Abstract: A method for making a structure for bonding to a conductive pad on a semiconductor substrate is described. The structure comprises a glassy passivating layer with a thickness of at least 3 microns deposited over the conductive pad. The passivating layer defines an aperture which exposes a portion of the conductive pad. A metal bump covers the portion of the conductive pad exposed in the aperture and further extends over the edges of the glassy passivating layers so as to form a seal between the conductive pad and the glassy passivating layer. A subsequent thermal compression bonding operation on such structure does not cause fractures in the glassy passivating layer due to its thickness.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for efficiently managing the distribution of multiple documents within a data processing system. In many modern data processing systems an intended document recipient may selectively permit one or more alternate recipients to receive documents transmitted to the intended recipient. In accordance with the method of the present invention, a confirmation of delivery status log entry is created upon the transmittal of a document to an intended recipient. Thereafter, the data processing system automatically determines the identity of the actual recipient of the document and generates a confirmation of delivery message which includes an identification of the actual recipient of that document.

Abstract: A structure comprising a layer of polymeric material containing epoxy groups having preselected regions of different degrees of polymerization and different refractive indices; and a method for forming a structure comprising a layer of polymeric material containing epoxy groups having preselected regions of differing degrees of polymerization and differing refractive indices which comprises providing a polymeric material containing epoxy groups on a support and selectively modifying the refractive index in said material.

Abstract: A communication system for transmitting and receiving terahertz signals has a emitter employing a resonant radiating structure connected to an ultrafast switch. The switch is a subpicosecond photoconducting switch coupled to a coplanar transmission line having a pair of approximately 1 micron wide A1 lines deposited on an SOS substrate. The transmission line is separated from the tip of the radiating structure by a photoconducting gap forming the switch and is driven by a laser pulse. Utilizing the gap excitation principle, the transmitting antenna radiates a freely propagating signal that may be received by an identical structure either on the same or on different substrates.

Abstract: A technique for producing a dithered halftoned pattern for reproduction on a binary printer having a limited resolution where the halftoned pattern has a relatively fine screen ruling and, for a given size dither matrix, can depict an increased number of gray levels. Specifically, with this technique, gray level error is propagated from tile to tile and based upon the total gray level value for a current tile, which includes both the gray value for that tile itself and the gray level error propagated thereto, one of a number of different threshold matrices is selected. The selected matrix is then used to generate a dithered halftone pattern within the corresponding tile in an output halftoned image in order to depict a desired intermediate gray level in a corresponding area of that image. The threshold matrices produce corresponding dither patterns that illustratively differ by one darkened pel.

Abstract: A centrifugal fan includes a brushless d.c. motor, an impeller mounted on the motor and a scroll on which the motor is mounted. The scroll defines the air inlet and outlet and has an outer wall curved around the impeller to define a divergent air flow path. By truncating the scroll at the outlet substantially to eliminate any flat portions on the outer wall susceptible to mechanical vibrations at frequencies excited by the d.c. motor, a noise reduction is achieved. Further noise reduction may be achieved by resiliently mounting the motor on the scroll.

Abstract: An impact printer is described which includes a shock wave generator means, a print hammer, and a solid wave guide interposed between the shock wave generator and print hammer. The solid wave guide acts to transmit a shock wave from the shock wave generator to the print hammer to cause its movement towards a substrate upon which printing is to occur. In a preferred embodiment, the shock wave generator comprises a piezoelectric or electrostrictive actuator, which actuator is held in compression by a frame that prevents any substantial longitudinal movement thereof. In a further preferred embodiment, circuitry is connected to the actuator for detecting, after an actuation, the return of the hammer into contact with the solid wave guide. In response to that detection, the circuitry provides a signal which enables operation of the shock wave generator.

Abstract: A method for selectively accessing a particular one of a plurality of computer applications which are simultaneously active and displayed in a plurality of overlapping viewports or windows in a multi-tasking system. User inputs to the system are monitored to determine the position of a cursor within a window or the location of an attempted data input to a window and the particular window thus selected is displayed unencumbered by promoting it to the uppermost display position in accordance with the state of a display attribute associated with that window. Thereafter, the display attribute is utilized to determine whether or not the selected window returns to its previous display position or remains in the uppermost display position in response to the movement of the cursor or the attempt by a user to input data into a second selected window.

Abstract: Block copolymers of polyimide and poly (phenylquinoxaline) have been synthesized. They are useful, particularly as dielectric layers in thin film multilayer structures. The most preferred embodiments are formed from polyimides which are those from pyromellitic dianhydride and oxydianiline. The most preferred poly (phenylquinoxaline) is a monofunctional oligomer, which yields the best microstructure.

Abstract: A silicon-modified organic surface is roughened by treatment with an oxygen containing plasma. If necessary the organic surface may be silicon-modified by treatment with a silicon containing material prior to plasma treatment. The roughened organic surface provides improved adhesion to other organic surfaces and to deposited metals. Improvements in methods for laminating organic surfaces and for depositing metals on organic surfaces which achieve improved adhesion are disclosed. Structures comprising laminated organic layers of metal deposited on organic surfaces which provide improved adhesion between the organic layers or between the metal and the organic surface are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention comprises the use of a copper/nickel containing alloy composition or application of a protective nickel alloy coating to copper current-carrying leads to prevent electrolytic migration between tape automated bonding (TAB) package leads.

