Methods are disclosed for printing (2-7) multilayer electronic components, and
circuits on a surface (2), where at least one of the layers is formed by a redox
reaction (6) occurring in a deposited solution (4, 5). Electronic components may
comprise semiconductors such as in transistors or diode, or metal oxide or
electrolyte such as in batteries or fuel cells, or are capacitors, inductors,
and resistors. Preferably, the oxidizer of the redox reaction is a strong
oxidizer, and the reducer is a strong reducer (3). Reactions are preferably
sufficiently exothermic that they can be initiated (6), rather than driven to
completion, by microwave or other suitable energy sources, and may yield
substantially pure metal or metal oxide layers. The solution being deposited
(5) may have either high concentrations of particulates, such as 60-80 wt.% of
dry weight, or low concentrations of particulates, such as ≦5 wt.% or
≦2 wt.%. Low particulate content provides printing of structures having
lateral resolution of ≦10 μm, ≦5 μm, or ≦1 μm.
Layered Hard Mask and Dielectric Materials and Methods Therefor
A damascene structure includes a hard mask layer that is applied in a liquid
phase to a line dielectric layer. Contemplated hard mask layers comprise a Si-N
bond and are densified such that the etch resistivity of the hard mask layer is
greater than the etch resistivity of the line dielectric layer and the via
dielectric layer in the damascene structure. Particularly preferred hard mask
layers include polyperhydrosilazane.
Methods and apparatus are provided in which a voice recognition peripheral
device (VRPD) is in electronic communication with and releasibly attached to a
personal digital assistant (PDA). Voice recognition software or hardware is
provided on the VRPD to provide voice commands that are transferred to an
application that is executed on the PDA, or to provide voice data in a digital
format to the PDA.
Polycarbosilane Adhesion Promoters for Low Dielectric Constant Polymetric Materials
The adhesion of low k poly(arylene ether) dielectric coating compositions is
effectively enhanced by a polycarbosilane promoter additive or primer. A coating
composition is prepared by (a) providing a poly(arylene ether) composition; and
(b) adding to said composition a small effective adhesion promoting amount of
certain polycarbosilanes. The adhesion enhanced coating compositions are cured
by heat treatment at temperatures in excess of 50° C. to form a
polycarbosilane-modified poly(arylene ether) polymer composition having a low k
dielectric constant for use in semiconductor devices.
Configurations and Methods for Wave Energy Extraction
A wave energy harvester includes an element that converts forward and/or
backward movement of water in a wave passing the harvester into upward and/or
downward movement to thereby increase the vertical amplitude of the harvester
relative to the sea floor. In most preferred aspects, the element is a
hydrofoil that is coupled to the harvester. Further preferred aspects include
those in which part of, or the entire harvester has a neutral buoyancy, and
where energy is extracted from the downwards movement of the neutrally buoyant
part after a wave has lifted that part.
A battery (100) comprises a cell having a cathode compartment (120) that
includes an element that is oxidized during charging of the battery (100),
wherein the oxidized element forms a salt with an acid and thereby increases
the H+ concentration in the cathode compartment (120) sufficient to promote an
H+ flux into the anode compartment (110) across the separator (130), wherein
the H+ flux across the separator (130) is sufficient to disintegrate a zinc
dendrite proximal to the separator (130).
A battery (100) comprises an electrolyte in which a lanthanide and zinc form a
redox pair. Preferred electorlytes are acid electrolytes, and most preferably
comprise methane sulfonic acid, and it is further contemplated that suitable
electrolytes may include at least two lanthanides. Contemplated lanthanides
include cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, terbium, and dysprosium and further
contemplate lanthanides are samarium, europium, thulium and ytterbium.
An electrolyte is provided having a backbone that includes a plurality of
aromatic constituents coupled together by at least one atom having a Jt-cloud,
and in which a halogen atom and an ion exchange group are covalently bound
directly to the backbone. Furthermore, the electrolyte is high temperature
resistant and may comprise perhalogenated polymers, including perhalogenated
polyphenylenes, perhalogenated polyamides, perhalogenated aromatic polyesters,
perhalogenated polyimide, etc. Still further, the electrolyte may have acidic
groups as ion exchange groups, including sulfonic acid groups, or phosphoric
acid groups.
