What is claimed is:
1. A woven fabric for manufacture of an air bag, produced by a method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a preliminary woven fabric constructed substantially of synthetic yarns wherein the preliminary woven fabric has a reference packed volume per unit area; and
(b) mechanically forcing together the yarns of the preliminary woven fabric to yield a compressed woven fabric having a mass per unit area at least 4 percent greater than the mass per unit area of the preliminary woven fabric wherein the resulting packed volume per unit area of the compressed woven fabric is less than said reference packed volume per unit area of the preliminary woven fabric under substantially equivalent measurement conditions.
2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein said preliminary woven fabric is a loom state fabric.
3. The invention as in claim 1, wherein the dynamic air permeability of the compressed woven fabric is lower than the dynamic air permeability of the preliminary woven fabric.
4. The invention as in claim 1, wherein the dynamic air permeability of the compressed woven fabric is not greater than about 1600 mmsec. At an average instantaneous different pressure of 50 KPa.
5. The invention as in claim 1, wherein step (b), the packed volume per unit area of the compressed woven fabric is at least about 8 percent less than the reference packed volume per unit area of the preliminary woven fabric.
6. An air bag made of the woven fabric according to claim 1.
7. An air bag system comprising an air bag according to claim 6.
8. A woven fabric for manufacture of an air bag, produced by the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a preliminary woven fabric constructed substantially of synthetic yarns wherein the preliminary woven fabric has a reference packaged volume per unit area and a reference dynamic air permeability; and
(b) mechanically forcing together the yarns of the preliminary woven fabric to yield a compressed fabric having a mass per unit area at least 4 percent greater than the mass per unit area of the preliminary woven fabric and wherein both the packed volume per unit area and the dynamic air permeability of the compressed fabric are less than the reference values of the preliminary woven fabric.
9. The invention as in claim 8, wherein step (b), the packed volume per unit area is at least about 8 percent less than the reference packed volume per unit area of the preliminary woven fabric.
10. An air bag made of the woven fabric according to claim 9.
11. An air bag system comprising an air to claim 10.
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 fabricating a device, said method comprising:
imprinting a mold having a protrusion against a substrate having a resist layer such that said protrusion engages said resist layer;
positioning a mask member generally adjacent said resist layer;
transmitting radiation energy through said mold and into said resist layer, said mask member substantially preventing transmission of said radiation energy therethrough thereby defining an unexposed area in said resist layer;
removing said mold from said substrate thereby forming a first feature within said resist layer; and
removing said unexposed area of said resist layer thereby forming a second feature within said resist layer.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting radiation energy comprises:
transmitting ultraviolet radiation energy.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said positioning said mask member generally adjacent said resist layer comprises:
coupling said mask member to said mold whereby said mask member is positioned generally adjacent said resist layer during said imprinting said mold having a protrusion against a substrate.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said imprinting said mold having said protrusion against said substrate further comprises:
imprinting said mold having said protrusion against said substrate at a temperature greater than about a glass transition temperature of said resist layer.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said imprinting said mold having said protrusion against said substrate further comprises:
imprinting said mold having said protrusion against said substrate at about a room temperature.
6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
removing a portion of said resist layer disposed between a bottom of said first feature and said substrate.
7. A method of fabricating a device, said method comprising:
imprinting a mold having a protrusion against a substrate having a resist layer such that said protrusion engages said resist layer, said protrusion having a mask member disposed therein;
transmitting radiation energy through said mold and into said resist layer, said mask member substantially preventing transmission of said radiation energy therethrough thereby defining an unexposed area in said resist layer;
removing said mold from said substrate thereby forming a first feature within said resist layer; and
removing said unexposed area of said resist layer.
8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said transmitting radiation energy comprises:
transmitting ultraviolet radiation energy.
9. The method according to claim 7 wherein said imprinting said mold having said protrusion against said substrate further comprises:
imprinting said mold having said protrusion against said substrate at a temperature greater than about a glass transition temperature of said resist layer.
10. The method according to claim 7 wherein said imprinting said mold having said protrusion against said substrate further comprises:
imprinting said mold having said protrusion against said substrate at about a room temperature.
11. A method of fabricating a device, said method comprising:
providing a mold having a protrusion extending therefrom and a mask area, said mask area preventing transmission of radiation energy therethrough;
providing a substrate having a resist layer;
imprinting said mold against said substrate such that said protrusion engages said resist layer and said mask area is generally adjacent said resist layer;
transmitting radiation energy through said mold and into said resist layer, said mask area preventing transmission of said radiation energy therethrough to define an unexposed area in said resist layer;
removing said mold from said substrate thereby forming a first feature within said resist layer; and
developing said resist layer to remove said unexposed area thereby forming a second feature within said resist layer.
12. A method of fabricating a device, said method comprising:
providing a mold having a first portion permitting transmission of radiation energy and a second portion preventing transmission of radiation energy;
providing a substrate having a resist layer;
pressing said substrate and said mold together thereby imprinting a shape of said mold into said resist layer;
passing radiation energy through said first portion of said mold and into a portion of said resist layer to define an exposed region, a portion of said resist layer outside said exposed region being an unexposed region; and
removing one of said exposed region and said unexposed region of said resist layer.
13. The method according to claim 12 wherein said pressing said substrate and said mold together thereby imprinting said shape of said mold into said resist layer further comprises:
pressing said substrate and said mold together at a temperature greater than about a glass transition temperature of said resist layer, thereby imprinting said shape of said mold into said resist layer.