68results about How to "Variation in performance" patented technology

A vertical NAND flash memory device includes a substrate having a face and a string of serially connected flash memory cells on the substrate. A first flash memory cell is adjacent the face, and a last flash memory cell is remote from the face. The flash memory cells include repeating layer patterns that are stacked on the face, and a pillar that extends through the series of repeating layer patterns. The pillar includes at least one oblique wall. At least two of the series of repeating layer patterns in the string are of different thicknesses. Other vertical microelectronic devices and related fabrication methods are also described.

An SOI substrate having on the surface thereof a single crystal silicon film formed on an insulator is heat-treated in a hydrogen-containing reducing atmosphere in order to smooth the surface and reduce the boron concentration without damaging the film thickness uniformity in a single wafer and among different wafers. The method is characterized in that the single crystal silicon film is arranged opposite to a member of non-oxidized silicon for heat treatment.

A vision metric, called the sharpness metric, indicates the subjective sharpness of a patient's vision by taking into account both the wavefront aberration and the retinal response to the image. A retinal image quality function such as the point spread function is convolved by a neural quality function, and the maximum of the convolution over the retinal plane provides the sharpness metric. The sharpness metric can be used to control eye surgery or the fabrication of a lens.

A body fluid component analyzing system allows parameters to be calibrated without changing memory keys even if the production lot of sensor chips is changed. The system comprises a measurement instrument having a calculating mechanism for calculating a characteristic of a component, a sensor chip storage unit containing one or more sensor chips which sense a characteristic of at least one component of a body fluid and a storage case in which the measurement unit, and possibly also the sensor chip storage unit, can be placed. The calculation parameters of one or more sensor chips can be automatically transferred to the measurement instrument by way of a transfer device.

A vertical NAND flash memory device includes a substrate having a face and a string of serially connected flash memory cells on the substrate. A first flash memory cell is adjacent the face, and a last flash memory cell is remote from the face. The flash memory cells include repeating layer patterns that are stacked on the face, and a pillar that extends through the series of repeating layer patterns. The pillar includes at least one oblique wall. At least two of the series of repeating layer patterns in the string are of different thicknesses. Other vertical microelectronic devices and related fabrication methods are also described.

An auxiliary core portion and a main core portion, including a magnet if the magnet is attached, are covered by a resin film or an elastomer film and fixed as a single assembly. In this state, a coil is attached to the assembly and a side core portion is assembled to the assembly. The auxiliary core portion and the main core portion, including the magnet if it is attached, can be supplied, as the single assembly, to an automated assembly line for ignition coils. It is not necessary to position such components on the assembly line. Thus, the workability of the automated assembly can be enhanced.

A microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS) device includes a driven mass and has a natural stiffness or damping. An actuator applies force to the mass, movement of which is measured by a sensing capacitor. A control circuit operates the actuator per displacement or velocity of the driven mass, so that a characteristic stiffness or damping of the mechanical subsystem is different from the respective natural value. A method of transforming a MEMS device design includes determining an aim performance value of the design and a baseline performance uncertainty of the design, selecting candidate sets of parameter values, determining a candidate, first, and second performance value for each, scoring the candidates, and repeating until one of the candidates satisfies a termination criterion, so the transformed design using that candidate set has the aim performance value and the respective first and second performance values closer to each other than the baseline performance uncertainty.

An electronic device including a breakdown layer having variable thickness. The device includes a variable resistance material positioned between two electrodes. A breakdown layer is interposed between the variable resistance material and one of the electrodes. The breakdown layer has a non-uniform thickness, which serves to bias the breakdown event toward the thinner portions of the breakdown layer. As a result, the placement, size, and number of ruptures in the breakdown layer are more consistent over a series or array of devices. The variable resistance material may be a phase-change material. The variable-thickness breakdown layer may be formed through a diffusion process by introducing a gas containing a resistivity-enhancing species to the environment of segmented variable resistance devices during fabrication. The resistivity-enhancing element penetrates the outer perimeter of the variable resistance material and diffuses toward the interior of the device. The resistivity-enhancing species increases the resistance of the interface between the variable resistance material and the electrode by interacting with the variable resistance material and / or electrode to form a resistive interfacial material. Based on the diffusional nature of the process, the concentration of the resistivity-enhancing species decreases toward the center of the device and as a result, the breakdown layer is thinner toward the center of the device.

