A wafer holder for maintaining a semiconductor wafer at a constant temperature during film deposition is disclosed. The wafer holder is configured to have one or more quartz arms. Affixed to each arm is at least one quartz support, whose top end is adapted for holding the semiconductor wafer. The top end of each support is tapered to have a diameter smaller than that of the quartz support and is optionally tapered to a point. A thermal mass element is optionally supported on the arms of the wafer holder, to keep uniform, the temperature at the perimeter of the wafer with respect to the rest of the semiconductor wafer during a material layer deposition. Also, a quartz backstop is optionally attached to each support arm to keep the semiconductor wafer positioned on top of the quartz supports when the wafer holder is rotated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for the rapid thermal processing of semiconductor wafers.
2. Description of the Related Art
The deposition (or growth) of a film such as, for example, a dielectric material, on the surface of a semiconductor wafer is a common step in semiconductor processing. Such depositions (or growths) are usually performed in an apparatus called a deposition reactor, which generally includes a reaction chamber, a wafer holder and handling system, a heat source and temperature control, and a gas delivery system (e.g. inlet, exhaust and flow control). For example, with reference to FIG. 1 there is shown a simplified cross-sectional view of one type of deposition reactor 100, known as a horizontal furnace, in which a susceptor 101 (wafer holder) is positioned in a horizontal tube 102 (usually of circular cross-section), the interior of which is the reaction chamber. The term reaction chamber as used in this disclosure refers to the area within a reactor where the deposition (or growth) of a film on the surface of a semiconductor wafer occurs. Semiconductor wafers 103 are mounted on surface 101a of susceptor 101. Heat source 104 heats the semiconductor wafers 103 and susceptor 101, and reactant gases 105 are introduced into, and flow through horizontal tube 102, past the wafers 103. Susceptor 101 is often tilted so that susceptor surface 101a faces into the flow of reactant gases 105, reducing the depletion of reactant gases in the vicinity of each semiconductor wafer, especially for those semiconductor wafers located the farthest distance away from the input flow of reactant gases 105.
A typical deposition step for a reactor such as, for example, a horizontal furnace, includes the mixing of selected chemical gases in the gas delivery system, which are subsequently introduced into the reaction chamber for deposition as a layer or film of material, onto the surface of a semiconductor wafer. The heat source heats the reaction chamber and accelerates the chemical reaction of the gases in the chamber and also raises the temperature of the semiconductor wafer, to the particular temperature, necessary for film deposition.
Deposition reactors are also classified according to the characteristics of their operation such as, for example, a rapid thermal process (RTP) reactor which is characterized by the amount of time required for heating the semiconductor wafer during a deposition step, as well as the time necessary for cooling the same semiconductor wafer after a film of material has been deposited on it. The term rapid thermal process as used in this disclosure refers to a process having a heat-up rate of at least 20 degrees Centigrade per second and a corresponding cool-down rate of at least 10 degrees Centigrade per second. Conventional furnace reactors generally require on the order of several hours for both the heating up and cooling down steps necessary for depositing a layer of material on a batch of wafers. In contrast, rapid thermal process (RTP) reactors require only between about 5 seconds to 15 minutes for both the heating up and cooling down steps necessary for depositing a layer of material on a wafer, since the heat source used for heating the semiconductor wafers and accelerating the chemical reaction of the gases in such reactors, are high powered lamps. Thus, rapid thermal process (RTP) reactors are characterized in that the process cycle time for depositing a film of material on a semiconductor wafer is considerably shorter than the process cycle time for the same film of material deposited in a conventional furnace reactor.
For most deposition processes, it is desirable to maximize semiconductor wafer throughput (e.g., the number of wafers processed per unit time), while depositing material layers that have uniform thicknesses. To obtain material layers having uniform thicknesses, it is necessary to maintain the semiconductor wafer at a constant temperature, during the film deposition.
A particular problem with rapid thermal process (RTP) reactors is that it is difficult to maintain the semiconductor wafer at a constant temperature while heating with a high powered light source, due to the support mechanism used for holding the semiconductor wafer during the deposition of the material layer. For example, with reference to the furnace reactor of FIG. 1, the semiconductor wafers are typically mounted on the top surface of the susceptor so that the bottom surface of the semiconductor wafer is in full contact with the top surface of the susceptor (side 103b of semiconductor wafer 103 is in full contact with side 101a of susceptor 101). However, in rapid thermal process (RTP) reactors, the process cycle time is only on the order of a few seconds for some heating and cooling cycles, so that if one side of the susceptor is in full contact with one side of the semiconductor wafer, the deposition temperature and cycle time are difficult to achieve. This is because the mass of the susceptor functions as a heatsink and absorbs heat away from the semiconductor wafer, so that the wafer heats to the deposition temperature at a slower rate, increasing the time required to deposit the layer of material on the surface of the wafer. Conversely, the mass of the susceptor also does not dissipate heat quickly, so that the semiconductor wafer cools at a slower rate, increasing the time needed to cool the wafer after deposition. As a result, the susceptor used for holding the semiconductor wafer in most rapid thermal process reactors supports just the outer periphery of the wafer, instead of the entire surface, in order to reduce the time required to deposit a material layer on the surface of the wafer.
FIG. 2A shows a side view of a typical susceptor used in a rapid thermal process reactor, where just the outer periphery of semiconductor wafer 201 is supported with a non-reactive material 202. The term non-reactive material refers to a material which is chemically inactive with all other materials, including reactant gases used in conjunction with the rapid thermal process reactor. FIG. 2B illustrates a top view of the susceptor shown in FIG. 2A. Area 205, whose outline is shown in phantom (with dashed lines), represents that area on the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer 201 which is supported by the non-reactive material 202. Area 206 represents that area of the semiconductor wafer 201 which is not supported by the non-reactive material 202. The width of the semiconductor wafer 201, supported by the non-reactive material and represented by area 205, is typically on the order of 1 mm (millimeter).
While the use of the susceptor depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B, reduces the cycle time required for heating and cooling the semiconductor wafer, area 205, supported by the non-reactive material 202, again acts as a heat sink, causing the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer to have a different surface temperature during the deposition of the film, than area 206 which is not supported. This forms a temperature gradient in the semiconductor wafer and causes the semiconductor wafer to have different deposition rates for the material layer in the center of the wafer than near the perimeter. As a result, films of material deposited on the surface of the semiconductor wafer have areas with different thicknesses. In addition, if the semiconductor wafers have diameters that are larger than about three inches, warping occurs during the heating and cooling cycles, due to the uneven wafer support provided by the non-reactive material. Thus, films deposited on semiconductor wafers using rapid thermal process techniques have proven to be unsatisfactory, since there is a lack of uniformity in the thicknesses of the films deposited on the surfaces of individual wafers, as well as warping of the wafers. Accordingly, rapid thermal process techniques that maintain the semiconductor wafer at a constant temperature during film deposition and which do not warp the wafers, continue to be sought.

Wafer holder for thermal processing apparatus


A method for detecting an analyte in a sample uses both the specificity of an enzymatic reaction and the separation power of capillary electrophoresis. In general, the method comprises: (1) subjecting a first aliquot of the sample to an analytical technique such as capillary electrophoresis, which generates a first output such as an electropherogram; (2) reacting a second aliquot of the sample in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction converting the analyte into a product, the product being detectable by the analytical technique; (3) subjecting the second aliquot to the analytical technique to generate a second output; (4) in the case of electrophoresis, measuring the absorbance of the first and second outputs (electropherograms) as a function of migration distance along the electropherogram at at least one wavelength at which either the analyte or the product absorbs to produce a first absorbance scan and a second absorbance scan; and (5) comparing the first absorbance scan with the second absorbance scan to detect the analyte. The reaction can involve a coenzyme and the analytical technique can be directed to the coenzyme. Alternatively, at least two enzymes can be used, the first enzyme generating a first product that is then acted upon by the second enzyme.

This invention is directed to methods for detecting analytes in biological fluids, typically using a combination of capillary electrophoresis and an enzymatic reaction.
For many purposes, it is important to detect analytes in biological fluids such as urine, plasma, lymphatic fluid, or cerebrospinal fluid. In many cases, particular analytes are markers of disease conditions, and the disease condition is detected either by the presence of an otherwise abnormal analyte or the presence of an abnormal concentration of an otherwise normally occurring analyte. For example, the amino acid phenylalanine is present in abnormally high concentrations in the serum of individuals with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria, which can cause severe mental retardation in untreated individuals. Thus, accurate diagnosis of this genetic disorder is essential. Other aminoacidurias are also inheritable genetic disorders and can result in a wide variety of serious consequences. These disorders are treated by special diets, and it is therefore essential that the presence of the disease be diagnosed accurately.
Another example of an analyte that is frequently assayed for clinical purposes is uric acid. Uric acid is a breakdown product of purines, and is a normal constituent of serum and urine. However, higher than normal concentrations of uric acid in serum are characteristic of gout, which can cause arthritis and renal disease. Other syndromes, such as Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome, are also associated with higher than normal uric acid levels. This syndrome is characterized by the deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase and is manifested clinically by mental retardation, abnormal muscle movements, and behavioral problems such as self-mutilation and aggressiveness.
Many other analytes are also assayed to monitor the development and treatment of many clinical conditions. However, the assay of such analytes in complex biological fluids is difficult. In many cases, it is difficult to identify many of the substances present in these fluids, even with a sensitive separation technique such as capillary electrophoresis. For example, separation of urine by capillary electrophoresis results in more than fifty readily recognizable peaks, and only a minority of these peaks have so far been identified. Because of the presence of components in urine such as proteins and salts, the migration time of each species present can be affected drastically when compared to an electropherogram of a pure sample of the substance.
The difficulty of identifying such analytes is even greater in serum, because the protein concentration in serum is approximately three orders of magnitude greater than it is in urine, which causes a substantially greater degree of interference and masking.
Therefore, there is a need for an analytical method that detects analytes in complex biological fluids such as serum and urine, and that overcomes the interference introduced by salts and proteins. Such a method should be able to identify and quantitate a wide variety of analytes and do so specifically, avoiding cross reactions. The method should also be able to distinguish between compounds of similar structure such as the amino acids aspartate and glutamate, or steroids with the same ring structure and different substituents. Furthermore, the method should be easy to carry out, give rapid results, and use relatively small samples compatible with current clinical practice.

