Abstract: A method for manufacturing a mask (100) for use in x-ray photolithographic processes includes the step of coating a silicon wafer (10) with a layer of boron nitride (12). A masking substance (14) is used to coat one side of the boron nitride coated wafer, and the boron nitride is etched off of the other side of the wafer. The wafer (10) is then bonded to a pyrex ring (16) using a field assisted thermal bonding process. During the field assisted thermal bonding process, the silicon (11) is bonded directly to the pyrex (16). Then, a zirconium layer (24) is used to cover the mask and is selectively etched where it is desired to remove a circular portion of the silicon. Thereafter the silicon is subjected to a semianisotropic etch. The remaining structure includes a pyrex ring bonded to a silicon ring across which a layer of boron nitride is stretched. The layer of boron nitride is subjected to an annealing process and is then coated with an x-ray opaque material.

Abstract: A magnetic recording member with a thin metallic antifriction protection overcoat formed over a magnetic layer. The overcoat is soft ductile and low stress and includes a metal selected from the group consisting of palladium, platinum, silver, gold, cadmium, indium, tin and lead or an alloy of one or more of these metals, and may include less than 20 percent by weight of antimony, bismuth, thallium or copper to improve wear resistance or impede corrosion. In one preferred embodiment the antifriction overcoat is an alloy of silver, lead and antimony formed with N layers where 10.ltoreq.N.ltoreq.40. The even layers are richer in a selected metal of the alloy than the odd layers in order to produce adjacent layers with different lattice or microstructural and associated mechanical properties so that there tends to be parallel shear between adjacent layers under shearing stress of head impact or friction.

Abstract: A series biasing arrangement for a pair of junction field effect transistors (JFETs), which may be used in RF amplifiers, mixers or oscillators, comprises connecting the JFETs together in series, with the gates of the two JFETs selectively connected to different reference potentials. The first FET is also connected to the DC voltage source. In one embodiment of the invention, two operational amplifiers, whose output leads are connected to the gates of corresponding JFETs have their noninverting input leads connected to selected points on a voltage divider made up of three resistors and their inverting input leads each connected to the source of a corresponding JFET. The drain to source voltage drops across the JFETs are controlled solely by the values of two of the resistors in the three resistor voltage divider. The bias current through the series-connected JFETs can be controlled independently of the drain to source voltage drops across each of the JFETs.

Abstract: Apparatus for determining the dielectric constant of a fluid as a measure of possible contaminants therein. A reference fluid sample having a known dielectric constant is first placed in a capacitive dielectric sensor and then the fluid to be analyzed is placed in the sensor. By comparing the measured values, an indication is provided of the degree of contamination of the analyzed fluid.

Abstract: A laser beam processing robot having a multi-joint arm assembly includes a main body, which is provided to be movable along a predetermined straight line, and a multi-joint arm assembly mounted on the main body. The assembly includes a first arm which is rotatably coupled to its base portion through a first joint, which, in turn, is fixedly mounted on the main body. The assembly also includes an optical system which defines an optical path for a laser beam. The first joint is provided with a first through-hole which extends in parallel with the predetermined straight line and through which a laser beam supplied from a source is passed to be guided into the optical path of the assembly. Moreover, optical elements of the optical system are arranged on both sides of the assembly so that repair and maintenance of the optical system is facilitated.

Abstract: A power supply (100) includes a first lead (12) for receiving an input voltage (Vin) and an inductor (L1) and a switching transistor (Q1) coupled in series between the input lead and ground. The node (N1) between the inductor (L1) and switching transistor (Q1) is coupled through a diode (D1) to an output terminal (14). When the switching transistor is on current flow causes energy to be stored in the inductor. When the switching transistor turns off, the energy stored in the inductor is provided to a load (RL) coupled to the output terminal. The on-time of the transistor is controlled by a comparator (20) which receives a first voltage (V3) proportional to the current through the switching transistor and a second voltage (V4). The second voltage decreases linearly with respect to time at a rate dependent on the difference between the voltage at the output terminal (Vout) and a reference voltage (Vref).

