Epoxy/BaTiO/sub 3/ composite films and pastes for high dielectric constant and low-tolerance embedded capacitors fabrication in organic substrates

Epoxy/BaTiO/sub 3/ composite embedded capacitor films (ECFs) were newly designed for high dielectric constant and low-tolerance (less than /spl plusmn/5%) embedded capacitor fabrication for organic substrates. In terms of material formulation, ECFs are composed of a specially formulated epoxy resin and latent curing agent, and in terms of a coating process, a comma roll coating method is used for uniform film thickness in large area. The dielectric constant of ECF in high frequency range (0.5/spl sim/3 GHz) is measured using the cavity resonance method. In order to estimate dielectric constant, the reflection coefficient is measured with a network analyzer. The dielectric constant is calculated by observing the frequencies of the resonant cavity modes. Calculated dielectric constants in this frequency range are about 3/4 of the dielectric constants at 1 MHz. This difference is due to the decrease of the dielectric constant of the epoxy matrix. The dielectric relaxation of barium titanate (BaTiO/sub 3/: BT) powder is not observed within measured frequency. An alternative material for embedded capacitor fabrication is epoxy/BaTiO/sub 3/ composite embedded capacitor paste (ECP). It uses similar materials formulation like ECF and a screen printing method for film coating. The screen printing method has the advantage of forming a capacitor partially in the desired part. However, the screen printing makes surface irregularities during mask peel-off. Surface flatness is significantly improved by adding some additives and by applying pressure during curing. As a result, a dielectric layer with improved thickness uniformity is successfully demonstrated. Using epoxy/BaTiO/sub 3/ composite ECP, a dielectric constant of 63 and specific capacitance of 5.1 nF/cm/sup 2/ were achieved.     

Higher order optical resonant filters based on coupled defect resonators in photonic crystals

In this paper, a general methodology for the design of higher order coupled resonator filters in photonic crystals (PCs) is presented. In the proposed approach, the coupling between resonators is treated as though it occurs through a waveguide with an arbitrary phase shift. The coupling through the waveguide is analyzed theoretically, based on the coupled-mode theory in time. The derived theoretical model suggests a way to extend an equivalent circuit approach, previously demonstrated with a certain value of a phase shift, to the higher order filter design with an arbitrary phase shift. The validity of the proposed approach is confirmed by the design of a third-order Chebyshev filter having a center frequency of 193.55 THz, a flat bandwidth of 50 GHz, and ripples of 0.3 dB in the passband. The characteristics of the designed filter are suitable for wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems with a 100-GHz channel spacing. The performance of the designed filter is numerically calculated using the two-dimensional (2-D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method.     

Simultaneous removal of organic and strong nitrogen from sewage in a pilot-scale BNR process supplemented with food waste.

As the sewerage system is incomplete, sewage in Korea lacks easily biodegradable organics for nutrient removal. In this country, about 11,400 tons of food waste of high organic materials is produced daily. Therefore, the potential of food waste as an external carbon source was examined in a pilot-scale BNR (biological nutrient removal) process for a half year. It was found that as the supply of the external carbon increased, the average removal efficiencies of T-N (total nitrogen) and T-P (total phosphorus) increased from 53% and 55% to 97% and 93%, respectively. VFAs (volatile fatty acids) concentration of the external carbon source strongly affected denitrification efficiency and EBPR (enhanced biological phosphorus removal) activity. Biological phosphorus removal was increased to 93% when T-N removal efficiency increased from 78% to 97%. In this study, several kinds of PHAs (poly-hydroxyalkanoates) in cells were observed. The observed PHAs was composed of 37% 3HB (poly-3-hydroxybutyrate), 47% 3HV (poly-3-hydroxyvalerate), 9% 3HH (poly-3-hydroxyhexanoate), 5% 3HO (poly-3-hydroxyoctanoate), and 2% 3HD (poly-3-hydroxydecanoate).     

