bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality and reliability: Illusions and realities
Authors: O'Connor Patrick D. T. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe paper reviews the role of quantitative and ‘systems’ methods that have been developed, and in many cases standardized, for application in quality assurance and reliability engineering. It proposes that these should be discarded in favour of a return to traditional engineering and management values, and emphasis on the methods that have driven the quality revolution. These include the use of statistical methods for preventing failure and for optimising designs and processes.
Total quality management in Hong Kong industry and its subsidiaries in China
Authors: Lee Tat Y. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper reviews the findings of a survey on the use of quality management techniques in Hong Kong industry and its investment in China. It reflects the attitude of industry towards the new quality management concepts, particularly ISO 9000. The second part of the paper reports some observations of auditing some companies in Hong Kong and south China and discusses the weaknesses of the quality systems in these areas.
Electromigration, models and atomistic interpretation
Authors: Kirchheim Reiner 
Published: July 2007

AbstractFundamental aspects of electromigration in Al‐lines of integrated circuits are reviewed, including vacancy diffusion, vacancy generation and annihilation. The latter processes give rise to the generation of mechanical stresses. Various models and computer simulations on electromigration are compiled and their influence on the parameters in Black's equations is discussed. The beneficial effect of a (111) texture is explained by the concomitant formation of a large number of tilt grain boundaries and the low diffusivity of atoms perpendicular to the tilt axis of these boundaries.
Breakdown characteristics of gate and tunnel oxides versus field and temperature
Authors: Monsérié Christophe , Mortini Patrick , Ghibaudo Gérard , Pananakakis Georges 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe wearout and breakdown parameters of representative gate and tunnel oxides are evaluated versus temperature, electric field and polarity. A frontier close to 127°C between two regions with different activation energies is clearly demonstrated. However, the negative charge build‐up under high field stress is correlated with the breakdown. The field acceleration factor is found to be constant in the range 8·5–12·5 MV/cm. The time‐to‐breakdown distributions can be described both by theEand the 1/Emodels. Finally, the thickness dependence of the field acceleration factor is quantified for oxide layers with a thickness in the range between 10 nm and 50 nm.
Failure mechanisms in life‐tested hemts
Authors: Anderson W. T. , Christianson K. A. , Moglestue C. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractFailure mechanisms in RF life‐tested high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were investigated both experimentally and theoretically. As a result of RF life testing the devices degraded by a decrease in drain current, transconductance, and gain and an increase in noise figure. Monte Carlo simulations confirmed the experimental conclusions that degradation resulted from gate metal interdiffusion and ohmic contact degradation.
Critical area analysis for design‐based yield improvement of vlsi circuits
Authors: Schmitt‐Landsiedel Doris , Keitel‐Schulz Doris , Khare Jitendra , Griep Susanne , Maly Wojciech 
Published: July 2007

AbstractYield improvements can be achieved by both contamination control (manufacturing) and defect sensitivity decrease (design). In this paper, the need for critical area analysis is demonstrated for design based yield prediction and improvement. Experimental results for a typical CMOS process are provided.
Hot‐carrier reliability lifetimes as predicted by Berkeley's model
Authors: Meehan Alan , O'Sullivan Paula , Hurley Paul , Mathewson Alan 
Published: July 2007

