Abstract: A synthetic ground covering that is designed to replicate mulch, lava rocks, flag stones, sand, pebbles, straw, and other natural ground coverings. The ground covering is preferably fabricated from rubber or latex and is produced in rolls that measure fifty (50) feet long and eight (8) to twelve (12) feet wide, with the roll being unrolled like a section of carpet. The ground covering could be cut to conform to the shape of the landscape or designed to fit around trees, poles, and other obstructions. Furthermore, the border would be flexible to allow it to fit within confined spaces or enclosures.

Abstract: A flexible graphite sheet exhibiting enhanced isotropy is provided. In addition, an apparatus, system and method for continuously producing a resin-impregnated flexible graphite sheet is also provided.

Abstract: A curable composition comprising: component (A), which is an aliphatic organic compound including at least two carbon-carbon double bonds within one molecule, the at least two carbon-carbon double bonds having reactivity with an SiH group; component (B), which is a compound including at least two SiH groups within one molecule; and component (C), which is a hydrosilylation catalyst. The curable composition can be made into an optical material by being previously mixed so as to allow the carbon-carbon double bonds having reactivity with an SiH group to react with some or all of the SiH groups in the composition, thereby causing curing. There is provided a curable composition having a high heat-resistance, a low birefringence, a small coefficient of photoelasticity, a high optical transparency, and toughness; an optical material; a method for producing the same; and a liquid crystal display device incorporating the same.

Abstract: Layered composite materials which comprises a substrate made from a thermoplastic polymer, and comprise an intermediate layer arranged thereupon and a decorative layer applied to the intermediate layer, where the decorative layer is composed of a chromed metal. A heat-cured layer may moreover be applied to the decorative layer. Layered composite materials of this type are suitable, inter alia, as reflecting or insulating parts of household devices or of moldings in the electrical, construction or automotive industry.

Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for mixing precursors such that a mixture of precursors are present together in a chamber during a single pulse step in an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process to form a multi-component film. The precursors are comprised of at least one different chemical component, and such different components will form a mono-layer to produce a multi-component film. In a further aspect of the present invention, a dielectric film having a composition gradient is provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing an optical compensating sheet, comprising a step of simultaneously coating at least two coating solutions on a transparent support, wherein at least one of the coating solutions simultaneously coated in that step contains a liquid crystalline compound and another coating solution contains a surface active agent; an optical compensating sheet obtained by this method; an optical film comprising a support having thereon an optically anisotropic layer formed containing a liquid crystalline compound and a fluoroaliphatic group-containing copolymer containing a repeating unit derived from a fluoroaliphatic group-containing (meth)acrylate monomer and a repeating unit derived from a polyoxyalkylene (meth)acrylate monomer; and a polarizing plate and a liquid crystal display device each using the optical compensating sheet or optical film.

Abstract: A cellulose acylate film that has: an in-plane retardation Re and a retardation Rth in a thickness direction at a wavelength of 590 nm, which are satisfied with ranges of expressions (I) to (III); a coefficient of a thermal expansion of from 20 ppm/° C. to 100 ppm/° C.; and a haze of from 0.01 to 0.8, and a polarizing plate and a display device using the same. 20?Re?50??Expression (I) 70?Rth?200??Expression (II) 1.0?Rth/Re?3.0??Expression (III) In the foregoing expressions, each of Re and Rth is a value at 25° C. and 60% RH, and has a unit of nm.

Abstract: An electroplated film is deposited over a substrate with a plating frame pattern that includes a plating field defined by a plurality of individual features. By dividing the plating field into a plurality of individual features, the delamination force at any location on the plating field is greatly reduced. Thus, a film with a large stress, such as a high moment film, may be plated to a greater thickness than is possible with conventionally plated films.

Abstract: An item made of wear resistant material, the item, in certain aspects, made by a method including forming a mass of wear resistant material, the wear resistant material comprising at least one element from the group consisting of arsenic, antimony, cerium and bismuth, wherein the at least one element is present by weight as between 0.01% to 0.0001% of a total weight of the wear resistant material, wherein the wear resistant material includes by weight percent chromium 29.10-30.00%; nickel 5.00-6.00%; titanium 1.00-2.10%; boron 3.00-3.90%; silicon 1.00-2.10%; manganese 1.10-2.00%; iron-balance.

Abstract: A nanoscale lithographic method in which a reusable conductive mask, having a pattern of conductive surfaces and insulating surfaces, is positioned upon a substrate whose surface contains an electrically responsive resist layer over a buried conductive layer. When an electric field is applied between the conductive mask and buried conductive layer, the resist layer is altered in portions adjacent the conductive areas of the mask. Selective processing is performed on the surface of the substrate, after mask removal, to remove portions of the resist layer according to the pattern transferred from the mask. The substrate may be a target substrate, or the substrate may be utilized for a lithographic masking step of another substrate. In one aspect of the invention the electrodes to which the charge is applied are divided, such as into a plurality of rows and columns wherein any desired pattern may be created without the need to fabricate specific masks.