Contemplated alert systems provide increased functionality and interactive
operation by use of subsystems that are coupled between the GUI/rules engine
and the alert devices, wherein the subsystems provide for bidirectional flow
of information. Therefore, in one aspect, the GUI displays functional and
operational parameters of associated alert devices in real time and thus
allows an administrator rule building without knowledge of installed devices.
In another aspect, as the alert system displays and controls all associated
alert device via the GUI, contemplated alert systems allow activation of
multiple and distinct alert devices using a single user interface. Viewed
from another perspective, contingency- and area-specific alerts can be
triggered from the GUI using only point-and-click action.
Systems and methods of alert and notification transmission are contemplated in
which a low-range transceiver provides an alert/notification to a plurality of
users having a wearable transceiver. Most typically, the low-range transceiver
(a) is located in a wide area notification zone and a trigger device provides a
signal from a wide area notification device to the low-range transceiver and (b)
is used to also provide non-emergency notifications to the wearable
transceivers. It should be appreciated that transmission of the emergency
signal using the low-range transceiver is automatic, while transmission of the
non-emergency notifications requires manual user input.
Control System Simulation Testing and Operator Training
A requirements database and test generator generates tests for functional and
field testing and generates requirements documentation, user manuals,
operational procedures, instrument data sheets, instrument indices, instrument
loop diagrams, validation reports, and test reports, including exception and
passing reports. A portable process control simulator system which provides
control system users with scenarios that mirror field operation as defined.
Irrigation Controller Using Estimated Solar Radiation
An irrigation controller (200) receives temperature data, and at least
partly derives an estimated solar radiation value from the temperature data.
A regression model stored in a memory (220) of the irrigation controller
(200) operates upon a data point from the estimated solar radiation to
estimate an evapotranspiration rate, which is used to affect an irrigation
schedule executed by the controller (200). The regression model is
preferably based upon a comparison of historical ETo values against
corresponding historical environmental values, with the data advantageously
spanning a time period of at least two days, and more preferably at least one
month. Data from one or more environmental factors may also be used, including
especially estimated solar radiation, temperature, wind speed, hnmidity, and
soil moisture, and so forth. Values relating the environmental factor(s) may
enter the controller from a local sensor (240), a distal signal source,
or both.
Optical Method and Apparatus for Determining Fertility Status
An optical method of determining a woman's fertility status is provided,
wherein an optical system (20) has a sample receiving surface (29) and an
eyepiece (28), such that the sample can be viewed in focus through the optical
system (20) without altering the distance between the eyepiece (28) and the
sample receiving surface (29) using ambient-light illumination. A sample of a
bodily fluid from a female is deposited at the sample receiving surface (29)
of the optical system (20) and dried. The dried sample is then inspected using
the optical system (20) and the appearance of the dried sample is correlated
with a reference.
Advanced Cosmetic Color Analysis System and Methods Therefor
An advanced cosmetic color analysis system) analyzes the color of a three
dimensional object to produce a plurality of color values for distinct subsets
of a portion of the object, and a cosmetic analyzer combines the color values
to produce a cosmetic color determination that has relative weightings of
multiple cosmetic colors. Contemplated systems are particularly useful for
determination of suitable cosmetic products (or composition thereof) to
achieve a particular and desired cosmetic appearance.
A collector (202) captures light from source images as a field of
pixels, a color analyzer (292) analyzes a proper subset (420)
of the field to produce a plurality of color values, and a cosmetic analyzer
then uses the color values to produce a cosmetic color determination. Another
aspect of the present invention comprises a window having a light passage area,
a color calibration region that is not coextensive with the light passage area,
and a detectable product identification region. The window may also contain a
mechanism that tends to preclude multiple uses. A third aspect of the present
invention is a system that combines the collector, the color analyzer, the
cosmetic analyzer, and window.
