist as well as titanium-containing materials, exposing underlying materials to the etch process. If the photoresist is completely removed, oxide (SiO.sub.2) loss from the top surface of the wafer and alteration of the profile of the via or contact hole are likely.
A polymer is formed in the via (or contact) hole consisting of titanium, aluminum, oxygen, silicon, and carbon. The polymer must be removed to ensure device reliability, but is extremely difficult to remove selectively without causing damage to or erosion of other materials.
A chlorine plasma environment may also be used to etch titanium-containing materials, but after the titanium-containing materials are removed, aluminum may be exposed to the plasma. In this case, chlorine is incorporated in the aluminum and causes undesired aluminum etching or corrosion.
FIG. 1a shows a semiconductor device 100 having an upper surface formed by a layer of insulating material (usually SiO.sub.2 ) into which a via hole 110 has been etched by a process such as plasma etching. Underlying the insulating material 102 is an aluminum conductive wiring layer 104, over which an anti-reflective film of titanium-containing material 112 has been deposited. Underlying the aluminum wiring layer 104 is another insulating layer 106. A polymer 108 is shown on the walls of hole 110 as a result of the etching process. Ordinarily, titanium-containing materials are sufficiently conductive to provide good electrical contact, but damage 120 done to the surface titanium-containing material during the process of etching hole 110 would cause poor contact between any conductive material deposited in hole 110 and aluminum 104 it the damaged titanium material 120 were allowed to remain. Therefore, it is desirable to remove the damaged titanium material 120 prior to depositing any conductive material in the via hole.
FIG. 1b illustrates a prior-art fluorine plasma etching process 116 applied to wafer 100 to remove .the damaged titanium material 120 of FIG. 1b. (It is assumed that there is a photoresist applied to the top surface of the wafer to mask off the via hole prior to etching, but since the photoresist is attacked and removed by the fluorine plasma etching process, it is not shown). After removal of the damaged titanium material 120, aluminum 104 is exposed in the area shown by 114, and is rapidly sputtered and incorporated into an aluminum containing polymer 108'. (Titanium is also incorporated into the polymer as the damaged titanium material 120 is etched). The overlying insulating layer 102 is eroded by the etching process 116 once any photoresist is gone, causing oxide loss resulting in a thinned insulating layer 102'. The aluminum-containing polymer is extremely difficult to remove without causing significant further damage to aluminum 104 in the area shown by 114.
FIG. 1c shows another wafer 130 having a lower insulating layer 136, an aluminum conductive wiring layer 134 overlying layer 136, and an upper insulating layer 132 overlying layers 134 and 136. A hole 140 has been etched into upper insulating layer 132 by a suitable etching process. A film of a titanium-containing material 142 has been deposited over the upper insulating layer 132, completely covering layer 132 and the surface of hole 140. The titanium-containing material 142 provides an adhesion layer for a tungsten (W) plug 144 which has been deposited into hole 140. Titanium-containing material 142 is sufficiently conductive and sufficiently thin that good electrical contact is provided between aluminum 134 and tungsten 144. However, a thickness "t" of titanium containing material 142 overlying the top surface of upper insulating layer 132 effectively "shorts out" any other similarly deposited tungsten plugs, and must be removed.
FIG. 1d shows the same wafer 130' after removal of the thickness "t" of titanium-containing material. Because prior-art techniques of removing titanium-containing materials do not provide good control of the degree of etch, it is possible titanium-containing material 142 (with respect to FIG. 1c) to be removed around the sides of tungsten plug 144, leaving the shape shown as 142'. This causes undesirable trenches 143 around the tungsten plug 144.
FIGS. 1a-1d all show via holes (i.e., holes which make contact with an underlying wiring layer. The discussion hereinabove, however, is also applicable to contact holes.
FIG. 1e shows a wafer 150 wherein a contact hole 160 is etched into an oxide layer 152 to provide electrical access to a silicon n-diffusion region 154 in a p-material 156 underlying oxide layer 152. A thin coating of a titanium-containing material 162, such as titanium nitride, is applied over the oxide layer 152 and hole 160 as an adhesion layer for a tungsten plug 164 deposited into hole 160 over the layer 162 of titanium-containing material. The problem of etching the titanium layer 162 is essentially identical to that of FIGS. 1c and 1d.

Method of selectively etching titanium-containing materials on a semiconductor wafer using remote plasma generation


A system and method that uses an advanced positioning system in combination with a cellular communication network to improve the performance of the network is disclosed One embodiment of the network includes a mobile switching center (MSC), a location tracker system (LTS), and a plurality of base stations for serving at least one mobile unit in the network. The LTS is able to receive a location code from the mobile unit that represents a specific coordinate, or location, in the network. The mobile unit may have generated the location code by analyzing its position from a global positioning satellite, or by other means. The LTS stores the location code in a data base. Whenever the MSC needs to communicate with the mobile unit, it queries the database of the LTS to determine the last location of the mobile unit. The MSC then selects one of the base stations that serves the location of the mobile unit and establishes a cellular link therethrough.