Abstract: An encoding interface is provided between input data ports and strobe output ports of a (semiconductor integrated) circuit (chip) and an array of switches (40) is connected to a series of L input data lines and output lines (31-38), whereby the L lines can alternatively strobe the switch matrix to determine the (50) position of each switch. By having each line function either as an input line or an output line at a particular instant of time, the number of switches being served by a fixed number of total input and output lines is increased. For example, with eight total lines 28 switches are accommodated when the lines function either as input or output lines while when four separate lines are dedicated as input lines and four other lines dedicated as output lines only 16 switches are accommodated. In a further embodiment using two switches and a pair of oppositely disposed diodes at each cross point in the matrix the number of switches can be doubled (to 56 with eight dual input/output lines).

Abstract: A fluidized bed heater for uniformly raising the surface temperature of semiconductor wafers. The heater includes a mantle having at least one planar surface for supporting wafers, a bed of particles adjacent the mantle which is fluidized by passing a gas through the particle bed, and a bed heater which heats the bed particles to a uniform temperature so that wafers supported on the planar surface are heated to a uniform temperature. A reactor is also described which contains a reactor chamber for processing semiconductor wafers and a fluidized bed heater for uniformly heating semiconductor wafers in the reactor chamber.

Abstract: Apparatus for adhesively affixing together flaps of a container box includes a conveyor belt on which the box is carried, a glue applicator for applying glue to at least one of the flaps, a main flap folding unit for folding the flaps together during normal operation and an auxiliary flap folding unit which is held inoperative during normal operation but which is set in operation when the conveyor belt is brought to a halt.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a mask for use in x-ray photolithography starts with the step of coating the first and second sides of a silicon wafer (100) with a boron nitride layer (102). The first side of the wafer (100) is coated with a polyimide layer (104) which serves as a primary x-ray transparent layer for supporting a subsequently deposited x-ray opaque material. The first and second sides of the wafer (100) are then covered with a second boron nitride layer (106). The second side of the wafer (100) is then bonded to a support structure such as a pyrex ring (108). A portion of the first and second boron nitride layers (102, 106) is then removed thus exposing a portion of the underlying silicon substrate (101). The exposed portion of the silicon substrate is then removed thus leaving a ring which supports an x-ray transparent membrane comprising the first boron nitride layer (102), the polyimide layer (104) and the second boron nitride layer (106).

Abstract: Circuitry is provided for testing fusible link arrays for short circuits around the fusible links. Each link is electrically isolated and compared with a pair of reference fusible links to detect the presence or absence of a short circuit.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a mask for use in x-ray photolithography includes the steps of coating a set of wafers (20) with boron nitride (22). The tension in the boron nitride is measured by using a capacitive probe (26) to measure bowing in a set of test wafers. The remaining wafers are attached to a pyrex ring (28), and the boron nitride is removed from one side of the wafers. A circular hole is then etched in the wafer, and a layer of tantalum (32) and gold (34) are formed on the remaining boron nitride membrane. The gold (34) is patterned via a sputter etching process. Power is reduced at the end of the sputter etching process slowly to reduce mechanical stress in the mask. The tantalum (32) is then etched via a reactive ion etching process. In this way, an x-ray transparent boron nitride membrane is used to support x-ray opaque gold.

Abstract: A photovoltaic relay which includes a unique pull down circuit for rapidly turning off the relays field effect transistor(s). The pull down circuit discharges the gate-to-source capacitance of the relay's field effect transistors by turning on a thyristor by turning off a light-activated switch connected between the gate and the cathode terminals of the thyristor. In one integrated circuit embodiment, the light-activated switch is energized by the same light source which activates the photodiode stack which drives the relay. The presence of the pull down circuit does not effect the turn on time of the relay.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for manufacturing a hollow plastic product is provided. In accordance with one aspect, into a mold half having a tubular groove portion and a projecting groove portion which projects outwardly from the tubular groove section is supplied a parison into the tubular groove portion and a clump of molding material into the projecting groove portion. When blow molding is carried out by introducing a pressurized gas into the parison, the clump becomes integrated with the parison thereby providing a hollow plastic product of unitary structure. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a parison extrusion nozzle is provided with at least two passages each of which is connected, preferably through a valve, to a corresponding dispensing unit for dispensing a desired molding material. A control unit is provided as connected to each of the dispensing units to control the supply of molding material so that there is obtained a parison having regions of different molding materials.

