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| 20080219894 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR THERMAL ACTUATION OF MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES - A microfluidic processing device includes a substrate defining a microfluidic network. The substrate is in thermal communication with a plurality of N independently controllable components and a plurality of input output contacts for connecting the substrate to an external controller. Each component has at least two terminals. Each terminal is in electrical communication with at least one contact. The number of contacts required to independently control the N components is substantially less than the total number of terminals. Upon actuation, the components typically heat a portion of the microfluidic network and/or sense a temperature thereof. | 09-11-2008 |
| 20100158754 | MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES HAVING A REDUCED NUMBER OF INPUT AND OUTPUT CONNECTIONS - A system and method for reducing the number of input/output connections required to connect a microfluidic substrate to an external controller for controlling the substrate. In one example, a microfluidic processing device is fabricated on a substrate having a plurality of N independently controllable components, (e.g., a resistive heating elements) each having at least two terminals. The substrate includes a plurality of input/output contacts for connecting the substrate to an external controller, and a plurality of leads for connecting the contacts to the terminals of the components. The leads are arranged to allow the external controller to supply control signals to the terminals of the components via the contacts using substantially fewer contacts than the total number of component terminals. For example, in one embodiment, each lead connects a corresponding contact to a plurality of terminals to allow the controller to supply to signals to the terminals without requiring a separate contact for each terminal. However, to assure that the components can each be controlled independently of the others, the leads are also arranged so that each component's terminals are connected to a unique combination of contacts. Thus, the external controller can activate a selected component by supplying control signals to the combination of contacts uniquely associated with that component. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100197008 | PROCESSING PARTICLE-CONTAINING SAMPLES - A microfluidic device includes an input port for inputting a particle-containing liquidic samples into the device, a retention member, and a pressure actuator. The retention member is in communication with the input port and is configured to spatially separate particles of the particle-containing liquidic sample from a first portion of the liquid of the particle containing fluidic sample. The pressure actuator recombines at least some of the separated particles with a subset of the first portion of the liquid separated from the particles. The device can also include a lysing chamber that receives the particles and liquid from the retention member. The lysing chamber thermally lyses the particles to release contents thereof. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20110207140 | MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEM FOR AMPLIFYING AND DETECTING POLYNUCLEOTIDES IN PARALLEL - The present technology provides for an apparatus for detecting polynucleotides in samples, particularly from biological samples. The technology more particularly relates to microfluidic systems that carry out PCR on nucleotides of interest within microfluidic channels, and detect those nucleotides. The apparatus includes a microfluidic cartridge that is configured to accept a plurality of samples, and which can carry out PCR on each sample individually, or a group of, or all of the plurality of samples simultaneously. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20120022695 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONTROL OF MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES - The present invention provides control methods, control systems, and control software for microfluidic devices that operate by moving discrete micro-droplets through a sequence of determined configurations. Such microfluidic devices are preferably constructed in a hierarchical and modular fashion which is reflected in the preferred structure of the provided methods and systems. In particular, the methods are structured into low-level device component control functions, middle-level actuator control functions, and high-level micro-droplet control functions. Advantageously, a microfluidic device may thereby be instructed to perform an intended reaction or analysis by invoking micro-droplet control function that perform intuitive tasks like measuring, mixing, heating, and so forth. The systems are preferably programmable and capable of accommodating microfluidic devices controlled by low voltages and constructed in standardized configurations. Advantageously, a single control system can thereby control numerous different reactions in numerous different microfluidic devices simply by loading different easily understood micro-droplet programs. | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120085416 | MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE HAVING A REDUCED NUMBER OF INPUT AND OUTPUT CONNECTIONS - A system and method for reducing the number of input/output connections required to connect a microfluidic substrate to an external controller for controlling the substrate. A microfluidic processing device is fabricated on a substrate having a plurality of N independently controllable components, (e.g., a resistive heating elements) each having at least two terminals. The substrate includes a plurality of input/output contacts for connecting the substrate to an external controller, and a plurality of leads for connecting the contacts to the terminals of the components. The leads are arranged to allow the external controller to supply control signals to the terminals of the components via the contacts using substantially fewer contacts than the total number of component terminals. The components are independently controlled by arranging the leads so that each component's terminals are connected to a unique combination of contacts. | 04-12-2012 |
