Abstract: A method includes providing a substrate having a conductive column, a dielectric layer over the conductive column, and a plurality of sacrificial blocks over the dielectric layer, the plurality of sacrificial blocks surrounding the conductive column from a top view; depositing a sacrificial layer covering the plurality of sacrificial blocks, the sacrificial layer having a dip directly above the conductive column; depositing a hard mask layer over the sacrificial layer; removing a portion of the hard mask layer from a bottom of the dip; etching the bottom of the dip using the hard mask layer as an etching mask, thereby exposing a top surface of the conductive column; and forming a conductive material inside the dip, the conductive material being in physical contact with the top surface of the conductive column.

Abstract: A method includes providing a substrate having a conductive column, a dielectric layer over the conductive column, and a plurality of sacrificial blocks over the dielectric layer, the plurality of sacrificial blocks surrounding the conductive column from a top view; depositing a sacrificial layer covering the plurality of sacrificial blocks, the sacrificial layer having a dip directly above the conductive column; depositing a hard mask layer over the sacrificial layer; removing a portion of the hard mask layer from a bottom of the dip; etching the bottom of the dip using the hard mask layer as an etching mask, thereby exposing a top surface of the conductive column; and forming a conductive material inside the dip, the conductive material being in physical contact with the top surface of the conductive column.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes an ML (Maximum Likelihood) detector. An embodiment of the ML detector comprises a search value selecting circuit and an ML detecting circuit. The search value selecting circuit is configured to select a search value according to a communication index and a modulation type or determine the search value according to a predetermined value, in which the communication index is related to a reception signal or a derivative thereof, the search value is associated with a search range, and a number of candidate signal value(s) in the search range is not greater than a number of all candidate signal values of the modulation type. The ML detecting circuit is configured to execute an ML calculation according to the search value and one of the reception signal and the derivative thereof, so as to calculate a log likelihood ratio of every candidate signal value in the search range.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a structure protruding from a substrate, forming a dielectric layer covering the structure, forming a dummy layer covering the dielectric layer, and performing a planarization process to completely remove the dummy layer. A material of the dummy layer has a slower removal rate to the planarization process than a material of the dielectric layer.

Abstract: An overlay mark is formed over a substrate. A plurality of first dummy features is formed outside the overlay mark in a top view. A plurality of second dummy features is formed closer to the overlay mark than the first dummy features in a top view. The first dummy features are sufficiently big to be visible to an optical machine used to scan the overlay mark. The second dummy features are sufficiently small to be invisible to the optical machine.

Abstract: A receiving device comprises an iterative decoder, for receiving at least one coded signal and for performing an iterative decoding on the at least one coded signal, to generate a plurality of decoded signals, wherein the plurality of decoded signals comprise a first decoded signal from a first iteration, a second decoded signal from a second iteration and a third decoded signal from a third iteration; a first determination unit, coupled to the iterative decoder, for determining whether the plurality of decoded signals diverge, to generate a first determination result; and a control unit, coupled to the first determination unit, for generating a control signal according to at least the first determination result, wherein the control signal indicates the iterative decoder whether to stop performing the iterative decoding on the at least one coded signal.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a demodulation method. The demodulation method includes obtaining a received signal; determining whether a multiuser interference is smaller than a threshold; performing a first signal detection operation on the received signal if the multiuser interference is smaller than the threshold, in which the first signal detection operation detects a single layer of spatial data in the received signal; and performing a second signal detection operation on the received signal if the multiuser interference is greater than the threshold, in which the second signal detection operation detects multiple layers of spatial data in the received signal.

Abstract: In a method for updating firmware of a battery included in a rechargeable battery module of a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device stores a booting instruction set of the firmware in a battery monitoring unit of the rechargeable battery module, and stores a basic input/output system (BIOS) of the portable electronic device in a non-volatile memory disposed externally of the rechargeable battery module. In response to BIOS update information that includes an updated main instruction set of the firmware, the portable electronic device updates the BIOS, including the main instruction set of the firmware using the BIOS update information.

Abstract: A method for writing data into a persistent storage device includes grouping a plurality of data entries stored in a temporary storage device to form a data unit, such that the data unit has a size equal to an integer multiple of a size of an access unit of the persistent storage device. The method further includes writing the data unit into the persistent storage device.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes forming an opening with a tapered profile in a first material layer. An upper width of the opening is greater than a bottom width of opening. The method also includes forming a second material layer in the opening and forming a hard mask to cover a portion of the second material layer. The hard mask aligns to the opening and has a width smaller than the upper width of the opening. The method also includes etching the second material layer by using the hard mask as an etch mask to form an upper portion of a feature with a tapered profile.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes forming an opening with a tapered profile in a first material layer. An upper width of the opening is greater than a bottom width of opening. The method also includes forming a second material layer in the opening and forming a hard mask to cover a portion of the second material layer. The hard mask aligns to the opening and has a width smaller than the upper width of the opening. The method also includes etching the second material layer by using the hard mask as an etch mask to form an upper portion of a feature with a tapered profile.

