249 results about "Local variation" patented technology

A nitride semiconductor substrate having properties preferable for the manufacture of various nitride semiconductor devices is made available, by specifying or controlling the local variation in the off-axis angle of the principal surface of the nitride semiconductor substrate. In a nitride semiconductor single-crystal wafer having a flat principal surface, the crystallographic plane orientation of the principal surface of the nitride semiconductor single-crystal wafer varies locally within a predetermined angular range.

A nitride semiconductor substrate having properties preferable for the manufacture of various nitride semiconductor devices is made available, by specifying or controlling the local variation in the off-axis angle of the principal surface of the nitride semiconductor substrate. The substrate, being misoriented, is manufactured to have an off-axis angle distribution across its principal surface such that variation Δθ in the off-axis angle is continuous within a predetermined angular range.

A series of medical instruments can be made with the use of shape memory tube with a transformation temperature that is above or below the ambient temperature. In the first case, the material behaves with the shape memory effect and in the second case the behavior is superelastic. The wall of the tube has been provided with a plurality of slots in specific places, often near or at the distal end of the instrument, and in specific arrangements which allow local variations in diameter, shape, and / or length. These variations can either be caused by the memory effect during temperature change or by superelastic behavior during change of the mechanical influences on the memory metal by the surrounding material.

A tactile sensor includes a photosensing structure, a volume of elastomer capable of transmitting an image, and a reflective skin covering the volume of elastomer. The reflective skin is illuminated through the volume of elastomer by one or more light sources, and has particles that reflect light incident on the reflective skin from within the volume of elastomer. The reflective skin is geometrically altered in response to pressure applied by an entity touching the reflective skin, the geometrical alteration causing localized changes in the surface normal of the skin and associated localized changes in the amount of light reflected from the reflective skin in the direction of the photosensing structure. The photosensing structure receives a portion of the reflected light in the form of an image, the image indicating one or more features of the entity producing the pressure.

A device for determining the longitudinal and angular position of a rotationally symmetrical apparatus when guided inside a longitudinal element surrounding the same, including an imaging optical navigation sensor that measures the motion of the underlying surface by comparing successive images, and translates this image translation into a measurement of the longitudinal and rotational motion of the instrument. Features of the captured image are used to identify the insertion or withdrawal of the instrument, and to identify specific areas of the moving surface passing underneath the sensor, therefore allowing to establish the absolute position of the instrument, or to identify which instrument was inserted or in what cavity a tracking instrument was inserted. The device comprises a light source and a light detector. Light emitted by said light source is directed onto a surface of the rotationally symmetrical apparatus. Reflected light from said surface is detected by said light detector to produce a position signal showing a locally varying distribution in the longitudinal direction and in the peripheral direction to enable said precise position and angular measurement.

A series of medical instruments can be made with the use of shape memory tube with a transformation temperature that is above or below the ambient temperature. In the first case, the material behaves with the shape memory effect and in the second case the behavior is superelastic. The wall of the tube has been provided with a plurality of slots in specific places, often near or at the distal end of the instrument, and in specific arrangements which allow local variations in diameter, shape, and / or length. These variations can either be caused by the memory effect during temperature change or by superelastic behavior during change of the mechanical influences on the memory metal by the surrounding material.

An I / O routing pattern method is disclosed, for use with heterogeneous printed circuit boards (PCBs), such as those embedded with a reinforcement material, for example, a fiberglass weave. Traces are routed on the PCB so as to reduce sensitivity to changes in the dielectric constant (Dk), which are brought about by the strands of reinforcement material contained within the PCB laminate. The method minimizes the local variations, such as the Dk, time of flight, and capacitance variations, that are observed with traditional routing methods on heterogeneous PCBs.

Systematic use of infrared imaging characterizes marks made on items and identifies the particular marking tool with better accuracy than use of visual imaging. Infrared imaging performed in total darkness eliminates shadows, glint, and other lighting variations and artifacts associated with visible imaging. Although normally used to obtain temperature measurements, details in IR imagery result from emissivity variations as well as thermal variations. Disturbing an item's surface texture creates an emissivity difference producing local changes in the infrared image. Identification is most accurate when IR images of unknown marks are compared to IR images of marks made by known tools. However, infrared analysis offers improvements even when only visual reference images are available. Comparing simultaneous infrared and visual images of an unknown item, such as bullet or shell casing, can detect illumination-induced artifacts in the visual image prior to searching the visual database, thereby reducing potential erroneous matches. Computer numerically controlled positioning of the toolmark relative to imaging sensors which use fixed focus optics with shallow depth of focus, varying focus distance and orientation systematically to construct a sequence of images, maximizes reliability of resulting images and their comparisons.