AbstractHot‐carrier effects pose a significant reliability problem in modern MOS processes. An accurate method of predicting hot‐carrier lifetimes is essential for the development of fine‐geometry MOS technology. A hot‐carrier degradation model developed by C. Huet al.at the University of Berkeley is widely used to predict device lifetimes at given operating conditions from the results of accelerated tests. This paper demonstrates a new method of performing hot‐carrier stress measurements which satisfies the key demand of this model. This method involves adjusting device drain voltage in order to maintain a constant ratio of substrate to drain currents. This method is employed to show that the Berkeley model makes a minimum lifetime prediction which is about an order of magnitude too short at accelerated stress conditions. This casts doubt on the suitability of the Berkeley model for use in circuit reliability simulation and for use in setting industrial reliability benchmarks. A new understanding of the importance of the gate‐source voltage during hot‐carrier reliability characterization using the Berkeley model is also discussed.
Behaviour of lasing wavelength change during degradation in a buried‐heterostructure (BH)‐type DFB laser
Authors: Fukuda Mitsuo , Kano Fumiyoshi , Kurosaki Takeshi , Yoshida Junichi 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe behaviour of lasing wavelength change during degradation is experimentally clarified for a buried heterostructure (BH) InGaAsP/InP DFB laser, and the mechanism of the wavelength change is theoretically analysed.
Relationships between time‐leaf‐and‐space bounded ATMS and reversal‐and‐space bounded NTMs
Authors: Yamamoto Hiroaki , Noguchi Shoichi 
Published: July 2007

AbstractUntil now, discussions have been made for several models of deterministic parallel computation, concerning such items as the trade‐off between the time and the number of processors and the relations among those models. However, few discussions have been made for the nondeterministic case. This paper discusses the nondeterministic case, using ATM (alternating Turing machine) and NTM (nondeterministic Turing machine). The main results are as follows. (1) WhenR(n)=0(S(n)), andR(n)=ω(log(S(n)),S(n) = ω (n), NRS,(Ro(1)(n) andS0(1)(n)) ATBS(R0(1)(n),S0(1)(n),R0(1)(n))NRSR0(1)(n)),S0(1)(n),S0(1)(n)). (2) S(n) = 0(R(n)) andS(n)=ω (log(R(n)),R(n) = ω(n), where NRSR0(1)(n),S0(1)(n))=ATBSR0(1)(n)),S0(1)(n)), where NRS(R(n),S(n) (ATBS )T(n),B(n), S(n)is the class of languages accepted by(R(n),S(n))reversal‐and‐space bounded NTM[(T(n),B(n)]time‐leaf‐and‐space bounded ATM).
Real‐time shuffle stack automaton
Authors: Kosai Shoji , Tsujino Yoshihiro , Araki Toshiro , Tokura Nobuki 
Published: July 2007

AbstractAs models to describe concurrent systems, Petri net, shuffle stack automaton (SSA), flow expression, event expression, and shuffle grammar have been proposed. SSA is an automaton which is obtained by adding to the finite automaton a stack with shuffle function. Its descriptive power has already been discussed. This paper discusses the real‐time shuffle stack automaton (RSSA, which is an SSA without λ‐transition in regard to the input), which is a subclass of SSA. It is shown that RSSA has the same descriptive power, independently of the accepting mode (empty‐stack acceptance or final‐state acceptance), and of whether or not a terminating symbol is provided at the end of the input string. It is also shown that the descriptive power of RSSA is incomparable to that of the push‐down automaton, but is properly contained in that of the linear bounded automaton. If a language is bounded and if the set obtained by applying Parikh mapping to that language is semi‐linear, the language is accepted by RSSA. Another property of the language accepted by RSSA is that if it is a bounded context‐free language, it is accepted by RSSA.
A data tablet using electromagnetic induction
Authors: Aono Yoshihito , Takeda Yukio , Tanabe Naoto , Iwaki Hiroshi 
Published: July 2007

AbstractA new data tablet using electromagnetic 1 induction is described. The position on the i tablet is detected by the sensor in the pen holder which is coupled with the rotating magnetic field whose phase varies linearly with the position of the pen on the tablet. In this method, the sensor height “h” and the phase change factor “a” of the generated magnetic field are selected as ah ± 1 so that the positional error caused by the pen inclination is readily compensated. The phase change factor of the magnetic field, in addition, is made so large that the reading accuracy is improved. As practical examples, an electromagnetic white hoard (size: 1.4 m x 1.06 m) and a tablet unified with a plasma display panel for teleconferencing equipment are described.
High‐speed fan‐beam reconstruction using direct two‐dimensional fourier transform method
Authors: Niki Noboru , Mizutani Toshio , Takahashi Yoshizo , Inouye Tamon 
Published: July 2007