Abstract: A memory device includes a memory controller and a non-volatile memory communicatively coupled to the memory controller and storing a mapping table and a journal table. The memory controller is configured to write data and a logical address of the data into the non-volatile memory, load mapping information related to the logical address of the data from the mapping table of the non-volatile memory into a mapping cache of the memory controller, update the mapping cache with an updated mapping relationship between the logical address of the data and a physical address of the data, and perform a journaling operation to write the updated mapping relationship into the journal table.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes an ML (Maximum Likelihood) detector. An embodiment of the ML detector comprises a search value selecting circuit and an ML detecting circuit. The search value selecting circuit is configured to select a search value according to a communication index and a modulation type or determine the search value according to a predetermined value, in which the communication index is related to a reception signal or a derivative thereof, the search value is associated with a search range, and a number of candidate signal value(s) in the search range is not greater than a number of all candidate signal values of the modulation type. The ML detecting circuit is configured to execute an ML calculation according to the search value and one of the reception signal and the derivative thereof, so as to calculate a log likelihood ratio of every candidate signal value in the search range.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes forming an opening with a tapered profile in a first material layer. An upper width of the opening is greater than a bottom width of opening. The method also includes forming a second material layer in the opening and forming a hard mask to cover a portion of the second material layer. The hard mask aligns to the opening and has a width smaller than the upper width of the opening. The method also includes etching the second material layer by using the hard mask as an etch mask to form an upper portion of a feature with a tapered profile.

Abstract: A linear evaporation apparatus includes a thermal insulation chamber, and crucibles, evaporation material heaters and a mixing chamber installed in the thermal insulation chamber. The mixing chamber includes a flow limiting and adjusting layer, a flow channel adjusting member, a mixed layer and a linear evaporation layer. The flow limiting and adjusting layer is a rectangular sheet with flow limit holes corresponsive to the crucibles respectively; the flow channel adjusting member is an interconnected structure having at least one flow inlet corresponsive to some of the flow limit holes and at least one flow outlet, and the mixed layer is a substantially I-shaped sheet structure, and the linear evaporation layer is a rectangular sheet having a linear source evaporation opening tapered from both ends to the middle, so as to improve the uniformity of the thin film and the utilization of the evaporation materials.

Abstract: A read leveling method for a memory device is provided. The memory device includes a first memory block and at least a second memory block. The read leveling method includes the following steps. Determining whether a block read count of the first memory block is larger than or equal to a first threshold. Detecting a page read count of a page of the first memory block when the block read count of the first memory block is larger than or equal to the first threshold. Determine whether the block read count of the first memory block is larger than or equal to a second threshold. Move data of one of the page of the first memory block to a page of the second memory block when the block read count of the first memory block is larger than or equal to the second threshold.

Abstract: In a method for evaporation depositing uniform thin films, a film is deposited on a substrate of a vacuum environment while maintaining a constant deposition rate. A cover is installed on a wall of the evaporation vessel. When the evaporation material is heated to an evaporation state and the interior of the evaporation vessel reaches a first vapor saturation pressure, the vapor of the evaporation material flows towards a pressure stabilizing chamber. When the pressure stabilizing chamber reaches a second vapor saturation pressure which is smaller than the first vapor saturation pressure, the vacuum environment has a vacuum background pressure which is smaller than the second vapor saturation pressure, so that the evaporation material vapor flows from the pressure stabilizing chamber towards the vacuum environment at constant rate due to the pressure difference, so as to evaporate the substrate.

Abstract: An overlay mark is formed over a substrate. A plurality of first dummy features is formed outside the overlay mark in a top view. A plurality of second dummy features is formed closer to the overlay mark than the first dummy features in a top view. The first dummy features are sufficiently big to be visible to an optical machine used to scan the overlay mark. The second dummy features are sufficiently small to be invisible to the optical machine.

Abstract: A method for writing data into a persistent storage device includes grouping a plurality of data entries stored in a temporary storage device to form a data unit, such that the data unit has a size equal to an integer multiple of a size of an access unit of the persistent storage device. The method further includes writing the data unit into the persistent storage device.

Abstract: A plurality of first miniature elements of an overlay mark is formed in a first layer. A plurality of second miniature elements of the overlay mark is formed in a second layer different from the first layer. A plurality of dummy features is formed around the overlay mark. The dummy features are formed such that they each have a dimension below a resolution of an alignment detection tool configured to optically scan the overlay mark in an alignment process.