Statistical timing analysis methods for circuits are described which compensate for circuit elements having correlated timing delays with a high degree of computational efficiency. An quadratic timing model is used to represent each delay element along a circuit path, wherein each element's delay has a first-order relationship to local variations and a second-order relationship to global variations. Propagation of the modeled delays through the circuit is efficiently done via straightforward ADD operations where an input propagates through another element in a circuit path, and via a MAX operation (or an approximation thereof) where two or more inputs merge at an intersection. The inputs to the MAX operator can be tested for gaussianity, and can be processed by the MAX operation (or its approximation) if they are substantially gaussian. Otherwise, they may be stored in a tuple for processing at later points along the circuit path.

The ratio between coding quality on the one hand and coding rate on the other hand is increased. To this end, a global predictor and a local predictor are used in combination. The global predictor derives a global tone-mapping function based on a statistical analysis of pairs of values of co-located samples in the first tone-mapped version and the second version of the picture, and applies the global tone-mapping function onto the first tone-mapped version of the picture. The local predictor locally derives a locally varying tone-mapping function based on a statistical analysis of values of co-located samples in the second version of the picture and the globally predicted reference picture in units of sub-portions into which the globally predicted reference picture and the second version of the picture are partitioned, and applies the locally varying tone-mapping function onto the globally predicted reference picture.

Systematic use of infrared imaging characterizes marks made on items and identifies the particular marking tool with better accuracy than use of visual imaging. Infrared imaging performed in total darkness eliminates shadows, glint, and other lighting variations and artifacts associated with visible imaging. Although normally used to obtain temperature measurements, details in IR imagery result from emissivity variations as well as thermal variations. Disturbing an item's surface texture creates an emissivity difference producing local changes in the infrared image. Identification is most accurate when IR images of unknown marks are compared to IR images of marks made by known tools. However, infrared analysis offers improvements even when only visual reference images are available. Comparing simultaneous infrared and visual images of an unknown item, such as bullet or shell casing, can detect illumination-induced artifacts in the visual image prior to searching the visual database, thereby reducing potential erroneous matches.

The invention is directed to a method for determining the image quality of an optical imaging system and to the use of the method according to the invention for determining the influence of samples on the amplitude distribution and phase front distribution of the illumination light, of which the amplitude distribution is known in particular. The invention comprises the following steps: adjusting the subassemblies relative to one another in such a way that it is possible to project images of a sample on the detection device; recording a plurality of images of the sample from different reference planes near the focus plane; improving the image quality by image processing, particularly to reduce noise, to compensate for local variations in sensitivity of the detection device, and to center the intensity centroids respectively on a predetermined location in the images; computational linking of the spatially resolved image information, of adjustment values and system variables relating to the optical imaging system, and of information concerning the sample with the aim of determining characteristic numbers that are characteristic of the wavefront deformation caused by the imaging system; and outputting the characteristic numbers and associating them with the imaging system for describing the image quality.

A method and apparatus for depositing a uniform coating on a large area, non-planar surface using an array of multiple plasma sources. The apparatus comprises at least one array of a plurality of plasma sources for generating a plurality of plasmas, wherein each of the plurality of plasma sources has a cathode, anode, and an inlet for a non-reactive plasma source gas disposed in a plasma chamber, and at least one reactant gas injector for differentially injecting at least one reactant gas into the plurality of plasmas. The reactant gas injector and substrate are located in a deposition chamber in fluid communication with each plasma chamber. Individual adjustment of the flow of deposition precursor into each of the plasmas generated by the multiple plasma array compensates for changes in substrate processing conditions due to local variations in the working distance between the plasma source and the surface of the substrate.

The invention discloses a color image segmentation method, which comprises the following steps: processing an image to be segmented into a gray image; extracting a region profile map from the gray image by an Otsu threshold segmentation method, and determining an optimal threshold; taking the optimal threshold as a high threshold of a Canny operator, and extracting an edge map from the gray image by utilizing the Canny operator; and fusing the area profile map and the edge map, and outputting a segmentation result of a color image. The method adopts an operator threshold determining scheme combined with an adaptive strategy and an empirical value and overcomes the defect that an empirical value selecting method has application limitation; the local change intensity of a gray value is obtained through edge detection, so that over-segmentation of avoidable areas is limited; and residual edges are complemented through region segmentation, so that profiles of images after the segmentation are more clear and complete.

