Abstract: Disclosed are approaches for forming semiconductor device cavities. One method may include providing a set of semiconductor structures defining an opening, wherein the opening has a first opening width along an upper portion of the opening and a second opening width along a lower portion of the opening, the first opening width being greater than the second opening width. The method may further include forming a blocking layer along the set of semiconductor structures by delivering a material at a non-zero angle of inclination relative to a normal extending perpendicular from a top surface of the set of semiconductor structures. The blocking layer may be formed along the upper portion of the opening without being formed along the lower portion of the opening, and wherein an opening through the blocking layer is present above the opening.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring the width of a strip or the widths of multiple strips being conveyed longitudinally through a sensing region of a gauge. The apparatus includes a correction bar that has very highly accurately machined edges and includes a laser point displacement sensor that traverses across the sensing region of the gauge of the invention. The method of the invention uses the correction bar by sensing its edge distance positions and using the data for the sensed edge distance positions and data for its highly accurately known edge distance positions to generate corrections for all distance positions continuously across the entire sensing region. Corrections are then made to sensed edge distance positions of a strip or strips being sensed by the gauge, regardless of the positions of the strip edges.

Abstract: A method of monitoring an immunoassay comprises determining the shape of the flow edge of fluid across an immunoassay region. This allows, for example, early detection of possible errors in the test. The above methods may also be used to provide methods to improve the run conditions of a test during its development. The method may be applied to a competitive assay.

Abstract: A system includes a pair of devices, each having a display, configured to receive a document and, in use, in receipt of the document. The devices are configured to cause the document to appear simultaneously on the displays. Each device is further configured: when the document appears simultaneously, to permit a signature to be placed on the display of each device; and such that, when a signature is placed upon the display of one of the pair, the signature appears on the display on the one of the pair and on the display of the other of the pair. In a method, there is received: signature data; first image data including an identification document; second image data including an image of the user. A confidence level is determined based on the data and verified signature data. If the level exceeds the threshold, an electronic document including the signature data generates.

Abstract: An apparatus for thermal interface material detection includes a heat dissipating device stack up that includes a heat dissipating device, a thermal interface material, a heat generating component, and a printed circuit board. The heat dissipating device is disposed on the thermal interface material, the thermal interface material is disposed on the heat generating component, and the heat generating component is disposed on the printed circuit board. A channel in a body of the heat dissipating device includes an embedded conductive probe, where a first end of the embedded conductive probe leads to a lower surface of the body of the heat dissipating device and a second end of the embedded conductive probe leads to an upper surface of the body of the heat dissipating device.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for an optical head enclosure of a sensor; one or more imbedded nozzles disposed on a surface of the optical head enclosure; an inlet of the one or more imbedded nozzles, where the inlet comprises a nozzle channel for receiving a cleaning solution; a flow channel internal to the optical head enclosure, where the nozzle channel is connected to the flow channel, and where the flow channel comprises an outlet for dispersing the cleaning solution received from the nozzle channel; wherein the inlet comprises a break to stop a nozzle of a cleaning device from reaching a mirror of the sensor; where the outlet directs the cleaning solution from the inlet onto the mirror.

Abstract: A method and system for mitigating against side channel attacks (SCA) that exploit speculative store-to-load forwarding is described. The method comprises ensuring that the physical load and store addresses match and/or that permissions are present before speculatively store-to-load forwarding. Various improvements maintain a short load-store pipeline, including usage of a virtual level-one data cache (DL1), usage of an inclusive physical level-two data cache (DL2), storage and lookup of physical data address equivalents in the DL1, and using a memory dependence predictor (MDP) to speed up or replace store queue camming of load data addresses against store data addresses.

Abstract: A gas sensor, a method of manufacturing a gas sensor, a method for fabricating a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) die for a heater or thermopile, and a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) die for a heater or thermopile. The gas sensor comprises a first micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) die comprising a light source; a second MEMS die comprising a light detector; a sample chamber disposes in an optical path between the light source and the light detector; and a holder substrate; wherein the first and second MEMS dies are disposed on the holder substrate in a vertical orientation relative to the holder.

Abstract: A machine learning algorithm is trained on a number of microscopic images and a measure of outcome of each image. Each image is divided into tiles. The measure of outcome is assigned to each tile of the image. The tiles are then used to train the machine learning algorithm. The trained algorithm may then be used to evaluate images.

Abstract: Semiconductor metrology systems based on directing radiation on a wafer, detecting second harmonic generated (SHG) radiation from the wafer and correlating the second harmonic generated (SHG) signal to one or more electrical properties of the wafer are disclosed. The disclosure also includes parsing the SHG signal to remove contribution to the SHG signal from one or more material properties of the sample such as thickness.