The cellular communications industry has experienced very rapid growth in both the areas serviced and the number of subscribers. It is not uncommon in many metropolitan areas for mobile switching centers (MSCs) to have service requests numbering in excess of 100,000 call attempts per hour. In these metropolitan areas, each MSC may serve a network of 100 or more cell sites, or base stations, each of which defines a particular cell. Each MSC also keeps track of all mobile units, such as cellular telephones, currently operating in its service area via a database commonly referred to as a visitor location register (VLR). This register stores information regarding the services available to each subscriber, his home MSC and the current status (e.g., active or inactive) of the mobile unit.
The MSC, however, does not usually have accurate information regarding the precise geographical location of each of the mobile units within the service area. Consequently, when a call is initiated to a mobile unit believed to be within the service area, a page must be broadcast over a forward control channel to all cells in the service area. When the mobile unit responds to the page, the particular cell containing the mobile unit is then identified from a reverse control channel used for the mobile response and a cellular link is then set up. In the event there is no response to the page, the system assumes that the mobile unit is currently inactive and the call is treated accordingly.
In order to broadcast a page over the forward control channels of all the base stations in a typical metropolitan system including an MSC serving 100 base stations, the page must be replicated 100 times and a copy sent to each of the 100 base station. As only one base station in the system can respond to the page, the vast majority of the pages are unnecessary, as they will result in no reply whatsoever. These unnecessary pages are produced at the expense of the MSC being available for performing other tasks. Hence, the overall system performance is degraded by the overhead required for the generation of unnecessary pages.
Various approaches have been suggested for overcoming this problem. In one such approach, the cellular network is partitioned into several location areas, each location area including a group of the cells covered by the MSC. Every time a mobile unit leaves one location area and enters another location area, it registers a location update that indicates the mobile unit is a visitor from the location area in which the mobile unit is registered. As a result, should a call be initiated to that mobile unit, the page needs to be sent only to the cells in the location area where the mobile unit is "visiting", thereby reducing system overhead associated with paging that particular mobile unit.
Another approach, discussed in pending patent application Ser. No. 08/743,689 filed on Nov. 6, 1996 and entitled "Method for Reducing Paging Load in a Cellular Communication System", the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference, is known as zone paging. In this approach, a two dimensional array referred to as a Location Accuracy Matrix (LAM) is developed. Each entry (i, j) to in the LAM represents the number of page responses received from mobile units in cell j when the last known location of each of the mobile units was in cell i. The LAM data is then used to develop a probability matrix (p(i, j)) that indicates the probability that a mobile unit is in cell j given the fact that its last known location was in cell i. The zone used for paging a mobile unit the last known location of which was in cell i is all the cells j for which the probability p(i, j) >0.001. In the event that this selective zone page is unsuccessful, then all cells in the service area are paged in an attempt to locate the mobile unit. If the all zone page is unsuccessful, the mobile unit is presumed to be turned off.
Although the above-described approaches do reduce the number of pages required to find the cell in which a mobile unit is located, further reductions in the number of cells paged would directly benefit the operation of the MSC. Therefore, what is needed is a system that, with a relatively high level of certainty, only requires a single cell to be paged.
In addition to dealing with paging overhead, the MSC, in conjunction with its base stations, must accommodate the unique radio frequency (RF) characteristics of individual cells in its service area. For example, as a mobile unit moves about within a cell, certain areas of the cell may have obstructions or changes in environment that cause the mobile unit to lose contact with the base station. Such obstructions may be caused by a new building or new billboards that adversely affect the cellular link between the mobile unit and the base station. In addition, such obstructions may interfere with the handoff process when the mobile unit moves from one cell to another. Typically, the location at which the handoff occurs, that is, the "handoff threshold", is the midpoint between the two base stations involved. In actuality, however, the optimal handoff threshold is subject to the unique RF characteristics of each cell and can be affected by changes in the environment.
Therefore, what is needed is a system that automatically reacts to environmental changes in a dynamic service area to consistently provide the best service possible and to provide notification when changes in the environment require extra attention.
In addition, recent governmental regulations require service providers to be able to locate a mobile unit to within 125 meters.

Method and apparatus for using advanced positioning systems in cellular communications networks


In one embodiment, an X ray tube assembly is provided. The X ray tube assembly comprises an evacuated envelope, an anode disposed at a first end of the evacuated envelope and a cathode assembly disposed at a second end of the evacuated envelope. The cathode assembly comprises a cathode filament and a cathode cup defining a plurality of electrically isolated deflection electrodes. Further, the cathode cup comprises at least two portions, a first portion comprising an electrically conductive material and a second portion comprising an electrically insulating material. In another embodiment, a method of manufacturing the X ray tube assembly is provided.

