Author: claimsbot

1. An acoustic resonator comprising:
a substrate;
a first electrode adjacent the substrate, wherein the first electrode has an outer perimeter;
a piezoelectric layer adjacent the first electrode;
a second electrode adjacent the piezoelectric layer, wherein the second electrode has an outer perimeter; and
a fill region in one of the first and second electrodes.
2. The acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein a depression is formed in the substrate and wherein the depression has a depression perimeter.
3. The acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein an acoustic mirror is formed in the substrate and wherein the first electrode spans the acoustic mirror.
4. The acoustic resonator of claim 1 further including a passivation layer adjacent the second electrode, the passivation layer lying in a second plane that is generally parallel to a first plane.
5. The acoustic resonator of claim 2, wherein the fill region in one of the first and second electrodes is outside the depression perimeter.
6. The acoustic resonator of claim 2, wherein the fill region in one of the first and second electrodes is inside the depression perimeter.
7. The acoustic resonator of claim 2, wherein the fill region in one of the first and second electrodes overlaps the depression perimeter.
8. The acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the fill region in one of the first and second electrodes is adjacent the outer perimeter.
9. The acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second electrodes comprise a material that is a different material than a material in the fill region.
10. The acoustic resonator of claim 8, wherein the fill material is a material selected from the group comprising dielectrics, metals, metal alloys, piezoelectrics, Mo, Pt, Al, Cu, W, Au, Ag, polyimide, BCB, SiO2, Si3N4, AlN, ZnO, LiNbO3, PZT, LiTaO3, and Al2O3.
11. The acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the fill region extends around a substantial portion of the outer perimeter of one of the first and second electrodes.
12. The acoustic resonator of claim 1 wherein the fill region has a depth in one of the first and second electrodes that is on the order of hundreds to thousands of angstroms and a width on the order of fractions of a micron to tens of microns.
13. The acoustic resonator of claim 1 wherein the fill region is offset from the outer perimeter of one of the first and second electrodes by zero to 10s of microns.
14. An acoustic resonator comprising:
a substrate having a first surface;
a first electrode adjacent the first surface of the substrate;
a layer of piezoelectric material adjacent the first electrode;
a second electrode adjacent the layer of piezoelectric material, the second electrode lying in a first plane; and
a fill region configured in the second electrode.
15. The acoustic resonator of claim 14, wherein a depression having a depression perimeter is formed in the first surface of the substrate and wherein the first electrode spans the depression.
16. The acoustic resonator of claim 14, wherein an acoustic mirror is formed in the first surface of the substrate and wherein the first electrode spans the acoustic mirror.
17. The acoustic resonator of claim 15, wherein the fill region in the second electrode is outside the depression perimeter.
18. The acoustic resonator of claim 15, wherein the fill region in the second electrode is inside the depression perimeter.
19. The acoustic resonator of claim 15, wherein the fill region in the second electrode overlaps the depression perimeter.
20. The acoustic resonator of claim 14, wherein the second electrode comprises a material that is a different material than that in the fill region.
21. The acoustic resonator of claim 14 wherein the fill material is denser than the electrode material such that it increases the acoustic impedance of the fill region relative to that at the center the acoustic resonator.
22. An acoustic resonator comprising:
a substrate;
a first electrode adjacent the substrate;
a layer of piezoelectric material adjacent the first electrode;
a second electrode adjacent the layer of piezoelectric material, wherein the first electrode, the layer of piezoelectric material and the second electrode together form an acoustic membrane having an outer edge and a center; and
means for increasing the acoustic impedance of the outer edge of the acoustic membrane relative to that at the center the acoustic membrane.
23. The acoustic resonator of claim 22, wherein the second electrode comprises a fill region having a material that is different than the material in the second electrode.
24. A method for fabricating an acoustic resonator comprising:
providing a substrate;
fabricating a first electrode adjacent the substrate;
fabricating a piezoelectric layer adjacent the first electrode;
depositing electrode material to form a second electrode up to a first thickness adjacent the piezoelectric layer;
depositing a first photo mask over the second electrode;
depositing additional electrode material to form the second electrode up to a second thickness;
removing the photo mask thereby revealing a recessed region in the second electrode; and
filling the recessed region with a fill material.
25. The method of claim 24, further including depositing a second photo mask over the second electrode before filling the recessed region.
26. The method of claim 24 further including forming a depression in the substrate.
27. The method of claim 24 further including filling the recessed region with a different material than the electrode material.
28. The method of claim 24, wherein filling the recessed region includes filling with a material selected from the group comprising dielectrics, metals, metal alloys, piezoelectrics, Mo, Pt, Al, Cu, W, Au, Ag, polyimide, BCB, SiO2, Si3N4, AlN, ZnO, LiNbO3, PZT, LiTaO3, and Al2O3.
