Author: claimsbot

1. An apparatus comprising:
an oscillator circuit to provide a first clock signal;
a multiplexing circuit coupled to receive the first clock signal and a second clock signal, wherein a duty cycle of the first clock signal is closer to a target duty cycle for the apparatus than a duty cycle of the second clock signal; and
a clock path coupled to an output of the multiplexing circuit.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the target duty cycle is a 50% duty cycle.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the clock path comprises:
a delay-locked loop coupled to the output of the multiplexing circuit; and
a trim circuit coupled to the delay-locked loop.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the trim circuit is an output high trim circuit.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the clock path comprises a plurality of entry points, each of the plurality of entry points coupled to an output of the multiplexing circuit.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the oscillator circuit comprises a phase-locked loop with a voltage controlled oscillator.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the voltage controlled oscillator is a tetrahedral oscillator.
8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the phase-locked loop with voltage controlled oscillator is coupled to receive the second clock signal.
9. A apparatus comprising:
a multiplexing circuit having first and second clock inputs, the multiplexing circuit to select the first clock input during a first mode of operation and to select the second clock input during a second mode of operation;
an oscillator circuit coupled to the multiplexing circuit, the oscillator circuit to provide a clock signal to the first clock input; and
a clock path having a plurality of entry points, each of the plurality of entry points coupled to an output of the multiplexing circuit.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein a duty cycle of the clock signal provided to the first clock input is closer to a 50% duty cycle than a duty cycle of a clock signal provided to the second clock input.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the oscillator circuit comprises a tetrahedral oscillator.
12. The apparatus of claim 9 and further comprising a strobe output coupled to the clock path.
13. The apparatus of claim 9 and further comprising:
a memory array; and
a data latch coupled to the memory array and having a clock input coupled to the clock path.
14. A memory device comprising:
a memory array;
a data latch coupled to the memory array; and
a clock circuit coupled to the data latch, the clock circuit comprising:
a multiplexing circuit coupled to receive a first clock signal and a second clock signal, the multiplexing circuit having a selection input for selecting the first clock signal for a normal operation mode and the second clock signal for a test mode;
an oscillator circuit coupled to the multiplexing circuit, wherein the oscillator circuit provides the second clock signal in response to the first clock signal such that a duty cycle of the second clock signal is closer to a target duty cycle for the memory device than a duty cycle of the first clock signal;
a delay-locked loop coupled to the multiplexing circuit to adjust a phase of one of the first or the second clock signals; and
an output high trim circuit coupled between the delay-locked loop and the data latch, the output high trim circuit to be configured in response to the second clock signal.
15. The memory device of claim 14 wherein the oscillator circuit is configured to provide the second clock signal such that it is synchronized with the first clock signal.
16. A method comprising:
selecting a first clock signal in response to entry into a test mode of a memory device, wherein selecting the first clock signal causes the first clock signal to be provided to a clock path entry point; and
selecting a second clock signal in response to entry into a normal operation mode of the memory device, wherein selecting the second clock signal causes the second clock signal to be provided to the clock path entry point and wherein the first clock signal has a duty cycle that is closer to a target duty cycle for the memory device than the second clock signal.
17. The method of claim 16 and further comprising:
trimming a circuit of the memory device in response to the first clock signal.
18. The method of claim 16 and further comprising generating the first clock signal with an oscillator, wherein the first clock signal is synchronized to the second clock signal.
19. The method of claim 16 and further comprising generating the first clock signal with a phase-locked loop having a tetrahedral oscillator, wherein the first clock signal is synchronized to the second clock signal.

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 preparing a thin section sample, comprising:
(a) adding a material having a thickness-sensitive characteristic to an affixing media;
(b) affixing the sample to a receptacle using the affixing media; and
(c) shaping the sample to have an asymmetric cross-section.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the material exhibits a predetermined optical characteristic at a specified thickness.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the material exhibits a change in an optical characteristic in response to a change in thickness.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the material is quartz.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing a thickness of the material until the thickness-sensitive material exhibits a change in an optical characteristic.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the asymmetric cross-section is a wedge shaped-cross-section.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the wedge-shaped cross-section has a first end having a thickness of approximately thirty microns and a second end having a thickness of less than five microns.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving the sample from a subterranean formation.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sample is from a gas shale formation.