The subject matter described herein generally relates to a radiation generator and more particularly to a method of manufacturing and using an X ray tube assembly in a radiation generator.
Various types of radiation generators have been developed so as to generate electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation thus generated can be utilized for various purposes including medical imaging. One such example of a radiation generator is an X ray generator. A typical X ray generator generally comprises an X ray tube assembly for generating electromagnetic radiation (For example, X rays) and a power supply circuit configured to energize the X ray tube assembly in a conventional manner so as to emit X rays through a port and toward a target. The X ray tube assembly generally comprises an evacuated envelope, an anode disposed at a first end of the evacuated envelope and a cathode assembly disposed at a second end of the evacuated envelope. The cathode assembly is configured for emitting an electron beam, which strikes the anode at a focal spot to generate X rays.
The position of the focal spot can be dynamically controlled through electrostatic or electromagnetic means. When using an electrostatic deflection means, it may be desired to have multiple electrically isolated deflection electrodes within close proximity to each other. This allows a wide range of focal spot sizes in length and width, as well as many deflection options. Conventional methods of constructing deflection electrodes typically use metal-ceramic-metal sandwich design. One limitation associated with the conventional methods is difficulties arising due to metal-ceramic brazing, alignment issues, surface contamination, and issues with high voltage standoff.
Hence, there exists a need to provide a system and method for effective control of the focal spot in a radiation generator.

X ray tube assembly and method of manufacturing and using the X ray tube assembly


An extruder capable of obtaining a treatment volume equal to that of the conventional art without enlarging a screw diameter is provided. The extruder includes screw shafts, a drive unit, and a barrel, in which three or more screw shafts having the same diameter and the same root diameter in a waveform shape are engaged with each other and arranged in parallel to each other horizontally or nearly horizontally, while a distance between axial centers is made equal. According to the above configuration, the same treatment volume as that of a conventional extruder can be handled by screw shafts of smaller diameter as compared with that of the conventional art. By using the screw shafts of the smaller diameter as compared with the conventional art, temperature irregularities of an extrusion material in screw grooves, leakage of the extrusion material from the screw shafts, an installation area of the extruder, and the like conventional trouble of various kinds can be eliminated.

As is shown in FIG. 12, there exists an extruder 10, which extrudes a material supplied from a material inlet port 4 to a die part 5 by rotating a screw 1 inserted in a barrel 2 that corresponds to a housing and has a heater, and the screw 1 is rotated by a driving part 3. The extruder 10 transfers while heating and kneading the material in the barrel 2 (for example, with reference to a cited document 1: published specification of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-50424). As the extruder 10 in this configuration, there is a type having one screw (i.e., one screw shaft) 1 and another type having two screws 1 (i.e., two screw shafts). The twin-screw type extruder with two screws 1 meshed with each other is divided into one in which each screw 1 rotates in the same direction as shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, and one in which each screw rotates in a different direction as shown in FIG. 14. Also with respect to a shape of the screw (screw shaft) 1, there are a trapezoidal screw shape as indicated in FIGS. 13 and 14, and a waveform screw shape as indicated in FIG. 15 other than the trapezoidal screw shape.
Furthermore, there are extruders having three or more screws. These extruders are constructed in such forms that many screws are arranged circumferentially as indicated in FIG. 16, with two sets each consisting of two mutually engaged screws separately arranged while the screws are not engaged with each other between the sets. Each screw in the same set rotates in the same direction while the screws are made to rotate in different directions between different sets. Conventionally, no extruder is present in which three or more of the aforementioned waveform screws are arranged horizontally and meshed with each other to rotate in the same direction.
For the twin-screw extruder with two screws engaged as described above, an increase in the quantity of the material to be extruded (that is, an increase in the treatment volume) is required. To cope with this, in FIG. 17, an outer (large) diameter D of the screw shaft 1 is increased and a root (small) diameter 17 of the screw 1 is decreased. In other words, a depth 16 of the thread grooves of the screw shaft 1 is made larger regardless of the rotation direction and the shape of the screw in the conventional art. Here, "to increase the screw diameter" is taken for the case that the screw diameter exceeds approximately 90 mm.
However, to increase the screw outer (large) diameter results in an elongated facility length, and also an increase in mechanical loss and an increase in driving current of the screw shaft due to a large rotation weight of the screw shaft or the like. Moreover, since the barrel shape is enlarged as well, it takes time for the heater to raise temperatures. When a large screw shaft is designed, normally, a sectional shape of the large screw is made geometrically similar to a sectional shape of a small screw, and a value of L/D which is a ratio of a screw outer circumference moving distance when the screw rotates once and a groove depth of the screw is made constant. Under this condition, a peripheral velocity of the large screw is faster as compared with the small screw, whereby a self-heating value because of kneading of the material present in thread grooves of the screw is increased and the material is degraded. Furthermore, the above speeding up of the peripheral velocity necessitates considerations with respect to abrasion of the screw and the barrel.
Meanwhile, to increase the groove depth of the screw 1 makes a flight angle 19 of the screw denoted in FIG. 17 smaller. This reduction of the flight angle 19 decreases an abrasion resistance of the screw shaft 1, and at the same time increases a leak amount of the material from the screw shaft 1. Since a shaft diameter 18 of the screw shaft 1 is reduced when the groove depth 16 of the screw 1 is increased, it brings about a problem in terms of a strength of the screw 1.
Taking the above problem into consideration, to increase the screw diameter (that is, to increase the groove depth for increasing the treatment volume) is not necessarily a good solution. In general, when an extruder with a large diameter screw is to be designed, experiments are carried out with the use of an experimental extruder with a small diameter screw, and a mix proportion of materials to be treated, a screw shape and the like at the actual machine with the large diameter screw are determined on the basis of the acquired empirical data. However, it is reality that the actual machine does not always bear the same result as designed because of a difference in the screw diameters between the experimental machine and the actual machine, and the like.
The present invention is devised to solve the above-described problems, and has for its object to provide an extruder capable of obtaining a treatment volume equal to that of the conventional art without increasing a screw diameter.