29. A method for fabricating an acoustic resonator comprising:
providing a substrate;
fabricating a first electrode adjacent the substrate;
fabricating a piezoelectric layer adjacent the first electrode;
depositing electrode material to form a second electrode;
depositing a first photo mask over the second electrode;
etching the second electrode to form a recessed region in the second electrode; and
filling the recessed region with a fill material.
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 comprising:
propagating a voltage signal along a conductive path, at least a portion of the conductive path being adjacent to one or more insulators, wherein at least a portion of the one or more insulators comprise a mixture of a refractory metal and a non-refractory metal;
generating a charge field associated with the voltage signal across a region of the mixture between a section of the conductive path and one or more electrodes;
retaining the charge field between the section of the conductive path and the one or more electrodes based on a first specified signal; and
removing at least a portion of the charge field based on a second specified signal.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating includes establishing a charge field across a region including one or more TayAlzOxNw amorphous regions, where y, z, x, w are integer values, and where y is 1 or 2, z is 1 or 2, x is 0, 1, 3 or 5, and w is 0 or 1.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating includes coupling electric charge across a region including TayAlzOxNw, where y, z, x, w are relative mole fractions.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein retaining includes transferring charge across a region including TaAlON.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a charge field includes inducing a charge field in a region between the one or more electrodes.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the generating includes inducing an inversion layer in the region between the one or more electrodes.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the generating includes inducing a charge depletion layer in the region between the one or more electrodes.
8. A method comprising:
forming alternating dielectrics layers on a substrate, the layers including at least one of a refractory metal or a non-refractory metal;
surrounding the alternating layers in an environment comprising at least one of a nitrogen compound or an oxygen compound; and
forming one or more oxynitrides using the alternating layers.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein forming alternating dielectric layers includes forming alternating dielectric layers of TaOxN and AlOyN, where x, and y are integers with values of 0 or 1.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein forming alternating dielectric layers includes forming alternating TayAlzOxNw layers, where y, z, x, w are integer values, and where y is 1 or 2, z is 1 or 2, x is 0, 1, 3 or 5, and w is 0 or 1.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein forming alternating dielectric layers includes alternating pairs of dielectric layers including at least one of a Ta2O5Al2O3, a TaONAlON, a Ta2O5AlN, a TaNAl2O3, or a TaNAlN.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein surrounding includes surrounding the alternating layers in a microwave plasma.
13. The method of claim 8, wherein surrounding includes surrounding the alternating layers in an ambient comprising at least one of a dinitrogen, an ammonia, or a 1,1-dimethyl-hydrazine.
14. The method of claim 8, wherein forming one or more oxynitrides includes forming one or more TaAlON layers with less than 50 atomic % nitrogen.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein forming one or more oxynitride layers includes forming one or more TaAlON layers with greater than 20 atomic % oxygen.
16. A method comprising:
generating a microwave plasma using a vapor comprising a nitrogen compound;
forming a nitride using an oxide layer that includes at least one of a refractory metal or a non-refractory metal; and
patterning a region comprising at least one of refractory metal oxynitride or a non-refractory metal oxynitride.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein generating includes generating a microwave plasma using vapor comprising at least one of a dinitrogen, an ammonia, or a 1,1-dimethyl-hydrazine.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the nitride includes forming a nitride region that includes TayAlzOxNw, where y, z, x, w are relative mole fractions.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein forming the nitride includes forming TayAlzOxNw with at least one of x, y, z, or w vary in a direction substantially perpendicular to a major surface of a substrate.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein forming the nitride includes forming TaxAl1-x-y-zOyNz, between two or more conductive regions.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein forming the nitride includes forming TayAlzOxNw with at least one of x, y, z, or w vary in a direction substantially parallel to a major surface of a substrate.

1. A system for operating a prepaid reloadable debit card comprising:
providing ancillary services associated with the prepaid reloadable debit card.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ancillary services include roadside assistance.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ancillary services include discounted medical services.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the ancillary services include discounted pharmaceuticals.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the ancillary services include legal counseling.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the ancillary services include term life insurance.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the ancillary services are provided to a holder of the reloadable debit card.
8. The system of claim 1, further comprising activating the prepaid reloadable debit card by a reseller.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the reseller is selected from the group consisting of gas stations, convenience stores, employer payrolls, call centers and combinations thereof.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the prepaid reloadable debit card has an initial value.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the prepaid reloadable debit card may be used for a plurality of transactions, and wherein each successive one of the plurality of transactions decreases a remaining value on the prepaid reloadable debit card.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the prepaid reloadable debit card is a remittance card.
