Abstract: An internal combustion engine has a plurality of cylinders, and each cylinder has at least one first and one second exhaust port with associated respective first and second exhaust valves. At least one first and one second exhaust manifold are flow-connected to the respective first and second exhaust ports. A turbo unit for supercharging the charge air delivered to the cylinders comprises at least one first and one second exhaust gas turbine respectively flow connected to the first and the second exhaust manifolds. An exhaust gas chamber flow-connects the first and the second exhaust manifolds upstream of the exhaust gas turbines. The first and second exhaust valves can be deactivated/activated during operation. A throttle valve in the exhaust gas chamber may assume a closed position in order to separate the first and the second exhaust manifolds. A method of operating includes opening and closing different valves at different engine speeds.

Abstract: A nozzle, comprising a housing; and an assembly including at least two deformable conjugated parts separated by a spacer seal, the assembly being arranged in the housing so as to form a nozzle outlet, the housing and the parts and the spacer seal being deformable so as to define a geometry of the nozzle outlet and seal surfaces between the parts and the spacer seal and between the parts and the housing; wherein the parts and the spacer seal are configured so that a force needed for inserting the assembly into the housing exceeds an assembly force that deforms of at least one of the housing and the assembly, and wherein the parts and the housing are deformed by the assembly force when assembled together to create a seal between the parts and the housing; and wherein the housing is fabricated from material having a lower hardness than the parts and the spacer seal.

Abstract: A clock transfer device is designed to perform long-distance transfer of a reference clock, which is generated based on a high-precision frequency standard, toward a remote place. The clock transfer device includes a first mode-locked laser for generating a first optical pulse train having a first repetition frequency and a first wavelength, and a second mode-locked laser for generating a second optical pulse train having a second repetition frequency and a second wavelength. The first optical pulse train is introduced into a resonator of the second mode-locked laser via a wavelength multiplexing coupler so that the second repetition frequency is passively synchronized with the first repetition frequency; then, the second optical pulse train is transmitted via a single mode fiber.

Abstract: Disclosed is a topographic measurement system wherein at least one satellite is used to scan the earth surface and send picture frames of a target area captured at different positions to an earth station. The picture frames are combined to produce a number of pairs of frames which constitute a stereoscopic image of the target area. Each frame pair is analyzed according to a number of visual characteristics and evaluated with a set of fitness values representative of the degrees of fitness of the frame pair to topographic measurement of the target area. A total of the fitness values is obtained from each frame pair and compared with the total values of other frame pairs. A frame pair having the highest total value is selected as a best pair. A parallax between the best pair frames is determined to produce first and second sets of line-of-sight vectors for conversion to topographic data.

Abstract: The collector or anode of a non-punch through IGBT formed in a float zone silicon wafer is formed by a P doped amorphous silicon layer deposited on the back surface of an ultra thin wafer. A DMOS structure is formed on the top surface of the wafer before the bottom structure is formed. A back contact is formed over the amorphous silicon layer. No alloy step is needed to activate the anode defined by the P type amorphous silicon.

Abstract: An ultrasonic treatment device comprises a handpiece having an ultrasonic transducer and a long axial probe whose base end is connected with the transducer. The device further comprises a tubular inner sheath covering the probe and an outer sheath covering the inner sheath with a predetermined annular space left therebetween. The space between the sheaths is used as a suction path for mist. For the suction, the device further comprises a base-end sealing member made of an elastic material, disposed on a base-end side of the outer sheath and engaged detachably with the inner sheath to seal a gap formed with the inner sheath. A suction unit is disposed on the base-end side of the outer sheath. The suction unit sucks in mist to be generated when ultrasonic treatment is performed, through the suction path, and discharged outside.

Abstract: A positioning stage that can prevent an excessive force from being imparted to a positioned wafer, a bump forming apparatus equipped with such a positioning stage, and a bump forming method performed using such a positioning stage are provided. A biasing member that biases a wafer towards a positioning member has a contact surface that substantially faces a wafer-holding surface at an angle. The contact surface is in contact with an outer peripheral area of the wafer so as to bias the wafer slantwise towards the wafer-holding surface. With a resiliently deformable member, the positioning member is brought into contact with the wafer and is held at a predetermined position. When a bias force exceeding a predetermined magnitude is imparted to the positioning member, the resiliently deformable member becomes resiliently deformed so as to allow the positioning member to recede from the predetermined position.

Abstract: A wafer containing a plurality of die separated by streets which are to be sawn has a nitride passivation layer which has openings over die contact locations and gaps leaving nitride strips along the streets. The gaps in the nitride along the streets expose an oxide, preferably TEOS. A nickel/gold plate contact material overlies the nitride layer and contacts the exposed die contact areas but does not adhere to either the nitride surface or the oxide surfaces. A saw blade can then cut along the streets without being gummed by the metalizing and without producing cracks which propagate into the die termination areas.