A nano-colonnade VCSEL device and a method of fabrication utilize a nanowire column grown nearly vertically from a (111) horizontal surface of a first layer to another horizontal surface of a second layer to connect the layers. The VCSEL device includes a first layer having the (111) horizontal surface; a second layer; and an insulator support between the first layer and the second layer that separates the first layer from the second layer. A portion of the second layer overhangs the insulator support, such that a horizontal surface of the overhanging portion is spaced from and faces the (111) horizontal surface of the first layer. The VCSEL device further includes a nanowire column extending nearly vertically from the (111) horizontal surface to the facing horizontal surface, and distributed Bragg mirrors adjacent to opposite end of the nanowire column.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to nanotechnology. In particular, the invention relates to nano-scale laser devices and their fabrication.
2. Description of Related Art
A consistent trend in semiconductor technology since its inception is toward smaller and smaller device dimensions and higher and higher device densities. As a result, an area of semiconductor technology that recently has seen explosive growth and generated considerable interest is nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is concerned with the fabrication and application of so-called nano-scale structures, structures having at least one linear dimension between 1 nm and 200 nm. These nano-scale structures are often 50 to 100 times smaller than conventional semiconductor structures.
Nanowires are building blocks of many nano-scale devices, such as nano-scale field effect transistors (FETs), p-n diodes, light emitting diodes (LEDs) and nanowire sensors, to name a few. There are many techniques known in the art for growing or synthesizing nanowires. However, available techniques for interconnection of the nanowires with other circuit elements, such as between electrodes of a nano-scale device, tend to be tedious, expensive and sometimes not reproducible. For example, fabricated nanowires can be aligned or assembled using fluid flow and/or an electric field; and contacted to surfaces with e-beam lithography. As such, these techniques are limited to making contact to surfaces usually one nanowire (or one nanowire end) at a time. While these techniques are useful in a research environment and facilitate characterization studies using nanowires, they are not conducive to, and not suitable for, reproducible mass-fabrication of nano-scale devices, such as dense, low-cost device arrays, in a manufacturing environment.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an interconnection technique for nanowires that is conducive to a manufacturing environment of a variety of nano-scale devices. Such a technique would solve a long-standing need in the developing area of a "bottom-up" fabrication approach in nanotechnology.

Nano-VCSEL device and fabrication thereof using nano-colonnades

Hewlett-Packard Developement Company, L.P.


A method for reading out an image sensor, the method includes the steps of integrating charge in a photodetector with the photodetector at a first capacitance; reading the resulting signal level at a first time with the photodetector at the first capacitance; changing the photodetector capacitance to a second capacitance; and reading the signal level associated with the photodetector at the second capacitance.

Currently, image sensors have a predetermined dynamic range for capturing images. Some scenes require a large capture dynamic range that may exceed the capability of the image sensor. In this case, the captured scene may not be faithfully represented. Therefore, increasing the dynamic range of image sensors in addition to the normal mode of operation is desirable.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an image sensor with variable sensitivity to convert captured photoelectron charge into a voltage.

