Abstract: The present invention comprises a dry cleaning system and method, in which dry cleaning machinery is used in conjunction with a specific solvent which is derived from an organic/inorganic hybrid (organo silicone). Such solvent is used in combination with an organic and/or organo-silicone-based detergent which is specifically tailored for working in conjunction with the solvent to afford optimal cleaning. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises the steps of loading articles into a cleaning basket; agitating the articles in the solvent and detergent composition in which they are immersed; removing most of the solvent and detergent composition; centrifuging the articles; heating the articles and remaining composition and creating vapors, condensing vapors and optionally reducing the pressure to dry the articles, recovering and recycling solvent and removing the articles from the basket after cooling the articles.

Abstract: A chemical-mechanical polishing station having a belt-operated conditioner. The belt-operated conditioner comprises a longitudinal main body, a belt sprinkled with hard particles, and a plurality of rollers. The belt wraps around the external edge of the longitudinal main body and is capable of rotating at a constant speed. The axles of the roller are parallel to each other. Furthermore, all the rollers are positioned within but touching the belt. Consequently, the rollers can rotate when they are driven by the belt. The hard particles sprinkled along the belt are used for scouring the polishing pad so that polishing pad surface can be reconditioned and any residual impurity particles can be removed. The belt-operated conditioner further includes a cleaning device. The cleaning device is used for removing any impurity particles clinging onto the belt when the conditioner is in operation.

Abstract: A cutting interment (10) for use on multi-strand plastic fiber materials. Opposed handles (22a and 22b) on arms (18a and 18b) may be manually operated to close jaws (14a and 14b) with a cavity (42) for crimping. At the base of the cavity (42) are cutting edges (52a), which employ heat from either heating elements (54a and 54b) or an external source to cut and simultaneously cauterize the cut ends. Optional reliefs (44 and 46) may also be provided to contain and focus the heat at the cavity (42) and thus efficiently apply it specifically to the working material.

Abstract: A hollow panel having a cover material bonded thereto includes a first wall having an inner surface and a substantially planar outer surface. A second wall opposes the first wall so as to define a hollow space therebetween and has at least one protrusion formed therein. Each protrusion has a tip which is integrally joined to the inner surface of the first wall to form a double-walled rib bridging the hollow space. The double-walled rib has integrally joined opposing walls such that an outer surface of the second wall is substantially planar. The cover material is bonded to the outer surface of the first wall.

Abstract: A digital cartoon or animation creation process, alternately describable as digital rotoscoping. Images are obtained in digital format by set-up steps (32, 44), image capture steps (34-36 and 46), and image storage (38, 48). The rotoscoping process (10) includes an image to line art rendering sub-process (14) which optionally may be followed by a specialized line art rendering sub-process (16) or a coloring sub-process (18). The line art rendering sub-process (14) includes a series of filters, particularly including a high-pass filter (68) using a gaussian blur convolution matrix. The specialized rendering sub-process (16) has particular use for carrying image regions having particularized detail through into final images in a manner that such detail is not lost, and the coloring sub-process (18) permits creation of colorized final images.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for dry cleaning articles utilizing a siloxane solvent. The system includes a cleaning basket for receiving articles therein and a one or more tanks for containing a siloxane solvent. Coupled between the tank and the cleaning basket is a pump for immersing the articles in the cleaning basket with the siloxane solvent. Also included is a still for distilling the dirty siloxane solvent to recover the pure siloxane solvent. A condenser is coupled to the cleaning basket and/or the still for recovering condensed vapors. For decanting any water in the siloxane solvent received from the condenser, a separator is coupled to the condenser. A fan is coupled to the cleaning basket for circulating air past the condenser, then the heater coils and into the cleaning basket for drying and cooling the articles.

Abstract: A payment method (100) suitable for network (10) transactions in merchandise (12) between purchasers (14) and vendors (18), employing the services of guarantors (16) which issue vouchers (20) for payment. The vendors (18) offer the merchandise (12) on the network (10) as URLs (50), which optionally may include a URL address (52) separated from a URL request (56). The URL (50) or the URL address (52) initially includes the network (10) address of the guarantor (16), and the URL (50) or the URL request (56) specifies particular merchandise (12). By selecting the URL (50) the purchaser (14) is initially taken to the guarantor (16), where the voucher (20) is placed into the URL (50) or the URL request (56) and the network (10) address of the vendor (18) is placed into the URL (50) or the URL address (52).