Analysis of analytes in biological fluids


A semiconductor device includes a p-type well region, n+-type diffusion regions formed in the surface region of the p-type well region, a gate electrode containing silicon and formed above the p-type well region with a gate insulating film disposed therebetween, and NiSi films formed in the surface regions of the n+-type diffusion regions. In the semiconductor device, p-type impurity is doped in the depth direction from the surface of the NiSi film and the impurity profile of p-type impurity is so formed that a peak concentration of not lower than 1E20 cm−3 will be provided in a preset depth position of the NiSi film and the concentration in the interface between the NiSi film and the n+-type diffusion region and the concentration in a position deeper than the interface will not be higher than 5E19 cm−3.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor device having metal silicide films formed on a gate electrode and source and drain regions and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a CMOS semiconductor device, metal silicide films, for example, Ni silicide films are formed in a self-alignment manner on the gate electrode and source and drain regions and the operation speed is enhanced by lowering the wiring resistances thereof. For example, this is disclosed in T. Ohguro et al. "Analysis of Anomalously Large Junction Leakage Current of Nickel Silicided N-type Diffused Layer and Its Improvement", Extended Abstracts of the 1993 International Conference on Solid-State Devices and Materials, 1993, pp. 192–194.
After formation of the Ni silicide films, contact holes which reach the source and drain regions are formed in an inter-level insulating film in order to form contact plugs. In a case where the contact holes are formed, the junction leakage characteristic will be degraded when the Ni silicide films and portions of the source and drain regions which lie under the Ni silicide films are etched by a reactive ion etching (RIE) process.
In order to prevent the junction leakage characteristic from being degraded, a method for forming a contact liner film having a high selective ratio with respect to the inter-level insulating film on the entire surface containing the silicide films before the inter-level insulating film is formed is used. Then, the etching process is performed in two stages, that is, the inter-level insulating film and the contact liner film are separately etched to form contact holes. Generally, a silicon nitride film is used as the contact liner film.
Particularly, in an NMOS transistor region of a CMOS semiconductor device, there occurs a problem that the Ni silicide films formed on the source and drain regions are liable to be etched at the stage of a wet process which is a process performed before formation of the contact liner film. If the Ni silicide film is etched, the sheet resistance of the Ni silicide film increases and junction leakage occurs. Further, the contact liner film formed on the Ni silicide films on the source and drain regions is liable to be separated. If the contact liner film is separated the separated contact liner film causes dust, thereby making it difficult to perform the integration process after this.
Thus, in a conventional CMOS semiconductor device, there occurs a problem that the Ni silicide films formed on the source and drain regions of the NMOS transistor region are liable to be etched. Further, there occurs a problem that the contact liner film formed on the Ni silicide films on the source and drain regions tends to be separated. Conventionally, it is desired to solve the above problems.

Semiconductor device having metal silicide films formed on source and drain regions and method for manufacturing the same


An ion source is described for use with conventional and modified ion implantation equipment to improve safety and increase efficiency when generating radioactive ion beams. The ion source is particularly useful with radioactive species that are volatile at room temperature or react with air molecules to form volatile compounds. One or more components of the ion source, such as a cathode, an anode, an electrostatic electron reflector, a vaporizer, a sputter target, a gas line or a plasma chamber, may be mounted on extensible probes within radiation shielded sealable transfer containers. Other components of the ion source may be fixed in a vacuum chamber, which may have one or more valved openings corresponding to the sealable openings in the transfer containers. The components on the probes may be extended into position inside the vacuum chamber for operation of the ion source, and may be retracted into the sealable transfer containers and transported to an area for servicing or repair.

Ion implanted beams of certain radioactive elements are useful for commercial applications. However, radioactive elements which are not converted to an ion beam may condense inside the vacuum chamber of the ion implanter, particularly in the vicinity of the ion source. Such radioactive deposits may be volatilized as a gas or as a fine airborne dust when the ion source is opened to the air for maintenance, which is a hazardous condition to be avoided.
One useful application of ion beams is to ion implant a radioactive species into surgical components in order to inhibit the regrowth of tissue in a local area. One such component is an intra-arterial stent used subsequent to balloon angioplasty to maintain arterial patency.
Sources of beta radiation ion implanted into the stent wires have been found to inhibit intimal hyperplasia that causes decreased arterial patency. Use of such beta radiation ion implanted stent wires thus reduces the chance of restenosis or reclosure of the artery subsequent to balloon angioplasty or atherectomy The ion implanted atoms cannot be removed accidentally from the component, as might be the case for a coating that peels off, and yet the atoms are positioned near enough to a surface to allow easy exit of the radiation from the component.
An article entitled "Low-Dose, .beta.-Particle Emission from `Stent` Wire Results in Complete, Localized Inhibition of Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation," by Fischell et al. (the Fischell article) reports the benefits that can be achieved by using phosphorous impregnated stent wire. The Fischell article confirms that the ideal radioisotope to use for coating an arterial stent would be a beta emitter with a half-life of between 10 hours and 100 days. A beta emitter is ideal because the radiation does not penetrate very far through human tissue, thereby reducing the risk of damage to nonproliferating tissue.
Several techniques are available for ion implantation to firmly embed nonradioactive atoms into workpieces. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,524 by Dearnaley et al. (the '524 patent) describes a method of coating a workpiece made of titanium or an alloy of titanium with a layer of metal, such as tin or aluminum. The metal layer is then bombarded with ions of a species such as nitrogen, carbon, boron or neon, thereby causing the metal to migrate into the titanium. The '524 patent discloses that the modified surface has an improved wear resistance and a reduced coefficient of friction.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,270 to Weisenberger (the '270 patent) describes an ion implantation system for manufacturing semiconductors. In the ion implantation system of the '270 patent, semiconductor wafers are presented horizontally to an ion beam that impacts the wafers from above. The semiconductor wafers are loaded and unloaded using a wafer transfer station that includes a robot, an evacuatable transporter, and a transfer port that can be sealed with a port on the ion implantation enclosure. The '270 patent indicates that the semiconductor wafers can be doped with boron, phosphorus or arsenic dopant ions. The apparent purpose of the wafer transfer station is to reduce the opportunity for surface particle contamination of the wafers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,922 by Bunker et al. (the '922 patent) describes a method and an apparatus for ion implantation of spherical surfaces using a fixture mounted for motion about two axes normal to each other and a specially adapted work station of an ion beam implanter. The '922 patent discloses using a broad electrostatically scanned ion beam of Ti and C or Ta, which are nonradioactive. The '922 patent indicates that it is important to clean the fixture as well as the spherical workpieces of all surface contamination before operating the ion implanter. The '922 patent suggests that the fixture be cleaned using mechanical abrasion with swabs.
Conventional ion implantation equipment is not designed for use with radioactive materials. The equipment is not adequately radiation shielded, and the need for frequent maintenance of the ion source would be a major safety problem. The ion source of a conventional ion implantation system contains the radioactive feedstock as well as most of the radioactive waste that is not converted to ions.
Useful radioactive species such as phosphorous-32 (.sup.32 P) are particularly hazardous because the ion source only ionizes and accelerates about 1% of the phosphorus vapor produced. The remaining phosphorus vapor is generally condensed on cold surfaces near the ion source as white phosphorus, a solid form of elemental phosphorus which has a significant vapor pressure at room temperature and is well-known to be strongly reactive with oxygen. White phosphorus is a known airborne health hazard even when it is not radioactive. The maximum allowable concentration in air is 0.1 mg/m.sup.3. The oxides produced by the spontaneous burning of white phosphorus are also highly toxic chemically.
An ion source intended to produce a radioactive .sup.32 P ion beam will concurrently discharge into the vacuum system significant quantities of unused white phosphorus in a mixture of non-radioactive .sup.31 P and radioactive .sup.32 P. When the ion source requires regular servicing, for example to add fresh radioactive feedstock or to replace a consumable component such as a tungsten cathode, the phosphorus coated walls can release radioactive gas into the environment, creating a major safety hazard.
An ion source that has been creating phosphorus vapor also emits a pungent odor when opened to air. In addition, if a vacuum system is raised to atmospheric pressure or pumped to vacuum from atmosphere, even if an inert gas is employed, a significant wind exists until the vacuum system reaches pressure equilibrium. Such a wind disperses radioactive particles throughout the system and coats radioactive dust on surfaces that would not normally be contaminated. Therefore, use of radioactive species such as .sup.32 P in an ion implanter is a difficult safety problem due to airborne radioactive vapors and particles.
There are fewer conventional techniques for ion implantation using radioactive ions than there are for nonradioactive ions. One example of a technique for ion implantation of a radioactive ion beam is U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,802 by Terasawa et al. (the '802 patent), which is directed to a method and device for ionizing radioactive gas such as Kr-85, accelerating the ionized radioactive gas into a high energy form, then implanting the high energy radioactive gas in a base material such as a band-shaped stainless steel foil. The radioactive ion implantation technique described in the '802 patent is designed for use in waste disposal of radioactive gases from nuclear reactors.
The ion implantation system of the '802 patent to Terasawa et al. for Krypton-85 is simple in its maintenance requirements for the ion source because unused radioactive feedstock gas can be almost completely removed from the ion implanter by the pumping/recovery system since it is an inert, non-condensible gas. Thus, the ion source retains essentially no radioactivity and any radioactivity that is present is not likely to be airborne during maintenance. However, the ion implantation system of the '802 patent is not optimal for a source that is not a gas at room temperature, such as phosphorous. Waste feedstock materials of phosphorus, for example, could condense as a solid phosphorus coating inside the ion implanter, making it more difficult to repair and maintain the ion source. Such radioactive phosphorus residue is an unsealed radioactive source, and phosphorus can readily become airborne as a gas or dust.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,166 by Fischell et al. (the '166 patent) describes a technique for causing a helical spring stent to be radioactive prior to insertion into the artery. The '166 patent discusses various techniques for causing the stent to be radioactive, including using radioisotopes in the manufacture of the stent and/or plating the stent with a radioisotope coating. Although the '166 patent generally describes a process for making the stent radioactive, it may be assumed that using radioisotopes and/or applying a radioactive coating would require handling of radioactive material in a manner which may be unacceptable for mass production purposes.
An alternative approach for creating a radioactive stent involves using a cyclotron to bombard stainless steel stents with a proton beam to produce radioactive isotopes within the stent. However, these isotopes have high-energy gamma emissions and long half-lives that make this technique impractical for humans. Gamma emissions increase the whole-body dose of radiation while having relatively little therapeutic effect on local tissue compared to the effect of beta emissions. In addition, it has been found that long half-life materials are less appropriate since optimum radioactivity-mediated inhibition is more likely to be achieved by a continuous exposure for the first few weeks following the insertion of the stent. Accordingly, a half-life of a few weeks (i.e., one to seven weeks) is deemed ideal for this purpose.
Another technique for manufacturing radioactive stents involves first implanting massive doses of .sup.31 P in titanium stents. The .sup.31 p is subsequently activated by a nuclear reactor to produce .sup.32 P. However, this technique requires up to thirty atomic percent .sup.31 P under the surface of the titanium stent, which alters the chemical composition of the alloy with unpredictable effects on the mechanical and biocompatibility properties of the stent. In addition, the titanium metal stent may have impurities which, when bombarded in a nuclear reactor, create isotopes that emit substantial gamma rays and have long half-lives similar to the isotopes in the stainless-steel stents that are bombarded in a nuclear reactor.
An article entitled "Production and Quality Assessment of Beta Emitting P-32 Stents for Applications in Coronary Angioplasty", by Janicki et al. (the Janicki article) discusses using ion beam implantation to implant radioactive .sup.32 P isotopes into a titanium stent. Although the ion beam implantation technique itself appears to result in a radioactive stent having acceptable characteristics, the Janicki article discloses performing the ion beam implantation using radioactive cathodes that are prepared using radioactive salts that are first dissolved into liquids and then dried onto the cathode. Handling the thus-formed radioactive liquids may be unacceptable for mass production. In addition, the resulting radioactive salts that are dried onto the cathode may fall off and contaminate workers in a mass production setting.