Extended dynamic range using variable sensitivity pixels


A method for forming shallow trench isolation comprising the steps of providing a substrate having a mask layer formed thereon. Next, the mask layer is patterned to form a first trench in the substrate. Then, dielectric spacers are formed on the sidewalls of the first trench. After that, a second trench is formed in the substrate by an etching operation following the profile of the dielectric spacers. Next, a second dielectric layer is formed filling the second trench, wherein the second dielectric layer and the dielectric spacers are formed from different materials. Thereafter, the dielectric spacers are removed to form recess cavities, and then a filler material is deposited into the recess cavities. Subsequently, a gate oxide layer is formed over the filler material and the substrate. Finally, a polysilicon gate layer is formed over the gate oxide layer.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method for isolating integrated circuit element. More particularly, the present invention relates to the method for manufacturing shallow trench isolation (STI).
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a complete integrated circuit is made from millions of MOS transistors. To prevent the short-circuiting of adjacent MOS transistors, an isolating dielectric layer referred to as "field oxide layer" (FOX) must be placed between two neighboring transistors. Alternatively, shallow trench isolation must be made by etching a trench between the neighboring transistors followed by filling in insulating material to define an active area.
FIGS. 1A through 1D are cross-sectional views showing the progression of manufacturing steps in the production of a conventional shallow trench isolation. First, as shown in FIG. 1A, a substrate 10 is provided. Then, a pad oxide layer 22 and a silicon nitride layer (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) 24 are sequentially formed over the substrate 10. Conventional photolithographic and etching techniques are then used to define a trench 30 in the substrate 10.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, an oxide layer is deposited into the trench filling the trench and covering the silicon nitride layer 24. Later, a chemical-mechanical polishing operation is performed to planarize and remove the extra oxide material above the silicon nitride layer 24 forming an oxide layer 34.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, the silicon nitride layer 24 and the pad oxide layer 22 are removed to form the device isolation structure. The pad oxide is removed using a wet etching method with hydrofluoric acid solution as the etchant. Using such isotropic etching method, surface of the oxide layer 34 adjacent to the substrate 10 can be over-etched quite easily due to the immersion in hydrofluoric acid solution during the etching operation. This will result in the formation of recesses 38 on the surface of the oxide layer 34 adjacent to the substrate 10. Moreover, to protect the substrate surface, normally a sacrificial layer will be formed above the substrate after the formation of the field oxide regions. Hence, when the sacrificial layer is removed in a subsequent process, the hydrofluoric acid used in the removal process will also lead to an over-etching of the oxide layer 34 adjacent to the substrate 10.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1D, the recesses 38 formed on the surface of the oxide layer 34 adjacent to the substrate 10 exposes the substrate surface 10 only a little. Therefore, a thin gate oxide layer 40 will be grown there in a subsequent process. A thin gate oxide layer 40 not only will lower the reliability of the gate, but will also lead to the accumulation of charges near the upper trench comers, and hence the electric field surrounding that area is increased. This has the adverse effect of lowering the threshold voltage of the device and the generation of abnormal subthreshold current commonly referred to as a "kink" effect. Moreover, near the corner of the main active area, a corner parasitic MOSFET will be created, thereby leading to the development of a leakage current. The lowering of the threshold voltage, abnormal subthreshold current and current leakage all contribute to the lowering of device quality and the reduction of the product yield.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need to provide an improved structure and method of forming shallow trench isolation.

Method for manufacturing shallow trench isolation


A system including a memory storing a meaning taxonomy is provided. The meaning taxonomy includes meaning loaded entities and associations between meaning loaded entities and syntactic structures. Each association links a meaning loaded entity to a syntactic structure. The system includes a processor coupled with the memory and components executable by the processor configured to receive content generated by a source, the content including syntactic structures, identify meaning loaded entities that are linked to the syntactic structures by associations, calculate a content summary indicating a level of coverage of the meaning loaded entities within the content, and provide a representation of the summary to an external entity.

Technical Field
The technical field of this disclosure relates generally to content analysis and, more specifically, to semantic analysis of documents produced by one or more sources.
Discussion
Conventional computerized tools for semantic analysis process large bodies of documents to identify topics discussed therein. This processing often includes parsing text stored in the documents and creating a data store that associates documents with their constituent terms and the frequency with which the constituent terms occur within the documents. From this data store, conventional semantic analysis tools rank terms by frequency of occurrence and record terms that occur less frequently than others as being more important. Conventional semantic analysis tools focus on these important terms and their location within documents relative to other terms to discern the topics to which the documents are directed. Examples of processing techniques utilized within conventional semantic analysis tools include latent Dirichlet allocation and probabilistic latent semantic indexing.

Systems and methods for analyzing document coverage


A generator for producing electric power, the generator including a generator unit including a stator) and a rotatably supported rotor, wherein the stator includes a first set of windings and a second set of windings, and the rotor is adapted to induce electrical voltage in the first set of windings and in the second set of windings when the rotor is rotated relative to the stator, the generator further includes a first converter coupled to the first set of windings, the first converter being adapted to convert alternating voltage in the first set of windings into an output DC voltage, a DC output coupled to the first converter to receive the output DC voltage, and a second converter coupled to the second set of windings and to the DC output, the second converter being adapted to generate control voltages and/or control currents in the second set of windings, is provided.

In electric power generation, such as wind power generation, one of the established configurations is to use a full power back-to-back converter system. In such systems, the generator, e.g. wind turbine, is controlled by a voltage source converter to deliver power to a DC link, and another voltage source converter connected to this DC link is controlled to feed the power to the grid.
In conventional full power back-to-back voltage source converter power generation systems, the generator converter is rated to have the same levels of voltage and current as the generator. Further, the converter is operated in pulse width modulation (PWM) mode in order to provide the required voltages and currents to the generator. With concern to the current harmonics and torque ripples in the generator and generator control dynamics, the PWM switching must occur at a relatively high rate, such as 2.5 kHz. As each switching causes additional power losses in the power components (and thus heat), a higher switching frequency will not only cause reduced efficiency and increased requirements for converter cooling, but also more importantly result in a shorter lifetime for the converter. The latter is particularly undesirable for offshore wind power applications.
Given the existing power component techniques, it is difficult to handle the required power level for wind power generation with a single power unit. Instead, modular converters are often used, where several power units are arranged in parallel for providing the required power/current level. In order to improve the current sharing between paralleled modules, especially during switching transients, special techniques have been applied, such as pulse insertion or dropping. Nevertheless, some compromises are still placed to allow less ideal switching, and more modules have to be used to create the needed current/power margins. However, an increased number of components means higher cost and less reliability on the system level.
The technical challenges to the conventional converter system are becoming severer as wind power generation is heading towards even higher voltages and larger power levels.
Several alternative lower cost converter topologies utilizing diode rectifiers and boost converters in the DC link have been discussed in the literature. However, the generator stator currents cannot be controlled directly and independently using a diode rectifier. Furthermore, known torque ripple methods using a boost converter in the DC link suffer from limited controllability and increased latency due to the diode rectifier.
Accordingly, there may be a need for an electric power generator without the above drawbacks, in particular an electric power generator that is capable of reliably meeting the demands regarding high voltage and power levels and which at the same time is relatively cheap and easy to manufacture and implement.


