Scheduling cluster tools in wafer fabrication using candidate list and simulated annealing

This paper presents a new method for scheduling cluster tools in semiconductor fabrication. A cluster tool consists of a group of single-wafer chambers organized around a wafer transport device, or robot. Cluster fabrication system considered in this paper consists of serial cluster tools. Due to constraints imposed by multiple routes of each wafer type and machines with no buffer, it is difficult to find an optimal or near-optimal schedule. In order to determine the sequence of the operations to be released and the assignment of the machine to each operation, the proposed method uses a job requirement table with random keys as a solution representation. Simulated annealing seeks the optimal or near-optimal sequence and machine assignment of the operations. In this paper, the scheduling objective is to find a schedule with minimum makespan. A Gantt chart is obtained as the final schedule. To handle the constraints, the proposed method uses a candidate list. To determine which operation can be scheduled in considering the constraints, a negotiation procedure between the operations in the candidate list and a current state of the system is introduced. To show the effectiveness of the proposed method, scheduling example of a real cluster fabrication system is presented. Scheduling results are compared with those obtained by using several dispatching rules. From the experimental results, it is shown that the proposed method is promising.     

A damping analysis of composite laminates using the closed form expression for the basic damping of Poisson's ratio

Various methods have been presented to obtain the effective damping of a symmetric laminated composite. In this paper, modified classical lamination theory based upon the elastic–viscoelastic correspondence principle was utilized by developing the basic damping of Poisson's ratio for accurately predicting the damping of laminated composite beams. The analysis involves an extension of the elastic–viscoelastic approach. Futhermore, Ni and Adams' theory was used for verifying the modified classical lamination theory. Six typical laminated composites with [±θ]_s,[0/θ]_s,[0/±θ/90]_s,[90/±θ/0]_s,[0/90/±θ]_s and [90/0/±θ]_s, stacking sequences were employed for this study. Numerical results have shown that damping values were in some difference among prediction methods over the particular range of fiber orientation.     

Production of Branched Cyclodextrins by Reverse Reaction of Microbial Debranching Enzymes

Formation of maltosyl cyclodextrins from mixtures of maltose and cyclodextrins by reverse reactions of Flavobacterium isoamylase and Klebsiella pullulanase was experimented and it was found that Klebsiella pullulanase produced 50.4mg maltosyl α-cyclodextrin, 35.0mg maltosyl β-cyclodextrin and 55.4mg maltosyl γ-cyclodextrin per ml of reaction mixture, whereas Flavobacterium isoamylase did not form maltosyl cyclodextrins. Optimum conditions for formation of maltosyl β-cyclodextrin by Klebsiella pullulanase were pH 4, 50°C reaction temperature and proportion of substrate 100mg β-cyclodextrin/600mg maltose per ml.     

Predictive end-point trajectory control of elastic manipulators

This article presents an approach to end-point trajectory control of elastic manipulators based on the nonlinear predictive control theory. Although this approach is applicable to manipulators of general configuration, only planar flexible multi-link manipulators are considered. A predictive control law is derived by minimizing a quadratic function of the trajectory error of the end-points of each link, elastic modes, and control torques. This approach avoids the instability of the zero dynamics encountered in the controller design using feedback linearization and variable structure control techniques for end-point control. Furthermore, the derived predictive controller is robust to uncertainty in the system parameters. Simulation results are presented for a one-link flexible manipulator to show that in the closed-loop system accurate end-point trajectory control and vibration damping can be accomplished. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Walking pattern generation employing DAE integration method

A stable walking pattern generation method for a biped robot is presented in this paper In general, the ZMP (zero moment point) equations, which are expressed as differential equations, are solved to obtain a stable walking pattern However, the number of differential equations is less than that of unknown coordinates in the ZMP equations It is impossible to integrate the ZMP equations directly since one or more constraint equations are involved in the ZMP equations To overcome this difficulty, DAE (differential and algebraic equation) solution method is employed The proposed method has enough flexibility for various kinematic structures Walking simulation for a virtual biped robot is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and validity of the proposed method The method can be applied to the biped robot for stable walking pattern generation     