Abstract: A transistor structure for an ESD protection device, which includes a gate structure constituted by a connecting part and a plurality of protecting parts on a substrate. The protecting parts include a first protecting part and a second protecting part, wherein the first protecting part is located closer to the middle of the gate structure and the second protecting part is located further from the middle of the gate structure. The width of the second protecting part is larger than that of the first protecting part. There are sources and drains alternated with the protecting parts, wherein the sources include a first isolated from the drain by the first protecting part and a second source isolated from the drain by the second protecting part. The substrate junction is connected to the second source with a butting face and a butting contact is located above the butting face to connect the second source and the substrate junction simultaneously.

Abstract: A wafer handling apparatus and method includes a wafer carrier station for supporting a wafer carrier, such as an enclosed pod, that holds one or more wafers. A grounded interface panel is provided between the carrier station and a clean testing or processing environment. A z-movement mechanism moves the carrier station and the wafer carrier in a z-direction. A door opening mechanism removes a door from said carrier through a door opening in the interface panel. A handler mechanism includes a wafer holding device, such as a flat end effector, that moves into the wafer carrier at a separate access opening to load or unload a wafer to or from the wafer carrier. Wafer carriers holding different amounts of wafers can be used with no major structural changes to the apparatus.

Abstract: A fabricating method for a dynamic random access memory capacitor includes the following steps. A cap layer and a spacer are formed on the gate to protect the gate from being etched. A self-aligned contact hole is formed and then the self-aligned contact hole is etched again to form a contact node opening. In this way, the difficulty of forming the contact node opening can be reduced. The method of forming the storage electrode includes forming and patterning a stacked layer, which is formed by several conductive layers and isolation layers interlaced with each other, to form the self-aligned contact hole. A conductive spacer is formed on the sidewall of the stacked layer. The conductive spacer is used as a mask to etch the dielectric layer below the bit line so as to form a contact node opening. The contact opening exposes a source/drain region. A conductive layer is formed to fill the contact node opening. The conductive layer and the staked layer are patterned.

Abstract: A method for forming the dielectric layer of a capacitor. A titanium layer and a tantalum pentoxide layer are sequentially formed over a polysilicon lower electrode. A high-temperature treatment is performed so that titanium in the titanium layer and silicon in the polysilicon lower electrode react to form a titanium silicide layer at their interface. Titanium in the titanium layer also reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere to form a titanium oxide layer at its interface with the tantalum pentoxide layer. The titanium silicide layer, the titanium oxide layer and the tantalum pentoxide layer together constitute a composite dielectric layer with a high dielectric constant capable of increasing the capacitance of the capacitor.

Abstract: A process for producing a field emitter flat display includes providing a supported porous layer of a non-evaporable getter material by depositing the non-evaporable getter material on a substrate followed by sintering the deposited material. The substrate having the porous layer of non-evaporable getter material thereon is then housed in an inner space defined by opposing plates. The inner space is then evacuated and hermetically sealed. The non-evaporable getter material is preferably deposited by preparing a suspension of non-evaporable getter material particles in a suspending medium, coating a surface of a substrate with the suspension by, e.g., spraying, and sintering the coating.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a dry cleaning system and method, in which dry cleaning machinery is used in conjunction with a specific solvent which is derived from an organic/inorganic hybrid (organo silicone). In this class of organo silicones is a group known as cyclic siloxanes. The cyclic siloxanes present the basis for material composition of the solvent chemistry which allows this dry cleaning system to be highly effective. The cyclic-siloxane-based solvent allows the system to result in an environmentally friendly process which is, also, more effective in cleaning fabrics and the like than any known prior system. The siloxane composition is employed in a dry cleaning machine to carry out the method of the invention.

