Author: claimsbot

1. A device for thermally stabilizing an object (20) to be cooled at a predetermined temperature by circulating a fluid, characterized in that it includes:
a pressure controlled Dewar flask (10) for providing a gas;
a means (11, 26) for pre-cooling the gas;
a cryostat (16) in which the object to be cooled is placed;
a siphon (13) for transferring the gas from the Dewar flask to the cryostat; the siphon including within at least one sieve (14) providing thermal filtration of the gas, and
a variable flow outlet port (17) providing discharge of the gas.
2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sieve is comprised of lead or rare earth beads.
3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the beads have a diameter from about 200 to 500 m.
4. The device according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it includes at least two sieves (14, 15), at least one sieve being placed within the siphon at the outlet of the exchanger and another one being placed within the siphon upstream from the object to be cooled.
5. The device according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the gas is helium for cooling to a temperature between 5 and 30 K.
6. The device according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the siphon includes a thin wall of stainless steel.
7. The device according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the siphon is coaxial.
8. The device according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that an adjustable power electrical resistor is adjacent to the object (20).
9. The device according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a spiral (26) or a coil forms the siphon at the bottom of the Dewar flask (10).
10. The device according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the means for pre-cooling the gas comprises a coaxial exchanger (11).

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 semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of inter-level dielectric films which are stacked and provided in plural layers above a substrate;
at least one first conductor which is provided in at least one inter-level dielectric film of the stacked inter-level dielectric films; and
a plurality of second conductors which are provided in the inter-level dielectric film in which the first conductor is provided and which are connected to the lower surface of the first conductor and which are extended along the downward direction from the first conductor and further extended along a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in such a manner as to be spaced apart from each other to form a lattice shape.
2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:
at least one lower layer conductor which is electrically unconnected to the first conductor and the second conductors and which is provided at the position overlapped at least partly with the first conductor in an inter-level dielectric film below the inter-level dielectric film in which the first conductor and the second conductors are provided,
the second conductors being formed passing through the inter-level dielectric film in which the first conductor is provided along the film thickness direction thereof at the position off the position above the lower layer conductor.
3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
the second conductors are extended along the longitudinal direction of the first conductor and along the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in such a manner as to be spaced apart from each other to form a lattice shape.
4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
a pitch between the adjacently provided second conductors is not more than double the width of each of the second conductors.
5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
the width of the first conductor is 1 \u03bcm or more.
6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
the width of each of the second conductors is not more than half that of the first conductor.
7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
the width of each of the second conductors is 0.5 \u03bcm or less.
8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
the second conductors are provided such that the coverage of the lower surface of the first conductor by the second conductors becomes 10% or more.
9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
each of the inter-level dielectric films is a low-k inter-level dielectric film having a relative dielectric constant of 3.4 or less.
10. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, further comprising:
at least one another dielectric film which has a Young’s modulus of 30 GPa or more and which is provided between the inter-level dielectric film in which the first conductor and second conductors are provided and the inter-level dielectric film in which the lower layer conductor is provided,
the second conductors being provided with reaching the another dielectric film at least partly.
11. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein
the lower layer conductor is a part of a conductive passage, and
the second conductors are dummy wirings to which a current is not actually supplied.
12. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of inter-level dielectric films which are stacked and provided in plural layers above a substrate;
at least one lower layer conductor which is provided as a part of a conductive passage in at least one inter-level dielectric film of the stacked inter-level dielectric films; and
at least one first conductor which is provided at the position above and substantially overlapping the lower layer conductor and the inter-level dielectric film in which the lower layer conductor is provided in such a manner as to pass through an inter-level dielectric film above the inter-level dielectric film in which the lower layer conductor is provided along the film thickness direction thereof and which is electrically connected to the lower layer conductor to serve as a part of the conductive passage.
13. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein
each of the inter-level dielectric films is a low-k inter-level dielectric film having a relative dielectric constant of 3.4 or less.
14. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, further comprising:
at least one another dielectric film which has a Young’s modulus of 30 GPa or more and which is provided between the inter-level dielectric film in which the lower layer conductor is provided and the inter-level dielectric film in which the first conductor is provided,
the first conductor being provided with reaching the another dielectric film at least partly.
15. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of inter-level dielectric films which are stacked and provided in plural layers above a substrate;
at least one lower layer conductor which is provided in at least one inter-level dielectric film of the stacked inter-level dielectric films; and
at least one first conductor which is electrically unconnected to the lower layer conductor and which is provided in an inter-level dielectric film above the inter-level dielectric film in which the lower layer conductor is provided at the position above the lower layer conductor and overlapping the lower layer conductor partly, at least a part of the first conductor having a smaller line width at the position off the area above the lower layer conductor and, at this position, passing through the inter-level dielectric film above the inter-level dielectric film in which the lower layer conductor is provided along the film thickness direction thereof.
16. The semiconductor device according to claim 15, wherein
each of the inter-level dielectric films is a low-k inter-level dielectric film having a relative dielectric constant of 3.4 or less.
17. The semiconductor device according to claim 15, further comprising:
at least one another dielectric film which has a Young’s modulus of 30 GPa or more and which is provided between the inter-level dielectric film in which the lower layer conductor is provided and the inter-level dielectric film in which the first conductor is provided,
the first conductor being provided with reaching the another dielectric film at least partly.
18. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of inter-level dielectric films which are stacked and provided in plural layers above a substrate;
at least one lower layer conductor which is provided in at least one inter-level dielectric film of the stacked inter-level dielectric films; and
at least one first conductor which is electrically unconnected to the lower layer conductor and which has first and second current application portions provided in such a manner as to pass through an inter-level dielectric film above the inter-level dielectric film in which the lower layer conductor is provided along the film thickness direction thereof and sandwich the position above and overlapping the lower layer conductor, the first and second current application portions being electrically connected to each other to serve as a part of a conductive passage; and
at least one upper layer conductor which is provided in such a manner as to pass through an inter-level dielectric film above the inter-level dielectric film in which the first and second current application portions of the first conductor are provided along the film thickness direction thereof at the position above and overlapping the lower layer conductor and which is electrically connected to the first and second current application portions of the first conductor to serve as a part of the conductive passage.
19. The semiconductor device according to claim 18, wherein
each of the inter-level dielectric films is a low-k inter-level dielectric film having a relative dielectric constant of 3.4 or less.
20. The semiconductor device according to claim 18, further comprising:
at least two another dielectric films which have a Young’s modulus of 30 GPa or more and which is provided between the inter-level dielectric film in which the lower layer conductor is provided and the inter-level dielectric film in which the first conductor is provided and between the inter-level dielectric film in which the first conductor is provided and the inter-level dielectric film in which the upper layer conductor is provided,
each of the first conductor and upper layer conductor being provided with reaching the another dielectric film below the inter-level dielectric film in which each conductor is provided respectively at least partly.