Abstract: Desired control of the thickness and composition of a solder coat on the J-leads of an integrated circuit Quad package is obtained by orienting the packages while being solder coated in a "leads-up" orientation as a series of strips mounting the packages are passed through a solder wave of a wave soldering apparatus on a pallet. The Quad or other shaped integrated circuit or other electronic packages which have leads extending exteriorly thereof, thus have the critical lead crest portions coated with substantially the same solder layer thickness and composition. This permits reliable electrical connections between the crest portions of the leads and printed circuit board metal traces (metallization), particularly in surface mounting of the package to a printed circuit board. An additional feature of the invention is a pallet for holding a series of package-holding elongate frames which pallet is used for conveying the packages through the wave soldering apparatus.

Abstract: A linear motion rolling contact bearing assembly includes a trough-shaped bed, a trough-shaped table which straddles the bed, a plurality of balls interposed between the table and the bed for providing a relative motion between the table and the bed along the longitudinal direction of the assembly, and a retainer for retaining the balls in position. The retainer includes an elongated plate provided with a plurality of holding holes for holding the balls in position and at least one side projection which projects sideways from the plate so as to maintain the retainer in its intended position. Preferably, the top and bottom side projections are provided on both sides of the plate so that the retainer has an I-shaped cross section. The retainer is also preferably provided with one or more tabs provided around each of the holding holes so as to securely hold the balls in position. The side projections may be provided also in the form of a plurality of dots.

Abstract: A ball spline bearing assembly includes an outer, hollow cylinder, a guide shaft which extends through the cylinder and a plurality of balls interposed between the splined, opposite surfaces of the cylinder and the shaft. The cylinder is provided with an end member formed with a required number of connection passages at each end, so that two adjacent guide passages defined between the splined, opposite surfaces of the cylinder and the shaft are connected by the connection passage at each end thereby defining an endless path along which the balls can roll indefinitely. A tubular-shaped ball retainer is interposed between the shaft and the cylinder and is formed with a plurality of elongated windows. The ball retainer serves to keep the balls in rolling contact with both the cylinder and the shaft in a set of alternate straight guide passages; however in the other set of alternate straight guide passages they are in rolling contact with either the cylinder or the shaft.

Abstract: Means are provided for replacing a defective row (or column) of memory in a fuse-array PROM which comprises disabling the defective row and programming a redundant row to respond to the address of the defective row. Means are also provided for reducing the swing between high and low address voltages.The redundant row is connected via an AND gate through fuses to all ADDRESS and ADDRESS lines of the address buffer, so that the redundant row is always off until programmed. If a defective row is found, all memory cells in the defective row are disabled and the redundant row is programmed by selectively blowing fuses leading to the ADDRESS and ADDRESS lines thus causing the redundant row to respond to the address of the defective row.

Abstract: A system for aligning a semiconductor wafer with a mask bearing a pattern to be formed on the wafer, in which both the wafer and the mask bear an alignment mark, and in which light used for alignment is filtered to transmit only in a selected bandwidth, uses a reflector system to gather light reflected from edges of the alignment mark on the wafer. In order to minimize the effect of erroneous alignment signals from standing waves generated when the alignment signal is reflected from a wafer coated with a layer of photoresist, a second filter is placed in the path of light after it has reflected from the target. This second filter transmits a range of the reflected light which does not produce standing waves.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for reducing the information needed to communicate graphical information of high quality from one point to another in a system which provides codes describing graphical characters to represent portions of an image. Like characters of a standard size which frequently appear in adjacent strings, for example to represent the background of a graphical picture, are replaced with larger characters of carefully selected size having the repetitive pattern of the standard character. Sending larger characters greatly reduces the time and information needed to reproduce a graphical image.