Abstract: A method of providing a layer in a semiconductor device, wherein the layer includes Si1-x-yGexCy, and wherein the carbon in the layer is in a stable condition, includes preparing a silicon substrate; preparing a SiGeC precursor; forming a Si1-x-yGexCy layer on the silicon substrate from the precursor; forming a top silicon layer on the Si1-x-yGexCy layer; and completing the semiconductor device.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a low, dark-current germanium-on-silicon PIN photo detector includes preparing a P-type silicon wafer; implanting the P-type silicon wafer with boron ions; activating the boron ions to form a P+ region on the silicon wafer; forming a boron-doped germanium layer on the P+ silicon surface; depositing an intrinsic germanium layer on the boron-doped germanium layer; cyclic annealing, including a relatively high temperature first anneal step and a relatively low temperature second anneal step; repeating the first and second anneal steps for about twenty cycles, thereby forcing crystal defects to the P+ germanium layer; implanting ions in the surface of germanium layer to form an N+ germanium surface layer and a PIN diode; activating the N+ germanium surface layer by thermal anneal; and completing device according to known techniques to form a low dark-current germanium-on-silicon PIN photodetector.

Abstract: A CMOS active pixel sensor includes a silicon-on-insulator substrate having a silicon substrate with an insulator layer formed thereon and a top silicon layer formed on the insulator layer. A stacked pixel sensor cell includes a bottom photodiode fabricated on the silicon substrate, for sensing light of a longest wavelength; a middle photodiode fabricated on the silicon substrate, for sensing light of a medium wavelength, which is stacked above the bottom photodiode; and a top photodiode fabricated on the top silicon layer, for sensing light of a shorter wavelength, which is stacked above the middle and bottom photodiodes. Pixel transistor sets are fabricated on the top silicon layer and are associated with each pixel sensor cell by electrical connections which extend between each of the photodiodes and respective pixel transistor(s). CMOS control circuitry is fabricated adjacent to an array of active pixel sensor cells and electrically connected thereto.

Abstract: A method of etching a top electrode/ferroelectric stack using an etch stop layer includes forming a first layer of a first dielectric material on a substrate; forming a bottom electrode in the first layer of a first dielectric material; depositing an etch stop layer on the first layer of the first dielectric material and the bottom electrode, including forming a hole therein; depositing a layer of ferroelectric material and depositing top electrode material on the ferroelectric material to form a top electrode/ferroelectric stack; stack etching the top electrode and ferroelectric material; depositing a layer of a second dielectric material encapsulating the top electrode and ferroelectric material; etching the layer of the second dielectric material to form a sidewall about the top electrode and ferroelectric material; and depositing a second and third layers of the first dielectric material.

Abstract: A method of notifying a user to set an internal clock in a mobile communication device having a visual display therein includes powering-up the mobile communication device; determining whether digital services are available, and, if not, activating notification indicia to tell the user to manually set the internal clock in the mobile communication device.

Abstract: A communication-associated structure and process utilizing (a) a client device, (b) a communication port, and (c) an imaging device which includes an embedded driver and related configuring information. The process, employing these structural elements, involves communicatively associating the two devices through the communication port, and thereafter, and making use of the embedded driver and related configuring information, equipping the client device with a fully configured installation of that driver. This equipping is accomplished through the specific steps of downloading, from the imaging device to the client device, the embedded driver and related configuring information, and thereafter auto-configuring the downloaded driver with the downloaded configuring information.

Abstract: A method of monitoring synthesis of PCMO precursor solutions includes preparing a PCMO precursor solution and withdrawing samples of the precursor solution at intervals during a reaction phase of the PCMO precursor solution synthesis. The samples of the PCMO precursor solution are analyzed by UV spectroscopy to determine UV transmissivity of the samples of the PCMO precursor solution and the samples used to form PCMO thin films. Electrical characteristics of the PCMO thin films formed from the samples are determined to identify PCMO thin films having optimal electrical characteristics. The UV spectral characteristics of the PCMO precursor solutions are correlated with the PCMO thin films having optimal electrical characteristics. The UV spectral characteristics are used to monitor synthesis of future batches of the PCMO precursor solutions, which will result in PCMO thin films having optimal electrical characteristics.

Abstract: A method for minimizing color-image halftone dot-gain in the output of a multi-level halftone color-imaging output device. The method includes characterizing that device's halftone output, on a per-color basis, regarding pixel-pattern-specific dot gain which can be related to device pixel-infeed intensity levels, and from that characterizing, creating, and then applying to throughput color-image files, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, and for each output color producible by the device, a pixel-to-device infeed intensity correction value, thus to minimize device-output dot gain.

Abstract: Methods of forming depositing a ferroelectric thin film, such as PGO, by preparing a substrate with an upper surface of silicon, silicon oxide, or a high-k material, such as hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, and lanthanum oxide, depositing an indium oxide film over the substrate, and then depositing the ferroelectric film using MOCVD.

Abstract: A method of making a doped silicon oxide thin film using a doped silicon oxide precursor solution includes mixing a silicon source in an organic acid and adding 2-methoxyethyl ether to the silicon source and organic acid to from a preliminary precursor solution. The resultant solution is heated, stirred and filtered. A doping impurity is dissolved in 2-methoxyethanol to from a doped source solution, and the resultant solution mixed with the previously described resultant solution to from a doped silicon oxide precursor solution. A doped silicon oxide thin film if formed on a wafer by spin coating. The thin film and the wafer are baked at progressively increasing temperatures and the thin film and the wafer are annealed.