Abstract: Disclosed is a multilayer circuit package having a buried thin film capacitor. The circuit package includes at least a power core, a ground core, a first signal core, a second signal core, and the integral, buried, thin film capacitor. The integral, buried, thin film capacitor serves to capacitively couple the first and second signal cores. Structurally, the first signal core includes at least one first wire that terminates in at least one first electrode, while the second signal core includes at least one second wire that terminates in at least one second electrode. At least a portion of the first electrode overlays at least a portion of the first electrode overlays at least a portion of the second electrode and is separated therefrom by a thin film of a dielectric material. The first electrode, the second electrode, and the thin film of dielectric material define the integral buried capacitor. The thin film capacitor is prepared by thin film methodology, with epitaxial deposition of the dielectric.

Abstract: A method of simultaneously displaying day calendar information in first and second view ports, each of which displays it's calendar data in a different format. The information in the two simultaneously displayed view ports is functionally interrelated to provide an improved interactive user interface.The first viewport has a time structured format which displays a sequence of predesignated time slots, each of which represents a fixed period of time, such as 30 minutes. Each time slot is allocated to one display line in the viewport. If the number of time slots allocated between the beginning and end of a calendar day is greater than the number of display lines in the viewport, then the information is scrollable so that the entire day may be viewed by the operator. The first viewport also includes at least one column that is used to display a vertical busy bar adjacent to a time slot which indicates that the slot is already scheduled.

Abstract: Units of data (data sets, data bases, etc.) are allocated data storage space in a data storage system based on implicit analysis of the unit of data. A plurality of data classes, each defining predetermined characterisitics of diverse units of data, are established for the data storage system. A plurality of storage classes, each defining predetermined sets of storage performance and availability requirements are established for the data storage system. A plurality of management classes, each defining respective diverse sets of life cycle attributes for units of data are established for the data storage system. A plurality of storage groups, each defining diverse predetermined performance device and management available in the data storage system but independently of the individual storage devices of the data storage system are established. The devices are selectively assigned to different ones of the established storage groups.

Abstract: A carry select adder may be used in which carry inputs to ripple adder stages are not fixed. The adder stage determines which of the two ripple adders of that stage has output the correct sum while the variable carry input is equal to a given value. Then the variable carry input value is switched to a different value and the adder stage determines the correct output sum from the other ripple adder. The adder performs self-checking by comparing these two sums to ensure that the output sum is accurate.

Abstract: A telecommunication system performs multihop TASI over every hop with a single instance of speech activity detection for each voice call. The system utilizes a Time-Space-Time circuit switch interposed between an input and an output trunk. The input time stage is configured to collect call samples from the input trunk and to map the physical slots associated with the samples to the switch slots of the conventional space switch portion of the circuit switch portion of the circuit switch. In-b signalling of the active state of a switch slot is provided by the input time stage to the output time stage via the space switch. The output time stage is configured to assign physical slots on the outgoing trunk to active switch slots and to discard inactive switch slots.

Abstract: A line-adapter of a communications controller includes, for scanning the teleprocessing lines connected to it, cyclic scanning means FES exchanging information with the lines through a serial bidirectional link on which data and control informations are partitioned into frames and slots. Since both the FES and the serial link work with their own timings, an interface FESA is provided to adapt the FES scanning to the serial link structure. This FESA includes temporary storage means for storing on the one hand, data and control information transmitted from the LICs to the FES (10) through the inbound serial link, and on the other hand, data and control information transmitted from the FES to the LICs through the outbound serial link. The access of the FES, the outbound and inbound serial link to the storage means is time-shared and granted by an arbitration logic, according to the relative priorities of operation of said elements within the line-adapter of the communications controller.

Abstract: A method to maintain all of the information that is originally displayed in a window on the display screen in an interactive information handling system, as the size of the window is decreased. A plurality of character sets which have different appropriate width and height attributes are stored in the system. When the size of the window is decreased, a stored character set is selected based on the amount that the window is decreased. Characters from the selected set are then substituted for the corresponding text characters originally displayed. Since the selected character set contains proportionally smaller characters no information is lost. The method allows the operator to dynamically vary the window size, after the initial window has been displayed, by operator action, such as by movement of a mouse. Movement of the mouse in a generally horizontal direction with the button in the held position causes the horizontal window size to decrease.

Abstract: Voice signals amplified in a programmable gain, programmable bandwidth subsystem are digitized and buffered and the digitized signals are transferred over a dedicated high speed bus to a speech processor, thus relieving the speech processor and its resident host of the overhead of high data rate transfers and permitting a relatively low capacity computer to accomplish voice recognition on a real time basis.

Abstract: A method is described which permits a user of an Intelligent Work Station (IWS) in an SNA type network in which communication with the host processor employs LU 6.2 advanced program to program protocols and in which the host processor does not assign a dedicated virtual machine to the user during the period the user is active on the system, to notify the system of the user's current terminal address so that distributed applications programs having component parts distributed at the host and the IWS may be executed. When resident counterpart programs of distributed applications are executed by assigning each LU 6.2 conversation to an idle virtual machines from a preestablished pool of virtual machines created by the host processor, rather than to a dedicated virtual machine, the prior art methods that are based on associating the current address of the user with the address of the dedicated virtual are no longer operable.