Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus comprises: a chamber 12 having at least one opening and for generating plasma; a dielectric member 14 provided to cover the opening air-tightly; at least one wave guide 16 provided in the exterior of the chamber such that the one end side opposes the dielectric member; an electromagnetic wave source 20 provided on the other end side of the wave guide; a plurality of holes 38, 40, 42, 44, 46 provided on a surface opposing the dielectric member of the wave guide; and hole area adjusting means 18 provided in at least one of the above-mentioned holes so as to adjust the opening area of the hole.

Abstract: A beam scanner is operable to scan light in two or more axes, typically in a raster pattern that includes a fast scan axis and a slow scan axis. Plural beams of light are scanned, each beam of light producing a scanned region that at least partially overlaps at least one adjoining scanned region. Scanned regions may be aligned to adjoin and overlap along a dimension corresponding to the slow scan axis. The beam scanner may comprise a scanned beam display and/or a scanned beam image capture device. In a display, the power level of overlapping displayed pixels may be scaled to provide smooth transitions between adjoining regions to improve the image quality presented to a viewer. In an image capture device, one or more detectors is operable to collect light scattered from adjoining regions and a controller is operable to produce an image from the scanned regions.

Abstract: A storage circuit using a dual-access memory includes means for alternately activating one access, then the other, with a maximum frequency equal to twice the maximum possible frequency of activation of a given access. At least two successive activations of the means control operations of the same type, either reading or writing operations.

Abstract: A temporary fastener tool (20) for establishing and maintaining compressive alignment between at least two parts, each having an aperture through which the fastener tool is inserted. The tool includes a spindle (120) having a first and second end wherein a bulbous element (126) extends from the first end. The spindle engages collet (100) that includes a plurality of finger elements (106).

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for detecting the frequency to which a broadcast receiver is tuned. In one embodiment, a sensing unit emits a chirp signal over a range of broadcast bands and monitors the output of the radio receiver to detect the frequency to which the radio receiver is tuned. In another embodiment, a sensing unit demodulates radio signals across a range of frequencies and compares the demodulated signals to observed audio output of the radio receiver.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing an SOI wafer, including the steps of: forming, in a wafer of semiconductor material, cavities delimiting structures of semiconductor material; thinning out the structures through a thermal process; and completely oxidizing the structures.

Abstract: A method of storing a data file, particularly in the MPEG format and including a flow of different frames, comprises a protection system for the data file based on a parameter stored in the data file. Advantageously, the storage method comprises selectively protecting the frames by storing parameters that are associated with corresponding different frames whose values are selected to provide a playing quality level requested by an end user. Also, a method is provided for decoding a data file, particularly of the MPEG type and including a flow of different frames, wherein the data file is stored per above.

Abstract: A material made of a dielectric oxide of type Ca0.25Cu0.75TiO3 having a dielectric constant greater than 3,000.

Abstract: A device for closing a door, including a spring element, an attachment element for fixing the device to a door, and an actuation element. The actuation element and the attachment element are linked at opposite ends of the spring element in such a way that, when the door is opened, differential rotation of the actuation element and the attachment element cause the spring element to be stretched and the energy stored in the spring element causes the door to close automatically. The actuation element is embodied as a support element that can be placed against the door frame or the adjacent wall regions in a supporting manner, and the attachment element can be removably mounted on an edge of the door without the use of fasteners or adhesive.

Abstract: A receiver and a method for receiving a signal including a carrier modulated with a known training sequence is described in which an estimate a carrier frequency offset is obtained from an autocorrelation signal by autocorrelation of the part of the received signal containing a known training sequence. The received signal is compensated with the frequency offset obtained to form a compensated received signal, and a timing reference for the received signal is obtained by cross-correlation of the compensated received signal with a known training sequence.

Abstract: An improved on-chip voltage regulator providing improved reliability by eliminating voltage stresses on critical components, comprising, a reference-signal generating block providing a first-order temperature-compensated voltage-reference signal and a first-order temperature-compensated current-reference signal, an operational-amplifier block providing a regulated voltage, connected to the outputs of said reference signal generating block; a standby protection block receiving an external signal for enabling/disabling said reference-signal generating block and said operational-amplifier block, and; a protection voltage block connected to all said blocks; wherein critical elements of said blocks are connected such that voltage difference between any two terminals is always less than the break down voltage of said critical element.