Abstract: A getter pump module includes a number of getter disks provided with axial holes, and a heating element which extends through the holes to support and heat the getter disks. The getter disks are preferably solid, porous, sintered getter disks that are provided with a titanium hub that engages the heating element. A thermally isolating shield is provided to shield the getter disks from heat sources and heat sinks within the chamber, and to aid in the rapid regeneration of the getter disks. In certain embodiments of the present invention the heat shields are fixed, and in other embodiments the heat shield is movable. In one embodiment, a focus shield is provided to reflect thermal energy to the getter material from an external heater element and provide high pumping speeds. An embodiment of the present invention also provides for a rotating getter element to enhance getter material utilization.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a dry cleaning system and method, in which dry cleaning machinery is used in conjunction with a specific solvent which is derived from an organic/inorganic hybrid (organo silicone). In this class of organo silicones is a group known as cyclic siloxanes. Such cyclic-siloxane-based solvent allows the system to result in an environmentally friendly process which is, also, more effective in cleaning fabrics and the like than any known prior system. The siloxane composition is employed in a dry cleaning machine to carry out the method of the invention. In order to enhance the cleaning capabilities of the cyclic-siloxane-based solvent, such solvent is modified with a chemical that is selected from the group of chemicals including 2-ethylhexyl acetate, esters, alchohols, and ethers.

Abstract: A wireless network system includes a server having a server controller and a server radio modem, and a number of clients each including a client controller and a client radio modem. The server controller implements a server process that includes the receipt and the transmission of data packets via the radio modem. The client controllers of each of the clients implements a client process that includes the receipt and transmission of data packets via the client radio modem. The client process of each of the clients initiates, selects, and maintains a radio trasmission path to the server that is either a direct path to the server, or is an indirect path or "link" to the server through at least one of the remainder of the clients.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fabric, consisting of multiple cables and multiple panels, for roofing applications. The cables are arranged in sets of three over the area to be covered, and the panels are suspended between the cable sets to complete the fabric. Specifically, each panel has four attachment points and is suspended between two adjacent cable sets such that it attaches to two of the three cables in each set on either side of it. More specifically, each panel attaches to the middle cable of the two sets on either side, and to the top cable in one set and the bottom cable in the other set. This particular arrangement creates overlapping rows of overlapping panels that viewed from one perspective resembles overlapping shingles on a conventional roof, however, when viewed from another perspective reveals that the individual panels are held apart by the cable sets to allow air and light to diffuse through.

Abstract: An improved method for fabricating an ESD protection device so as to avoid ESD damage to a wafer. The improved method includes simultaneously forming an internal circuit and the ESD protection device without additional photomask or other process. The improved method uses a P.sup.+ doped region to take the place of an N.sup.- doped region of an interchangeable source/drain region with a LDD structure for the ESD protection device, of which its trigger voltage is adjusted by simply varying the P.sup.+ concentration.

Abstract: A sense amplifier circuit for a semiconductor memory device. The sense amplifier of this invention has four more NMOS transistors than a conventional amplifier. The gate terminals of two of the NMOS transistors are connected to a write enable line. The gate terminals of the other two NMOS transistors are connected to a first and a second node point, which are in turn connected to a bit line and a complementary bit line, respectively. Through a feedback circuit provided by these four additional NMOS transistors, two of the NMOS transistors are switched on during a write cycle to provide a ground connection so that voltage level of the sense amplifier is rapidly pulled down. Since the latching speed of the sense amplifier is increased, the operating speed of the memory is increased, as well. In addition, partial writing of data can be avoided.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a capacitor includes formation of a first dielectric layer having a contact hole on a substrate. A conductive layer is formed over the substrate and is electrically coupled with a source/drain region through the contact hole. An isolation layer is formed on the conductive layer. The isolation layer and the conductive layer are patterned to form a patterned isolation layer and a raised region over the contact hole. A first spacer is formed on the sidewall of the patterned isolation layer and the raised region. The patterned isolation layer is removed. The first spacer is used as a mask to etch the conductive layer to form another two sidewalls. The first spacer is removed. Two spacers are formed on the two sidewalls and used as masks. The conductive layer is patterned again to form two raised regions concentrically in shape.