Methods apparatus for storing and expanding wide instruction words in a computer system are provided. The computer system includes a memory and an instruction cache. Compressed instruction words of a program are stored in a code heap segment of the memory, and code pointers are stored in a code pointer segment of the memory. Each of the code pointers contains a pointer to one of the compressed instruction words. Part of the program is stored in the instruction cache as expanded instruction words. During execution of the program, an instruction word is accessed in the instruction cache. When the instruction word required for execution is not present in the instruction cache, thereby indicating a cache miss, a code pointer corresponding to the required instruction word is accessed in the code pointer segment of memory. The code pointer is used to access a compressed instruction word corresponding to the required instruction word in the code heap segment of memory. The compressed instruction word is expanded to provide an expanded instruction word, which is loaded into the instruction cache and is accessed for execution.

One of the approaches to improving microprocessor performance is instruction level parallel processing. Instruction level parallel processing involves execution in parallel of low level machine operations, such as memory loads and stores, integer additions and floating point multiplications. Processors for implementing instruction level parallelism typically include multiple execution units and are controlled by very long instruction words (VLIW's). Each VLIW specifies the operations that are to be executed in a single cycle and includes multiple operation fields. The source program is typically written in a high level language without attention to operations that can be performed in parallel. The conversion of a source program to machine code which utilizes instruction level parallelism involves scheduling of operations which can be executed in parallel. The scheduling function may be performed by a compiler or by the processor itself. When scheduling is performed by the processor, the processor hardware may become complex. When scheduling is performed by the compiler, the processor simply executes the operations contained in the VLIW. Instruction level parallel processing is described by J. A. Fisher et al in Science, Vol. 253, Sep. 13, 1991, pp. 1233-1241 and by B. Ramakrishna et al in the Journal of Supercomputing, Vol. 7, 1993, pp. 9-50.
For maximum utilization of a processor having multiple execution units, each execution unit should perform an operation on every processor cycle. The execution units of the processor may be fully utilized during computation-intensive portions of a program. In this case, all or nearly all of the operation fields of the VLIW are filled. Other portions of the program may not require all of the resources of the processor. In this case, some of the execution units are idle, and one or more operation fields of the VLIW are not filled. The number of unfilled operation fields in a program may be significant. Storing instruction words with significant numbers of unfilled operation fields in memory is wasteful of valuable memory space. To avoid inefficient use of memory techniques, for storing wide instruction words in compressed format have been proposed.
In one prior art approach, compressed instruction words are stored with a mask word. The operation fields of the instruction word are stored in consecutive memory locations, or words. The mask word encodes where the memory words are inserted in the expanded instruction word. Since the mask word is normally only a few bits wide, two or more mask words can be grouped in the same memory word. This approach is illustrated in FIG. 1. An instruction word pair is stored in compressed format in memory as a mask word 20 followed in consecutive memory locations by operations W00, W02, W05, W06, and W07 of a first instruction word and operations W12 and W14 of a second instruction word. A mask field 22 in mask word 20 indicates the locations of the operations W00, W02, W05, W06 and W07 in a first line 34 of instruction cache 24, and mask field 26 indicates the positions of operations W12 and W14 in a second line 36 of instruction cache 24.
Due to the variable length of the compressed instruction format in memory, it is necessary to record the offset to the next instruction address somewhere in the instruction itself. The offset must also be stored in the instruction cache to be able to execute correct program counter sequencing and to maintain coherency between the program counter and the main memory code image. The offset to the next instruction address can be stored in mask word 20 as fields 30 and 32 and can be stored in instruction cache 24 as fields 38 and 40. An instruction compression and expansion technique similar to that shown in FIG. 1 and described above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,837 issued Oct. 15, 1991 to Colwell et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,680 issued Jan. 12, 1993 to Colwell et al.
The major disadvantage of using the technique shown in FIG. 1 and described above is that consecutive instructions do not correspond to consecutive instruction cache locations, as they are separated by an address difference that depends on the variable length of the instruction. This introduces an artificial alias for instructions that are physically separated by a distance that is larger than the instruction cache size. For example, in a 1024 line instruction cache, a code section of 1024 instructions will very likely contain aliases to the same cache locations, unless proper padding is performed by the loader. This padding is possible only if empty spaces are left in main memory. In the example of FIG. 1, instruction pair #n occupies a cache hole left by the previous instructions. To achieve this, the assembler is forced to leave empty memory areas to get to the desired address of the cache hole. In the example of FIG. 1, twelve memory words are wasted to avoid a conflicting address for instruction pair #m.
In summary, the technique shown in FIG. 1 and described above has several disadvantages. The instruction cache must have a larger capacity to store the offset to the next instruction address. Program counter sequencing is complicated, because it needs to compute the next instruction addresses. The variable instruction length introduces artificial aliases in the instruction cache. If the loader pads instructions in main memory to avoid the problem of artificial aliases, holes are created in main memory.
In another prior art approach described by J. P. Hayes in Computer Architecture and Organization, McGraw-Hill, 1978, pp. 309-314, a processor uses two levels of microprogram control. Each instruction fetched from main memory is interpreted by a microprogram stored in a control memory. Each microinstruction is interpreted by a nanoprogram stored in a second control memory. The nanoinstructions directly control the hardware.