Abstract: A method of selectively providing MIMO transmission/reception in a WLAN system includes using a TSPEC reservation and signaling mechanism to instantiate and tear down, dynamically, multi-channel operation in a WLAN; providing an inference algorithm to determine the minimum number of channels required to establish a TSPEC using a MIMO WLAN system; providing specific channel parameters as parameters to be negotiated in the TSPEC; providing frame exchange sequences to be used in Enhanced Distributed Coordinated Access contention based access and to be used in polled access; and providing a mechanism wherein an access point makes a decision as to whether to admit MIMO functionality on a given link, wherein a “link” is a set of communications between two specific WLAN stations.

Abstract: A method of setting an internal clock in a GPS-equipped mobile communication device when the mobile communication device is not in a digital service area includes determining whether digital service is available, including determining whether digital service is available by determining the elapsed time from the last receipt of a digital service contact, and, if digital service is not available, detecting a GPS time signal from a single GPS satellite.

Abstract: An ad hoc network organizational method which is employable with a collection of plural nodes in a setting where there is available a current overall network topology map containing at least the identities of, and the inter-nodal communication link qualities and capabilities associated with, each of the nodes. The method generally involves the steps of (a) examining the topology map to determine the current pattern of possible and not-possible direct communication links between pairs of nodes, thus to detect, from an inter-nodal, inter-communication point of view, hidden nodes and non-hidden nodes, and (b) on the basis of such examining, establishing a proxy networking scheme wherein pairs of nodes which are hidden with respect to one another can nonetheless communicate with one another through at least one, intermediary, selectable proxy node which is non-hidden with respect to each of the two nodes in such a pair.

Abstract: A method generally for output handling a new imaging job, and specifically for handling such a job by delivering it to one of several currently job-engaged imaging output devices (illustrated as printers) including the steps of (a) examining the current job-processing statuses of such devices, and (b) from the result of that examining, determining the respective remainders in the amounts of current-job work still to be performed by those devices. The method thus features the acquisition and use of output device busyness information as an important part of the approach toward promoting efficient output handling of new imaging jobs.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for performing ongoing ad hoc network topology discovery with regard to a collection of plural participating nodes. The method features the steps of (a) defining an appropriate topology-discovery condition to be associated with such nodes, (b) when that condition occurs, establishing and activating a dedicated, contention-free, discovery-communication time period wherein each node broadcasts, for reception by all other nodes, its attributes, including its identity, it operating characteristics, its capabilities, and its associated link qualities in relation to the other nodes, (c) utilizing the results of such establishing and activating steps, creating an overall network topology map associated with the nodes, and (d) then making that map available for use in subsequent network organizational activities, including the practices of creating suitable communication links between nodes, and enabling organization of a network into appropriate subnets and proxy networks.

Abstract: A method of forming carbon nanotubes includes incorporating phosphors in the form of quantum dots, along with the beads of ZnO on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to generate white light. The ability to form a high density of quantum dots in a small volume allows for a high probability of UV absorption and subsequent re-emission to generate visible radiation. The material and size of the quantum dots can be controlled by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process and thermal cycle.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a grayscale reticule includes preparing a quartz substrate; depositing a layer of silicon-rich oxide on the quartz substrate; depositing a layer of silicon nitride as an oxidation barrier layer on the silicon-rich oxide layer; depositing and patterning a layer of photoresist; etching the silicon nitride layer with a pattern for the silicon nitride layer; removing the photoresist; cleaning the quartz substrate and the remaining layers; oxidizing the quartz substrate and the layers thereon, thereby converting the silicon-rich oxide layer to a transparent silicon dioxide layer; removing the remaining silicon nitride layer; forming the quartz substrate and the silicon dioxide thereon into a reticule; and using the reticule to pattern a microlens array.

Abstract: A scheduling system for an MFP to provided scheduled readiness of the MFP includes an MFP having an EMail address associated therewith; an EMail system for generating user EMAILS and transmitting the generated EMAILS; a readiness specification which is contained in a user-generated EMail and which sets parameters controlling the readiness of the MFP; an acknowledgment mechanism in the MFP for generating a reply EMail, indicating that the readiness specification has been received and entered; and an error message generator in the MFP for generating a reply EMail indicating that the readiness specification has not been entered.

Abstract: Ringing artifacts are removed from a quantized image by an image de-ringing filter that includes a determination unit, an adaptive filter and a nonlinear low-pass filter. The determination unit determines whether each selected pixel of a first set of selected pixels of an image contains a ringing artifact based on, for example, gray-level values of selected pixels within a determination kernel of pixels relating to the selected pixel. The adaptive filter generates a filtered gray-level value for each pixel determined by the determination unit to contain a ringing artifact based on, for example, gray-level values of selected pixels within a filtering kernel of pixels relating to the pixel. The nonlinear low-pass filter generates a low-pass-filtered gray-level value for each selected pixel of a second set of selected pixels of the image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus employable in a wireless, packet-based network communication system for managing transmission-limit build-up performed by participating network BSS stations, whereby, when singular ones (one only) of these stations, during a given transmission budget beacon interval, are attempting to gain access to network transmission bandwidth, they are permitted to invoke an algorithm for rapid transmission-limit build-up. Such rapid build-up is based upon allowing such a station to begin its accessing process with an elevated, initial transmission limit which is created as a relatively high percentage (preferably about 80-percent) of the last prior beacon-announced network transmission budget. If more than one such currently non-transmitting stations are simultaneously attempting anew to gain network bandwidth access, rapid build-up is not permitted, thus to minimize an otherwise possible network communication traffic jam.