A semiconductor device may include a semiconductor substrate, a diffusion layer provided over the semiconductor substrate, source and drain diffusion regions provided in upper regions of the diffusion layer, a gate insulating film provided over the source and drain diffusion regions and the diffusion layer, a gate electrode provided on the gate insulating film and positioned over the diffusion layer, a passivation film provided over the gate insulating film and the gate electrode, an insulating film that covers the passivation film, and contact plugs that penetrate the insulating film, the passivation film, and the gate insulating film, so that the contact plugs reach the source and drain diffusion regions. The contact plugs are positioned near side walls of the gate electrode. Fluorine is implanted to the passivation film. Fluorine is diffused to a silicon-insulator interface between the gate insulating film and the diffusion layer under the gate electrode.

A reflective sensor is disclosed which prevents divergent light from a light source from being totally reflected by an interface between the package and the outside thereof and entering a light-receiving element without using a light-shield means and which allows an improved S / N ratio and reduced variations in performance. The reflective sensor includes a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element which are provided on a surface, and a light-transmissive member which covers the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element. The light-receiving element includes a light-receiving region which is spaced from the light-emitting element along the surface, and which light-receiving region is closer to the light-emitting element than an area on the surface that would be illuminated by unimpeded light rays which are totally reflected by an interface between the light-transmissive member and the outside thereof and are directed toward the light-receiving element.

To provide a semiconductor circuit having D flip-flops, a display device and an electronic apparatus having the display device, in the invention, the number of transistors is reduced by using 2 n-channel transistors and 2 p-channel transistors instead of using 2 conventional clocked inverters that have a total of 8 transistors in D flip-flops.

A piezoelectric resonator suitable for use in a high frequency band is provided, in which variation in the piezoelectric material is reduced, variation in performance is reduced, and production can be performed without the need for a polarization treatment step. In the piezoelectric resonator, a piezoelectric material made of a wurtzite structure compound crystal is disposed, the crystal epitaxially grown in such a way that a (1,1,−2,0) crystal face becomes parallel to a surface of the R-plane sapphire substrate having a (0,1,−1,2) crystal face parallel to the substrate surface, and a pair of excitation electrodes are disposed on a pair of principal surfaces opposite to each other in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric material in such a way that the pair of excitation electrodes sandwich the C plane which is a (0,0,0,1) crystal face perpendicular to the (1,1,−2,0) crystal face of the tabular piezoelectric material.

In order to make a thermoelectric device usable in a high temperature environment of 300° C. or above, the necessity for solder is eliminated by bonding each electrode of a second substrate to one end of each thermoelectric element by using gold. Further, a conductive member, capable of accommodating expansion and contraction of the thermoelectric elements, is provided between each electrode of a first substrate, on which bonding by gold is not performed, and the other end of each thermoelectric element. Additionally, a lid is placed outside to the second substrate, and the lid and the first substrate are coupled so that pressure can be applied between the first and second substrates. Thus, the second substrate, the electrodes and the thermoelectric elements are held. This prevents the thermoelectric elements from being damaged due to thermal deformation as in the case where electrodes are bonded to thermoelectric elements by solder.

The backlight unit includes two or more light sources, and a wavelength conversion member positioned on each of optical paths of light emitted by the two or more light sources, wherein the wavelength conversion member includes a wavelength conversion layer containing at least a phosphor emitting green light when excited with exciting light and a phosphor emitting red light when excited with exciting light, and at least either maximum emission wavelengths or angles of incidence of entry into the wavelength conversion member of the light emitted by the two or more light sources differ.

A disclosed technology is a method for exposing a photo-sensitive SAM film, wherein a self-assembled-monolayer (photo-sensitive SAM film) having photo-sensitivity, exhibiting hydrophobicity before exposure, and exhibiting hydrophilicity after exposure is formed on a substrate, exposure is performed to the substrate in a state in which a surface of the substrate on which the film has been formed is dipped in liquid or in a state in which a light-sensitive surface of the substrate faces downward to be in contact with liquid, exposure light is ultraviolet light, visible light, or light with an exposure-wavelength of 350 nm or more to 800 nm or less, and the liquid is at least one of organic solvent containing an aromatic group and organic solvent of alcohols, ethers, or ketones.

