Author: claimsbot

1. A balloon catheter, comprising:
a) an elongated catheter shaft having a proximal end, a distal end, a proximal shaft section, a distal shaft section, a guidewire receiving lumen extending along at least a distal portion of the catheter shaft, and an inflation lumen;
b) a distal tip member located at a distal end of the catheter, having a proximal end longitudinally spaced distally apart from the distal end of the elongated catheter shaft with a gap there between, and a lumen which extends to a guidewire distal port in communication with the shaft guidewire lumen, and having an inner layer formed of a first polymeric material which has a first Shore durometer hardness and which defines at least a section of the lumen of the distal tip, and an outer layer formed of a second polymeric material which has a lower Shore durometer hardness than the first polymeric material and which is fusion bond compatible with the first polymeric material; and
c) an inflatable balloon sealingly secured to the distal shaft section so that an interior of the balloon is in fluid communication with the shaft inflation lumen, formed at least in part of a polymeric material fusion bond compatible with the first and second polymeric materials of the tip, and having a distal skirt section surrounding and fusion bonded to a proximal section of the tip along which both the inner and outer layer materials of the tip extend, such that the proximal section of the tip is a fused blend of the balloon distal skirt section and the inner and outer layers of the tip, the fused blend having both the outer layer material and inner layer material of the tip fused to the material of the distal skirt section along the proximal section of the tip.
2. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the distal tip member has a distal section located distal to the fused proximal section of the tip and balloon distal skirt section, such that the balloon distal skirt section surrounds the proximal fused section and not the distal section of the tip.
3. The balloon catheter of claim 2 wherein the inner layer of the tip along the distal section of the tip, located distal to the fused proximal section of the tip, has a thickness which is about 30% to about 50% of the total thickness of the tip along the distal section of the tip.
4. The balloon catheter of claim 2 wherein the distal section of the tip is longer than the fused proximal section of the tip.
5. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the inner and outer layers of the tip are approximately equal in length.
6. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the tip has a pull strength of about 0.5 to about 2.5 lbs.
7. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the balloon is formed at least in part of the first polymeric material.
8. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the balloon is a single-layer balloon formed of the first polymeric material.
9. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the first and second polymeric materials are a polyether block amide copolymer.
10. The balloon catheter of claim 9 wherein the first polymeric material is a PEBAX 72D and the second polymeric material is a PEBAX 55D.
11. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the first polymeric material is not a lubricious polymeric material, and an inner surface of the shaft defining the guidewire lumen proximal to the tip is formed of a lubricious polymeric material.
12. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the second polymeric material of the tip provides a surface which has a higher tackiness than the first polymeric material of the tip, such that the inner surface of the distal tip at least along the distal section thereof is not tacky at a body temperature above room temperature.
13. A balloon catheter, comprising:
a) an elongated catheter shaft having a proximal end, a distal end, a proximal shaft section, a distal shaft section, an outer tubular member with an inflation lumen therein, and an inner tubular member with a guidewire receiving lumen therein;
b) a distal tip member located at a distal end of the catheter, having a proximal end longitudinally spaced distally apart from a distal end of the catheter shaft inner tubular member with a gap there between, and a lumen which extends to a guidewire distal port in communication with the shaft guidewire lumen, and having an inner layer formed of a first polymeric material which has a first Shore durometer hardness and which defines at least a section of the lumen of the distal tip, and an outer layer formed of a second polymeric material which has a lower Shore durometer hardness than the first polymeric material and which is fusion bond compatible with the first polymeric material; and
c) an inflatable balloon sealingly secured to the distal shaft section so that an interior of the balloon is in fluid communication with the shaft inflation lumen, formed at least in part of a polymeric material fusion bond compatible with the first and second polymeric materials of the tip, and having a distal skirt section fusion bonded to a proximal end of the tip, such that a proximal section of the tip is a fused blend of the balloon distal skirt section and the inner and outer layers of the tip, the fused blend having both the outer layer material and inner layer material of the tip fused to the material of the distal skirt section along the proximal section of the tip.
