Abstract: Programmable logic device integrated circuits are provided. The programmable logic device integrated circuits contain programmable core logic powered at a programmable core logic power supply voltage. Programmable logic device configuration data is loaded into the memory elements to configure the programmable core logic to perform a custom logic function. During normal operation the memory elements may be powered with a power supply voltage that is larger than the programmable core logic power supply voltage. During data loading operations, the memory elements may be powered with a power supply voltage equal to the programmable core logic power supply voltage. Data loading and reading circuitry loads data into the memory elements and reads data from the memory elements. Address signals are generated by the data loading and reading circuitry. The address signals may have larger voltage levels during data writing operations than during read operations.

Abstract: A metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor device is provided. The MOS transistor device includes a substrate, a gate structure, a spacer, a source/drain region and a barrier layer. The gate structure is disposed on the substrate. The gate structure includes a gate and a gate dielectric layer disposed between the gate and the substrate. The spacer is disposed on the sidewall of the gate structure. The source/drain region is disposed in the substrate on two sides of the spacer. The barrier layer is disposed around the source/drain region. The source/drain region and the barrier layer are fabricated using an identical material. However, the doping concentration of the source/drain region is larger than the doping concentration of the barrier layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device comprises a substrate, a gate structure, a spacer, a SixGey layer and a SixGey protection layer. The gate structure is deposited on the substrate and the spacer is deposited on the sidewalls of the gate structure. The SixGey layer is deposited in the substrate on both sides of the spacer and extended to a portion beneath part of the spacer. In addition, the top level of the SixGey layer is higher than the surface of the substrate. Moreover, the SixGey protection layer is deposited on the SixGey layer and the SixGey protection layer comprises Six1Gey1, where 0?y1<y.

Abstract: A sliding module positioning device for locking a sliding module at a predetermined position on a rack is described. The sliding module positioning device includes a base, a positioning pin, an elastic device, an internal pushing member, and an external control member. The positioning pin is moveable on the base and coupled to the elastic device for pushing the positioning pin into a positioning hole on a positioning bracket. The internal pushing member can push the positioning pin away from the positioning hole. The external control member connects with the internal pushing member, and the positioning pin couples to an inner surface of the internal pushing member to prevent the positioning pin protruding from the external control member after the positioning pin is moved away from the positioning hole. The positioning device further utilizes an elastic piece for coupling the positioning pin to the positioning hole.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interactive language instruction is provided that displays text files for processing, provide key features and functions for interactive learning, displays facial animation, and provides a workspace for language building functions. The system includes a stored set of language rules as part of the text-to-speech sub-system, as well as another stored set of rules as applied to the process of learning a language. The method implemented by the system includes digitally converting text to audible speech, providing the audible speech to a user or student (with the aid of an animated image in selected circumstances), prompting the student to replicate the audible speech, comparing the student's replication with the audible speech provided by the system, and providing feedback and reinforcement to the student by, for example, selectively recording or playing back the audible speech and the student's replication.

Abstract: A small-size (w<0.5 micrometers) alignment mark in combination with a “k1 process” is proposed, which is particularly suited for the fabrication of trench-capacitor DRAM devices which requires highly accurate AA-DT alignment. The “k1 process” is utilized to etch away polysilicon studded in the alignment mark trenches and refresh the trench profile prior to AA pattern transferring, thereby improving wafer alignment accuracy and precision.

Abstract: A sliding flat panel display and keyboard module for monitoring and controlling server computers on a server rack is described. The sliding flat panel display and keyboard module has an L-shaped supporting frame, a vertical sliding rail, a horizontal sliding rail, a flat panel display, and a keyboard. The vertical sliding rail and the horizontal sliding rail are respectively disposed on a vertical surface and a horizontal surface of the L-shaped supporting frame. The flat panel display couples to the vertical sliding rail and the keyboard couples to the horizontal sliding rail, so that the flat panel display and the keyboard are able to slide on the L-shaped supporting frame horizontally.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for forming conducting wire and contact opening in a semiconductor device. The method of the present invention utilizes the formation of metal regions as a mask for etching a conductive layer of the semiconductor device to remove unnecessary portions so as to form conducting wires. The method of the present invention can reduce the necessary thickness of photoresist and well control the via resistance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an interface card fastener, which is set in a computer system host or any other electronic device comprising expansion slots, comprising a bracket and a plurality of pivot assemblies. The bracket is set upon the frame above the expansion slots inside the chassis, and comprises a back frame engaged with the chassis and a plurality of the inner frames extended from the back frame. Each two inner frames define a fasten chamber, and the back frame comprises a horizontal extended L-shape hook in the appropriate position. The pivot assembly is set in the fastener chamber, which rotates between the fastening and the release positions of the interface card, and comprises a hook and a handle linked with the hook. To operate the fastener, pushing the handle directly to hook with the L-shape hook or unhook in interface card positioning, which is easy operating and stable positioning.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an interface card fastener, which is set in a computer system host or any other electronic device comprising expansion slots, comprising a bracket and a plurality of pivot assemblies. The bracket is set upon the frame above the expansion slots inside the chassis, and comprises a back frame engaged with the chassis and a plurality of the inner frames extended from the back frame. Each two inner frames define a fasten chamber, and the back frame comprises a horizontal extended L-shape hook in the appropriate position. The pivot assembly is set in the fastener chamber, which rotates between the fastening and the release positions of the interface card, and comprises a hook and a handle linked with the hook. To operate the fastener, pushing the handle directly to hook with the L-shape hook or unhook in interface card positioning, which is easy operating and stable positioning.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for forming conducting wire and contact opening in a semiconductor device. The method of the present invention utilizes the formation of metal regions as a mask for etching a conductive layer of the semiconductor device to remove unnecessary portions so as to form conducting wires. The method of the present invention can reduce the necessary thickness of photoresist and well control the via resistance.

