Abstract: A flexible circuit board comprises a substrate which has a polyimide layer recessed to define at least a compartment. The compartment includes an inner wall surface having a side wall and a bottom wall. The compartment is for containing a multilayer unit, wherein the multilayer unit includes an adhesion enhancing layer formed on the wall of the compartment, a first electrically conducting layer disposed on the adhesion enhancing layer, and a second electrically conducting layer formed on the first electrically conducting layer. The adhesion enhancing layer is palladium. The first electrically conducting layer is nickel. The substrate is composed of polyimide (PI).

Abstract: The present invention provides a flexible circuit board, comprising at least a multilayer unit disposed on a substrate, wherein the multilayer unit includes: an adhesion enhancing layer formed within the surface of the substrate, a first electrical conducting unit disposed on the adhesion enhancing layer, and a second electrical conducting layer formed on the first electrical conducting layer, wherein the adhesion enhancing layer is Palladium, the first electrical conducting layer is Nickel, and the substrate is composed of polyimide(PI).

Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-layer flexible circuit board, comprising at least an electric circuit disposed on a vertical interval layer, wherein at least two sides of the electric circuit are covered by neighboring interval layer and another vertical interval composed layer of electric insulating material. The disclosure provides a non-pressing way to stack the multi-layer flexible circuit board, preventing fault crevice derived from a prior-known pressing way.

Abstract: A semiconductor process includes the following steps. A substrate is provided. A dielectric layer having a high dielectric constant is formed on the substrate, wherein the steps of forming the dielectric layer include: (a) a metallic oxide layer is formed; (b) an annealing process is performed to the metallic oxide layer; and the steps (a) and (b) are performed repeatedly. Otherwise, the present invention further provides a semiconductor structure formed by said semiconductor process.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to an antimicrobial composite material, and more particularly to an antimicrobial composite material comprising particles having a metal or metal alloy core and a porous inorganic material shell, coatings including the antimicrobial composite material, and methods of making the same. In some embodiments, Cu—SiO2 core-shell particles are disclosed in which the Cu core provides antimicrobial activity and the porous SiO2 shell functions as a barrier for the Cu core, thus preventing the Cu core from being directly exposed to air or moisture.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a chemically strengthened glass having antimicrobial properties and to a method of making such glass. In particular, the disclosure is directed to a chemically strengthened glass with antimicrobial properties and with a low surface energy coating on the glass that does not interfere with the antimicrobial properties of the glass. The antimicrobial has an Ag ion concentration on the surface in the range of greater than zero to 0.047 ?g/cm2. The glass has particular applications as antimicrobial shelving, table tops and other applications in hospitals, laboratories and other institutions handling biological substances, where color in the glass is not a consideration.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a dielectric layer located on a substrate, wherein the dielectric layer includes nitrogen atoms, and the concentration of the nitrogen atoms in the dielectric layer is lower than 5% at a location wherein the distance between this location in the dielectric layer to the substrate is less than 20% of the thickness of the dielectric layer. Moreover, the present invention provides a semiconductor process including the following steps: a dielectric layer is formed on a substrate. Two annealing processes are performed in-situly on the dielectric layer, wherein the two annealing processes have different imported gases and different annealing temperatures.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a semiconductor device is described. A silicon oxide layer is formed. A nitridation process including at least two steps is performed to nitridate the silicon oxide layer into a silicon oxynitride (SiON) layer. The nitridation process comprises a first nitridation step and a second nitridation step in sequence, wherein the first nitridation step and the second nitridation step are different in the setting of at least one parameter.

Abstract: The application discloses the formation of antimicrobial glass-ceramic articles having an amorphous phase and a crystalline phase and an antimicrobial agent selected from the group consisting of silver, copper and a mixture of silver and copper. The antimicrobial glass-ceramic can have a Log Reduction of >2.

Abstract: A method for characterization of an energy storage device is disclosed. The method includes determining an instantaneous state of charge (SOC) value of the energy storage device during operation the energy storage device, and retrieving an instantaneous available discharging energy value of the energy storage device from a map based on a discharging power and the determined instantaneous SOC value of the energy storage device. The method further includes retrieving an instantaneous acceptable charging energy value of the energy storage device from another map based on a charging power and the determined instantaneous SOC value of the energy storage device.