Method and apparatus for storing and expanding variable-length program instructions upon detection of a miss condition within an instruction cache containing pointers to compressed instructions for wide instruction word processor architectures


The instant invention is a navigation aid for use in depicting the buoyage system for navigable waters. The device has a support base that is secured to the helm of the vessel having a rotatable faceplate with daymark indicia placed thereon. The device provides a reminder to the vessel operator of the buoyage system and the position of the vessel in relation to the buoyage system. The device may be illuminated for nighttime usage by either direct or indirect illumination. A method of incorporating the positioning indicia in combination with a chart plotter is provided.

Since the majority of the earth is covered by water, proper navigation through the water is necessary for safe passage. Waterways are used for commercial transportation as well as recreation. For this reason, most Maritime Nations have adopted a uniform system of buoyage to direct traffic through heavily traveled or problematic waters. One of the most prominent aids to navigation consists of floating buoys, both lighted and unlighted, and daymarks.
The United States follows a lateral system of buoyage. When returning from a seaward location, red buoys are kept on the right (starboard) and green buoys are kept on the left (portside). If a vessel travels the intracoastal waterways along the Atlantic coast, across the Gulf Stream and up the Pacific coast, the vessel is traveling in a clockwise direction and must maintain the red buoys to the starboard side and green buoys to the port side. Coming in from the sea or proceeding up a harbor or river to its source would be considered returning. While traversing the Great Lakes, the direction is considered a westerly direction.
The phrase "red, right, returning" has become a universal reminder to assist mariners that the red buoys would mark the right side of the channel when returning from the sea. For example, a vessel on the Atlantic Ocean entering any inlet on the eastern side of the United States would traverse a buoyage area which marks the proper area of vessel travel. As previously mentioned, such an entrance requires the vessel to maintain the red buoys which would be on the starboard side and green buoys which would be on the port side. Once in the intracoastal should the vessel turn north then the buoys would be switched wherein the red buoys would be on the port side and the green buoys on the starboard side. However, had the operator turned south on the intracoastal way the buoys would have maintained their position as in the inlet with red on the starboard side and green on the port side. Should the operator travel the intracoastal waterway and then turn into any branch, the channel should then have red on the starboard side and green on the port side. Channel junctions may be either a nun or can painted in horizontal red and green band. If the top band is green the preferred channel is to the right and the buoy will be the shape of a can. If the top most band is red the preferred channel is to the left and the buoy will be in the shape of a nun. In England the waterway markings are the opposite of the United States wherein red (black) is on your port side and green is on the starboard side when returning from sea.
Such navigation aids are imperative for the safe operation of a vessel on the waterways but can obviously lead to momentary confusion to the vessel operator. Thus, despite the commonality of the buoyage system, the proper positioning of the buoys depends upon the direction the vessel is traveling. To further complicate these matters, in shallow waters including commercially used waterways and rivers, daymarks may be substituted for the floating buoys. Daymarks are supported on pilings typically positioned about fifteen (15') feet outside the navigable channel. As with the buoys, daymarks would be colored green or red as to indicate the proper position of the vessel in relation to the channel. Both buoys and daymarks have particular shapes to help the vessel operator distinguish the channel position from a distance. For instance, green daymarks are squares while green buoys are shaped as cans. Red daymarks are shaped in the form of a triangle while red buoys (nun's) have a conical shaped top.
The buoyage system can be complicated for even the most experienced mariner, especially since the operator must also tend to other matters such as current, wind, and other vessels to name a few. Since vessels travel both ways on the waterway, the markers will be reversed during a portion of a vessel's travel. At all time the vessel operator must remember which direction the vessel is facing. This becomes especially important if only a single marker exists. For instance, if an operator is heading north on the intracoastal, there are many positions wherein a single buoy or daymark indicates the channel. If the marker is green, the vessel operator must recognize that the mark is to be placed either to its port or starboard side. Should the vessel operator choose the wrong position, the vessel could run aground causing damage to the vessel and occupants. If the vessel operator was traveling in England familiar to the reverse buoyage system, traveling in the U.S. necessitates a change in the through process. As previously mentioned, the addition of current, wind, and other vessels makes even momentary confusion very dangerous.
What is needed is a navigation aid to remind vessel operators where the buoys and daymarks are to positioned upon passage of the vessel. In this manner the navigation aid should be placed upon a vessel preferably at the helm wherein the vessel operator can instantly view the navigation aid to determine the proper positioning of the operators vessel in relation to the navigation aids placed along the waterway.


