Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090004794 | USE OF DILUTE STEAM AMBIENT FOR IMPROVEMENT OF FLASH DEVICES - The present invention provides a flash memory integrated circuit and a method for fabricating the same. The method includes etching a gate stack that includes an initial oxide layer directly in contact with a silicon layer, defining an oxide-silicon interface therebetween. By exposing the etched gate stack to elevated temperatures and a dilute steam ambient, additional oxide material is formed substantially uniformly along the oxide-silicon interface. Polysilicon grain boundaries at the interface are thereby passivated after etching. In the preferred embodiment, the interface is formed between a tunnel oxide and a floating gate, and passivating the grain boundaries reduces erase variability due to enhanced charge transfer along grain boundaries. At the same time, oxide in an upper storage dielectric layer (oxide-nitride-oxide or ONO) is enhanced in the dilute steam oxidation. Thermal budget can be radically conserved by growing thin oxide layers on either side of a nitride layer prior to etching, and enhancing the oxide layers by dilute steam oxidation through the exposed sidewall after etching. The thin oxide layers, like the initial tunnel oxide, serve as diffusion paths to enhance uniform distribution of OH species across the buried interfaces being oxidized. | 01-01-2009 |
20090169153 | METHOD AND APPARATUS PROVIDING AN OPTICAL GUIDE IN IMAGE SENSOR DEVICES - A device and method for providing an optical guide of a pixel to guide incoming light to/from a photo-conversion device of the pixel to improve the optical crosstalk immunity. The optical guide includes an optically reflecting barrier formed as a trench filled with a material which produces reflection. The trench fill material may have an index of refraction that is less than the index of refraction of the material used for the trench surrounding layers to provide a light reflective structure or the trench fill material may provide a reflection surface. | 07-02-2009 |
20100032746 | USE OF DILUTE STEAM AMBIENT FOR IMPROVEMENT OF FLASH DEVICES - The present invention provides a flash memory integrated circuit and a method for fabricating the same. The method includes etching a gate stack that includes an initial oxide layer directly in contact with a silicon layer, defining an oxide-silicon interface therebetween. By exposing the etched gate stack to elevated temperatures and a dilute steam ambient, additional oxide material is formed substantially uniformly along the oxide-silicon interface. Polysilicon grain boundaries at the interface are thereby passivated after etching. In the preferred embodiment, the interface is formed between a tunnel oxide and a floating gate, and passivating the grain boundaries reduces erase variability due to enhanced charge transfer along grain boundaries. At the same time, oxide in an upper storage dielectric layer (oxide-nitride-oxide or ONO) is enhanced in the dilute steam oxidation. Thermal budget can be radically conserved by growing thin oxide layers on either side of a nitride layer prior to etching, and enhancing the oxide layers by dilute steam oxidation through the exposed sidewall after etching. The thin oxide layers, like the initial tunnel oxide, serve as diffusion paths to enhance uniform distribution of OH species across the buried interfaces being oxidized. | 02-11-2010 |
20100148035 | ROW DRIVEN IMAGER PIXEL - An imaging system includes a pixel that does not require a row select transistor. Instead, an operating voltage is selectively provided to the pixel's readout circuitry, and the readout circuitry provides output signals based on charge or voltage of a storage node. The operating voltage can be selectively provided to each row of a pixel array by a row driver. Each pixel includes a source follower transistor that provides an output signal on a column output line for readout. An anti-blooming transistor may be linked to each pixel's photosensor to provide an overflow path for electrons during charge integration, prior to transfer of charge to the pixel's storage node by a transfer transistor. Electrons not produced by an image are introduced to the photosensor prior to image acquisition, filling traps in the photosensor to reduce image degradation. | 06-17-2010 |
20100157098 | ROW DRIVEN IMAGER PIXEL - An imaging system includes a pixel that does not require a row select transistor. Instead, an operating voltage is selectively provided to the pixel's readout circuitry, and the readout circuitry provides output signals based on charge or voltage of a storage node. The operating voltage can be selectively provided to each row of a pixel array by a row driver. Each pixel includes a source follower transistor that provides an output signal on a column output line for readout. An anti-blooming transistor may be linked to each pixel's photosensor to provide an overflow path for electrons during charge integration, prior to transfer of charge to the pixel's storage node by a transfer transistor. Electrons not produced by an image are introduced to the photosensor prior to image acquisition, filling traps in the photosensor to reduce image degradation. | 06-24-2010 |
20110254075 | USE OF DILUTE STEAM AMBIENT FOR IMPROVEMENT OF FLASH DEVICES - A flash memory integrated circuit and a method for fabricating the same. A gate stack includes an initial oxide layer directly in contact with a silicon layer, defining an oxide-silicon interface therebetween. Additional oxide material is formed substantially uniformly along the oxide-silicon interface. Polysilicon grain boundaries at the interface are thereby passivated after etching. The interface can be is formed between a tunnel oxide and a floating gate, and passivating the grain boundaries reduces erase variability. Oxide in an upper storage dielectric layer is enhanced in the dilute steam oxidation. The thin oxide layers serve as diffusion paths to enhance uniform distribution of OH species across the buried interfaces being oxidized. | 10-20-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090323330 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR HIGHLY CONTROLLED LIGHT DISTRIBUTION FROM LIGHT FIXTURE USING MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES (LED'S) - An apparatus, method, or system of lighting units comprising a plurality of lighting elements, such as one or more LEDs, each element having an associated optic which is individually positionable. In embodiments of the present invention, one or more optics are developed using optimization techniques that allow for lighting different target areas in an effective manner by rotating or otherwise positioning the reflectors, refractive lenses, TIR lenses, or other lens types to create a composite beam. The apparatus, method, or system of lighting herein makes it possible to widely vary the types of beams from an available fixture using a small number of inventoried optics and fixtures. In some cases, by using a combination of individual beam patterns, a small set of individual optics would be sufficient to create a majority of the typical and specialized composite beams needed to meet the needs of most lighting projects and target areas. | 12-31-2009 |