Abstract: A substrate treating apparatus for drying substrates by moving the substrates out of a treating liquid into a solvent atmosphere.

Abstract: A hermetically sealed AlN housing for power semiconductor die has a rectangular bottom surrounded by a peripheral wall. Spaced conductive plating sections on the top of the bottom section are connected by conductive vias to conductive plated sections on the bottom to enable surface mounting of the device. A ceramic lid is hermetically sealed over the top of the rectangular wall.

Abstract: A Bi-based oxide superconductor thin film whose c-axis is oriented parallel to the substrate and whose a-axis (or b-axis) is oriented perpendicular to the substrate, is manufactured in order to obtain a high performance layered Josephson junction using a Bi-based oxide superconductor. The method of manufacturing an a-axis oriented Bi-based oxide superconductor thin film, involves an epitaxial growth process using an LaSrAlO4 single crystal substrate of a (110) plane or a LaSrGaO4 single crystal substrate of a (110) plane, for which the lattice constant matches well with a (100) plane of a Bi-2223 oxide superconductor. By this method, rather than the normally easily obtained Bi-2212, an a-axis oriented film of Bi-2223 showing an extremely high superconductive transition temperature even for a Bi-based oxide superconductor can be selectively manufactured.

Abstract: A ballast control circuit for driving at least one gas discharge lamp in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes a high side driver operable to provide a high side driving signal to a high side switch of a half bridge controlled by the ballast control circuit, wherein the high side driving signal indicates a preferred duty cycle for the high side switch, a low side driver operable to provide a low side driving signal to a low side switch of the half bridge, wherein the low side driving signal indicates a preferred duty cycle for the low side switch and a dead time control circuit operable to provide a dead time signal that indicates a dead time during which both the high side and low side switches are turned OFF, wherein the dead time is set based on a value of an external dead time resistor.

Abstract: A collection of data processing algorithms which, used in concert, are suitable for use in place of a high pass filter stage in an eddy current inspection system and provide for a system optimized to inspect test pieces for elongated defects running parallel to the scan axis. The algorithms use mathematical techniques to eliminate baseline impedance offset between test pieces, correct for offset drift during a scan, and allow for system balancing using only a set of test pieces of unknown quality.

Abstract: As a substrate transportation robot transports an unprocessed substrate W to a substrate transfer position P1, inert gas ejected from a substrate floating head 71 toward the bottom surface of the substrate W floats up the unprocessed substrate W. Driven by an actuator 74, the substrate floating head 71 floating up the unprocessed substrate W then moves down. Upon arrival of the unprocessed substrate W at a substrate processing position P3, a bottom rim portion of the substrate W engages with support pins 3, and as the substrate floating head 71 further moves down, the unprocessed substrate W is transferred to and mounted on the support pins 3. The substrate W is thus positioned at the substrate processing position P3, whereby the bottom rim portion of the substrate W and an opposing surface 5b of a spin base 5 are positioned close to each other and opposed against each other.

Abstract: A holder for a panel, such as a light cover in an aircraft, is provided. A mounting section, a shoe receiving section and a pin provide a pin and shoe operation, such that a shoe is slideable onto the shoe receiving section in an open position of the holder, and such that the mounting section and the shoe receiving section are attached to each other by the pin in a closed position for securing the shoe in the holder. A recess or aperture is positioned in the shoe receiving section to receive the pin.

Abstract: A card device includes a card case, a circuit board disposed in the card case, and an antenna rotatably disposed on the outside of the card case. An antenna rotating shaft is disposed on the base end of the antenna and inserted from the outside into the inside of the card case through a through-hole of the card case such that the antenna rotating shaft extends along the surface of the circuit board and is supported within the card case with the inner part of the antenna rotating shaft being spaced apart from the circuit board and the antenna rotating shaft being freely rotatable. A feed terminal having elasticity that urges the feed terminal against the antenna rotating shaft is disposed between the antenna rotating shaft and a part of the circuit board facing the antenna rotating shaft. The feed terminal is fixed to an antenna connection part of a circuit formed on the circuit board facing the antenna rotating shaft. The feed terminal is urged by its elasticity into contact with the antenna rotating shaft.

Abstract: Provided are an electric power generating apparatus for a movement type equipment and a self-generation system having the same. The electric power generating apparatus for a movement type equipment includes: a piezoelectric beam having an end fixed to a movement type equipment and other end with a mass; and a rectifier unit for rectifying and storing electric energy generated due to deformation of the piezoelectric beam. The self-generation system includes: a movement type equipment; and an electric power generating apparatus for a movement type equipment including a piezoelectric beam having an end fixed to a movement type equipment and other end with a mass, and a rectifier unit for rectifying and storing electric energy generated due to deformation of the piezoelectric beam.