A spring seat 51 adapted to support a large coil spring 34 to absorb and to dampen torsional vibrations and a small coil spring 35 positioned within the large coil spring 34 having a smaller outside diameter than an inside diameter of the large coil spring 34, includes a seat body 52 supporting an end of the large coil spring 34 and an end of the small coil spring 35 in a compressing direction, a first supporting portion 54 protruding from the seat body 52 in the compressing direction of the small coil spring 35 and supporting an inner periphery of the small coil spring 35, and a second supporting portion 53 formed at an end portion of the seat body to covering partial an outer periphery of the large coil spring 34 and to support an outer peripheral side of a part of the large coil spring 34.

A segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cell stack of the invention comprises: an electrically-insulating porous support body having a gas passage therein; and a plurality of fuel cells arranged side by side on a surface of the support body. Each fuel cell have a first inner electrode layer; a current collector and a second inner electrode layer arranged side by side on the first inner electrode layer; and a solid electrolyte layer and an outer electrode layer sequentially laminated on the second inner electrode layer, and have a multilayer structure in which the solid electrolyte layer is extended and connected to the current collector through an intermediate layer. These fuel cells are connected in series. The current collector and the second inner electrode layer are arranged with a predetermined clearance therebetween on the first inner electrode layer. A fuel cell of the invention is formed by storing these segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cell stacks in a storage container.

A zoom lens includes a first negative lens group, a second negative lens group, a third positive lens group, an aperture diaphragm, and a fourth positive lens group arranged in this order from an object side. When power varies from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, the first and second lens groups are moved to an image surface along an optical axis and then moved to the object side. The third and fourth lens groups are moved to only the object side along the optical axis. The first lens group includes at least one aspheric lens, and the aspheric lens has an aspheric shape in which a positive refractive power is increased toward the periphery of the lens when a paraxial refractive power is positive and a negative refractive power is decreased toward the periphery of the lens when the paraxial refractive power is negative.

An outboard motor engine includes a feedback control system for controlling the air / fuel ratio of the air / fuel mixture combusted within the engine. The control system can be configured to vary the target output value of a combustion condition sensor in accordance with at least one engine operation characteristic, for example, but without limitation, engine speed or throttle position.

A flexographic printing system uses a flexographic printing plate to produce printed patterns on a substrate. An ink recirculation system is used to reduce variability in system performance resulting from ink viscosity changes. A recirculation pump moves ink through an ink recirculation line connected to an ink reservoir. A metering pump adds a controlled flow rate of solvent from a solvent replenishment chamber into the ink recirculation line, thereby providing replenished ink. The replenished ink is returned to the ink reservoir through a distribution tube that includes a plurality of supply ports at a plurality of spaced apart locations across a width of the ink reservoir. A control system is used to control the flow rate of solvent provided by the metering pump.

A vision metric, called the sharpness metric, indicates the subjective sharpness of a patient's vision by taking into account both the wavefront aberration and the retinal response to the image. A retinal image quality function such as the point spread function is convolved by a neural quality function, and the maximum of the convolution over the retinal plane provides the sharpness metric. The sharpness metric can be used to control eye surgery or the fabrication of a lens.

An auxiliary core portion and a main core portion, including a magnet if the magnet is attached, are covered by a resin film or an elastomer film and fixed as a single assembly. In this state, a coil is attached to the assembly and a side core portion is assembled to the assembly. The auxiliary core portion and the main core portion, including the magnet if it is attached, can be supplied, as the single assembly, to an automated assembly line for ignition coils. It is not necessary to position such components on the assembly line. Thus, the workability of the automated assembly can be enhanced.

An image stabilization apparatus which reduces variations in performance with surface accuracy of a rolling surface for rolling members. A movable unit holds an optical element and is rotatable about a first rotational axis perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical element and a second rotational axis perpendicular to the optical axis and the first formational axis through rolling of the rolling members. With the second rotational axis coinciding with a center of the rolling surface, a first ratio of the first moving range of the rolling members to the first rotational range of the movable unit is smaller than a second ratio of the second moving range of the rolling members to the second rotational range of the movable unit.