14. The balloon catheter of claim 13 wherein a lap joint secures the tip to the balloon distal skirt section.
15. The balloon catheter of claim 13 wherein a butt joint secures the tip to the balloon distal skirt section.
16-20. (canceled)

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. An optical hydrophone for measurement of an acoustic pressure distribution in a fluid medium, comprising:
an optically transparent body having a boundary surface adapted to interface with said fluid medium, said optically transparent body having a cross-section and having an index of refraction that is substantially independent of acoustic pressure;
a light source arrangement that emits light in a beam propagating freely through said optically transparent body and into said fluid medium, said beam having a cross-section that is smaller than said cross-section of said optically transparent body and said light source arrangement illuminating, with said beam, an area disposed at said boundary surface that is smaller than said boundary surface; and
a light receiver arrangement for measuring an intensity of light reflected at said illuminated area as a measurement of said acoustic pressure distribution in said fluid medium, due to modification of the refractive index of said fluid medium caused by said acoustic pressure distribution.
2. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 1 wherein said light source arrangement illuminates said area with an angle of incidence that is smaller than half of a critical angle of total reflection in said optically transparent body.
3. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 2 comprising a fiber-optic arrangement having a first optical conductor that transmits light from said light source arrangement to said optically transparent body and a second optical conductor, separate from said first optical conductor, that transmits light from said optically transparent body to said light receiver arrangement.
4. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 3 comprising a first imaging element disposed between said first optical conductor and said optically transparent body and a second imaging element disposed between said optically transparent body and said second optical conductor.
5. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 2 wherein said light from said light source arrangement substantially laterally illuminates said area of said boundary surface.
6. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 5 wherein said light source arrangement illuminates a substantially circular disk as said area of said boundary surface.
7. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 1 comprising an optical fiber arrangement having a common conductor that conducts light from said light source arrangement to said optically transparent body and that conducts light from said optically transparent body to said light receiver arrangement.
8. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 7 wherein said optical fiber arrangement comprises an exit aperture from which light from said light source arrangement exits toward said optically transparent body, said exit aperture also serving as an entrance aperture for said reflected light.
9. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 8 wherein said optical fiber arrangement comprises a y-coupler.
10. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 8 comprising an imaging element disposed between said exit aperture and said optically transparent body.
11. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 10 wherein said imaging element forms an image of said exit aperture on said boundary surface as said area.
12. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 1 wherein said boundary surface is a surface of said optically transparent body.
13. An optical hydrophone as claimed in claim 1 wherein said optically transparent body is spatially variable relative to a path of said light propagating therein toward said boundary surface.

1. A non-volatile memory device, comprising
a semiconductor fin on an insulating layer;
a channel region at a central portion of the semiconductor fin;
sourcedrain regions on both sides of the semiconductor fin;
a floating gate arranged at a first side of the semiconductor fin and extending in a direction further away from the semiconductor fin; and
a first control gate arranged on top of the floating gate or covering top and sidewall portions of the floating gate.
2. The non-volatile memory device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor fin is a silicon fin.
3. The non-volatile memory device according to claim 1, wherein the floating gate comprises a floating gate dielectric layer and a floating gate conductor, and the floating gate conductor is insulated from the semiconductor fin by the floating gate dielectric layer.
4. The non-volatile memory device according to claim 3, wherein the floating gate conductor is a stack of a barrier layer and an floating gate conductive layer, and the barrier layer is sandwiched between the floating gate conductive layer and the floating gate dielectric layer.
5. The non-volatile memory device according to claim 1, wherein the first control gate comprises an intermediate dielectric layer and a first control gate conductor.
6. The non-volatile memory device according to claim 5, wherein the first control gate conductor is made of at least one selected from a group comprising metals, doped polysilicon, and conductive nitride.
7. The non-volatile memory device according to claim 6, wherein the first control gate conductor is a stack of a barrier layer and an control gate conductive layer, and the barrier layer is sandwiched between the control gate conductive layer and the intermediate dielectric layer.
8. The non-volatile memory device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating layer is a buried insulating layer of an SOI wafer.
9. The non-volatile memory device according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor fin is formed by a top semiconductor layer of the SOI wafer.
10. The non-volatile memory device according to any one of claims 1-9, further comprising:
a second control gate arranged at a second side opposite to the first side of the semiconductor fin and extending in a direction further away from the semiconductor fin.
11. The non-volatile memory device according to claim 10, wherein the second control gate and the floating gate are made of the same dielectric material and conductive material.