Abstract: An aqueous lubricant emulsion for medical or food apparatus, comprising: (a) 5 wt % to 30 wt % of a mineral oil; (b) 5 wt % to 30 wt % of an emulsifier system consisting of two emulsifiers selected from the group consisting of sorbitan fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, oleyl alcohol ether, triethanolamine oleate, wherein the mass ratio of the two emulsifiers is in a range of 2:8 to 8:2; (c) 0.5 wt % to 5 wt % of one or more coemulsifiers selected from the group consisting of fatty alcohols, long-chain fatty acids, and diisooctyl succinate sulfonates; and (d) the balance of water. A method for washing medical or food apparatus including the step of subjecting the medical or food apparatus to a treatment using the lubricant emulsion according to the invention after a washing step for the medical or food apparatus is also described.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to glass compositions that incorporate copper into an otherwise homogeneous glass and to a method for making such glass. This incorporation of the copper into the glass composition imparts significant antimicrobial activity to the glass. A method of making a copper-containing glass article comprises: batching a glass batch comprising: 40-85 SiO2; 10-40 B2O3; 1-19 Al2O3; 0.1-20 CuO or a selected salt of Cu that is convertible into CuO during melting; 0-20 M2O, wherein M is Li, Na, K, or combinations thereof; 0-25 RO, wherein R is Ca, Sr, Mg, or combinations thereof; and 0-20 ZnO. melting the batch to form a melted glass; and forming the melted glass to form the copper-containing glass article having antimicrobial properties.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a chemically strengthened glass having antimicrobial properties and to a method of making such glass. In particular, the disclosure is directed to a chemically strengthened glass with antimicrobial properties and with a low surface energy coating on the glass that does not interfere with the antimicrobial properties of the glass. The antimicrobial has an Ag ion concentration on the surface in the range of greater than zero to 0.047 ?g/cm2. The glass has particular applications as antimicrobial shelving, table tops and other applications in hospitals, laboratories and other institutions handling biological substances, where color in the glass is not a consideration.

Abstract: The disclosure provides methods for characterizing the toxicity of a candidate molecule to liver cells as defined herein; methods of culturing metabolically active liver cells on a biosensor as defined herein; and biosensor liver culture systems as defined herein.

Abstract: A circuit for controlling leakage current in random access memory devices comprises a pre-charge equalization circuit. The pre-charge equalization circuit provides a pre-charge voltage to a pair of complementary bit lines of a memory cell of a random access memory device in accordance with a pre-charge signal. When the memory cell is in a self-refresh mode, the pre-charge signal is activated by a periodically triggered pre-charge request and also activated before and after the memory cell is self-refreshed.

Abstract: A transparent cover glass for applications such as, but not limited to, touch screen devices that embody antimicrobial properties that include s being antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. The antimicrobial glasses contain nanoparticles of Cu or Cu2O on the surface of the glass. The antimicrobial glasses can further have a fluorosilane coating or other coating on the surface to make the glasses easy-to-clean. Also, glass surfaces having an antibacterial or antimicrobial surfaces and a protective coating on the surface that do not inhibit the antibacterial or antimicrobial properties of the glass are described. The disclosure is further directed to methods of making such articles.

Abstract: A method for forming a gate structure includes the following steps. A substrate is provided. A silicon oxide layer is formed on the substrate. A decoupled plasma-nitridation process is applied to the silicon oxide layer so as to form a silicon oxynitride layer. A first polysilicon layer is formed on the silicon oxynitride layer. A thermal process is applied to the silicon oxynitride layer having the first polysilicon layer. After the thermal process, a second polysilicon layer is formed on the first polysilicon layer. The first polysilicon layer can protect the gate dielectric layer during the thermal process. The nitrogen atoms inside the gate dielectric layer do not lose out of the gate dielectric layer. Thus, the out-gassing phenomenon can be avoided, and a dielectric constant of the gate dielectric layer can not be changed, thereby increasing the reliability of the gate structure.

Abstract: A method for real-time characterization of a battery includes providing electric power to one or more electrical power loads, charging and discharging the battery based on power needs of the one or more electrical power loads, and monitoring for a circumstance where charging and discharging of the battery results in terminal voltage of the battery substantially equaling open-circuit voltage of the battery and recording the measured terminal voltage as a first measured voltage. The method may also include monitoring for a subsequent circumstance subsequent when charging and discharging the battery results in battery current larger than a predetermined value and recording an existing terminal voltage as a second measured voltage. The method may also include using the first and second measured voltages to determine a measured internal impedance of the battery. These actions may be performed between startup and shutdown of the power system.

Abstract: A system for detecting a short-circuited ultracapacitor cell in a machine is disclosed. The system may have a memory that stores instructions and one or more processors capable of executing the instructions. The one or more processors may be configured to perform cell balancing among ultracapacitor cells arranged within two or more ultracapacitor modules, each ultracapacitor module including at least two ultracapacitor cells connected in series. The one or more processors may be further configured to measure a module voltage generated by each of the plurality of ultracapacitor modules after performing the cell balancing and before applying a load of the machine to the ultracapacitor modules, and determine whether an ultracapacitor cell among the plurality of ultracapacitor cells is short-circuited based on a comparison of the measured module voltages.

Abstract: A method (200) of balancing ultracapacitor cells (102) is provided. The method may measure individual ultracapacitor cell voltages, select a balancing setpoint voltage, compare an actual voltage variation within each ultracapacitor cell (102) with a voltage variation threshold, and enable a balancing element (104) associated with the ultracapacitor cell (102) if the actual voltage variation exceeds the voltage variation threshold.