Abstract: Techniques are described for employing a set of tags to model phenomena which are smooth and subject to constraints. Tags may be used to model, for example, muscular movement producing speech. In one advantageous application, a set of tags defining prosodic characteristics is developed, and selected tags are placed in appropriate locations of a body of text. Each tag defines a constraint on the prosodic characteristics of speech produced by processing the text. Processing of the body of speech and the tags produces a set of equations which are solved to produce a curve defining prosodic characteristics over the scope of a phrase, and a further set of equations which are solved to produce a curve defining prosodic characteristics of individual words within a phrase. The data defined by the curves is used with the text to produce speech having the prosodic characteristics defined by the tags.

Abstract: A text to speech system modeling durational characteristics of a target speaker is addressed herein. A body of target speaker training text is selected having maximum possible information about speaker specific characteristics. The body of target speaker training text is read by a target speaker to produce a target speaker training corpus. A previously generated source model reflecting characteristics of a source model is retrieved and the target speaker training corpus is processed to produce modification parameters reflecting differences between durational characteristics of the target speaker and those predicted by the source model. The modification parameters are applied to the source model to produce a target model. Text inputs are processed using the target model to produce speech outputs reflecting durational characteristics of the target speaker.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synthesizing speech from text whereby the speech may be generated in a manner so as to effectively convey a particular, selectable style. Repeated patterns of one or more prosodic features—such as, for example, pitch, amplitude, spectral tilt, and/or duration—occurring at characteristic locations in the synthesized speech, are advantageously used to convey a particular chosen style. For example, one or more of such feature patterns may be used to define a particular speaking style, and an illustrative text-to-speech system then makes use of such a defined style to adjust the specified parameter or parameters of the synthesized speech in a non-uniform manner (i.e., in accordance with the defined feature pattern or patterns).

Abstract: There is disclosed an QoS-oriented burstification method supporting various grades of burstification delay guarantee. For the arrival packets, the packets are sequentially inserted in a sequence of windows on weight basis, thereby forming a queue. The window size together with the weight of each flow determines a maximum number of packets of each flow in a window. For the departure packets, there is generated a burst consisting of a plurality of packets from the head of the queue when either a total number of packets reaches a maximum burst size or a burst assembly timer expires.

Abstract: E-mail which may be infected by a computer virus is advantageously filtered by incorporating a “Reverse Turing Test” to verify that the source of a potentially infected e-mail is human and not a machine, and that the message was intentionally transmitted by the apparent sender. Such a test may, for example, involve asking a question which will be easy for a human to answer correctly but quite difficult for a machine to do so. The e-mail may be deemed to be potentially infected based on an analysis of executable code which is attached to the e-mail, or merely based on the fact that executable code is attached. The e-mail may also be deemed to be potentially infected based on additional factors, such as, for example, the identity of the sender and past experiences therewith. Spam E-mail may also be advantageously filtered together with virus-containing e-mail with use of a single common filtering system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing text-to-speech conversion in a client/server environment partitions an otherwise conventional text-to-speech conversion algorithm into two portions: a first “text analysis” portion, which generates from an original input text an intermediate representation thereof and a second “speech synthesis” portion, which synthesizes speech waveforms from the intermediate representation generated by the first portion (i.e., the text analysis portion) The text analysis portion of the algorithm is executed exclusively on a server while the speech synthesis portion is executed exclusively on a client which may be associated therewith. The client may comprise a hand-held device such as, for example, a cell phone, and the intermediate representation of the input text advantageously comprises at least a sequence of phonemes representative of the input text.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synthesizing speech from text whereby the speech may be generated in a manner so as to effectively convey a particular, selectable style. Repeated patterns of one or more prosodic features—such as, for example, pitch, amplitude, spectral tilt, and/or duration—occurring at characteristic locations in the synthesized speech, are advantageously used to convey a particular chosen style. For example, one or more of such feature patterns may be used to define a particular speaking style, and an illustrative text-to-speech system then makes use of such a defined style to adjust the specified parameter or parameters of the synthesized speech in a non-uniform manner (i.e., in accordance with the defined feature pattern or patterns).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interactive language instruction is provided that displays text files for processing, provide key features and functions for interactive learning, displays facial animation, and provides a workspace for language building functions. The system includes a stored set of language rules as part of the text-to-speech sub-system, as well as another stored set of rules as applied to the process of learning a language. The method implemented by the system includes digitally converting text to audible speech, providing the audible speech to a user or student (with the aid of an animated image in selected circumstances), prompting the student to replicate the audible speech, comparing the student's replication with the audible speech provided by the system, and providing feedback and reinforcement to the student by, for example, selectively recording or playing back the audible speech and the student's replication.

Abstract: Techniques are described for employing a set of tags to model phenomena which are smooth and subject to constraints. Tags may be used to model, for example, muscular movement producing speech. In one advantageous application, a set of tags defining prosodic characteristics is developed, and selected tags are placed in appropriate locations of a body of text. Each tag defines a constraint on the prosodic characteristics of speech produced by processing the text. Processing of the body of speech and the tags produces a set of equations which are solved to produce a curve defining prosodic characteristics over the scope of a phrase, and a further set of equations which are solved to produce a curve defining prosodic characteristics of individual words within a phrase. The data defined by the curves is used with the text to produce speech having the prosodic characteristics defined by the tags.