Abstract: An agricultural combine has a variable displacement pump connected to four drive motors that drive four wheels. An electronic controller monitors the speed of each wheel and reduces the torque of the motor that drives the wheel when the wheel slips. The controller reduces the torque by reducing the specific displacement of the slipping motor. Once the wheel has ceased slipping, the controller increases the specific displacement of the motor back to its original displacement.

Abstract: A method for switching decoupled plasma nitridation (DPN) processes of different doses, which is able to decrease the switching time, is provided. According to the method, a dummy wafer is inserted into a chamber, a process gas introduced is ignited into plasma, and then a DPN doping process of the next dose is performed on the dummy wafer. The nitrogen concentration of the chamber is thus adjusted rapidly to switch to the DPN process of the next dose. In addition, after several cycles of the above steps are repeated, a dummy wafer is inserted into the chamber, and a complete DPN process of the next dose is performed on the dummy wafer. This process is performed several times before switching to the next DPN process.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a dielectric layer doped with nitrogen is provided according to the present invention. According to the method, a dielectric layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate. Two steps of nitridation processes are then performed on the dielectric layer. Following that, one step or two steps of annealing processes are performed on the dielectric layer. Dielectric layer formed by the method has uniform nitrogen dopant, and thus has fine electric properties.

Abstract: An agricultural combine has a variable displacement pump connected to four drive motors that drive four wheels. An electronic controller monitors the speed of each wheel and reduces the torque of the motor that drives the wheel when the wheel slips. The controller reduces the torque by reducing the specific displacement of the slipping motor. Once the wheel has ceased slipping, the controller increases the specific displacement of the motor back to its original displacement.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor is provided. A substrate having a gate structure thereon is provided. A source/drain extension region is formed in the substrate on each side of the gate structure. Thereafter, a carbon-containing material layer is formed over the substrate and then the carbon-containing material layer is etched back to form spacers on the sidewalls of the gate structure. Finally, a source/drain region is formed in the substrate on each side of the spacer-coated gate structure.

Abstract: A fault tolerant operating method for a cotton compactor of a cotton module builder or packager of a cotton harvesting machine, which serves as an alternative to shutting down the compacting process or erratic operation thereof, in the event of indication of a fault or failure condition involving one or more sensors associated with the compactor, or a conductive path in connection with a sensor, all generally identified as a fault or failure condition.

Abstract: An agricultural combine includes a rotor drive system to which sensors are coupled to signal the rotational speed of a hydraulic motor and an engine. An electronic controller that contains a mathematical model of the system reads the sensors and using the model estimates additional parameters of the system. The estimated parameters include a gearbox's gear ratio and a planetary ring gear's speed. These estimated parameters and the sensor readings are used in a PID feedback control loop to control the speed of a planetary ring gear by controlling the speed of a hydraulic motor driving the sun gear. In this manner, the controller can drive the ring gear to a predetermined speed that reduces the difference in the input and output speeds of a hydraulic clutch and thereby engage that clutch while reducing shock to the clutch and other mechanical components of the combine.

Abstract: A motor control system of a combine having a rotor that is simultaneously driven by an engine and a hydraulic motor is configured to determine at overspeed condition of the motor and to disengage the motor from the engine when the overspeed condition exists.

Abstract: A system for sensing the presence of tailings in a combine includes a tailings sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a flow rate of tailings and a first microcontroller module coupled to the tailings sensor and configured to receive the signal and filter it by removing transient high excursion noise. The signal may be low-pass filtered and notch filtered to remove other components of noise.

Abstract: An agricultural combine includes a rotor drive system to which sensors are coupled to signal the rotational speed of a hydraulic motor and an engine. An electronic controller that contains a mathematical model of the system reads the sensors and using the model estimates additional parameters of the system. The estimated parameters include a gearbox's gear ratio and a planetary ring gear's speed. These estimated parameters and the sensor readings are used in a PID feedback control loop to control the speed of a planetary ring gear by controlling the speed of a hydraulic motor driving the sun gear. In this manner, the controller can drive the ring gear to a predetermined speed that reduces the difference in the input and output speeds of a hydraulic clutch and thereby engage that clutch while reducing shock to the clutch and other mechanical components of the combine.

Abstract: An electronic control system includes two speed sensors connected to a microcontroller that is configured to read the sensors and perform the process of determining the gear ratio of a vehicle gearbox. The process includes calculating (several times) which of at least two gear ratios the gearbox is engaged in, then adding up the number of times each of the gear ratios was calculated, and then selecting the gear ratio that was calculated the most times as the true gear ratio.