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| 20100010476 | Fiber based medical devices and aspiration catheters - Systems for less invasive medical procedures comprise a filter device mounted on an integrated guiding structure and an aspiration catheter. These components can be used together or separately, and the system can be used with other medical devices that are designed for less invasive procedures, such as procedures in a patient's vasculature. The filter device can involve improved torque coupling with a torque coupler associated with a resilient member that correspondingly also provides increased flexibility relative to an overtube that forms a tube for the remaining portions of the device. An actuation tool for the filter device used a systematic loading procedure for proper loading of the corewire and overtube into the actuation tool. A fiber cartridge comprises fibers loaded as a bundle into the cartridge for delivery with the ends of the fibers respectively bonded to radiopaque markers that can be visualized to come together when the filter is properly deployed. The aspiration catheter generally has a rapid exchange format. The catheter can have a radiopaque band that is held in place under metal wire embedded within the polymer forming the tube of the catheter. In some embodiments, the aspiration catheter has a small diameter distal portion that can access into small diameter vessels in which the distal portion has a smaller average diameter than the remaining tube of the catheter. | 01-14-2010 |
| 20110230859 | ASPIRATION CATHETERS FOR THROMBUS REMOVAL - Systems for less invasive medical procedures comprise a filter device mounted on an integrated guiding structure and an aspiration catheter. These components can be used together or separately, and the system can be used with other medical devices that are designed for less invasive procedures, such as procedures in a patient's vasculature. The filter device can involve improved torque coupling with a torque coupler associated with a resilient member that correspondingly also provides increased flexibility relative to an overtube that forms a tube for the remaining portions of the device. An actuation tool for the filter device used a systematic loading procedure for proper loading of the corewire and overtube into the actuation tool. A fiber cartridge comprises fibers loaded as a bundle into the cartridge for delivery with the ends of the fibers respectively bonded to radiopaque markers that can be visualized to come together when the filter is properly deployed. The aspiration catheter generally has a rapid exchange format. The catheter can have a radiopaque band that is held in place under metal wire embedded within the polymer forming the tube of the catheter. In some embodiments, the aspiration catheter has a small diameter distal portion that can access into small diameter vessels in which the distal portion has a smaller average diameter than the remaining tube of the catheter. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110251629 | EMBOLECTOMY DEVICES AND METHODS FOR TREATMENT OF ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE CONDITION - Clot engagement element comprising bundle of unwoven fibers can be assembled to form an acute stroke treatment device. The device has the capability of forming a three dimensional filtration matrix comprising effective pores with a distribution of sizes. The bundle of fiber design allows the device to be effectively delivered into circuitous cerebral arteries to remove clot that causes stroke. The fiber bundle based filtration matrix offers the advantages of conforming to the changing inner perimeter of a blood vessel during a clot removal process and thus the capability to effectively retain and remove a clot in the vessel. The filtration matrix offers the additional advantage to trap any break-off of the clot during the removal process. A plurality of fiber bundles can be combined to form an effective clot engagement element. Supplemental engagement structure as well as mechanical treatment structure can be integrated into the stroke treatment device. The deployment of the fiber based elements can be facilitated by actuation tool. Aspiration can be employed during the clot removal process. | 10-13-2011 |
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| 20100055924 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR EDGE BEVEL REMOVAL OF COPPER FROM SILICON WAFERS - Chemical etching methods and associated modules for performing the removal of metal from the edge bevel region of a semiconductor wafer are described. The methods and systems provide the thin layer of pre-rinsing liquid before applying etchant at the edge bevel region of the wafer. The etchant is less diluted and diffuses faster through a thinned layer of rinsing liquid. An edge bevel removal embodiment involving that is particularly effective at reducing process time, narrowing the metal taper and allowing for subsequent chemical mechanical polishing, is disclosed. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100155254 | WAFER ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS FOR REDUCING EDGE DEFECTS - Methods, apparatuses, and various apparatus components, such as base plates, lipseals, and contact ring assemblies are provided for reducing contamination of the contact area in the apparatuses. Contamination may happen during removal of semiconductor wafers from apparatuses after the electroplating process. In certain embodiments, a base plate with a hydrophobic coating, such as polyamide-imide (PAI) and sometimes polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), are used. Further, contact tips of the contact ring assembly may be positioned further away from the sealing lip of the lipseal. In certain embodiments, a portion of the contact ring assembly and/or the lipseal also include hydrophobic coatings. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100219920 | MAGNETICALLY ACTUATED CHUCK FOR EDGE BEVEL REMOVAL - Provided are magnetically actuated wafer chucks that permit a wafer to be clamped or undamped at any time during a process and at any rotational speed, as desired. Such wafer chucks may include constraining members that are movable between open and closed positions. In a closed position, a constraining member aligns the wafer after wafer handoff and/or clamps the wafer during rotation to prevent it from flying off the chuck. In an open position, the constraining member moves away from the wafer to allow liquid etchant to flow from the wafer edge without obstruction. The constraining members may be, for example, cams, attached to arms or links of the chuck. The cams or other constraining members move between open and closed positions by self-balancing forces including a first force, such as a spring force, that acts to move a cam in a first direction, and a non-contact actuate-able force, such as a magnetic force, that acts to move the cam in the opposite direction. The resulting cam motion is smooth and continuous. | 09-02-2010 |