A semiconductor device may include a semiconductor substrate, a diffusion layer provided over the semiconductor substrate, source and drain diffusion regions provided in upper regions of the diffusion layer, a gate insulating film provided over the source and drain diffusion regions and the diffusion layer, a gate electrode provided on the gate insulating film and positioned over the diffusion layer, a passivation film provided over the gate insulating film and the gate electrode, an insulating film that covers the passivation film, and contact plugs that penetrate the insulating film, the passivation film, and the gate insulating film, so that the contact plugs reach the source and drain diffusion regions. The contact plugs are positioned near side walls of the gate electrode. Fluorine is implanted to the passivation film. Fluorine is diffused to a silicon-insulator interface between the gate insulating film and the diffusion layer under the gate electrode.

A layout capable of placing a circuit constituted by a plurality of transistors in a small-with region is automatically formed. A search section inputs data on a circuit and makes a search for a set of routes formed so that passage through any one of the transistors occurs only one time and so that the combination of routes in one set can cover the entire circuit network. An extraction section extracts a set of routes having the smallest number of routes in sets of route found by searching. A width determination section determines the layout width from the widths of source and drain electrodes of each transistor, the width of the region between the source and drain electrodes, the width of the region between some of the adjacent pairs of the transistors not combined into a common electrode, the number of transistors, and the smallest number of routes. A layout determination section forms information on a layout in which all the source, drain and gate electrodes of the transistor included in the circuit are placed in a small-width region having the determined width.

A method for evaluating the effectiveness of a person to perform a task based on his / her previous or predicted sleep activity is provided. The method can be used to predict changes in task effectiveness at any time of day, based upon numerous patterns of sleep and activity, either experienced or planned for the future. The method takes into account progressive increases in sleep deprivation, the effects of the time of day on performance, and changes in the time when a person sleeps and works. The method also accounts for the quality of a sleep interval and a person's sleep inertia, the temporary slowing of performance immediately after awakening. The method is homeostatic. Gradual decreases in sleep debt decrease sleep intensity. Progressive increases in sleep debt produced by extended periods of less than optimal levels of sleep lead to increased sleep intensity. As a result the method can predict the normal decline in sleep intensity during the sleep period and the normal equilibrium of performance under less than optimal schedules of sleep.

A method includes preparing a thermoelectric material including p-type or n-type material and first and second caps including transition metal(s). A powder precursor of the first cap can be loaded into a sintering die, punches assembled thereto, and a pre-load applied to form a first pre-pressed structure including a first flat surface. A punch can be removed, a powder precursor of the p-type or n-type material loaded onto that surface, the punch assembled to the die, and a second pre-load applied to form a second pre-pressed structure including a second substantially flat surface. The punch can be removed, a powder precursor of the second cap loaded onto that surface, the first punch assembled to the die, and a third pre-load applied to form a third pre-pressed structure. The third pre-pressed structure can be sintered to form the thermoelectric material; the first or second cap can be coupled to an electrical connector.

To provide a semiconductor circuit having D flip-flops, a display device and an electronic apparatus having the display device, in the invention, the number of transistors is reduced by using 2 n-channel transistors and 2 p-channel transistors instead of using 2 conventional clocked inverters that have a total of 8 transistors in D flip-flops.

A disclosed technology is a method for exposing a photo-sensitive SAM film, wherein a self-assembled-monolayer (photo-sensitive SAM film) having photo-sensitivity, exhibiting hydrophobicity before exposure, and exhibiting hydrophilicity after exposure is formed on a substrate, exposure is performed to the substrate in a state in which a surface of the substrate on which the film has been formed is dipped in liquid or in a state in which a light-sensitive surface of the substrate faces downward to be in contact with liquid, exposure light is ultraviolet light, visible light, or light with an exposure-wavelength of 350 nm or more to 800 nm or less, and the liquid is at least one of organic solvent containing an aromatic group and organic solvent of alcohols, ethers, or ketones.