1. A temperature measuring apparatus for measuring a temperature of an object having a first main surface and a second main surface which is opposite to the first main surface, the temperature measuring apparatus comprising:
a data input unit which inputs a spectrum of interference light that is obtained when measuring light is irradiated to the first main surface of the object and the measuring light reflected by the first main surface and the measuring light reflected by the second main surface interfere with each other;
a peak interval calculation unit which calculates a peak interval of the spectrum;
an optical path length calculation unit which calculates a length of an optical path from the first main surface to the second main surface, based on the peak interval; and
a temperature calculation unit which calculates the temperature of the object based on the optical path length.
2. The temperature measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the peak interval calculated by the peak interval calculation unit is an interval between adjacent peaks.
3. The temperature measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the peak interval calculation unit calculates the optical path length based on an average value of a plurality of the peak intervals.
4. The temperature measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature calculation unit calculates the temperature of the object based on a correlation obtained in advance between temperatures of the object and the optical path length.
5. The temperature measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical path length calculation unit calculates the optical path length from the first main surface to the second main surface based on a correlation between peak intervals and optical path lengths.
6. The temperature measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object is formed of silicon, quartz, or sapphire.
7. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate having a first main surface and a second main surface which is opposite to the first main surface and measuring a temperature of the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing chamber which is configured to be vacuum exhausted and to accommodate the substrate;
a light source which generates measuring light having a wavelength transmittable through the substrate;
a spectroscope which measures spectrums depending on a wavelength or a frequency;
an optical transfer mechanism which is connected to the light source and the spectroscope to emit the measuring light from the light source to the first main surface of the substrate and emit lights reflected from the first main surface and the second main surface to the spectroscope;
a data input unit which inputs a spectrum of interference light obtained by interference between the lights reflected from the first main surface and the second main surface, wherein the spectrum is measured by the spectroscope;
a peak interval calculation unit which calculates a peak interval in the spectrum;
an optical path length calculation unit which calculates a length of an optical path from the first main surface to the second main surface, based on the peak interval; and
a temperature calculation unit which calculates the temperature of the substrate based on the optical path length.
8. (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 image-taking lens system for forming an image on an imaging element, said lens system comprising from an object side:
a first lens having a positive power;
a cemented lens of a second lens having a negative power and a third lens having a positive power; and
a fourth lens whose concave face is directed toward the image side and having a meniscus shape,
wherein the following conditional expression is fulfilled,
|ff23|<0.4
where f: focal length of the entire system
f23: total focal length of the second and third lenses.
2. An image-taking lens system according to claim 1, further comprising an aperture stop arranged in the object side of said first lens.
3. An image-taking lens system according to claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is fulfilled,
|ff4|<0.15\u2003\u2003(2)
where f4: focal length of the fourth lens.
4. An image-taking lens system according to claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is fulfilled,
0.1<d7f<0.4
where d7: thickness on the axis of the fourth lens.
5. An image-taking lens system according to claim 1, wherein the image side surface of the fourth lens is aspherical.
6. An image-taking lens system according to claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is fulfilled,
0.1<(r2+r3)(r2\u2212r3)<0.9
where r2: radius of curvature on the object side surface of the first lens,
r3: radius of curvature on the image side surface of the first lens.
7. An image taking apparatus comprising:
imaging elements for converting an optical image to an electrical signal; and
an image-taking lens system for forming an optical image of the object on a receiving surface of said imaging elements,
said lens system including from the object side:
a first lens having a positive power;
a cemented lens of a second lens having a negative power and a third lens having a positive power; and
a fourth lens whose concave face is directed toward the image side and having a meniscus shape,
wherein the following conditional expression is fulfilled,
|ff23|<0.4
where f: focal length of the entire system
f23: total focal length of the second and third lenses.
8. A digital apparatus comprising an imaging unit which includes imaging elements for converting an optical image to an electrical signal, and an image-taking lens system for forming an optical image of the object on a receiving surface of said imaging elements,
said lens system including from an object side:
a first lens having a positive power;
a cemented lens of a second lens having a negative power and a third lens having a positive power; and
a fourth lens whose concave face is directed toward the image side and having a meniscus shape,
wherein the following conditional expression is fulfilled,
|ff23|<0.4
where f: focal length of the entire system
f23: total focal length of the second and third lenses.