13. A system for operating a prepaid reloadable debit card comprising:
providing a first prepaid reloadable debit card having a primary account to a primary cardholder;
providing a second prepaid reloadable debit card linked to the primary account of the primary cardholder; and
providing ancillary services associated with the prepaid reloadable debit cards.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second prepaid reloadable card is a remittance card.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein the ancillary services are selected from the group consisting essentially of roadside assistance, discounted medical services, discounted pharmaceuticals, legal counseling, term life insurance and combinations thereof.
16. The system of claim 13, further comprising activating the prepaid reloadable debit card by a reseller.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the reseller is selected from the group consisting of gas stations, convenience stores, employer payrolls, call centers and combinations thereof.
18. The system of claim 13, wherein the prepaid reloadable debit card has an initial value.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein the prepaid reloadable debit card may be used for a plurality of transactions, and wherein each successive one of the plurality of transactions decreases a remaining value on the prepaid reloadable debit card.
20. A system for operating a prepaid reloadable debit card comprising:
providing a first prepaid reloadable debit card having a primary account to a primary card holder;
providing a second prepaid reloadable debit card linked to the primary account of the primary card holder, wherein the second prepaid reloadable debit card is a remittance card; and
providing ancillary services associated with the prepaid reloadable debit cards, wherein the ancillary services are selected from the group consisting essentially of roadside assistance, discounted medical services, discounted pharmaceuticals, legal counseling, term life insurance and combinations thereof.
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 cyclone dust-collecting apparatus comprising:
a body unit having a first axis, a top portion of the body unit being detachably engaged with a cover unit;
a cyclone unit disposed inside the body unit so as to rotate dust-laden air about a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis; and
a filter unit detachably disposed above the cyclone unit,
wherein air flowing in the body unit is guided from the cyclone unit upward along the first axis to the filter unit, and is discharged downward along the first axis via the filter unit.
2. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cyclone unit is disposed along the second axis, and
the dust laden air is drawn into the cyclone unit along the second axis, and air is discharged from the cyclone unit along the first axis.
3. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cyclone unit comprises:
a cylindrical housing in which dust is centrifugally separated from air;
a discharge pipe disposed inside the cylindrical housing and coaxial with the cylindrical housing; and
a guide pipe extending from one side of the discharge pipe and penetrating the filter unit, the guide pipe being perpendicular to and in fluid communication with the discharge pipe.
4. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cover unit comprises a handle extending upward therefrom, and is disposed to cover the filter unit.
5. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter unit comprises:
a filter; and
a filter body detachably disposed in an upper portion of the body unit so that the filter is spaced apart by a predetermined distance from an upper portion of the cyclone unit.
6. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the filter body comprises a support rib to support the filter so that air passes downward through the filter.
7. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the filter body further comprises a protruding portion through which a guide pipe to discharge air from the cyclone unit penetrates, and a grip portion extending upward from the protruding portion to separate the filter body from the body unit.
8. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the filter body further comprises a sealing member enclosing an outer circumference of an upper portion of the filter body, to maintain an airtight state between the filter body and the cover unit.
9. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical housing comprises a dust-collecting chamber disposed below the cyclone unit to collect dust.
10. A cyclone dust-collecting apparatus comprising:
a body unit having a vertical axis, the body unit having an inlet and an outlet defined so that dust-laden air enters and exits the body unit along a horizontal axis that is substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis;
a filter unit detachably secured to the body unit, the filter unit having a top surface along the horizontal axis; and
a cyclone unit disposed inside the body unit below the filter unit, the cyclone unit being positioned and configured to rotate the dust-laden air about the horizontal axis, to discharge dust separated from the dust-laden air downward along the vertical axis, and to discharge the rotated and cleaned air upward along the vertical axis to the top surface of the filter unit.
11. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 10, wherein the cyclone unit comprises:
a cylindrical housing in which the dust is centrifugally separated from the dust-laden air;
a discharge pipe disposed inside the cylindrical housing and coaxially with the cylindrical housing; and
a guide pipe extending from one side of the discharge pipe and penetrating the filter unit, the guide pipe being perpendicular to and in fluid communication with the discharge pipe.
12. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a cover unit disposed to cover the filter unit.
13. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 10, wherein the filter unit comprises:
a filter; and
a filter body detachably disposed in an upper portion of the body unit so that the filter is spaced apart by a predetermined distance from an upper portion of the cyclone unit.
14. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the filter body comprises a support rib to support the filter so that air passes downward through the filter.
15. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the filter body further comprises a protruding portion through which a guide pipe to discharge air from the cyclone unit penetrates, and a grip portion extending upward from the protruding portion to separate the filter body from the body unit.
16. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the filter body further comprises a sealing member enclosing an outer circumference of an upper portion of the filter body, to maintain an airtight state between the filter body and the cover unit.
17. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of claim 10, wherein the cylindrical housing comprises a dust-collecting chamber disposed below the cyclone unit to collect dust.