AbstractSince the X‐ray CT has been introduced, various efforts have been made to obtain better quality and higher speed [1 ‐ 5]. Development of a high‐resolution CT and a superhigh‐speed CT for heart diagnosis is still required. For this purpose, a highspeed fan‐beam image reconstruction method must be devised. While the two‐dimensional Fourier transformation method much faster than the filtered back projection method has been proposed, it has not given a satisfactory result for fan‐beam projection data [4, 6]. In this paper, a fan‐beam reconstruction using two‐dimensional Fourier transformation method is proposed. The fan‐beam projection data are transformed to parallel beam projection data by a rebinning algorithm. Then a two‐dimensional Fourier transformation method is applied. While in this method high‐speed computation is available by the use of a two‐dimensional Fourier transformation method [6], the rebinning algorithm is enhanced by various interpolation methods; thus the high quality and high speed is obtained [7]. Compared with the filtered back projection algorithm for fan‐beam projection data, the algorithm is proved to be so effective that the image quality is equal and the calculation speed about one‐fifteenth.
Feasibility problem for meeting timetable rearrangement
Authors: Sugihara Kazuo , Kikuno Tohru , Yoshida Noriyoshi , Arame Kazunori 
Published: July 2007

AbstractScheduling of meetings is one of the basic functions demanded in office automation. With respect to the automation of this function, the Meeting Timetable Rearrangement problem (MTR) to update a current meeting timetable for an additional meeting has been formulated. However, it has already been shown that MTR is NP‐hard. Consequently, we should develop an approximation algorithm or a heuristic algorithm for MTR. Such an algorithm is required to find a feasible solution which satisfies all constraints, but not necessarily an optimal solution. This paper discusses a problem to determine whether or not there exists a feasible solution for a given instance of MTR. First, we show that this problem is NP‐complete. That is, there is no polynomial‐time approximation algorithm for MTR unless P = NP. This implies that we should develop a heuristic algorithm for MTR. Second, we present a polynomial‐time algorithm which finds a feasible solution for a subproblem of MTR. By combining this algorithm and a hill‐climbing approach, an efficient heuristic algorithm can be developed.
A character segmentation algorithm for mixed‐mode communication
Authors: Nakamura Osamu , Ujiie Makoto , Okamoto Noriyoshi , Minami Toshi 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn the realization of a mixed‐mode communication, it is necessary before recognizing individual characters, to separate text and black and white figure regions and to extract efficiently the character region. Problems in such a procedure are the detection and correction of the inclination of a document, separation of contact characters, the merge of disconnected characters, and extraction of a letterhead. This paper describes the results of studies on such problems. The document considered is the English text image, containing binary figures and a letterhead. The basic idea is as follows. Connected regions are obtained by directional propagation and shrinking to merge figures. Then: (1) a thinning process is performed to detect the inclination angle of the input text; (2) the sizes of the connected regions and their relative locations are examined to extract the letterhead. Estimation of pitch is performed and statistical data about individual characters are used to separate contact characters or merge disconnected characters. The experiment was made for 10 and 12 pitch printed characters, and the correct extraction rate was 100 percent for individual characters, and 94.6 percent for a letterhead. Thus it was verified that the proposed method is useful in extracting the character region.
Redundancy of projection data and its application to improve the quality of a reconstructed image
Authors: Kumazawa Itsuo , Iijima Taizo 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper attempts to apply the actual redundancy involved in X‐ray CT projection data which have been treated as independent data for the improvement of the image quality of a reconstructed image. It is known that the projection data of an X‐ray CT contains random noise, such as photon noise, which has a negative effect on image quality. A simple smoothing filter which generally is used to reduce this effect, causes the degradation of image resolution. Therefore, it is possible to suppress only high‐frequency noise components. However, when the structure of the projection data was analyzed, it became clear that projection data contain a large redundancy in determining the lower‐frequency components of the image. By properly taking advantage of this redundancy for image reconstruction, it is possible to suppress the low‐frequency component. This paper clarifies quantitatively the noise suppression effect using redundancy by comparing the case where redundancy is not used at all with the case where redundancy is used completely.
Restoration of blurred images using two‐dimensional digital filters with noise suppression
Authors: Yahagi Takashi , Kato Yoichi 
Published: July 2007