Abstract: A system and method provide random access to a multimedia object over a network. One embodiment of the invention includes a streaming media server that is connected to a client computer over a network. The streaming media server includes at least one multimedia object that is adapted for transmission (“streaming”) across the network. A pre-roll calculation program determines a pre-roll for each segment of the multimedia object and generates a modified multimedia object which includes a pre-roll for each of its segments, a pre-roll identifying a portion of the multimedia object to be transmitted by the streaming media server and received by the client computer prior to playback of the multimedia object at a selected segment. The pre-roll allows the client computer to present, starting at a selected segment, the multimedia object in its entirety without interruption.

Abstract: Magnitude enhancement analysis of medical and dental images of tissue or organs such as MRI, PET, CT and x-ray images configured to display intensity-related features of high-bit images, such as grayscale without distorting the underlying intensity unless desired, and/or enhancing perception of saturation, hue, color channels and other space dimensions in a digital image, and external datasets related to a 2D image. In a preferred embodiment, the tissue or organ has been administered a contrast agent prior to the image being taken. In a more preferred embodiment, a series of images of the same tissue or organ has been taken over time to show changes in the tissue or organ over time.

Abstract: Game software for use in video game systems can be downloaded from Internet servers to game consoles in encrypted form to protect the software from being copied by software pirates. A small but essential part of the game software can be encrypted for use with a larger amount software that is not encrypted. The encrypted portion is downloaded into a secure cryptoprocessor preferably in a memory cartridge that plugs into a game system. This cryptoprocessor decrypts the downloaded software, stores it in on-chip EEPROM and then executes it, all in the same cryptoprocessor. The non-encrypted software is processed in the game system by a conventional processor which depends on data generated by program instructions decrypted and executed in the secure cryptoprocessor.

Abstract: An aperture plate includes an opening and a surface adjacent to the opening. The opening passes electromagnetic energy such as light to a reflector that is aligned with the opening and that directs the electromagnetic energy to a location. The surface reflects incident electromagnetic energy away from the location in a direction that is outside of the range of directions. Such an aperture plate insures that electromagnetic energy, e.g., light, strikes only the desired portions of the reflector, and that peripheral light that is outside of the aperture opening is reflected away from the location, e.g., display screen, toward which the reflector directs the electromagnetic energy. Furthermore, because such an aperture plate is mounted near the reflector, the alignment tolerances are typically less stringent than for an aperture plate mounted near the energy source.

Abstract: The invention relates to an input amplifier stage, in AB class, having a controlled bias current and comprising a differential cell, inserted between a first supply voltage reference and a second voltage reference, having a differential pair of input transistors receiving respective differential signals and a pair of bias transistors, as well as an output-buffer circuit portion coupled to the cell by means of at least a supplementary parallel branch of transistors. This stage also comprises an additional circuit block, able to output the absolute value of an input current, inserted between a node of the differential cell of the input stage and a node of the supplementary branch in order to add the absolute value of a portion of the signal current to the differential cell bias current.

Abstract: Described herein are a molecular memory obtained using DNA strand molecular switches and carbon nanotubes, and a manufacturing method thereof. In particular, the nonvolatile memory is manufactured according to an architecture that envisages the use of carbon nanotubes as electrical connectors and DNA strands as physical means on which to write the information. In other words, the nonvolatile memory is made by means of a set of molecular DNA strand switches, the addressing of which is controlled by molecular wires made up of carbon nanotubes.

Abstract: A sensing circuit for a semiconductor memory comprising a circuit branch intended to be electrically coupled to a memory bit line having connected thereto a memory cell to be sensed. A bit line precharge circuit is provided, for precharging the memory bit line to a predetermined potential in a precharge phase of a memory cell sensing operation. An evaluation circuit is associated with the memory bit line for evaluating an electric quantity developing on the memory bit line during an evaluation phase of the memory cell sensing operation; the electric quantity that develops on the memory bit line is indicative of an information content of the memory cell. The bit line precharge circuit is adapted to both charging and discharging the memory bit line, so that the predetermined bit line potential is reached irrespective of a memory bit line initial potential at the beginning of the precharge phase.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a photoreceiver, including sequentially laminating a buffer layer, a channel layer, a barrier layer, and a cap layer on a substrate; forming a mesa for HEMT and MSM PD by removing the buffer layer, the channel layer, the barrier layer, and the cap layer with the exception of a region corresponding to HEMT and MSM PD; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode of HEMT; removing the cap layer from a region corresponding to a gate electrode of HEMT and a Schottky electrode of MSM PD; forming the gate electrode of HEMT and the Schottky electrode of HEMT on the cap layer-removed region; and removing the cap layer, the barrier layer and the channel layer from a region corresponding to an optical waveguide, to expose the optical waveguide.