Ion source for generation of radioactive ion beams


A retaining ring assembly for a reverse osmosis filter cartridge includes a removable retaining ring inserted into the cartridge housing after insertion of the cartridge, the retaining ring including a demountable locking connection with the housing. When the housing is subsequently removed to replace the cartridge, the retaining ring forces the cartridge from its tightly sealed connection to the end cap or header, allowing the cartridge to be easily removed with the housing. Preferably, the housing includes a special brine ring adapted to cooperate with a conventional cartridge brine seal, the brine ring providing connection for the retaining ring and defining with the housing a brine flow passage.

The present invention pertains to replaceable cartridge type filters and, more particularly, to such a filter utilizing a reverse osmosis cartridge with an assembly for retaining the cartridge in the housing when it is removed for replacement.
Replaceable cartridge filters have been in used in water treatment systems for many years. A typical filter unit of this type utilizes an elongate, generally cylindrical housing or sump which is open at one end for the receipt of a replaceable filter cartridge, and the cartridge and the housing are demountably attachable to an enclosing end cap. The end cap may be a unitary cover or part of a header system for control of fluid flow into and out of the cartridge. The filter cartridge may include any of several well known kinds of filter media, and multiple housings and associated filter cartridges may be attached to a common header system for the serial removal of a wide variety of both suspended and dissolved contaminants from a liquid stream. The media used in filter cartridges varies widely, depending upon the contaminant to be removed, and such media include granular particulate materials, coarse sintered blocks, paper and plastic filters, and semi-permeable membranes.
One type of semi-permeable membrane or reverse osmosis (RO) filter cartridge utilizes a membrane which is spirally wrapped around a porous center tube and enclosed in an impervious cylindrical outer wrap. The opposite ends of the cartridge are open, with one of the ends receiving untreated incoming water under pressure and in which most dissolved solids are separated as the water passes through the semipermeable membrane and flows radially toward the porous center tube. The treated water (or membrane permeate) passes along the center tube to an outlet end. The untreated water containing the concentrated dissolved solids (known as the concentrate and commonly referred to as brine) passes out of the opposite end of the membrane cartridge. Such a cartridge typically includes a brine seal which is interposed between the outer cartridge wrap and the inside wall of the cartridge housing to prevent untreated water from bypassing the cartridge and mixing directly with the brine. However, in certain RO cartridge assemblies, such as an assembly in which the brine seal is located at one end of the element and the outlet for the brine flow is located at the opposite end of the element and housing, a volume of stagnant water is created between the OD of the element and the ID of the housing. This pool of stagnant water is not flushed by continuous flow through the element and therefore provides an area for the propagation of bacteria which, in turn, may lead to fouling by migration to active areas of the RO membrane surface. Depending on how a system is designed, the potential problem of pools of stagnant water, either on the untreated water side or the brine water side of the RO element, is a problem in all residential RO systems which utilize a brine seal.
The product water outlet in the typical RO cartridge comprises a cylindrical neck, which is typically an extension of the center product water tube, and is received in a cylindrical sleeve which forms part of the housing end cap and contains a product water discharge port. The interface between cartridge neck and the sleeve on the cap must be tightly sealed and one typical seal arrangement comprises a pair of axially spaced O-rings which are seated in annular grooves in the cartridge neck and which engage the inside wall of the sleeve in the cap. RO filter cartridges of the foregoing general type are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,645,601, 5,002,664, 5,082,557 and 5,266,195.
A typical application for a reverse osmosis membrane filter cartridge of the foregoing general types is in purifying tap water for drinking. As indicated, such a filter cartridge is commonly utilized in a series arrangement with other replaceable cartridge filters which remove from the untreated water other suspended and dissolved solids which cannot be removed by membrane separation. Such water treatment units are commonly mounted beneath a sink on which the tap is located or in another confined and typically somewhat restricted space. A number of problems relating to the replacement of filter cartridges generally and RO filter cartridges particularly have arisen with the use of these systems.
In multi-cartridge systems which typically include three units, manufacturer's like to utilize identical filter housings for simplicity in manufacturing and inventory, as well as to maintain a uniform product appearance. However, certain filter cartridges and often RO membrane cartridges, do not fit well in housings designed for other types of filter cartridges used in these multi-cartridge systems. As a result, special adapters, special covers, or special non-standard housings may have to be used. A specialized and relatively complex housing end cap is shown, for example, in the above identified U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,557. A specialized, non-standard housing is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,195.
Because RO filter cartridges must handle and provide an interface for three liquid flows, namely, untreated water, treated water, and brine, some means for accommodating the additional liquid flow, not present in other kinds of filter cartridges, must be utilized. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,664, the brine flow is accommodated by a special connection through the bottom of the RO cartridge housing. This complicates the construction of the unit, as well as the ease of filter replacement.
Another problem unique to filter cartridges having a neck on one end for the treated water outlet, which includes an O-ring seal arrangement engaging the cylindrical ID of a sleeve in the end cap, is that the tight seal which results causes the filter cartridge to hang up in the end cap when the housing is unscrewed from the end cap for removal and filter cartridge replacement. The filter housing must be slid downwardly along the entire length of the filter cartridge before the cartridge can be independently removed from its sealed attachment to the end cap or header. When operating in a confined space, such as under a kitchen sink, this lack of head space may present a serious obstacle to ease of replacement. This problem is addressed and solved in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,601 by providing an integral cartridge and housing which are removed together. Such an arrangement, though convenient, is extremely uneconomical because the housing must be replaced each time the filter cartridge is replaced.