AbstractNew two‐dimensional nonrecursive digital filters are proposed for noisy blurred images. A two‐dimensional nonrecursive filter is developed to minimize the mean‐squared error of the restored image. Here, the point spread function of the blurring system and statistics of the original image and noise are assumed to be given. A simplified version of the above filter is also developed and tested for restoring images blurred by a linear blurring system. As a result of their nonrecursive nature the proposed filters are stable and are determined by solving linear systems of equations. The blur by the point spread function and that due to degradation by noise are considered in the design of the filters. Images can be restored while the accompanying noise is suppressed. The filters herein are shown to be more effective if combined with noise‐removal filters. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the excellent quality of images restored by the proposed filters.
Interconnection network for bucket collection on relational algebra machine GRACE
Authors: Sakai Shuichi , Kitsuregawa Masaru , Tanaka Hidehiko , Moto‐oka Tohru 
Published: July 2007

AbstractA database machine is required at present which can process with high speed the complex query to the large‐scale database. We are now developing a high‐performance database machine which can cope with such a requirement. Part of the machine for relational algebraic processing is called GRACE. GRACE is a parallel machine with a multimodule structure, and the interconnection networks among its components are important. From a functional viewpoint, the interconnection networks of GRACE can be divided into the bucket distribution network, which sends data into the staging space, and the bucket collection network, which sends data into the set of processors. This paper proposes the control scheme for the data flow in the bucket collection in GRACE, as well as a method of realizing the bucket collection network. The validity of the proposal was verified by evaluation and examination using simulation. To utilize the features of the processing scheme of GRACE, the indirect binary h‐cube network is used as the interconnection network, which is a kind of multistage interconnection network. A very low transfer overhead was realized. Furthermore, the partitioning of the interconnection network for parallel operations is discussed.
A design of ternary logic circuits using M‐NAND and NOT gates
Authors: Odaka Akio , Satoh Kunio 
Published: July 2007

AbstractWe have proposed the canonical form for the p‐valued logical function (p is a natural number, p > 2), using M‐AND, M‐OR and NOT operations. However, the relations among those operations have been discussed only briefly. This paper discusses in detail the properties of M‐NAND, M‐OR and NOT operations for the ternary case (p = 3), deriving another new canonical form called M‐disjunctive canonical form. Then M‐NAND operation is defined, and a realization of the operation by electronic circuit is presented. The proposed circuit is the circuit by MOSFET, and can realize, in addition to M‐NAND operation, two other logical functions. By using these three kinds of logical functions, the logical circuit can be simplified. The circuit is called M‐NAND gate in this paper. It is possible to construct any ternary logical circuit using only M‐NAND gates. However, the total number of elements can be reduced by combining the proposed circuit with NOT gates by Mouftah and Jordan. Based on these properties and the canonical form, the construction of the logical circuit using M‐NAND and NOT gates is discussed. The circuit has properties which are similar to the well‐known operations such as AND, OR, NOT and NAND, and the construction will be easy for those familiar with such operations.
Reliability design of memory systems considering soft error
Authors: Kaneda Shigeo , Fukuda Haruyuki 
Published: July 2007