There is provided a plunger seal (1) for a fuel injection pump for a direct-injection gasoline engine, in which, even if a resin material is used for a fuel seal member (12), the plunger seal can be made compact, sealing ability is increased, and assembling man-hours can be reduced, and in which set sealing performance can be achieved when a U-shaped elastic member (33) for applying an energizing force in a diametrical direction is used in a groove (41) formed in the fuel seal member (12). The resin fuel seal member (12) and an oil seal member (13) are assembled to form one seal system. Further, when the U-shaped elastic member (33) is installed in the groove (41), an axial position (L1) of an end surface (44a) at the side opposite to the sealed object of a fixing collar (44) formed on an inner peripheral surface of the groove (41) is positioned at the side (B) opposite to the sealed object than the axial position (L2) of a leading end portion (15b) of a seal lip (15) of the fuel seal member (12).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plunger seal for a pump which is used as a reciprocating seal of a high-pressure fuel pump in a fuel injection pump for a direct-injection gasoline engine, and used for all other oil pressure, air pressure and water pressure equipments.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
The direct-injection gasoline engine is structured such as to directly inject a high-pressure fuel into a cylinder so as to burn for the purpose of a regulation of exhaust gas, an improvement of specific fuel consumption and the like in recent years. Since a high pressure performance is demanded in the fuel injection pump used for directly injecting the high-pressure fuel, a performance standing against a high pressure is demanded in a plunger seal for the pump used in the fuel injection pump.
Conventionally, as the plunger seal for the pump used in the fuel injection pump, there has been known a rubber lip type seal member integrally having a fuel seal lip sealing the fuel such as the gasoline or the like at high pressure in a sealed object side, and an oil seal lip sealing an oil existing in an opposite side to the sealed object for cooling and lubricating (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-68370). However, since a material of the seal lip is constituted by the rubber, there is a problem that a sealing function can not be sufficiently satisfied with respect to a lack of pressure tightness due to the high pressure and a lack of fuel resistance accompanied by an increase of an alcoholic content in the fuel.
Accordingly, there has been proposed a structure in which the fuel seal lip is made of the resin and is independently provided from the rubber oil seal lip, whereby it is possible to maintain the pressure resistance even if the pressure of the high-pressure fuel becomes higher, and it is possible to prevent a swelling and a reduction of hardness and strength with respect to the alcohol contained fuel or the like (refer to the patent document WO 02/099320A1). However, since the fuel seal lip and the oil seal lip are independently provided, an installation space is increased, so that there is a problem that it is impossible to respond to a demand for a compact structure, and it is impossible to secure a stable seal performance with respect to a higher performance requirement of the fuel pump. Further, since a demand for a low cost is increased, it is necessary to respond to this. It is necessary to reduce a number of seals for reducing an assembling man-hour.
Further, there has been known that, when a metal spring having an approximately U-shaped cross section and applying an energizing force in a diametrical direction is installed in a groove formed in the rubber fuel seal lip, a fixing collar for preventing the metal spring from jumping out is provided in an opening portion of the groove (refer to Japanese Patent No. 2651407). However, if the fixing collar is provided in the case that the fuel seal lip is constituted by the resin material, a shape thereof becomes complicated, it is hard to manufacture the seal lip of the resin material by a normally used injection molding machine. Accordingly, there has been proposed that an inner surface of the grove is formed flat while abolishing the fixing collar, in the case that the resin fuel seal lip in which the metal spring having the approximately U-shaped cross section is installed is manufactured by the injection molding machine (refer to Japanese Patent No. 2955822).
Further, as shown in FIG. 16, in the conventional fuel seal lip 101 using the rubber material, a shape of the seal lip 101 is specified by setting angles α and β formed by both side surfaces 103 and 104 of the seal lip 101 with respect to a plunger 102 at a time of installing the plunger 102, and a surface pressure gradient P generated in a contact surface of the seal lip 101 at a time of installing the plunger 102 is controlled as shown in FIG. 17, whereby it is possible to control a thickness t of a seal medium interposed between the seal lip 101 and the plunger 102 so as to secure a sealing performance (a leak amount) in accordance with a set seal performance. However, if the material of the fuel seal lip 101 is changed to the resin such as PTFE or the like, the angle α and β corresponding to the shape of the seal lip 101 are deformed and changed by use on the basis of a creep characteristic. Accordingly, the surface pressure gradient P generated in the contact surface of the seal lip 101 is changed, and it is hard to secure the seal performance (the leak amount) in accordance with the set value.