Analysis of Input Filter Interactions in Switching Power Converters

This paper presents the theoretical and practical details involved with the small-signal analysis of switching power converters under a strong influence of input filter interaction. A boost dc-to-dc converter controlled by voltage-mode control and the same boost converter controlled by current-mode control are used as illustrative examples. The theoretical predictions of this paper are supported by experimental results and computer simulations     

Formation of Pb/63Sn solder bumps using a solder droplet jetting method

Formation processes of Pb/63Sn solder droplets using a solder droplet jetting have not been sufficiently reported. Solving problems such as satellite droplets and position errors are very important for a uniform bump size and reliable flip-chip solder bump formation process. First, this paper presents the optimization of jet conditions of Pb/63Sn solder droplets and the formation process of Pb/63Sn solder bumps using a solder droplet jetting method. Second, interfacial reactions and mechanical strength of jetted Pb/63Sn solder bumps and electroless Ni-P/Au UBM joints have been investigated. Interfacial reactions have been investigated after the second solder reflow and aging, and results were compared with those of solder bumps formed by a solder screen-printing method. Third, jetted solder bumps with variable bump sizes have been demonstrated by a multiple jetting method and the control of waveform induced to a jet nozzle. Multiple droplets jetting method can control various height and size of solder bumps. Finally, real applications of jetted Pb/63Sn solder bumps have been successfully demonstrated on conventional DRAM chips and integrated passive devices (IPDs).     

DigiCipher-all digital, channel compatible, HDTV broadcast system

DigiCipher, an all-digital HDTV (high-definition television) system, with transmission over a single 6 MHz VHF or UHF channel, is described. It provides full HDTV performance with virtually no visible transmission impairments due to noise, multipath, and interference. It offers high picture quality, while the complexity of the decoder is low. Furthermore, low transmitting power can be used, making it ideal for simulcast HDTV transmission using unused or prohibited channels. DigiCipher can also be used for cable and satellite transmission of HDTV. There is no satellite receive dish size penalty (compared to FM-NTSC) in the satellite delivery of DigiCipher HDTV. To achieve the full HDTV performance in a single 6 MHz bandwidth, a highly efficient unique compression algorithm based on DCT (discrete cosine transform) transform coding is used. Through the extensive use of computer simulation, the compression algorithm has been refined and optimized. Computer simulation results show excellent video quality for a variety of HDTV material. For error-free transmission of the digital data, power error correction coding combined with adaptive equalization is used. At a carrier-to-noise ratio of above 19 dB, essentially error-free reception can be achieved     

Building adaptive E-catalog communities based on user interaction patterns

On the basis of observed customer interaction patterns, the WebCatalog/sup Pers/ system creates integrated product catalogs that continuously adapt and can be restructured in a dynamic environment.     

Ultimate strength of dented steel plates under edge shear loads

The aims of this paper are to investigate the ultimate shear strength reduction characteristics of steel plates due to local impacts, and also to develop the ultimate shear strength design formulae of dented steel plates. The ANSYS nonlinear finite element code is used to investigate the effects of shape, size (depth, diameter), and location of the denting on the ultimate strength behavior of simply supported steel plates under edge shear loads. A closed-form expression for predicting the ultimate shear strength of dented steel plates is derived by the regression analysis based on the computed results. The results and insights developed from the present study will be very useful for damage tolerant design of steel plated structures with local denting.     

Numerical Simulation of Swirling Flow in Complex Hydroturbine Draft Tube Using Unsteady Statistical Turbulence Models

A numerical method is developed for carrying out unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulations and detached-eddy simulations (DESs) in complex 3D geometries. The method is applied to simulate incompressible swirling flow in a typical hydroturbine draft tube, which consists of a strongly curved 90° elbow and two piers. The governing equations are solved with a second-order-accurate, finite-volume, dual-time-stepping artificial compressibility approach for a Reynolds number of 1.1 million on a mesh with 1.8 million nodes. The geometrical complexities of the draft tube are handled using domain decomposition with overset (chimera) grids. Numerical simulations show that unsteady statistical turbulence models can capture very complex 3D flow phenomena dominated by geometry-induced, large-scale instabilities and unsteady coherent structures such as the onset of vortex breakdown and the formation of the unsteady rope vortex downstream of the turbine runner. Both URANS and DES appear to yield the general shape and magnitude of mean velocity profiles in reasonable agreement with measurements. Significant discrepancies among the DES and URANS predictions of the turbulence statistics are also observed in the straight downstream diffuser.