1. A method for digitally recording an analog audio signal, the method comprising:
(a) receiving an analog audio signal played at an increased speed and containing audio information and signal pause information, wherein, when receiving the analog audio signal, a playing speed of a data medium on which the analog audio signal to be recorded is settable;
(b) converting the analog audio signal played at an increased speed into a digital audio signal comprising audio information data and signal pause duration data;
(c) storing the audio information data of the digital audio signal as information data blocks and the signal pause duration data of the digital audio signal as signal pause data blocks having different time durations in a memory, wherein each information data block contains an information data block identifier and audio information data, and each signal pause data block contains a signal pause data block identifier and signal pause duration data specifying a length of a pause between audio events, and the audio information data and the signal pause duration data represent outputs at a normal speaking speed;
(d) generating a plurality of audio information data sequences by sequentially reading the information data blocks and the signal pause data blocks, the audio information data sequences being separated by the signal pause data blocks if an assigned time duration of the signal pause data block is higher than a predetermined time duration; and
(e) producing an index table by sequentially reading the information data blocks and the signal pause data blocks.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein a start of an audio information data sequence is stored as start address for a first address pointer of the index table and an end of the audio information data sequence is stored as a second address pointer of the index table.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein producing the index table comprises processing the sequentially read data blocks.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, while processing the data, filtering out a succession of information data blocks between two adjacent signal pause data blocks if a number of information data blocks does not exceed a particular minimum value and the signal pause of the two adjacent signal pause data blocks exceeds a particular first time limit value.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the minimum value is 1.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first time limit value is 0.5 seconds.
7. The method of claim 3, further comprising, while processing the data, overwriting signal duration data of signal pause data blocks whose signal pause duration exceeds a particular second time limit value with signal duration data having a particular nominal signal duration.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second time limit value is 10 seconds and the nominal signal duration is 2 seconds.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital audio data are compressed before storage.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein all the data blocks are of a same size and correspond to a particular basic unit of duration.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the basic unit of duration is 30 ms.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein a succession of information data blocks which is not separated by a signal pause data block whose signal pause duration data amount to a signal pause of more than 2 seconds is detected as an audio information data sequence.
13. A method for digitally recording an analog audio signal with automatic indexing, the method comprising:
(a) receiving an analog audio signal played at an increased speed and containing audio information and signal pauses, wherein, when receiving the analog audio signal, a playing speed of a data medium on which the analog audio signal to be recorded is settable;
(b) converting the analog audio signal played at an increased speed into digital audio data comprising audio information data and signal pause duration data specifying a length of a pause between audio events;
(c) storing the converted digital audio data, such that the converted digital audio data represents an output at a normal speaking speed;
(d) reading the stored digital audio data sequentially;
(e) deciding whether the digital audio data are audio information data or signal pause duration data;
(f) storing the audio information data as information data blocks and the signal pause duration data as signal pause data blocks in a memory; wherein each information data block contains an information data block identifier and audio information data, and each signal pause data block contains a signal pause data block identifier and signal pause duration data,
(g) reading the stored data blocks sequentially in order to produce a data structure for managing the indexing, wherein a succession of information data blocks which is not interrupted by a signal pause with a pre-determined duration being detected as an audio information data sequence whose start and end are stored in the data structure for managing the indexing; and
(h) producing an index table by sequentially reading the information data blocks and the signal pause data blocks.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data structure for managing the indexing is the index table.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the start and end of an audio information data sequence are stored as start address for a first information data block and as an end address for a last information data block within the memory in address pointers of the index table.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising, while processing the data, filtering out a succession of information data blocks between two adjacent signal pause data blocks if a number of information data blocks does not exceed a particular minimum value and the signal pause of the two adjacent signal pause data blocks exceeds a particular first time limit value.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the minimum value is 1.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first time limit value is 0.5 seconds.
19. The method of claim 14, further comprising, while processing the data, overwriting the signal pause duration data of signal pause data blocks whose signal pause duration exceeds a particular second time limit value with signal duration data having a particular nominal signal duration.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second time limit value is 10 seconds and the nominal signal duration is 2 seconds.
21. The method of claim 13, wherein the digital audio data are compressed before storage.
22. The method of claim 13, wherein all the data blocks are of a same size and correspond to a particular basic unit of duration.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the basic unit of duration is 30 ms.
24. The method of claim 13, wherein a succession of information data blocks which is not separated by a signal pause data block whose signal pause duration data amount to a signal pause of more than 2 seconds is detected as an audio information data sequence.
25. A method comprising:
receiving an analog audio signal played at an increased speed and containing audio information and signal pauses, wherein, when receiving the analog audio signal, a playing speed of a data medium on which the analog audio signal to be recorded is settable;
converting the analog audio signal played at an increased speed into digital audio data having audio information data and signal pause duration data, the signal pause duration data specifying a length of a pause between audio events;
storing the audio information data as information data blocks in a memory, wherein the audio information data represents an output at a normal speaking speed, wherein each information data block contains an information data block identifier and audio information data;
storing the signal pause duration data as signal pause data blocks in the memory, wherein the signal pause duration data represents an output at a normal speaking speed, wherein each signal pause data block contains a signal pause data block identifier and signal pause duration data;
sequentially reading the stored data blocks from the memory;
producing an index table by sequentially reading the information data blocks and the signal pause data blocks; and
storing a start address and an end address of a succession of information data blocks which is not interrupted by a signal pause with a pre-determined duration in the index table.
