Abstract: A front opening wafer container suitable for 450 mm wafers utilizes a wafer cushion on the front door with varying inclinations on the inside surface of a lower leg of V-shaped wafer cushion engagement portions on the door. Such provides enhanced performance. More specifically, in an embodiment of the invention, a front opening wafer container has, in cross section, horizontal V-shaped groove with the inside surface of the lower leg of the V having with at least two surface portions with different inclinations from horizontal. The surface portion adjacent the apex, where the edge of the wafer seats, having a lesser inclination from horizontal than a surface portion more distal from apex.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method of manufacturing and installing an electronic throttle control pedal to a bracket within a vehicle. The method includes the steps of making a customized pedal mounting bracket for a vehicle wherein the customized pedal mounting bracket has universal connecting features. The method further includes mounting the customized pedal mounting bracket to a vehicle and attaching the universal pedal housing to the customized pedal mounting bracket by means of the universal connecting features. An apparatus of the present invention including a universal pedal housing having a rear surface wherein the rear surface includes at least one locating protrusion. The pedal housing further including a plurality of compression tabs. The apparatus including a pedal mounting bracket having a front surface wherein the rear surface of the pedal housing connects to the front surface of the pedal mounting bracket.

Abstract: A time-shifted digital content item is played via a playback screen, and an updateable companion timeline associated with the time-shifted digital content item is accessed. The updateable companion timeline includes one or more timeline events, and each timeline event has a trigger time corresponding to a playback time in the time-shifted digital content item. Responsive to reaching a playback time that matches a trigger time of one of the one or more timeline events during playback of the time-shifted digital content item, the timeline event having that trigger time is rendered.

Abstract: An improved system and method for purging a microenvironment to desired levels of relative humidity, oxygen, or particulates through the implementation of a purge gas delivery apparatus and method that provides even distribution of the purging gas within the microenvironment. A substrate container has a tower therein with a fluid flow passageway extending the length of the tower. Apertures with porous media between the aperture and fluid flow passageway regulate the volume and pressure of air discharging at each aperture. Alternatively, the tower may be formed of a porous tubular polymeric material. A sleeve may direct the discharge purge gas in the interior.

Abstract: Compositions and methods of using scorpion venom peptide that is a ligand for ABC transporters. One aspect provides a peptide having at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 1. The peptide Is believed to have a molecular mass of about 3.7 kDa and specifically interacts with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. Methods of treating a disorder or symptom of a disorder related to aberrant ABC transporter activity are also provided.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for operating on time sequences of data. In one aspect, a method includes a database management system storing and updating information in records in a table of a database, the records being associated with respective times that are spaced apart by time intervals, the database management system responding to a query that is phrased to imply a putative record with respect to a time interval that is not among the time intervals with which the records of the table are associated, and the response of the database management system to the query including a computation of a value of an attribute of the putative record from at least one non-null value of the attribute for one of the records of the table, the computation being based on an interpolation policy.

Abstract: An improved chemical mechanical polishing retaining ring. A representative embodiment comprises a base portion made from a wear-resistant plastic material, and an upper portion, or backbone portion, made from a stiffer and more wear resistant material. One of the base or backbone portion is preferably overmolded onto the other. The base portion can be generally defined by a flat pad-contacting surface, an outer surface, and an inner surface. The base portion can additionally include channels extending from the outer surface to the inner surface to facilitate transfer of slurry to and from the substrate to be polished during the process. One or both of the base portion or backbone portion further includes a plurality of circular ribs that serve to create additional bonding surface with the overmolded material. The retaining ring may additionally includes a plurality of bosses with threaded insert holes by which the retaining ring is attached to a chemical mechanical polishing system.

Abstract: A wafer container utilizes a rigid polymer tubular tower with slots and a “getter” therein for absorbing and filtering moisture and vapors within the wafer container. The tower preferably utilizes a purge grommet at the base of the container and may have a check valve therein to control the flow direction of gas (including air) into and out of the container and with respect to the tower. The tower is sealingly connected with the grommet. The tower may have a getter media piece rolled in an elongate circular fashion forming or shaped as a tube and disposed within the tower and may have axially extending. The media can provide active and/or passive filtration as well as having capabilities to be recharged. Front opening wafer containers for 300 mm sized wafers generally have a pair of recesses on each of the left and right side in the inside rear of the container portions.

Abstract: A container for holding a wafer includes an enclosure portion having a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back and an opposing open front defined by a door frame. A door is sealingly engagable in the door frame to close the open front. The container further includes wafer restraint means in the enclosure including fixed wafer restraint means and operable wafer restraint means. The operable wafer restraint means is selectively positionable by engaging and disengaging the door from the door frame, and is positioned so to enable insertion or removal of a wafer from the container when the door is disengaged from the door frame and positioned so as to cooperate with the fixed wafer restraint means to restrain the wafer in the container when the door is engaged in the door frame.