12. A method for manufacturing a non-volatile memory device, comprising:
a) forming a semiconductor fin on an insulating layer;
b) forming a floating gate on a first side of the semiconductor fin, the floating gate extending in a direction further away form the semiconductor fin;
c) forming sourcedrain region on both sides of the semiconductor fin; and
d) forming a first control gate on top of the floating gate or on top and sidewall portions of the floating gate.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the insulating layer is a buried insulating layer on an SOI wafer, and the step a) comprises:
a1) forming a first oxide layer on the SOI wafer;
a2) forming a first nitride layer on the first oxide layer; and
a3) patterning the first nitride layer, the first oxide layer, and a top semiconductor layer of the SOI wafer with a mask, to provide a semiconductor fin in a stripe covered with the first nitride layer and the first oxide layer thereon.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step b) comprises:
b1) forming a floating gate dielectric layer on the whole surface;
b2) forming a barrier layer on the floating gate dielectric layer;
b3) forming a floating gate conductive layer on the whole surface;
b4) planarizing the floating gate conductive layer to remove the portions of the floating gate conductive layer, the barrier layer and the floating gate dielectric layer above the semiconductor fin; and
b5) patterning the floating gate conductive layer and the barrier layer into a stripe extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction along which the semiconductor fin extends.
15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step d) comprises:
d1) forming a second nitride layer on the floating gate;
d2) forming a second oxide layer on the second nitride layer;
d3) forming an opening in the second nitride layer and the second oxide layer either to expose a top portion of the floating gate, or to expose top and sidewall portions of the floating gate;
d4) forming an intermediate dielectric layer at least on inner walls of the opening; and
d5) filling the opening with a conductive material to provide a first control gate conductor.
16. The method according to any one of claims 12-15, wherein in step b), the second control gate is formed simultaneously with the floating gate, and the second control gate is arranged at a second side opposite to the first side of the semiconductor fin, and extends in a direction further away from the semiconductor fin.

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 tuning a dielectric resonator which resonator comprises a cavity within which is mounted a dielectric which method comprises changing the frequency of the resonator by a frequency changing means which is operated using a ferroelectric element in which a DC bias is applied across the ferroelectric element to decrease the relative permittivity of the ferroelectric element which affects the dielectric resonator electric field and changes the resonance frequency of the resonator, in which the ferroelectric element is a ferroelectric film, in which the ferroelectric film is mounted on a conductive base on which is positioned a spacer and the dielectric is mounted on the spacer, in which the conductive base, on which is formed the ferroelectric element, is supported on a floor of the resonator, the dielectric element and spacer are ring shaped, the spacer is positioned on the ferroelectric element and the dielectric element is placed on the spacer, and in which there is a wire electrode which passes through the spacer and the dielectric element and is connected to the ferroelectric element, there being a means to apply a DC bias to the ferroelectric element through the conductive base and the wire.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the spacer is made of a low loss low dielectric constant spacer.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the ferroelectric element is ferroelectric film grown on a conductive substrate.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the ferroelectric element is ferroelectric film grown on a resonator cavity bottom, a resonator upper plate, or on one or more of resonator surrounding cavity walls.
5. A tuneable dielectric resonator which comprises a cavity within which is mounted a dielectric and a frequency changing means and in which the frequency changing means is operated using a ferroelectric element, in which a DC bias is applied across the ferroelectric element to decrease the relative permittivity of the ferroelectric element which affects the dielectric resonator electric field and changes the resonance frequency of the resonator, in which the ferroelectric element is a ferroelectric film, in which the ferroelectric film is mounted on a conductive base on which is positioned a spacer and the dielectric is mounted on the spacer, in which the conductive base, on which is formed the ferroelectric element, is supported on a floor of the resonator, the dielectric element and spacer are ring shaped, the spacer is positioned on the ferroelectric element and the dielectric element is placed on the spacer, and in which there is a wire electrode which passes through the spacer and the dielectric element and is connected to the ferroelectric element, there being a means to apply a DC bias to the ferroelectric element through the conductive base and the wire.
6. A tuneable dielectric resonator as claimed in claim 5 in which the spacer is made of a low loss low dielectric constant.
7. A tuneable dielectric resonator as claimed in claim 5 in which the ferroelectric element is mounted on the resonator cavity bottom or resonator upper plate, or surrounding resonator cavity walls.
8. A tuneable dielectric resonator as claimed in claim 5 in which the frequency changing means comprises a ferroelectric element on which is mounted a dielectric resonator.
9. A tuneable dielectric resonator as claimed in claim 5 in which the ferroelectric material is BaxSr1-xTiO3.