26. The method of claim 25, further comprising filtering out a succession of information data blocks between two adjacent signal pause data blocks when a number of information data blocks does not exceed a particular minimum value and the signal pause of each of the two adjacent signal pause data blocks exceeds a particular first time limit value.
27. The method of claim 26, further comprising overwriting the signal pause duration data of signal pause data blocks whose signal pause duration exceeds a particular second time limit value with signal pause duration data having a predetermined signal pause duration.
28. An apparatus comprising:
an analog audio signal input for receiving an audio signal played at an increased speed, wherein, when receiving the analog audio signal, a playing speed of a data medium on which the analog audio signal to be recorded is settable;
an analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog audio signal played at an increased speed into digital audio data having audio information data and signal pause duration data;
a memory configured to store audio information data of the digital audio data in information data blocks and to store signal pause duration data of the digital audio data in signal pause data blocks, wherein each information data block contains an information data block identifier and audio information data, and each signal pause data block contains a signal pause data block identifier and signal pause duration data specifying a length of a pause between audio events, and the audio information data and the signal pause duration data represent outputs at a normal speaking speed; and
a data processor configured to read sequentially the stored data blocks and the signal pause data block, and store a start address and an end address of a succession of information data blocks which is not interrupted by a signal pause with a first predetermined duration in an index table in the memory.
29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the data processor is further configured to filter out a succession of information data blocks between two adjacent signal pause data blocks when a number of information data blocks is less than a predetermined number and the signal pause of each of the two adjacent signal pause data blocks exceeds a predetermined time threshold.
30. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the data processor is further configured to overwrite the signal phase duration data of signal pause data blocks whose signal pause duration exceeds a second predetermined duration with signal pause duration data having a third predetermined duration that is less than the second predetermined duration.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:
forming a gate structure over a substrate;
forming an interconnect layer over the gate structure and the substrate;
forming a cap layer over the interconnect layer;
planarizing the interconnect layer and the cap layer to form a substantially planar surface, the substantially planar surface having a portion of exposed interconnect layer and a portion of exposed cap layer; and
forming a mask layer over the exposed portion of the planarized interconnect layer; and removing material underlying the exposed portion of the planarized cap layer;
wherein the planarizing includes chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP); and
wherein the CMP includes planarizing the cap layer and the interconnect layer between a rotatable polishing head and a rotatable polishing platen at a polishing head speed ranging between 75 rpm and 200 rpm.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interconnect layer is formed over the gate structure to a thickness that is less than a height of the gate structure.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mask layer is formed by an anneal process.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the mask layer after removing the planarized cap layer.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein a first removal rate of the interconnect layer during the planarizing is greater than a second removal rate of the cap layer during the planarizing.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first removal rate is at least three times greater than the second removal rate.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the cap layer is formed directly on the interconnect layer.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the cap layer is separated from the substrate by a distance that is less than the height of the gate structure.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cap layer comprises SiO2.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the cap layer comprises Si3N4.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the mask layer comprises SiO2.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing material includes removing the cap layer and removing polysilicon.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the cap layer has a thickness ranging between 100 angstroms and 2000 angstroms before planarizing.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the CMP includes rotating the polishing platen at a platen speed ranging between 65 rpm and 10 rpm.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a split gate field effect transistor.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the planarizing is done at a planarizing pressure of at least 5.0 psi.
17. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:
forming a gate structure over a substrate;
forming an interconnect layer over the gate structure and the substrate;
forming a cap layer over the interconnect layer;
planarizing the interconnect layer and the cap layer to form a substantially planar surface, the substantially planar surface having a portion of exposed interconnect layer and a portion of exposed cap layer; and
forming a mask layer over the exposed portion of the planarized interconnect layer; and removing material underlying the exposed portion of the planarized cap layer;
wherein the planarizing includes chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP); and
wherein the CMP includes planarizing the cap layer and the interconnect layer between a rotatable polishing head and a rotatable polishing platen at a planarizing pressure of at least 5.0 psi.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the planarizing includes rotating the polishing head at a speed ranging between 75 rpm and 200 rpm.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the planarizing includes rotating the polishing platen at a speed ranging between 65 rpm and 150 rpm.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the speed of the polishing platen is 87 rpm.
21. A method of planarizing topographic features on a substrate, comprising:
providing a substrate having a plurality of layers formed thereon, the layers forming a plurality of topographic features of varying heights relative to a reference plane that is parallel to a principal plane of the substrate;
coupling the substrate to a rotatable polishing head;
contacting the topographic features with a rotatable polishing platen; and
maintaining the contacting while rotating at least one of the polishing head and the polishing platen, thereby removing portions of the topographic features to form a substantially planar surface;
wherein the rotating includes rotating the polishing head at a speed ranging between 75 rpm and 200 rpm; and
wherein the plurality of layers includes an interconnect layer formed over a semiconductor device gate structure and a cap layer formed over the interconnect layer, wherein portions of the interconnect layer are removed at a slower rate than portions of the cap layer are removed.