A non-invasive method and device for promoting a localized change in a flow of blood through a limb segment by a series of electrically stimulated contractions of muscle tissue, the method including: (a) providing a device including: (i) at least a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode, each of the electrodes for operatively contacting the limb segment of the body; (ii) a signal generator, operatively connected to each electrode, for producing a series of electrical impulses to the limb segment via the electrodes, and (iii) a control unit, associated with the signal generator, for controlling the signal generator so as to produce the series of electrical stimulation impulses; (b) positioning the plurality of electrodes on the limb segment; (c) applying electrical impulses to induce a substantially radial contraction of a first portion of the muscular tissue in the limb segment; (d) applying electrical impulses to induce a substantially longitudinal contraction of a second portion of the muscular tissue in the limb segment, such that the muscular tissue acts upon the blood vessel to produce the localized change in the flow of blood.

The present invention pertains to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly to statistical analysis (400) to determine the robustness or reliability of a fabricated integrated circuit module given global and local variations of operating parameters of elements, such as transistors, of the module. Multiple sequences of statistical simulations (408, 414) are run to ascertain (416) the robustness of the module to local variations in an environment of global variations.

A display device, a method and device for refreshing a display interface, wherein the method for refreshing a display interface includes: acquiring pixel data of a current display interface and a next display interface; comparing the pixel data of the current display interface and the next display interface, Determine the changed pixels of the next display interface relative to the current display interface; based on the pixel data of the corresponding changed pixels in the next display interface, refresh the display area of ​​the display interface corresponding to the changed pixels. The display device, the method and device for refreshing the display interface of the present invention use local refresh to refresh the display area corresponding to the changed pixels, so as to avoid the screen flicker phenomenon that occurs when the display device in the prior art adopts global (full screen) refresh.

A brachytherapy applicator and method of use involve source guides that assume a desired curving, non-linear configuration. A flexible source catheter follows the shape of the source guides when inserted therein. Radiation dose received in various tissue areas can be better controlled using the invention, and the ratio of cavity surface dose to prescription depth dose can be lowered. With sequential manipulation of the source via movement of the catheter, the applicator can deliver radiotherapy to a treatment plan with local variation to prevent overdose, through either stepped or continuous movement of the source. Source guides can be fixed in position and arranged in bowed configuration around a generally central balloon axis, either attached to the balloon wall or not, and the series of off-center guides can be used to shape the dose delivered.

A high-speed method and system for precisely positioning a waist of a material-processing laser beam to dynamically compensate for local variations in height of microstructures located on a plurality of objects spaced apart within a laser-processing site are provided. In the preferred embodiment, the microstructures are a plurality of conductive lines formed on a plurality of memory dice of a semiconductor wafer. The system includes a focusing lens subsystem for focusing a laser beam along an optical axis substantially orthogonal to a plane, an x-y stage for moving the wafer in the plane, and a first air bearing sled for moving the focusing lens subsystem along the optical axis. The system also includes a first controller for controlling the x-y stage based on reference data which represents 3-D locations of microstructures to be processed within the site, a second controller, and a first voice coil coupled to the second controller for positioning the first air bearing sled along the optical axis also based on the reference data. The reference data is generated by the system which includes a modulator for reducing power of the material-processing laser beam to obtain a probe laser beam to measure height of the semiconductor wafer at a plurality of locations about the site to obtain reference height data. A computer computes a reference surface based on the reference height data. A trajectory planner generates trajectories for the wafer and the waist of the laser beam based on the reference surface. The x-y stage and the first air bearing sled controllably move the wafer and the focusing lens subsystem, respectively, to precisely position the waist of the laser beam so that the waist substantially coincides with the 3-D locations of the microstructures within the site. The system also includes a spot size lens subsystem for controlling size of the waist of the laser beam, a second air bearing sled for moving the spot size lens subsystem along the optical axis, a third controller for controlling the second air bearing sled, and a second voice coil coupled to the third controller for positioning the second air bearing sled along the optical axis.