Abstract: A plasma processing method using a spectroscopic processing unit which includes separating spectrally plasma radiation emitted from a vacuum process chamber into component spectra, converting the component spectra into a time series of analogue electric signals composed of different wavelength components at a predetermined period, adding together analogue signals of the different wavelength components, converting a plurality of added signals into digital quantities on a predetermined-period basis, digitally adding together the plurality of added and converted signals a plural number of times on a plural-signal basis, determining discriminatively an end point of a predetermined plasma process on the basis of a signal resulting from the digital addition step, and terminating the predetermined plasma process.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a nanocomposite material includes generating nanoparticles in-situ with a polymer. A nanocomposite material includes a polymer having nanoparticles characterized by a dimension of not more than 50 nm.

Abstract: The present invention provides a surface-modified resist pattern which contains a resist pattern having low etch resistance by itself but having a modified and etch-resistant surface and is suitable for fine and high-definition patterning, and a method for efficiently forming the same. The method forms a surface-modified resist pattern having an etch-resistant surface by selectively depositing an organic compound on a resist pattern. The deposition is preferably carried out by using plasma of a gas. The method preferably includes arranging the organic compound so as to face the resist pattern, the organic compound having been deposited on a base material, and depositing the organic compound onto the resist pattern. The plasma of the gas is preferably introduced from an opposite side of the base material to the organic compound deposited thereon.

Abstract: A method is disclosed by means of which contact holes (K1), (K2) and (K3), leading to integrated components can be produced with just one structuring mask, whereby contact holes (K1) and (K3) lead to contact regions (25e, 45e) in the substrate (5) and contact holes (K2) lead to contact regions (35c, 50c) located on layer stacks (35, 50). An auxiliary layer is used for the etching of contact holes (K1), (K2), (K3), which covers a part of the contact holes and thus serves as a selection mask. The auxiliary layer can be structured with a low-resolution lithography in comparison with the mask, such that only one single high-resolution lithography is necessary for the formation of all contact holes (K1), (K2), (K3). The method is particularly suitable for the simultaneous production of contact holes for transistors in the cell field and the logic field of a DRAM.

Abstract: A thermal barrier coating comprises a bond coating 12 made of high temperature corrosion resistance superior to a substrate 11 and a thermal barrier coating 13 made of ZrO2 series ceramics formed on the bond coating. The thermal barrier coating has cracks extending in the direction of the thickness of the barrier coat. Substantially all of the tips of the cracks have a distance between the tips and the boundary at the substrate side.

Abstract: The invention relates to a spray powder for coating a substrate (2), in particular for coating a bearing part (2) of a bearing apparatus, the spray powder having at least the following composition: zinc=5% to 30% by weight, tin=1% to 10% by weight, silicon=0.1% to 3% by weight, aluminum=0.1% to 7% by weight, iron=0.01% to 2% by weight, manganese=0.01% to 4% by weight, cobalt=0.01 to 3% by weight, copper=the balance to 100% in % by weight.

Abstract: An ergonomic floormat has particular utility as a surgical mat to decrease musculoskeletal fatigue in humans during prolonged static postural stress, as occurs during standing. The floormat is constructed in a laminated fashion utilizing bubble shaped closed cellular materials, closed cellular polyethylene foam materials and/or closed cellular polypropylene foam materials. The design provides an ergonomically, non-compressible mat, which offers high support and high Indent Force Deflection. In a preferred embodiment, the mat is designed for single use only and is completely disposable. Additional features of the mat include being water repellant, anti-static and an anti-skid bottom surface of a low-tack, adhesive material to allow for greater securement to the surgical floor and to prevent slippage.

Abstract: The invention relates to a layered filter structure, said filter element comprises—a first layer, said first layer comprising a porous metal layer;—a second layer, said second layer comprising a self-supporting layer of sintered short metal fibers. The first and the second layer are sintered together. The layered filter structure is in particular suitable as surface filtration medium, for example for the filtration of liquids or gases.

Abstract: A method for improving a polysilicon gate electrode profile to avoid preferential RIE etching in a polysilicon gate electrode etching process including carrying out a multi-step etching process wherein at least one of a lower RF source power and RF bias power are reduced to complete a polysilicon etching process and an in-situ plasma treatment with an inert gas plasma is carried out prior to neutralize an electrical charge imbalance prior to carrying out an overetch step.

Abstract: A switch 1 includes a ceramic cylindrical tube 3, first and second end caps 5 and 7 that cover the open end in an axial direction of the ceramic cylindrical tube 3, a movable electrode 9 which slides easily on first end cap 5 and a fixed electrode 11 attached to second end cap 7. The ceramic cylindrical tube 3 is a ceramic fired body that contains 45 to 65% by weight of alumina and 35 to 55% by weight of crystallized glass. First and second end caps 5 and 7 are attached to both ends in the axial direction of the ceramic cylindrical tube 3. A low temperature metallizing layer is formed on the ends thereof, and a plating layer is formed on top of the metallizing layer where first and second end caps 5 and 7 are brazed.