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| 20090107835 | Rapidly Cleanable Electroplating Cup Assembly - Embodiments of a closed-contact electroplating cup assembly that may be rapidly cleaned while an electroplating system is on-line are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises a cup assembly and a cone assembly, wherein the cup assembly comprises a cup bottom comprising an opening, a seal surrounding the opening, an electrical contact structure comprising a plurality of electrical contacts disposed around the opening, and an interior cup side that is tapered inwardly in along an axial direction of the cup from a cup top toward the cup bottom. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090107836 | Closed Contact Electroplating Cup Assembly - Embodiments of a closed-contact electroplating cup are disclosed. One embodiment comprises a cup bottom comprising an opening, and a seal disposed on the cup bottom around the opening. The seal comprises a wafer-contacting peak located substantially at an inner edge of the seal. The embodiment also comprises an electrical contact structure disposed over a portion of the seal, wherein the electrical contact structure comprises an outer ring and a plurality of contacts extending inwardly from the outer ring, and wherein each contact has a generally flat wafer-contacting surface. The embodiment further comprises a wafer-centering mechanism configured to center a wafer in the cup. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20110181000 | RAPIDLY CLEANABLE ELECTROPLATING CUP SEAL - Embodiments of a closed-contact electroplating cup assembly that may be rapidly cleaned while an electroplating system is on-line are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises a cup assembly and a cone assembly, wherein the cup assembly comprises a cup bottom comprising an opening, a seal surrounding the opening, an electrical contact structure comprising a plurality of electrical contacts disposed around the opening, and an interior cup side that is tapered inwardly in along an axial direction of the cup from a cup top toward the cup bottom. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110233056 | ELECTROPLATING CUP ASSEMBLY - Embodiments of a closed-contact electroplating cup are disclosed. One embodiment comprises a cup bottom comprising an opening, and a seal disposed on the cup bottom around the opening. The seal comprises a wafer-contacting peak located substantially at an inner edge of the seal. The embodiment also comprises an electrical contact structure disposed over a portion of the seal, wherein the electrical contact structure comprises an outer ring and a plurality of contacts extending inwardly from the outer ring, and wherein each contact has a generally flat wafer-contacting surface. The embodiment further comprises a wafer-centering mechanism configured to center a wafer in the cup. | 09-29-2011 |
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| 20110265149 | SECURE AND EFFICIENT LOGIN AND TRANSACTION AUTHENTICATION USING IPHONESTM AND OTHER SMART MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES - To authenticate a user of a mobile communication device for login or transaction authorization, a first application on the device directs transmission of a request for authentication of the user to a security server. A second application on the device receives the request for authentication from the security server and directs presentation of the received request for authentication to the user by the device. The second application receives a user input to the device indicating that the requested authentication should proceed and in response directs transmission of an indication that the requested authorization should proceed, to the security server. In response to this latter transmission, the second application receives a PIN from the authentication server. The first application directs transmission of the PIN received by the second application to the network site, which validates the transmitted PIN, in order to authenticate the user or the transaction to the network site. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110283340 | FLEXIBLE QUASI OUT OF BAND AUTHENTICATION ARCHITECTURE - To obtain user approval of network transactions at different levels of security, a network site selects a form in which a transaction with be presented to the user from a group of transaction presentation forms including presentation of the transaction in a browser pop-up window on a user network device, in a security software application window on the user network device, and in a security application window on another user network device. The network site also selects a type of approval of the transaction required from the user from a group of transaction approval types including approval requiring no action by the user after presentation of the transaction, the user to actively approve the presented transaction, and the user to sign the presented transaction. The transaction, the selected transaction presentation form, and the selected type of user transaction approval, are transmitted to obtain approval of the transaction by the user. | 11-17-2011 |