An optical scanning system and method for detecting anomalies, including pattern defects and particulate contaminants, on both patterned and unpatterned surfaces, using a light beam, scanning at a grazing angle with respect to the surfaces, a plurality of detectors and an interchannel communication scheme to compare data from each detector, which facilitates characterizing anomalies. The light beam illuminates a spot on the surface which is scanned over a short scan-line. The surface is moved in a manner so that the spot is scanned over its entire area in a serpentine fashion along adjacent striped regions. The plurality of detectors include groups of collector channels disposed circumferentially around the surface, a bright field reflectivity / autoposition channel, an alignment / registration channel and an imaging channel. The collector channels in each group are symmetrically disposed, in the azimuth, on opposite sides of the center of the scan line. The position of the collector channels, as well as the polarization of the beam, facilitates distinguishing pattern defects from particulate contaminants. The bright field reflectivity / autoposition channel is positioned to receive specularly reflected light that carries information concerning local variation in reflectivity, which is used to classify detected anomalies, as well as determine variations in the height of the surface. The alignment / registration channel is positioned to detect a maximum of the light scattered from the pattern on the surface to ensure that the streets of die present on the surface are oriented so as not to be oblique with respect to the scan line. The imaging channel combines the advantages of a scanning system and an imaging system while improving signal / background ratio of the present system.

A device implements a method of tracking objects on a touch surface of an FTIR based touch-sensitive apparatus. An interaction map is generated that indicates local changes in interaction on the touch surface. The interaction map is processed for identification of positive and negative peaks that represent a locally increased and decreased interaction in the interaction map, respectively. To suppress the impact of interferences, a dedicated first heuristic and / or second heuristic is applied to identify potentially false peaks among the positive peaks. The first heuristic designates a positive peak as a potentially false peak when the positive peak is deemed to be associated with one or more of the negative peaks. The second heuristic designates a positive peak as a potentially false peak when the positive peak is deemed to be located along one of the movement trajectories. Movement trajectories of all objects deemed to exist on the touch surface at a preceding time point are then updated while taking the potentially false peaks into account.

A compound reticle having generally complementary clear and opaque areas on a portion of subfield in each of two reticle layers which can be moved relative to each other form a variable transmissivity shutter to regulate charged particle beam intensity independently of source beam current. Either homogeneous or inhomogeneous (e.g. having local variations in beam current density) can be produced at will and in rapid succession to study effects of beam current on beam pattern resolution and aberrations as well as optimum focus for particular patterned subfields having respectively differing transmissivities.

A new class of algorithms has been developed to estimate spectral reflectance in remote sensing imagery. These algorithms are called Surface Prior Information Reflectance Estimation (SPIRE) algorithms and estimate surface spectral reflectance using prior spatial and spectral information about the surface reflectance. This paper describes SPIRE algorithms that employ spatial processing of single channel data to estimate local changes in spectral reflectance under spatially and spectrally varying multiplicative and additive noise caused by variations in illumination and atmospheric effects. Rather than modeling the physics of the atmosphere and illumination (using a physics-based code such as ATREM), or using ground truth spectra at known locations to compensate for these effects (using the Empirical Line Method), prior information about the low spatial frequency content of the scene in each spectral channel is used instead. HYDICE VNIR-SWIR hyperspectral data were used to compare the performance of SPIRE, ATREM, and ELM atmospheric compensation algorithms. The Spatial SPIRE algorithm performance was found to be nearly identical to the ELM ground-truth based results, while Spatial SPIRE performed better than ATREM overall, and significantly better under high clouds and haze.

An interferometric measuring device for the three-dimensional measurement of shapes on objects to be measured having a beam splitter receiving light from a light source via an input light path and splitting it into a measuring light path and a reference light path, having an image pick-up, to which light reflected back from the object to be measured and from a reference and brought into interference can be supplied via an output light path for conversion into electrical signals, having an evaluation unit for determining the surface shape from the signals and having an adaptation device for adapting the light intensity or the signals received from the interfering light. The measuring precision is increased by the fact that the measuring device is configured to measure planar regions of the surface which extend over at least the lateral resolution of the measuring device and that the adaptation device is configured for adjusting the intensity of the light and / or of the signals obtained from the light as a function of locally varying reflective properties of the surface with respect to the measuring optics.

Systematic use of infrared imaging characterizes marks made on items and identifies the particular marking tool with better accuracy than use of visual imaging. Infrared imaging performed in total darkness eliminates shadows, glint, and other lighting variations and artifacts associated with visible imaging. Although normally used to obtain temperature measurements, details in IR imagery result from emissivity variations as well as thermal variations. Disturbing an item's surface texture creates an emissivity difference producing local changes in the infrared image. Identification is most accurate when IR images of unknown marks are compared to IR images of marks made by known tools. However, infrared analysis offers improvements even when only visual reference images are available. Comparing simultaneous infrared and visual images of an unknown item, such as bullet or shell casing, can detect illumination-induced artifacts in the visual image prior to searching the visual database, thereby reducing potential erroneous matches.