AbstractAs semiconductor memory chips become more highly integrated, soft errors in memory chips become a serious problem. In this paper we propose a promising approximation method for calculation of the failure rate of the memory part in semiconductor storage units which are comprised mainly of memory chips. Approximation is performed for the following four methods which have been proposed as countermeasure to soft errors in semiconductor storage units: (1) Error correction by SEC‐DED code. (2) Patrol scan method. (3) Erasure correction method. (4) Chip exchange method. Departure of the approximate formula from the correct solution is not greater than 10% in the case of periodic maintenance with one week interval; therefore, it has sufficient precision for designing units. We compare the effects of those methods and obtain the following conclusions. (1) When only SEC‐DED code is used, the failure rate of the memory part is about 1 + λs/λh times the case with hard errors only (λs is the soft error rate of a memory chip and λh is the hard error rate of a memory chip). (2) When the patrol scan method is used together with SEC‐DED code, the soft error margin is about 2 times the case of SEC‐DED code only. (3) Using the erasure correction method or (4) chip exchange method, the soft error margin increases 10 to 100 times the case of SEC‐DED code only. However, the required amount of hardware doubled because of error correction.
Stability analysis by maclaurin series expansion of system function and its applications
Authors: Hayashi Shinji , Hamada Nozomu 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIt is possible to describe equivalently the input/output relations of a linear time‐invariant system, not by the coefficients of denominator/numerator polynomials of the transfer function, but by the coefficients of Maclaurin expansion of the transfer function. The Maclaurin expansion coefficient is the expansion coefficient of the transfer function in the low‐frequency range. If the system is asymptotically stable, then it is directly related to the time‐moment of impulse response and it is an important parameter in control system design and approximation problems.This paper introduces an algebraic method which gives a criterion for stability and the gain margin/phase margin of the feedback control systems directly from the Maclaurin expansion coefficients without computing the coefficients of denominator/numerator polynomials. Moreover, by applying the above criterion we give a method of checking the positive reality, which is an important property of the system.
Inspection policies for a computer with (n‐1)/n parallel redundant system
Authors: Yasui Kazumi , Nakagawa Toshio , Sawa Yoshiya 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe ECC function in a computer system consists of an (n ‐ 1)/n parallel‐redundant system: The unit process in a computer system is performed by data processing N times with n bits as one unit. Then a single‐bit error is corrected automatically by the ECC function, and an automatic retrial is made when a plural‐bit error is detected. This model is one kind of an (n ‐ 1)/n parallel system. Using the elementary reliability theory, the reliability function and the error rate of unit process, and the probability of j times errors during (0, t] are obtained. Further, three inspection policies for such a model are considered. The availability and the expected cost rate are derived and the optimum policies to minimize the cost/availability ratios are discussed. Comparisons between three models are also made in numerical examples.
Delay Analysis of Wait System Model for Window‐Controlled Packet Network and Optimal Window Allocation
Authors: Suzuki Hiroshi , Nakanishi Hikaru , Sanada Hidehiko , Tezuka Yoshikazu , Akiyoshi Ichiro 
Published: July 2007

AbstractWindow allocation is an important problem in designing a window‐controlled packet network. Most of the early studies on this topic deal with the loss system model because of its analytical simplicity. In actual packet switched networks the admission delay of an input‐regulated packet has to be considered and hence its wait system model need be studied. This paper presents delay analysis of the wait system model for a multilogic channel network (multi‐LC model) with each logic channel having its own window. First, the equivalent flow method is validated in a single‐LC model. Then, based on this method, an approximate approach applicable to the multi‐LC model is developed. Our approximate method is evaluated in comparison with simulation results. Then, using this approximate method, the optimal window allocation problem is studied in a general wait system packet network. We obtain an interesting result showing that the optimal allocation with minimum delay can be achieved by equalizing the input regulation degree on each LC.
Switching control multiprocessor system
Authors: Yamada Takahiko , Miki Shuji 
Published: July 2007

AbstractA multiprocessor architecture for switching systems whose processing volumes increase with network function enhancement is discussed. This architecture allows individual processors to be added without endangering reliability by modifying the already installed multiprocessor system. Essential conditions for the architecture are: An example of switching control multiprocessor system based on this study result will be shown. (1) All network resources must be managed using common memory. (2) Switching control functions must be divided into signaling processing functions and call control processing functions to reduce the processing delay as much as possible. Call control processing functions must be equally shared by the call control processor. (3) Each signaling processor must be associated with a single signaling system.