A kinetic study of novel bimetallic titanocene catalyst for syndiospecific styrene polymerization

A kinetic study of a syndiospecific polymerization was performed with two kinds of catalysts: Cp*Ti(O(C₆H₄)CMe₂(C₆H₄)O)TiCp* [bimetallic system] and Cp*Ti(OMe)₃ [monometallic system]. The purpose of this study was to determine the reasons behind the high activity of a bimetallic catalyst system. The active site structures of the two kinds of catalysts appears to be similar to the cationic Ti [III] species having η⁵‐pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligand, while the rate of the activation process of the bimetallic catalyst was found to be higher than that of the monometallic catalyst. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Effects of bonding temperature on the properties and reliabilities of anisotropic conductive films (ACFs) for flip chip on organic substrate application

The effects of bonding temperatures on the composite properties and reliability performances of anisotropic conductive films (ACFs) for flip chip on organic substrates assemblies were studied. As the bonding temperature decreased, the composite properties of ACF, such as water absorption, glass transition temperature (T_g), elastic modulus (E′) and coefficient of thermal expansion (α), were improved. These results were due to the difference in network structures of cured ACFs which were fully cured at different temperatures. From small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) test result, ACFs cured at lower temperature, had denser network structures. The reliability performances of flip chip on organic substrate assemblies using ACFs were also investigated as a function of bonding temperatures. The results in thermal cycling test (−55 °C/+150 °C, 1000 cycles) and PCT (121 °C, 100% RH, 96 h) showed that the lower bonding temperature resulted in better reliability of the flip chip interconnects using ACFs. Therefore, the composite properties of cured ACF and reliability of flip chip on organic substrate assemblies using ACFs were strongly affected by the bonding temperature.     

Nitric Oxide Generation and Endothelial Progenitor Cells Recruitment for Improving Hemocompatibility and Accelerating Endothelialization of Tissue Engineering Heart Valve

Tissue engineering heart valve (TEHV) offers great potential to overcome the limitations of commercial artificial valves used in clinical practice as a permanent prosthetic valve. Currently, decellularized heart valve (DHV) is the most widely used scaffold for TEHV, but showed suboptimal performance due to difficulty of endothelialization. Facilitating endothelialization of DHV is indispensable for better valve performance, and excellent hemocompatibility guarantees enough time windows for endothelialization process. Herein, a dual-functional TEHV scaffold with improving hemocompatibility and accelerating endothelialization is constructed by modifying DHV with copper ions (Cu) and growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11). Results show the newly-constructed scaffold successfully generates endogenous nitric oxide (NO) through catalysis of Cu, and possesses improved hemocompatibility by down-regulating platelets activation and adhesion. Furthermore, GDF11 immobilization significantly accelerates scaffold endothelialization through facilitating recruitment, supporting growth, and alleviating apoptosis of endothelial progenitor cells . This TEHV scaffold shows favorable performance under in vivo hemodynamic environment with intact endothelial coverage and adaptive ECM remodeling, and without thrombus or calcification formation. This newly-constructed TEHV scaffold is expected to make up for the shortcomings of currently available prosthetic valves in clinical practice and has the potential possibility of rapid translation to the clinic as a better prosthetic valve.     

Effects of interlaminar stresses on damping of 0-degree unidirectional laminated composites

The principal aim of this paper is to formulate a general model for predicting damping in composites on the basis of the concept of strain energy-weighted dissipation. In this model, the effects of interlaminar stresses on damping have been included in addition to the effects of in-plane extension/compression and in-plane shear. Validation of the model was confirmed by performing damping measurements on 0° unidirectional composite beams with varying length and thickness. The results of theoretical predictions of damping in laminated composites were found to compare favorably with experimental data. The transverse shear (σ_xz) reveals to have a considerable effect on the damping mechanisms in 0° unidirectional polymer composites. However, the other interlaminar stresses (σ_yz, σ_z) were shown to have little influence on damping in composite beam.