A process for forming a sleeve on a container including the steps of: providing a container having a shrink sleeve conformed to the container, the shrink sleeve having a predetermined removeable portion; providing a striker moving tangentially relative to the predetermined removeable portion; and removing the predetermined removeable portion by contacting the striker to the predetermined removeable portion.

Shrink sleeve labels are widely used for decorating containers. Shrink sleeve labels provide several advantages over other labeling and decoration techniques including the ability to decorate the entire peripheral wall of irregularly shaped packages, the ability to generate a variety of visually distinct packages using a single container shape, and the ability make rapid changes to artwork for packages.
For some packages, designers desire to have an opening in the shrink sleeve to provide a window through which the underlying container and or contents of the container are visible or to provide a location to grip the package. Openings can be provided in shrink sleeves by including a pre-cut hole in the shrink sleeve prior to the shrink sleeve being placed over the container and subsequently shrunk. A problem with this approach is that there are technical difficulties with precisely registering the shrink sleeve with the container so that the pre-cut hole, when shrunk, is located as desired, particularly for high speed packaging lines. Further, as the shrink sleeve is shrunk, the hole can tend to become uncontrollably irregularly shaped as tension develops in the shrink sleeve. For containers having a grip, such as an indention, pair of indentions, or through handle, a pre-cut hole in a shrink sleeve that is poorly registered with such feature can result in a grip that has decreased functionality. The decrease in functionality can arise as a result of portions of the shrink sleeve adjacent the cut-out covering portions of the container that the package designer desires the consumer to be able to contact directly. Such an arrangement can result in the consumer having to form part of her grip on the package over an unexpectedly slick shrink sleeve, which can cause the package to slip from her grasp in use. The decrease in functionality can also arise as a result of an edge of the pre-cut hole ending up in a location at which the shrink sleeve is not able to maintain contact with the container after the shrink sleeve is shrunk. Such an arrangement can impede the consumer's ability to securely grasp the grip.
A hole can be created in a shrink sleeve after the shrink sleeve is shrunk onto the container. For a container having a grip, a hole can be punched in the shrink sleeve. Punching a hole in a shrink sleeve after the shrink sleeve has been shrunk onto the container can result in irregular holes being formed. That is, the resulting holes can have an irregular and uncontrolled shape in and of the hole itself and there can be irregularity amongst holes created across multiple packages formed on a single manufacturing line.
With these limitations in mind, there is a continuing unaddressed need for a process and apparatus for forming holes in shrink sleeve labels.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Process for forming a sleeve on a container


An electronic apparatus has two housings. One of the housings serves as a first housing and has a guide channel that vertically guides a vertically extending cable. The first housing also has a wing that covers a side of the guide channel except a vertically extending slit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus such as a notebook personal computer, which has two housings connected to each other via a hinge section and openable and closable with respect to each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
As performance of notebook personal computers has been increased in recent years, the number of cables arranged in a device has been also increased. In addition, the trend to reduce the size and weight of such computers has made space available for arranging cables in a housing extremely small because the housing is densely packed with components.
A notebook personal computer is typically composed of a main unit having a keyboard thereon and a display unit having a display screen thereon. The notebook personal computer is configured such that the main unit and the display unit are connected to each other via a hinge section so that they can be opened and closed with respect to each other. Generally, the notebook personal computer thus configured employs a wiring route running inside the hinge section to arrange a cable extending over the main unit and the display unit. A wiring route running outside the hinge section is not usually employed because the use of such an outside route makes it extremely difficult to assemble the device including wiring.
However, when a housing is densely packed with multiple components, the use of such an outside route may not be avoided depending on layout of circuit components. In such a situation, there arises a problem of how to employ a wiring route running outside the hinge section without reducing assembly performance.
Japanese Patent Application Publications No. 6-181393, No. 9-55592, No. 9-146668 and No. 2002-112430 propose various ideas related to wiring. However, these publications never mention contrivance in a case where a wiring route running outside a hinge section is adopted.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides an electronic apparatus having two housings connected to each other via a hinge section and openable and closable with respect to each other, which allows a cable to be laid along a wiring route running outside the hinge section.


An AlGaInP layer is formed on a substrate made of GaAs, and an AlGaAs layer is formed on the AlGaInP layer via a buffer layer therebetween. The buffer layer has a thickness of about 1.1 nm and is made of AlGaInP whose Ga content is smaller than that of the AlGaInP layer. The buffer layer may alternatively be made of AlGaAs whose Al content is smaller than that of the AlGaAs layer.

A group III-V compound semiconductor is widely used as a material of various semiconductor elements such as a light emitting element, e.g., a semiconductor laser diode (LD) and a light emitting diode (LED), and a logic circuit element, e.g., a field effect transistor (FET) and a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT). In these devices, a plurality of semiconductor layers having different mixed crystal compositions are layered together to realize intended optical and electrical characteristics.
A semiconductor device made of such a group III-V compound semiconductor requires a thickness control on the nanometer order and an interface steepness, and is thus typically manufactured by using a metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) method or a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method.
Particularly, AlxGayIn1-x-yP (where 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦x+y≦1) and AlzGa1-zAs (where 0≦z≦1), which have band gaps corresponding to the visible region and the infrared region, respectively, are important semiconductor materials of light emitting elements. Furthermore, the band gaps can be varied over a wide range by varying the respective Al contents, and the electrical and optical characteristics of a semiconductor device using these materials can be variously adjusted by combining an AlGaInP layer and an AlGaAs layer. In this way, it is possible to realize a high-performance semiconductor device having a new function. Thus, the development of a group III-V compound semiconductor including an AlGaInP layer in combination with an AlGaAs layer is very important.
In view of this, the present inventor produced a group III-V compound semiconductor as illustrated in FIG. 25 by using an MOVPE method. As illustrated in FIG. 25, the group III-V compound semiconductor produced by the present inventor includes an AlGaInP layer 202 made of Al0.35Ga0.15In0.5P having a thickness of about 0.2 μm and an AlGaAs layer 203 made of Al0.6Ga0.4As having a thickness of about 0.3 μm, which are deposited in this order on a substrate 201 made of GaAs.
However, the group III-V compound semiconductor is observed, with human eyes, to be cloudy across the entire surface thereof, indicating occurrence of crystal defects. Further microscopic observation reveals that there are a large number of crystal defects having a diameter of about 1 μm with a density of 1.4×105/cm2. This is three to four orders of magnitude greater than the value obtained when only one layer of the AlGaInP layer 202 or the AlGaAs layer 203 is formed on the substrate 201 made of GaAs. This suggests that the occurrence of the crystal defects is due to the interface between the AlGaInP layer 202 and the AlGaAs layer 203.
Moreover, when the AlGaAs layer 203 is formed on the substrate 201, and the AlGaInP layer 202 is formed on the AlGaAs layer 203, such crystal defects are hardly observed. This suggests that the crystal defects are characteristic of a structure where the AlGaAs layer 203 is formed on the AlGaInP layer 202.
The crystal defects occur due to the fact that among interactions between an element of the AlGaInP layer 202 and an element of the AlGaAs layer 203, the interaction between the GaP component and the AlAs component is stronger than interactions between other elements or between atoms.
Specifically, in the step of growing the AlGaAs layer 203 on the AlGaInP layer 202 after the AlGaInP layer 202 is formed on the substrate 201, sufficient migration of the AlAs component in the AlGaAs layer 203 being grown is inhibited by the interaction between the AlAs component with the GaP component of the AlGaInP layer 202, thereby disturbing the atomic arrangement at the interface between the AlGaInP layer 202 and the AlGaAs layer 203.
As described above, when a group III-V compound semiconductor is produced in which an AlGaAs layer is deposited on an AlGaInP layer, a large number of crystal defects occur. Therefore, it is difficult to realize a group III-V compound semiconductor, or a group III-V compound semiconductor device using the same, in which an AlGaAs layer is deposited on an AlGaInP layer.