Abstract: A substrate container and a bottom plate are connected with a mechanism for adjusting the distance between the container and bottom plate, by, e.g., a threaded connection between two members of the connector mechanism. Also provided are a duck-billed valve for venting the container and a dampener for minimizing damage due to shocks.

Abstract: An improved chemical mechanical polishing retaining ring. A representative embodiment comprises a base portion made from a wear-resistant plastic material, and an upper portion, or backbone portion, made from a stiffer and more wear resistant material. One of the base or backbone portion is preferably overmolded onto the other. The base portion can be generally defined by a flat pad-contacting surface, an outer surface, and an inner surface. The base portion can additionally include channels extending from the outer surface to the inner surface to facilitate transfer of slurry to and from the substrate to be polished during the process. One or both of the base portion or backbone portion further includes a plurality of circular ribs that serve to create additional bonding surface with the overmolded material. The retaining ring may additionally includes a plurality of bosses with threaded insert holes by which the retaining ring is attached to a chemical mechanical polishing system.

Abstract: A container for holding a plurality of wafers in an axially aligned, generally parallel spaced apart arrangement includes an enclosure portion having a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back and an open front. At least one wafer support is provided in the enclosure along with a kinematic coupling on the bottom of the enclosure. The container has a door for sealingly closing the open front which includes a chassis and an operable latching mechanism on the chassis. The latching mechanism includes a cam selectively rotatable to shift the latching mechanism between a first favored position and a second favored position and at least one vibration dampener for dampening vibrations generated when the latching mechanism is shifted between the first and second favored positions.

Abstract: An improved chemical mechanical polishing retaining ring. A representative embodiment comprises a base portion made from a wear-resistant plastic material, and an upper portion, or backbone portion, made from a stiffer and more wear resistant material. One of the base or backbone portion is preferably overmolded onto the other. The base portion can be generally defined by a flat pad-contacting surface, an outer surface, and an inner surface. The base portion can additionally include channels extending from the outer surface to the inner surface to facilitate transfer of slurry to and from the substrate to be polished during the process. One or both of the base portion or backbone portion further includes a plurality of circular ribs that serve to create additional bonding surface with the overmolded material. The retaining ring may additionally includes a plurality of bosses with threaded insert holes by which the retaining ring is attached to a chemical mechanical polishing system.

Abstract: Compositions and methods of using scorpion venom peptide that is a ligand for ABC transporters. One aspect provides a peptide having at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 1. The peptide Is believed to have a molecular mass of about 3.7 kDa and specifically interacts with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. Methods of treating a disorder or symptom of a disorder related to aberrant ABC transporter activity are also provided.

Abstract: A front opening wafer container including an enclosure portion and a door. A wafer support system is provided including a pair of spaced apart cantilever wafer shelves, each wafer shelf including a pair of opposing inclined ramp portions. The ramp portions are cooperatively positioned and configured so that when the wafer is received on the shelves, the wafer is supported on the ramps at a lower peripheral corner of the wafer, all other portions of the wafer being free from contact with the wafer support system. Each wafer shelf may have a generally concave upper surface and the incline of the ramps is continuous with the concave upper surfaces of the wafer shelves.

Abstract: A wafer container providing improved wafer restraint during physical shock events. In embodiments of the invention, a secondary wafer restraint structure defining a plurality of notches is interposed between opposing wafer restraint members on the door of the container. The notches may be defined by one or more converging edges or surfaces meeting at a junction. The junctions are positioned so as to align with the wafer receiving portions of each opposing pair of wafer restraint member so that when the door is fully sealingly engaged with the enclosure of the container, the edge of the wafer is contacting the junction. In this position, any vertical movement of the wafer due to shock imparted to the container causes the wafer to contact the converging surfaces or edges, thereby limiting such movement.

Abstract: A substrate kinematic coupling or guide plate for a substrate carrier having textured or patterned surfaces at the points of contact to reduce frictional forces generated between automated processing equipment and the kinematic coupling. The textured surface reduces the contact area between the processing equipment and the contact portion of the kinematic coupling, thereby reducing the resultant frictional force. By reducing the frictional force, the substrate carrier more readily settles on the mounting pins of the processing equipment, thus avoiding intolerable height and angular deviations during automated access to the substrates. Textures include, but are not limited to, a knurl pattern, ridges running laterally along the contact portions, and ridges running longitudinally along the contact portions. The textures may be formed by a blow molding, injection molding or in an overmolding process, or by a machining or imprinting process.

Abstract: A carrier for transporting silicon semiconductor wafers during semiconductor wafer processing operations including an enclosure, a door and a flange structured to interface with a machine so that the carrier can be lifted by the machine. A lift saddle connects the flange to the container so that the load on the flange is transferred to a part of the enclosure other than the top of the enclosure to prevent distortion of the enclosure to maintaining seal integrity between the enclosure and the door.

Abstract: A wafer carrier door having an inner door portion and an outer door portion. The inner door portion has a substantially continuous inner surface. The outer door portion extends over at least a portion of the inner door portion. The outer door portion has a plurality of apertures formed therein. The outer door portion is attached to the inner door portion.