20100110671 | METHOD, SYSTEM, AND APPARATUS FOR HIGHLY CONTROLLED LIGHT DISTRIBUTION FROM LIGHT FIXTURE USING MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES (LEDS) - Disclosed herein are apparatus, methods, and systems for deriving composite beams from a plurality of light sources such as LEDs. Optical units comprising a plurality of light sources, each source having an associated optic which is individually positionable, are developed using optimization techniques that allow for lighting different target areas in an effective manner by rotating or otherwise positioning the reflectors, refractive lenses, TIR lenses, or other lens types to create a composite beam. The apparatus, methods, and systems of lighting herein make it possible to widely vary the types of beams from an available fixture using a small number of optics and fixtures. In some cases, by using a combination of individual beam patterns from the same or different types of light sources, a small set of individual optics may be sufficient to create a majority of the typical and specialized composite beams needed to meet the needs of most lighting projects and target areas. | 05-06-2010 |
20100195326 | APPARATUS, METHOD, AND SYSTEM FOR HIGHLY CONTROLLED LIGHT DISTRIBUTION USING MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES - Disclosed herein are apparatus, method, and system for producing a customizable composite beam from a plurality of solid state light sources. Each light source is associated with individually adjustable fixture components which allow for a variety of lighting needs to be addressed. The composite beam is a collective of the beam projected from each adjustable component/light source combination; each individual beam being of customized shape or standard shape. | 08-05-2010 |
20110149582 | APPARATUS, METHOD, AND SYSTEM FOR ADJUSTABLY AFFIXING LIGHTING FIXTURES TO STRUCTURES - Disclosed herein are apparatus, methods, and systems for adjustably affixing an object to a structure via an armature which includes a pivotable knuckle. The armature comprises two assembly components with a set of friction plates compressed therebetween. Said armature is designed to be lightweight (compared to the object), low cost (compared to state of the art adjustable armatures), suitable for outdoor use, and adaptable so to accommodate objects of varying weights, sizes, and form factors without adding significant weight or cost to the overall system. | 06-23-2011 |
20130044481 | APPARATUS, METHOD, AND SYSTEM FOR HIGHLY CONTROLLED LIGHT DISTRIBUTION USING MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES - Disclosed herein are apparatus, method, and system for producing a customizable composite beam from a plurality of solid state light sources. Each light source is associated with individually adjustable fixture components which allow for a variety of lighting needs to be addressed. The composite beam is a collective of the beam projected from each adjustable component/light source combination; each individual beam being of customized shape or standard shape. | 02-21-2013 |
20130094206 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR HIGHLY CONTROLLED LIGHT DISTRIBUTION FROM LIGHT FIXTURE USING MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES (LEDS) - An apparatus, method, or system of lighting units comprising a plurality of lighting elements, such as one or more LEDs, each element having an associated optic which is individually positionable. In embodiments of the present invention, one or more optics are developed using optimization techniques that allow for lighting different target areas in an effective manner by rotating or otherwise positioning the reflectors, refractive lenses, TIR lenses, or other lens types to create a composite beam. The apparatus, method, or system of lighting herein makes it possible to widely vary the types of beams from an available fixture using a small number of inventoried optics and fixtures. In some cases, by using a combination of individual beam patterns, a small set of individual optics would be sufficient to create a majority of the typical and specialized composite beams needed to meet the needs of most lighting projects and target areas. | 04-18-2013 |
20130335960 | METHOD, SYSTEM, AND APPARATUS FOR HIGHLY CONTROLLED LIGHT DISTRIBUTION FROM LIGHT FIXTURE USING MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES (LEDS) - Disclosed herein are apparatus, methods, and systems for deriving composite beams from a plurality of light sources such as LEDs. Optical units comprising a plurality of light sources, each source having an associated optic which is individually positionable, are developed using optimization techniques that allow for lighting different target areas in an effective manner by rotating or otherwise positioning the reflectors, refractive lenses, TIR lenses, or other lens types to create a composite beam. The apparatus, methods, and systems of lighting herein make it possible to widely vary the types of beams from an available fixture using a small number of optics and fixtures. In some cases, by using a combination of individual beam patterns from the same or different types of light sources, a small set of individual optics may be sufficient to create a majority of the typical and specialized composite beams needed to meet the needs of most lighting projects and target areas. | 12-19-2013 |
20140092593 | APPARATUS, METHOD, AND SYSTEM FOR REDUCING THE EFFECTIVE PROJECTED AREA (EPA) OF AN ELEVATED LIGHTING FIXTURE WITHOUT THE USE OF AN EXTERNAL VISOR - A design of lighting fixture is presented whereby the outer glass lens—flat in prior art lighting fixtures—is bowed outward. The design of lighting fixture permits a plurality of LED modules to be contained therein, each with their own visor, without constraining the aiming angle of each due to interference between the outer lens and each individual visor. In this manner, an external visor may be omitted thereby obviating undesirable lighting effects such as uneven lighting while still maintaining a reduced effective projected area (EPA) as compared to prior art lighting fixtures with no external visor and a flat outer glass lens. | 04-03-2014 |