Group III-V compound semiconductor and group III-V compound semiconductor device using the same

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The invention concerns an installation for cryogenic cooling comprising: a main reservoir (1) for a two-phase cryogenic fluid wherein is immersed a superconductor device (4) to be cooled; an auxiliary reservoir (9); and a hydrostatic duct between the bases of the main and auxiliary reservoirs; the auxiliary reservoir being arranged relative to the main reservoir and being dimensioned so as to be able to receive at least a large part of the cryogenic fluid present in liquid form (2) in the main reservoir; restricting means (11) being incorporated in an output manifold (7a) connected to the main reservoir; thus, when the superconductor gets rapidly heated, cryogenic liquid from the main reservoir is delivered, by the vaporized cryogenic fluid pressure, into the auxiliary reservoir wherefrom it flows again by gravity towards the main reservoir when the pressure of the vaporized fluid decreases.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of installations for cryogenically cooling superconducting devices, and more particularly to improvements made to such installations comprising:                a tank for a two-phase cryogenic fluid in which a superconducting device to be cooled is immersed;        a cryogenic fluid supply line functionally associated with the tank in order to supply it with cryogenic fluid;        a valve for controlling the supply of cryogenic fluid, which is placed in said supply line; and        an outlet manifold connected to said tank.
2. Description of Background Art
A conventional arrangement of an installation according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 of the appended drawing. A tank 1 contains a two-phase cryogenic fluid, the liquid phase 2 of which lies beneath a vapor phase 3. A superconducting device 4 is immersed in the liquid phase 2. A cryogenic fluid supply line 5 is connected to the tank 1 and a control valve 6, incorporated in the supply line 5, allows the supply of cryogenic fluid into the tank 1 to be controlled. An outlet manifold 7 is provided for discharging the cryogenic fluid vaporized by the thermal loads of the system. Finally, the tank 1 is provided with a level gauge 8, for example functionally associated with the control valve 6, in order to detect the level to which the tank 1 is filled with cryogenic fluid in the liquid phase and for controlling the control valve 6.
The heat loads of the system are absorbed by partial vaporization of the cryogenic liquid, by playing on the latent heat of vaporization of the latter. The vaporized cryogenic fluid is discharged via the outlet manifold 7, whereas cryogenic fluid in the liquid state is supplied according to the requirements under the control of the level gauge 8 and the control valve 6, so that the superconducting device 2 always remains immersed.
However, in the presence of a resistive transition of the device or of any other thermal disturbance resulting in a large and rapid increase in the thermal load, the cryogenic fluid in the liquid state, in contact with which the device must be maintained, rapidly and completely disappears owing to its vaporization, due to the increase in thermal load, and owing to its turbulent entrainment at high flow rate in the outlet manifold. The resumption of cooling of the device and the recovery of its superconductivity state require that cryogenic fluid in the liquid state be again supplied to the tank. This new supply of liquid cryogenic fluid not only requires time, but above all requires an influx of fluid, which proves to be expensive.

Installation for cryogenic cooling for superconductor device

Organisation Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire


A sieve for a combine harvester cleaning device comprises a frame in which a plurality of similar transversely extending plates are mounted for angular adjustment about respective transverse axes defined by axles that are equally spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction. The plates are angled upward and rearward, with adjacent ones of the plates having forward sections of one overlapping rearward sections of the other. The axles include cranks that define adjusting elements which are received for interacting with slots provided in a longitudinally extending adjusting rod that can be adjusted in its position in the longitudinal direction of the sieve, relative to the frame, so as to be able to adjust the angles of the plates around their axles. The slots are shaped and arranged on the adjusting rod in such a way that at least one plate has an angle different from another plate.

Combine harvesters are used in agriculture for harvesting crops which are gathered from the field, threshed-out, and separated. The crops obtained by threshing and separating are subsequently freed from undesired crop residues in a cleaning. The cleaning comprises a blower, which acts on back and forth-moving sieves with an air flow, wherein lighter particles, such as chaff, are carried forth by the air flow and the grain falls through the sieves and is taken to a grain tank. As a rule, an upper sieve is placed above a lower sieve.
The usually used, so-called plate sieves are composed, for examine, like a sieve 8 shown in FIG. 1 and representing the state of the art (see, for example, EP 1 068 793 A1). The sieve 8 includes a rectangular frame 10 with plates 12, articulated, in a swiveling manner, around their longitudinal axles. The plates 12 are connected, in a fixed manner, with crankshafts 14, which engage in a slot 16 in an adjusting rod 18, which can move in a longitudinal direction of the sieve 8 with a manual or externally operated drive, so as to adjust the angle of the plates 12 and thus the opening size of the sieve 8—that is, the distance between the lower side of the back part of a plate 12 and the upper side of the back part of the downstream plate 12 and, if possible, to be able to adapt optimally to the individual harvesting conditions, such as grain size, lateral slope, and throughput. The plates 12 are cut in an undulating manner on their back ends and are also curved in an undulating manner in the transverse direction of the sieve 8. As can be seen in FIG. 2, which shows a side view of a conventional adjusting rod 18, and in FIG. 3, which shows a longitudinal section through a conventional sieve 8, the plates 12 of a sieve 8 have been arranged at an equal distance up to now, as is the case with the slot 16 in the adjusting rod 18. However, since identical plates 12 were used over the entire rod 8, the opening sizes d of the sieve 8 are constant over the length of the sieve.
During operation, the upper sieves are loaded on their front end or in its immediate vicinity with a mixture of grain and undesired crop residues, which reach the sieve via a falling stage which is impinged on with an air flow directed toward the back, whereas the lower sieves are loaded from the upper sieve and, accordingly, also contain more grain in the front area and more impurities in the back area. With both sieves, the air flow leads to a separation between the grain and impurities, so that most of the grain reaches the sieve further in front than the lighter impurities, carried back by the air flow. In this way, separation curves are typically produced in accordance with FIG. 4, in which the solid curve (a) shows the separation of grain and the broken curve (b), the separation of impurities over the length of the sieve 8. One can see that most of the grain is separated in the front half of the sieve, whereas the amount of the separated grain toward the back decreases successively, which is caused by the different striking points of the grain and the impurities on the sieve after the air flow has passed. In the back area of the sieve, the separation of the grain from the impurities is more difficult than in the front area, since whereas in the falling stage and in the front sieve area, a separation takes place according to pneumatic coefficients of the components, there is a greater importance in the back area of the separation according to geometric parameters, so that the adjustment is more sensitive there and the sieve opening has to be adjusted there in a relatively precise manner and must be brought to a rather narrow magnitude, adapted to the grain size, so as to attain an optimal result of the cleaning. Since the sieve opening is adjusted constant and relatively small over the length of the sieve, there is no sufficient separation of the grain then in the front area of the sieve. A greater fraction of the grain accordingly moves back via the sieve and is not sieved out, but rather arrives as lost grain on the field or in the returns conveyor.
In order to avoid the accumulation of excess material quantities in the front area of the sieve, U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,731 B2 proposes the provision of some plates with sections that are wider in the lateral direction and deeper in the longitudinal direction than the other plates in the front area of an upper sieve. All plates of the sieve, however, are at equal intervals from one another and have the same angular positions. In this way, the sieve openings with the aforementioned plates are somewhat larger and a greater air flow penetrates there, from the bottom, through the sieve, so that the separation of grains will be improved, on the one hand, on the aforementioned plates and the impurities will be blown away to a greater extent, on the other hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,967 B2 describes a sieve in which affixing sections of the plates can be introduced into one of several slots of the sieve frame, so as to produce various angles of the plates and to adapt the sieve to various types of crops. By the selection of various slots, it is also possible to set up various angles for different sections of the sieve.
EP 1 49 351 A1 proposes that the upper sieve and the lower sieve be composed of front and back sections, whose opening size can be changed by means of a common drive. The drive can be uncoupled from the back section, so that only the front section is adjusted and the back section remains in the individual position. This solution refers, above all, to the back part of the upper sieve. This is often further adjusted so as to be able to separate ears which have not yet been threshed to the returns and send them back to the threshing process.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 7,566,268 B1 provides plates with only a few fingers, in the middle of the sieve, which are curved in the shape of an arc, are longer and are at a greater distance from one another in the longitudinal and transverse direction than the fingers of the other plates and are meant to be used to bring the corncobs into a longitudinal orientation, in which they penetrate the sieve openings and can remain in them thus forming obstacles for stems and husks moving over the sieve.
The sieves according to U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,896,731 B2 and 7,566,266 B1 have the disadvantage that different types of plates are needed for a single sieve, which complicates the maintaining of a supply inventory and the ordering of spare parts. In the arrangement according to EP 1 849 351 A1, the adjustment of the part of the sieve that is uncoupled from the drive proves to be cumbersome and in the embodiment according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,967 B2, relatively large gaps arise between adjacent plates, through which the undesired high quantities of impurities can penetrate, if the front plate is to be set flatter than the plates which follow toward the back.

Sieve for a combine harvester cleaning device


A capsule for suppressing appetite, comprising:    a) a shell which dissolves in the stomach; and    b) a plurality of elements inside the shell, which elements expand inside the stomach, after the shell dissolves, to form a connected mass with an envelope volume greater than the total volume of the elements, and at least 3 times the volume of the capsule.