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| 20090065931 | PACKAGED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT AND METHOD OF FORMING THEREOF - Disclosed is a packaged integrated circuit and a method of forming thereof. The packaged integrated circuit includes a substrate, a plurality of solder bumps, a semiconductor die and a plurality of copper bumps. The plurality of solder bumps are configured on the substrate. Each of the plurality of solder bumps has a height of about 40 micrometers (μm) to about 65 μm. Further, the plurality of copper bumps are configured on the semiconductor die. Each of the plurality of copper bumps has a height of about 10 μm to about 25 μm. The semiconductor die is disposed above the substrate such that the plurality of copper bumps are coupled to the plurality of solder bumps, which in turn, couples the semiconductor die to the substrate. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20100078781 | INPUT/OUTPUT PACKAGE ARCHITECTURES, AND METHODS OF USING SAME - A high-speed I/O trace is part of an I/O package architecture for an integrated circuit package substrate. The integrated circuit package substrate includes an integrated heat spreader footprint on a die-side and the I/O trace to couple with an IC device to be disposed inside the IHS footprint. The I/O trace includes a pin-out terminal outside the IHS footprint to couple to an IC device to be disposed outside the IHS footprint. The high-speed I/O trace can sustain a data flow rate from a processor in a range from 5 gigabits per second (Gb/s) to 40 Gb/s. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100078826 | SUBSTRATE PACKAGE WITH THROUGH HOLES FOR HIGH SPEED I/O FLEX CABLE - An assembly of substrate packages interconnected with flex cables and a method of fabrication of the substrate package. The assembly allows input/output (I/O) signals to be speedily transmitted between substrate packages via flex cable and without being routed through the motherboard. Embodiments relate to a substrate package providing separable inter-package flex cable connection. Hermetically-sealed guiding through holes are provided on the substrate package as a mechanical alignment feature to guide connection between flex cables and high speed I/O contact pads on the substrate package. Embodiments of the method of fabrication relate to simultaneously forming hermetically-sealed guiding through holes and I/O contact pads. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100096743 | Input/output package architectures, and methods of using same - A high-speed I/O trace is part of an I/O package architecture for an integrated circuit package substrate. The integrated circuit package substrate includes an integrated heat spreader footprint on a die-side and the I/O trace to couple with an IC device to be disposed inside the IHS footprint. The I/O trace includes a pin-out terminal outside the IHS footprint to couple to an IC device to be disposed outside the IHS footprint. The high-speed I/O trace can sustain a data flow rate from a processor in a range from 5 gigabits per second (Gb/s) to 40 Gb/s. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100258927 | Package-on-package interconnect stiffener - Embodiments of the invention relate to a package-on-package (PoP) assembly comprising a top device package and a bottom device package interconnected by way of an electrically interconnected planar stiffener. Embodiments of the invention include a first semiconductor package having a plurality of inter-package contact pads and a plurality of second level interconnect (SLI) pads; a second semiconductor package having a plurality of SLI pads on the bottom side of the package; and a planar stiffener having a first plurality of planar contact pads on the top side of the stiffener electrically connected to the SLI pads of the second package, and a second plurality of planar contact pads electrically connected to the inter-package contact pads of the first package. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20110108427 | SUBSTRATE PACKAGE WITH THROUGH HOLES FOR HIGH SPEED I/O FLEX CABLE - An assembly of substrate packages interconnected with flex cables and a method of fabrication of the substrate package. The assembly allows input/output (I/O) signals to be speedily transmitted between substrate packages via flex cable and without being routed through the motherboard. Embodiments relate to a substrate package providing separable inter-package flex cable connection. Hermetically-sealed guiding through holes are provided on the substrate package as a mechanical alignment feature to guide connection between flex cables and high speed I/O contact pads on the substrate package. Embodiments of the method of fabrication relate to simultaneously forming hermetically-sealed guiding through holes and I/O contact pads. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110122592 | First-level interconnects with slender columns, and processes of forming same - A column is coupled to a last metallization of a die and the column is mated to a mounting substrate with that aid of a solder. The column may have the solder attached thereto before mating to the mounting substrate and the mounting substrate may be a bare-board (no solder mask) during the mating process. The column has an aspect ratio between 0.75 and 10. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20120081858 | FLEX CABLE AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME - An assembly of substrate packages interconnected with flex cables. The assembly allows input/output (I/O) signals to be speedily transmitted between substrate packages via flex cable and without being routed through the motherboard. Embodiments relate to a substrate package providing detachable inter-package flex cable connection. The flex cable comprises a transmission region that includes a plurality of signal traces and a ground plane. A plurality of solder mask strips are disposed on the plurality of signals traces to provide anchoring for the signal traces. The solder mask strips intersect the signals traces. The exposed signal traces and the ground plane are coated with organic solderability preservative material. Hermetically-sealed guiding through holes are provided on the substrate package as a mechanical alignment feature to guide connection between flex cables and high speed I/O contact pads on the substrate package. Embodiments of the method of fabrication relate to simultaneously forming hermetically-sealed guiding through holes and I/O contact pads. | 04-05-2012 |