Abstract: The present invention provides process for treating crop kernels, comprising the steps of a) soaking kernels in water to produce soaked kernels; b) grinding the soaked kernels; c) treating the soaked kernels in the presence of an effective amount of GH62 polypeptide having arabinofuranosidase activity or a GH43 polypeptide having arabinofuranosidase activity, wherein step c) is performed before, during or after step b).

Abstract: A container for storing one or more items is disclosed. The container may include a surface defining a volume of the container and a label printed on the container. In various implementations, the label includes a substrate, a plurality of carbon-based sensors printed on the substrate, and one or more electrodes printed on the substrate. The sensors may be collectively configured to detect a presence of one or more analytes within the container. Each sensor may be configured to react with a unique group of analytes in response to an electromagnetic signal received from an external device. The electrodes may be configured to provide one or more output signals indicating the presence or absence of the one or more analytes within the container.

Abstract: Sealing in rotary positive displacement machines based on trochoidal geometry that comprise a helical rotor that undergoes planetary motion within a helical stator is described. Seals can be mounted on the rotor, the stator, or both. The rotor can have a hypotrochoidal cross-section, with the corresponding stator cavity profile being the outer envelope of the rotor as it undergoes planetary motion, or the stator cavity can have an epitrochoidal cross-section with the corresponding rotor profile being the inner envelope of the trochoid as it undergoes planetary motion. In some embodiments, the geometry is offset in a manner that provides advantages with respect to sealing in the rotary machine. In multi-stage embodiments, the rotor-stator geometry remains substantially constant or varies along the axis of the rotary machine.

Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to integrated circuit devices with wear out monitoring capability. An integrated circuit device includes a wear-out monitor device configured to record an indication of wear-out of a core circuit separated from the wear-out monitor device, wherein the indication is associated with localized diffusion of a diffusant within the wear-out monitor device in response to a wear-out stress that causes the wear-out of the core circuit.

Abstract: An air freshener device for an automobile includes a housing, a removable vented cover, and an interior chamber containing a fan and a heater. The housing is structured for removable receipt of a wax melt container within an upper portion of the interior chamber. In a preferred embodiment, the wax melt container is at least partially formed of silicone and includes a removable spill-proof vented top. A button control on the housing is operable to electrically power the fan and heater, causing a fragrant wax material in the wax melt container to melt, thereby releasing a pleasant aroma out from the vented cover and within the surrounding atmosphere. The interior chamber may further include one or more LEDs for directing light upwardly and out through the vented cover.

Abstract: A system or method for determining a battery state can include receiving a set of sensor measurements; determining the battery state using a state estimator collocated with the battery; and determining parameters used by the state estimator using a second state estimator operating on a processor remote from the battery.

Abstract: A rear door assembly includes a vehicle body structure, a rear door and a four-bar linkage assembly. The vehicle body structure has a roof structure and a side wall defining a rear door opening. The four-bar linkage assembly supports the rear door for movement between open and closed orientations. The four-bar linkage includes a rearward member, a support bracket and a forward member. A first end of the rearward member is pivotally attached to an upright portion of the side wall and a second end attached to the rear door. A rearward end of the support bracket is fixed to the roof structure and is cantilevered therefrom. The forward member has a first end attached to the rearward end of the support bracket and a second end attached to the rear door inboard of the rearward member. The first end of the rearward member is outboard of the support bracket.

Abstract: A first portion of incoming light and a second portion of incoming light travel in opposite directions within a first optical waveguide. A ring resonator in-couples the first portion of incoming light and the second portion of incoming light from the first optical waveguide, such that the first portion of incoming light and the second portion of incoming light travel in opposite directions within the ring resonator. A second optical waveguide is disposed to in-couple the first portion of incoming light and the second portion of incoming light couple from the ring resonator, such that the first portion of incoming light and the second portion of incoming light travel in opposite directions within the second optical waveguide away from the ring resonator. One or more photodetector(s) are optically connected to receive the first portion of incoming light and the second portion of incoming light from the second optical waveguide.

Abstract: Roofing granules comprising agglomerated inorganic material, and building materials, such as shingles, that include such roofing granules. By fabricating roofing granules from agglomerating inorganic material it is possible to tailor the particle size distribution so as to provide optimal shingle surface coverage, thus reducing shingle weight and usage of raw materials. Additionally, the use of agglomeration permits the utilization of by-products from conventional granule production processes.

Abstract: A method for automatic systems devices rediscovery includes creating a hardware map of hardware components of a computing system at a time when each of the hardware components of the computing system is discoverable. The method includes determining discoverability of each hardware component in the hardware map at a point in time after creation of the hardware map, and in response to determining that a hardware component listed in the hardware map is not discoverable, initiating a reset of the hardware component.