Obesity is becoming increasingly widespread in the developed world, and the medical dangers of obesity are well known. Non-invasive treatment, by diet and exercise, is difficult for many patients to maintain. Surgical treatments include surgically reducing the usable volume of the stomach. Such surgery is effective but expensive, and, like any major surgery, has risks, especially for patients whose obesity has caused other health problems. Less extreme methods include wiring the jaws closed, and planting an expandable balloon in the stomach, either surgically or endoscopically. But these procedures can be uncomfortable, and also carry risks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,415, to Battista, describes pills containing a swelling material, such as a compressed mass of cellulose fibers, which are swallowed and swell in the stomach, suppressing appetite. U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,278, to Park et al, describes superabsorbent material which is encapsulated in gelatin, and swallowed, swelling in the stomach once the gelatin dissolves.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,548,083, to Wong et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,962, to Berner et al, describe material which is swallowed and swells in the stomach, not for suppressing appetite, but in order to release drugs into the stomach gradually, over a period as long as 24 hours.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,206, to Lloyd, describes small magnetic cubes or tetrahedrons which are swallowed, a few at a time, in capsules. After the capsules dissolve in the stomach, the magnets self-assemble into a space-filling mass, which suppresses appetite.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,315, to Tarabishi, describes a balloon, folded in accordion fashion, and swallowed in a capsule. The balloon contains sodium bicarbonate, and once the capsule dissolves in the stomach, the balloon absorbs hydrochloric acid which reacts with the sodium bicarbonate, producing carbon dioxide which expands the balloon, suppressing appetite.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,618, to Angelchik, describes a hollow, semi-rigid device, which is collapsed and inserted into the stomach through an endoscopic feeding tube. In the stomach, the device spontaneously recovers its original shape, expanding, and suppresses appetite. Similar devices, in some cases inserted into the stomach directly through the esophagus, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,141, to Ellias, U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,383, U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,300, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,869.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,740,121 describes a stent, made of a bio-absorbable material, which is placed in the duodenum, limiting the uptake of food passing through it, until it degrades and passes from the body.
All of the devices described above have the potential disadvantage that they remain in the stomach for a long time, much longer than food normally remains in the stomach, and they can block the pylorus, or, if partially broken up, could potentially block the intestines. In some of these devices, there is also the potential danger that they could expand (or swell, for amorphous materials) prematurely in the esophagus, if the capsules dissolve before they reach the stomach for some reason.
As described in http://www.medid.com/bips_features.html, Medical ID Products produces x-ray opaque Barium Impregnated Polyethylene Spheres (BIPS) to help diagnose blockages and motility problems in the stomachs and intestines of cats and dogs. The spheres are packed in gelatin capsules which are swallowed whole and dissolve in the animal's stomach, or the loose spheres are mixed in with food which is fed to the animal.
All of the above patents and publications are incorporated herein by reference.


A process for preparing a semiconductor light-emitting device for mounting is disclosed. The light-emitting device has a mounting face for mounting to a sub-mount. The process involves treating at least one surface of the light-emitting device other than the mounting face to lower a surface energy of the at least one surface, such that when mounting the light-emitting device, an underfill material applied between the mounting face and the sub-mount is inhibited from contaminating the at least one surface.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor light-emitting devices, and more specifically to processing a semiconductor light-emitting device for mounting.
2. Description of Related Art
Semiconductor light-emitting devices such as light-emitting devices (LED's) provide efficient sources of light and are more robust than incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent tubes. Advancements in LED technology and processing have facilitated the use of such devices as replacements for traditional lighting sources in commercial and residential lighting applications, for example.
LED's may be encapsulated using various materials that may enhance the light output and/or protect the device. Such materials may improve electrical isolation between contacts, heat transfer to a sub-mount, mechanical mounting reliability, and/or improved coupling of light from the device.
There remains a need for improved processes for encapsulating light-emitting devices.

Process for preparing a semiconductor light-emitting device for mounting


Disclosed is a multi-beam laser scanning device which scans a surface to be scanned with a plurality of laser beams in accordance with an image data. Each image data includes driving pulses which periodically occur in each image data, and are representative of intensity of laser beams. Phase of the image signals are shifter with each other so that the driving pulses do not overlap within a period of the driving pulses.

The present invention relates to a multi-beam scanning device which simultaneously emits a plurality of scanning beams for scanning a surface to be scanned.
Conventionally, a laser beam printer which utilizes a scanning laser beam has been known as an outputting device for a computer and the like. The laser beam printer emits a laser beam to form a spot of light on a surface to be scanned (i.e., a photoconductive surface). The laser beam is ON/OFF modulated in accordance with an image data as the laser beam scans the scanned surface.
Recently, a gradation image has been desired by a user, and a laser beam printer which is capable of controlling a laser diode to emit various levels of intensity of the laser beam has become available.
In such a type of the printer, the intensity of the laser beam is controlled in accordance with the tone density of each pixel. In order to form an image having a desired gradation, controlling of the intensity of the emitted laser beam is important. That is, the laser diode should be driven quickly and accurately in accordance with the image data which carries the gradation information for each pixel. In order to control the intensity of the laser beam, an APC (Automatic Power Control) system has been employed. The APC system is a system in which the intensity of the emitted laser beam is detected with use of a photo sensor and the detection result is fed back to a driver of the laser diode so that the intensity of the output laser diode is adjusted quickly. An example of such a control is disclosed in a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/680,649, teaching of which is incorporated herein by reference.
On the other hand, recently, in order to increase an imaging speed and/or resolution of the formed image, a printer which emits more than one laser beam at the same time to form a plurality of scanning line images has been developed. In such a printer, a plurality of laser diodes are provided and driven to emit a plurality of laser beams. In such a printer using a plurality of laser beams, it is possible to form a gradation image by controlling intensity of laser beams emitted by the respective laser diodes.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a conventional laser scanning unit which is capable of forming a gradation image with use of two laser diodes driven simultaneously.
The conventional laser scanning unit 200 has two laser diodes 2 and 4. The laser beam emitted by the laser diode 2 is converted into a parallel beam by a collimator lens 8A, and then split by a beam splitter 12A into two beams L1 and L2. The beam L1 is used for scanning, and the beam L2 is used for the APC operation.
The beam L1 split by the beam splitter 12A is converged in a direction perpendicular to a plane of FIG. 1 (which direction is referred to as an auxiliary scanning direction hereafter) by a cylindrical lens 14, and directed to a polygonal mirror 16.
The polygonal mirror 16 is rotated in a direction indicated by arrow A under a control of a polygonal mirror motor control circuit 22. The polygonal mirror 16 has a plurality of reflection surfaces. As the polygonal mirror 16 rotates, the incident angle of the laser beam with respect to a reflecting surface of the polygonal mirror 16 varies and accordingly the reflected beam scans on the photoconductive surface of the photoconductive drum in a main scanning direction which is indicated by arrow B.
The beam L1 is reflected by a reflection surface of the polygonal mirror 16, passed through an f.theta. lens, and scans on a surface of a photoconductive drum DRM of a printer in a direction indicated by an arrow B (i.e., the main scanning direction). If the photoconductive surface of the drum DRM is uniformly charged, and the intensity of the scanning laser beam L1 is modulated in accordance with an image data, an electrostatic line image is formed as the main scanning is performed.
The laser beam emitted by the laser diode 4 is made into a parallel beam by a collimator lens 8B, split into a beam L3 for scanning, and a beam L4 for the APC operation. The beam L3 is, similarly to the beam L1, converged by the lens 14 in the auxiliary scanning direction, deflected by the polygonal mirror 16, and scans on the photoconductive surface of the photoconductive drum DRM through the f.theta. lens 18. The incident positions of the beams L1 and L3 on the photoconductive drum DRM are slightly apart in the auxiliary scanning direction. Accordingly, at each scanning operation, the laser beams L1 and L3 scan on the surface of the photoconductive drum DRM in the main scanning direction B. Therefore, two adjacent parallel line images respectively extending in the main scanning direction are formed.
The photoconductive drum DRM is made rotatable about an axis X which extends substantially parallel to the main scanning direction B. By rotating the photoconductive drum DRM while the main scanning operation is repeatedly performed, a two dimensional image is formed on the photoconductive surface of the photoconductive drum DRM. In the description hereafter, a scanning line on the downstream side with respect to the rotating direction of the photoconductive drum is referred to as an upper scanning line, and the scanning line on the upstream side with respect to the rotating direction of the photoconductive drum is referred to as a lower scanning line.
A mirror 26 is provided to reflect the laser beams L1 and L3 directed to a position where the laser beams L1 and L3 do not contribute to form a latent image on the photoconductive surface of the photoconductive drum DRM. The laser beams L1 and L3 are reflected by the mirror 26 and directed towards a light receiving portion of a write position detecting circuit 24. The write position detecting circuit 24 generates a pulse signal as the laser beams L1 and L3 are incident to the light receiving portion thereof, and outputs the generated pulse as a horizontal synchronizing signal HS. The horizontal synchronizing signal HS is used for reading an image data from an image memory and for modulating the laser beams L1 and L3 to form an latent image on the photoconductive surface of the photoconductive drum DRM.
The latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductive drum DRM is developed by applying toner to form a toner image, and then the toner image is transferred and fixed onto a recording sheet (not shown).
The laser beam L2 split by the beam splitter 12A is converged by a lens 54A, passed through an aperture 58A, and is incident to a photo diode 50A. Similarly, the laser beam L4 is converged by a lens 54B, passed through an aperture 58B, and is incident to a photo diode 50B.
The photo diodes 50A and 50B generate electrical current corresponding to the intensity of received light, i.e., the photo diode 50A generates current corresponding to the intensity of the laser beam L2, and the photo diode 50B generates current corresponding to the intensity of the laser beam L4.
The electrical current generated by the photo diode 50A is converted into a voltage value by an I-V converter 46A, and the electrical current generated by the photo diode 50B is converted into a voltage value by an I-V converter 46B.
The output voltages of the I-V converters 46A and 46B are applied to inverting input terminals of differential amplifiers 28 and 30, respectively.
To the non-inverting input terminals of the differential amplifiers 28 and 30, image signals S1 and S2 are applied. Each of the differential amplifiers 28 and 30 outputs a voltage which is proportional to a difference between voltages applied to the non-inverting input terminal and to the inverting input terminal. V-I converters 32 and 34 convert output voltages of the differential amplifiers 28 and 30 into electrical current, and charge or discharge hold condensers 36 and 38, respectively.
Charged voltages of the hold condensers 36 and 38 are respectively applied to V-I converters 40 and 42, which output electrical current proportional to the voltages applied thereto. The laser diodes 2 and 4 emit laser beams, each of which corresponds to the electrical current flowing therethrough. The emitted laser beams are split by the beam splitters 12A and 12B. The laser beams L2 and L4 are received by the photo diodes 50A and 50B, I-V converted by the I-V converters 46A and 46B, and the intensity of the laser beams are feed-back controlled (i.e., the APC operation is performed) as described above. With this APC operation, the intensity of the laser beams are adjusted quickly in accordance with the input image signals S1 and S2.
FIGS. 2(a)-2(d) show a timing chart illustrating the relationship between the horizontal synchronizing signal HS, the clock signal CLK, the image signals S1 and S2.
In response to the horizontal synchronizing signal HS, which is generated by the write position detection circuit 24, the clock signal CLK having a predetermined period T is generated. Then, synchronously with the clock signal CLK, the image data S1 and S2 are input to the differential amplifiers 28 and 30, respectively.
As described above, with a conventional laser scanning unit capable of emitting a plurality of laser beams at the same time, it is possible to form a gradation image. However, in order to perform the APC operation for each pixel, the number of the beam splitters, converging lenses, apertures and photo diodes should be the same as the number of the laser diodes. Therefore, employment of a plurality of laser diodes increases manufacturing cost, and further increases the size of the scanning device.