Abstract: A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system comprises a tubular furnace, at least one BTBAS supply piping line connected to a base portion of the tubular furnace, an exhaust piping line connected to an upper portion of the tubular furnace, a bypass line connecting the BTBAS supply piping line with the exhaust piping line, and a vacuum pump connected to the exhaust piping line, wherein the bypass line is initially interrupted. A batch of wafers is placed into a tube of the tubular furnace. Nitrogen-containing gas and carrier gas are flowed into the tube. BTBAS is flowed into the tube through the BTBAS supply piping line. A silicon nitride deposition process is then carried out in the tube to deposit a BTBAS-based silicon nitride film on the wafers. Upon completion of the silicon nitride deposition process, the BTBAS supply piping line is blocked and the initially interrupted bypass line is opened.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor transistor device having ultra-shallow source/drain extensions is provided. A silicon substrate having thereon a poly gate structure is prepared. The poly gate structure has sidewalls and a top surface. An offset spacer is formed on its sidewall. An ion implantation process is carried out to form an ultra-shallow junction doping region in the silicon substrate next to the offset spacer. An oxide liner is deposited on the offset spacer and on the top surface of the poly gate structure. A tensile nitride spacer layer is then deposited on the oxide liner. A stress modification implantation process is performed to turn the tensile nitride spacer layer into a more compressive status. A dry etching process is then carried out to etch the nitride spacer layer so as to form a spacer.

Abstract: A hydro-mechanical control system for an agricultural combine threshing rotor is operable 1) to transfer torque to the rotor so as to maintain rotor velocity within an acceptable range of a commanded velocity despite small fluctuations in rotor load and engine speed, 2) to reduce wear on mechanical components of the rotor drive system during rotor acceleration, 3) to employ the most efficient combination of mechanical and hydrostatic rotor drive characteristics during steady state operation of the rotor and 4) to reduce the likelihood of engine stall. The system includes a mechanical motor such as an engine, a hydrostatic motor, and a gearset disposed between both motors and the rotor. A clutch is operable to selectively couple the mechanical motor to the gearset, and a brake is selective operable to selectively arrest a driven gear of the gearset from rotation.

Abstract: A dual power path drive and method for controllably decelerating the rotor or rotors of an agricultural combine in reduced time, without causing undesirable wear, shock and energy transfer to other aspects of the power system of the combine. The drive and method use a planetary gear arrangement having an output connected to the rotor or rotors, an input connected to an output of a first power source or path which can be a fluid power source such as a fluid motor of a hydro-static drive or a variable speed electrical motor, the first power source or path being controllable within speed limits thereof for decelerating the rotor from several operating states.

Abstract: A method of calibrating the control current startup threshold in a proportionally controlled drive system for a work vehicle is disclosed. To determine a current threshold value for use in the system a control current exhibiting a relatively low value is first applied to the system. Subsequently, the steps of repetitively increasing the control current to a control current start value at which system motion starts and decreasing the control current to a control current stop value at which system motion substantially stops are repetitively conducted. The resultant control current start values and control current stop values are stored in a memory. The stored control current start values and control current stop values are is then averaged to determine a control current threshold value for use in controlling the system.

Abstract: A system for sensing the presence of tailings in a combine includes a tailings sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a flow rate of tailings and a first microcontroller module coupled to the tailings sensor and configured to receive the signal and filter it by removing transient high excursion noise. The signal may be low-pass filtered and notch filtered to remove other components of noise.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and compositions for regulating the melanin content of mammalian melanocytes; regulating pigmentation in mammalian skin, hair, wool or fur; treating or preventing various skin and proliferative disorders; by administration of various compounds, including alcohols, diols and/or triols and their analogues.

Abstract: A dual power path drive and method for controllably decelerating the rotor or rotors of an agricultural combine in reduced time, without causing undesirable wear, shock and energy transfer to other aspects of the power system of the combine. The drive and method use a planetary gear arrangement having an output connected to the rotor or rotors, an input connected to an output of a first power source or path which can be a fluid power source such as a fluid motor of a hydro-static drive or a variable speed electrical motor, the first power source or path being controllable within speed limits thereof for decelerating the rotor from several operating states.

Abstract: An agricultural combine includes a rotor drive system to which sensors are coupled to signal the rotational speed of a hydraulic motor and an engine. An electronic controller that contains a mathematical model of the system reads the sensors and using the model estimates additional parameters of the system. The estimated parameters include a gearbox's gear ratio and a planetary ring gear's speed. These estimated parameters and the sensor readings are used in a PID feedback control loop to control the speed of a planetary ring gear by controlling the speed of a hydraulic motor driving the sun gear. In this manner, the controller can drive the ring gear to a predetermined speed that reduces the difference in the input and output speeds of a hydraulic clutch and thereby engage that clutch while reducing shock to the clutch and other mechanical components of the combine.