A method and an apparatus for handling incoming calls when call waiting is active. If the called party is not on a call when an incoming call occurs and the called party does not answer the incoming call then a message is played to the calling party that the called party did not answer, and the called party is given the opportunity to record a message for the called party. If the called party is on a call when an incoming call occurs and, after the call waiting signal is played to the called party, the called party does not answer the incoming call then a message is played to the calling party that the called party is busy, and the called party is given the opportunity to record a message for the called party. If the called party is engaged in a first call and a second call when an incoming call occurs then a message is played to the calling party that the called party is busy, and the called party is given the opportunity to record a message for the called party. Therefore, even when call waiting is active, the calling party is properly advised of the reason that the called party did not answer the incoming call.

For a long time, most people had only one telephone line or number to a household and only one call could be handled at a time. If a called party was using the telephone when a calling party tried to call, the calling party simply received a busy signal.
However, some people wanted to be able to receive a second telephone call even when they were already on a first telephone call. This need was accommodated by installing a second telephone number and a second telephone line, and rolling over (transferring) an incoming call to the second telephone number/line when the first telephone number/line was busy.
This approach required that an additional number be assigned at the central office, and that an additional line be run from the central office to the house. This increased the cost of the telephone service to the consumer. Also, this approach required that the consumer either have two telephones or have a telephone that could switch between the two telephone lines/numbers. Two telephone sets cost more and take up more space than one telephone set, and a multiple-line telephone set costs more than a single line telephone set. Some businesses were willing and able to pay the higher cost for the service and/or the multiple-line telephone sets, and provide any additional space necessary for two telephone sets or a multiple-line telephone set, but most individuals were not. Further, the inconvenience of switching between two telephone sets made the two-line approach undesirable for household consumers.
The next improvement was call waiting. With call waiting, if the called party was engaged in a first call when a calling party tried to call, the central office would play a ringback signal to the calling party, and would signal the called party of the incoming call by periodically interrupting the first call by means of a tone or a click or other audible indicator. If the called party wished to answer the incoming call then the called party signaled the central office by momentarily pressing the hookswitch to generate a "hookflash" signal. The central office would then place the first call on hold and connect the calling party to the called party. The called party could switch between the two calls by pressing the hookswitch. However, if the called party did not want to answer the incoming call then the called party simply ignored the audible indicator and, eventually, the calling party would hang up as the incoming call would remain unanswered.
This approach was satisfactory for many household consumers but created a new problem for small businesses. Many businesses had answering machines for use when the business was closed or when the called party was not available to answer the call. If someone tried to call during these times then the answering machine answered the call, played a prerecorded message, and recorded any information that the calling party wished to leave. However, if the called party was on another call then, because there is only one telephone line, the answering machine could not answer the call. So, in that case, the incoming call had to be answered by the called party or it was not answered at all. The calling party had no way of knowing whether the called party was on a call. The calling party merely knew that the call was not answered in person or by an answering machine. This gave the calling party that there was no one at the business to answer the call, or that the business did not care enough about its customers to answer a call or have an answering machine. The result was that the calling party was displeased with the apparent treatment of the call and, if this treatment was repeated several times, the calling party would eventually call a different business to purchase the desired product or service.
For example, if the called party has call waiting, but does not have the present invention or a CPE answering machine then, if the called party is on a first call when the calling party calls, the calling party will be irritated if the called party does not answer because: (1) the calling party will presume that the called party does not have an answering machine so the calling party cannot leave a message; (2) the calling party will know that the called party has an answering machine and be frustrated because the answering machine is not answering and so the calling party cannot leave a message; or (3) the calling party knows that the called party has an answering machine and also has call waiting and the calling party will know that, because the answering machine is not picking up, the called party must be on another call but not taking this call and so the calling party cannot leave a message with the called party or on the answering machine.
Therefore, one problem not addressed by the prior art is how best to accommodate an incoming call when a called party has call waiting and is already on a first call.
As described below, one solution to the above problem is to route an unanswered incoming call to an answering machine service provided by the telephone company. This provides answering machine capability without requiring two separate telephone lines to the business. However, there are different conditions wherein an incoming call may not be answered: (1) there is no one present at the called number to answer the incoming call; and (2) there is someone present at the called number but that person is currently on a first call and chooses not to answer the incoming call. This creates a problem because a message suitable for one condition may not be appropriate for the other condition. For example, assume that the business has call waiting, that the business is quite busy, and so the called party is on the telephone a substantial amount of time. If a second call, an incoming call, arrives then the called party may not answer because the called party is already on a first call. There is no answer so the call is forwarded to an answering machine service. If the message played by the answering machine service is that no one is there then the calling party, after hearing that message several times, will get the impression that the business is closed or is poorly staffed. The calling party may thus call elsewhere to obtain the goods or services needed. Conversely, if the business has closed for the night or weekend there will again be no answer so the call will be forwarded to an answering machine service. If the message played by the answering machine service is that the called party is busy, then the calling party will interpret the message to mean that the business is open. The calling party will therefore expect the call to be returned. The calling party will become irritated when the called party does not promptly return the call, and will believe that the business is too busy or not interested enough to return the call. The calling party may thus call elsewhere to obtain the goods or services needed. In either case, the message is inappropriate and so customers and potential customers may become dissatisfied and business opportunities may be lost.
Therefore, another problem not addressed by the prior art is how to properly advise a calling party of the reason for the call not being answered when a called party has call waiting regardless of whether the called party is or is not already on a first call.
Another problem of the prior art arises from the use of the existing call forwarding-call waiting-no answer feature. If the called party is on a first call, and there is an incoming call, and the called party does not take the incoming call, then, after a predetermined time, the central office will route the incoming call to some specified destination where, optimally, the calling party can hear a message and then leave a message for the called party. However, sometimes the incoming call is routed to the specified destination just before the called party is through with the first call. The called party is now through with the first call, and is willing to take the incoming call, but the incoming call is not available because it has been routed to another location. Therefore, the called party must call the messaging service to retrieve the message from the calling party and then return the call to the calling party. It would be an improvement if the called party could monitor the calling party leaving a message and connect to the calling party at any time before the calling party has hung up.
Although the above description of the problem is focused on a business environment, it will be appreciated that the same problem also occurs with respect to non-business environments.

Call forwarding on busy or no answer when call waiting is active

BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation


A template used for making decorative window treatments such as swags, valances, jabots, and window treatment accessories, the template comprises a sheet of material, the sheet of material having first and second spaced curved rows of perforations, the first curved row of perforations being positioned above the second curved row of perforations with the second curved row of perforations being longer in length than the first curved row of perforations, the first and second curved rows of perforations being spaced apart and being curved in a downwardly direction, a pair of straight connecting rows of perforations having equal lengths are positioned on the sheet of material to intersect opposite ends of the spaced curved rows of perforations, each of the straight connecting rows of perforations comprising a plurality of equally spaced slots, the pair of straight connecting rows of perforations extending in a direction away from each other and down from the first curved row of perforations to the second curved row of perforations, therefore allowing a user to place the template onto a sheet of material and mark desired points onto the sheet of material to allow the user to create at least one swag or a jabot with the sheet of material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an ornamental window treatment. More specifically the present invention relates to making and installing swags, jabots, valances in decorative arrangements that are easy to install and remove, and are also adjustable to suit a variety of styles and window sizes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ornamental window treatments such as swags, valances and jabots are popular in decorating windows in residences and commercial buildings. Such window treatments can include one or more swags that drape down from a top support such as a curtain rod and can have jabots that hang at each end to provide a decorative treatment of a window. The swags may overlap one over the other or a center swag overlaps swags on adjacent sides. In other words, the swags can overlap in line either from left to right or right to left. The jabots may overlap the swags or extend from under the swags.
Such window treatments are typically custom made and require a specialist to construct the swags as well as arrange a particular style. Additionally, these window treatments cannot be easily removed and therefore are difficult to wash. The styling and installation required to create a custom valance is a fairly complex matter and typically requires years of experience as well as trial and error in order to provide a decorative window treatment using swags and jabots. Furthermore, such custom made window treatments can be very expensive since they need to be custom made.
Designing swags is often a difficult task since often times swags are cut out from material by a trial and error method until the desired size swag is achieved. This may lead to unnecessary material being cut away and therefore the task of even making a swag can be time consuming and extremely difficult. Various templates for making swags have been proposed, however, such templates tend to have complex shapes and curves making it difficult for and ordinary user to utilize. Even after the swag material has been cut to shape, it is then a time consuming job to form the traditional swag pattern and to sew it into proper shape.
These and other types of swags and window treatments disclosed in the prior art do not offer the flexibility and inventive features of my method and apparatus for making window treatments such as swags, valances and jabots. As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the method and apparatus for making window treatments of the present invention differs from those previously proposed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an easy-to-use template that would allow anyone to quickly create custom made swags, valances, jabots and window treatment accessories to suit any width or size of window.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a system that makes it easy for the user to install and remove such decorative window treatments in order to allow the user to wash, replace, move or re-design the window treatment arrangement.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy method of attaching and installing swags, jabots, valances and window treatment accessories on any type of a window.

Method and apparatus for making window treatments including swags, valances and jabots


The present invention is a process for converting a high-boiling component resulting from the reaction of an organochloride with silicon into commercially more desirable monosilanes. The process comprises contacting the high-boiling component with chlorine at a temperature within a range of about 250.degree. C. to 1000.degree. C. Improved yield of monosilanes can be obtained in the process by the use of a catalyst selected from a group consisting of alumina, silica. activated carbon, AlCl.sub.3, and AlCl.sub.3 supported on a support selected from a group consisting of alumina, silica, and carbon.

The present invention is a process for converting a high-boiling component resulting from the reaction of an organochloride with silicon into commercially more desirable monosilanes. The process comprises contacting the high-boiling component with chlorine at a temperature within a range of about 250.degree. C. to 1000.degree. C. Improved yield of monosilanes can be obtained in the process by the use of a catalyst selected from a group consisting of alumina, silica. activated carbon. AlCl.sub.3, and AlCl.sub.3 supported on a support selected from a group consisting of alumina. silica, and carbon.
The high-boiling component useful in the present process results from a process typically referred to as the "Direct Process,"where an organohalide is reacted with silicon metalloid in the presence of a suitable catalyst to form monosilanes. The Direct Process as described by, for example. Rochow U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,995, issued Aug. 7, 1945 and Barry et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,488,487, issued Nov. 15, 1949, is the main commercial process by which organohalosilanes (i.e. monosilanes), for example. dimethyldichlorosilane and trimethylchlorosilane are formed. These organohalosilanes are reactive compounds which can undergo numerous reactions to form a variety of useful silicon containing compounds and polymers. A major commercial use of organohalosilanes is in the production of polysiloxane polymers which are useful as heat transfer fluids. lubricants, and the like and which can be further processed, for example, to form silicone elastomers, resins, sealants, and adhesives.
Operation of the Direct Process results not only in the production of the desirable monosilanes, but also in a high boiling component typically considered to be all materials with a boiling point higher than the particular diorganodihalosilane produced in the process. The high-boiling component is a complex mixture that includes compounds containing SiSi, SiOSi. SiCSi, SiCCSi, and SiCCCSi linkages in the molecules. Some typical compounds found in a high-boiling component are described for example, in Mohler et al.. U.S. Pat. No. 2.598,435, issued May 27, 1952, and Barry et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,681,355. issued Jun. 15, 1954. The high-boiling component may also comprise silicon containing solids and soluble and insoluble compounds of copper, aluminum, and zinc.
In current commercial operations for performing the Direct Process, the high-boiling component can constitute as much as ten percent of the resultant product. Therefore, it is desirable to convert the high-boiling component into commercially desirable products to both reduce low-value byproducts and to improve raw material utilization.
Mohler, U.S. Pate. No. 2,598,435, issued May 27, 1952. describes a process for converting methylpolysilanes present in a Direct Process residue to monosilanes. The process comprises heating the residue at a temperature above 250.degree. C. and below the decomposition point of the formed monosilanes. Of the product recovered approximately 56 weight percent appeared to be monosilanes.
Barry. U.S. Pat. No. 2,681,355, issued Jun. 15, 1954, observed that the process taught in Mohler, U.S. Pat, No. 2,598,435, can result in significant coking of the reactor making the process unsuitable for commercial cracking processes. Barry. supra, teaches that this coking can be reduced if the Direct Process residue is contacted with at least four percent by weight hydrogen chloride at a temperature from 200.degree. C. to 900.degree. C. Barry also suggests that the process can be run in a reactor packed with either an inert material such as quartz or a catalytic material such as activated alumina or silica alumina.
Bluestein, U.S. Pat. No. 2,709,176, issued May 25, 1955, reports a process for converting the polysilanes present in a Direct Process residue into monosilanes by the use of a tertiary organic amine catalyst. Bluestein reports that when the Direct Process residue is contacted with a hydrogen halide and a tertiary organic amine catalyst, the process can be conducted at temperatures of about 75.degree. C. to 150.degree. C. with acceptable yields of monosilanes being obtained.
Gilbert. U.S. Pat. No. 2,842,580, issued Jul. 8, 1958, reports a process for converting the polysilanes present in a Direct Process residue into monosilanes by the use of quaternary ammonium halide and quaternary phosphonium halide compounds as catalysts. The process of Gilbert is run in the absence of hydrogen chloride, as described by Bluestein supra, and is reported to provide monosilanes with reduced levels of hydrogen bonded to the silicon atoms.
The objective of the present process is to provide a process for the conversion of a high-boiling component produced by the Direct Process to monosilanes. To achieve this objective the present process uses chlorine to facilitate conversion of the high-boiling component to monosilanes. Improved yields of monosilanes can be obtained in the process if in addition to the chlorine a catalyst is used selected from a group consisting of alumina, silica. activated carbon, AlCl.sub.3, and AlCl.sub.3 supported on a support selected from a group consisting of alumina. silica, and carbon.

Conversion of direct process high-boiling component to chlorosilane monomers in the presence of chlorine


The present invention relates to a precipitation hardened heat-resistant steel containing, in terms of % by mass: 0.005 to 0.2% of C, not more than 2% of Si, 1.6 to 5% of Mn, 15% or more and less than 20% of Ni, 10 to 20% of Cr, more than 2% and up to 4% of Ti, 0.1 to 2% of Al, and 0.001 to 0.02% of B, with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities, in which a ratio (Ni/Mn) of an amount of Ni to an amount of Mn is 3 to 10, a total amount of Ni and Mn (Ni+Mn) is 18% or more and less than 25%, and a ratio (Ti/Al) of an amount of Ti to an amount of Al is 2 to 20.

In recent years, because of high efficiency and high output of a variety of heat engines, a tendency toward an increase in burning temperature, exhaust gas temperature, or steam temperature has been increased, and in response thereto, a requirement for an enhancement of strength characteristics in heat-resistant steels has been also increased. As a heat-resistant steel to be used for the foregoing heat-resistant application, JIS SUH660, that is a γ′ precipitation type iron base superalloy, has hitherto been frequently used for the use at a temperature of up to 700° C. However, accompanied with high efficiency and high output of a variety of heat engines, there is a concern about a shortage of the strength. In addition, SUH660 involves such a problem that the precipitation of an η phase (Ni3Ti) is brought due to the use over a long period of time, resulting in lowering of the strength and ductility. Furthermore, SUH660 contains a large quantity of expensive Ni, so that it involves such a problem that the cost becomes high.
Incidentally, as the related-art technologies relative to the invention, those disclosed in the following Patent Documents 1 and 2 are exemplified.
Patent Document 1 discloses an invention regarding "heat-resistant bolts". The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 is aimed to obtain a heat-resistant bolt with excellent relaxation characteristics, in which by optimizing blending of chemical components and working method, even when cold working is applied, the precipitation of an η phase can be suppressed in a subsequent process at a high temperature under a high stress. However, Patent Document 1 does not mention the characteristic features of the present invention, i.e., an increase of an age-hardening amount after cold working by positively incorporating Mn; and an improvement of a balance between cold workability and high-temperature strength by specifying a total amount of Ni and Mn and a ratio thereof.
Patent Document 2 discloses an invention regarding "heat-resistant stainless steels". The invention of Patent Document 2 is aimed to provide a heat-resistant high-strength stainless steel which is excellent in high-temperature tensile strength of spring in a high-temperature zone and high-temperature permanent set resistance by controlling the precipitation amount and form of each of a γ′ phase and an η phase. However, Patent Document 2 does not mention the characteristic features of the present invention, i.e., reduction of the Ni amount to achieve suppression of costs and at the same time, an improvement of a balance between cold workability and high-temperature strength, by specifying a total amount of Ni and Mn and a ratio thereof.    Patent Document 1: JP-A-2001-158943    Patent Document 2: JP-A-2000-109955

Precipitation hardened heat-resistant steel