What is claimed is:

1. A battery holder for substitution of a first power source for a second power source, said battery holder comprising:
a first compartment for holding a battery; and
a second compartment for holding an element for prolonging the useful life of a battery in said first compartment, said second compartment adapted for allowing said element to be optionally installed therein and wherein said battery holder will supply power from an installed battery even when said element has not been installed.
2. A battery holder of claim 1 wherein said first power source is a battery having a particular chemistry and wherein said battery installed in said first compartment has a chemistry different from said first chemistry.
3. A battery holder of claim 1 wherein said element is a capacitor.
4. A battery holder of claim 1 wherein said capacitor has sufficient capacitance to prolong the life of a battery in said first compartment when high instantaneous loads are applied to said battery.
5. A battery holder of claim 4 wherein said capacitance is approximately 5-10 farrads.
6. A battery holder of claim 1 wherein said second compartment is designed to electrically couple an installed element in parallel with said battery in said first compartment.
7. A battery holder of claim 1 wherein said battery holder has a physical size substantially similar to the size of said first power source.
8. The method of substituting a secondary power source for a primary power source where the two power sources have different operating characteristics, said method comprising the steps of:
removing said primary battery source from a battery location having a particular size;
inserting into said battery location a holder having contained within said holder said secondary power source, said holder having substantially said particular size; and
optionally positioning within said holder a high capacitance capacitor electrically connected in parallel with said secondary power source.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said secondary power source is a battery.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said battery is a general purpose battery.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein said primary power source is a battery having a different chemistry from said secondary power source battery.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said primary power battery is a lithium metal primary or lithium ion battery.
13. An alternative power source for use in equipment, said source optionally connectable to said equipment from time to time; said power source comprising
means for supporting said alternative power source when said source is removed from said equipment;
said supporting means including means for accepting said alternative power source and also accepting a separate device;
means for electrically connecting an accepted separate device in parallel with said alternative power source; and
means for connecting said alternative power source to said equipment when said supporting means is used with said equipment.
14. The alternative power source of claim 13 wherein said equipment includes a receptacle for accepting said alternate power source, said receptacle having a specific physical structure and wherein said supporting means has a physical structure for properly mating with said receptacle.
15. The alternative power source of claim 14 wherein the primary power source of said equipment has a physical structure for properly mating with said receptacle, and wherein said primary power source and said supporting means are physically interchangable with respect to said receptacle.
16. The alternative power source of claim 13 wherein said primary power source is a lithium metal primary or lithium ion battery.
17. The alternative power source of claim 13 wherein said alternative power source is at least one nickel metal hydride, alkaline, or lithium-iron disulfide battery.
18. The alternative power source of claim 13 wherein said separate device is a capacitor.
19. The alternative power source of claim 18 wherein said capacitor has relatively high capacitance.
20. The alternative power source of claim 18 wherein said capacitor is a small volume chemical capacitor.
21. The method of adding life to battery powered equipment, said method comprising the steps of:
inserting into a receptacle in said equipment, a high energy capacitor; and
temporarily locking said inserted capacitor into said equipment so that said battery becomes temporarily electrically connected in parallel with said equipment battery.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein said capacitor is a chemical capacitor.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein said equipment receptacle is only temporarily positioned in juxtaposition with said equipment.

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 enabling input on a handheld electronic device that comprises an output apparatus, an input apparatus comprising a plurality of input members, and a processor apparatus comprising a memory having stored therein a number of routines, one of the routines being a prediction routine that is executable on the processor apparatus and is structured, responsive to an input, to output a number of proposed completions of the input, each proposed completion comprising a number of data elements additional to the input, the method comprising:
detecting an input member actuation editing a displayed text object that was generated as a result of an ambiguous text input;
when the input member actuation reflects a deletion of a character from the displayed text object, outputting a first list comprising a number of disambiguated interpretations of the ambiguous text input excluding the deleted character, the first list being free of proposed completions;
when the input member actuation reflects an addition to the displayed text object at a location disposed at the terminal end of the displayed text object, outputting a second list comprising a number of disambiguated interpretations and a number of proposed completions of the ambiguous text input plus the input member actuation; and
when the input member actuation reflects an addition to the displayed text object at a location disposed elsewhere than at the terminal end of the displayed text object, outputting a third list comprising a number of disambiguated interpretations of the ambiguous text input plus the input member actuation, the third list being free of proposed completions.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to the input member actuation reflecting the addition at the location disposed at the terminal end, or elsewhere than at the terminal end, of the displayed text object, reinitiating a terminated text entry session with respect to the ambiguous text input.
3. A handheld electronic device comprising:
a processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory having stored therein a number of routines, one of the routines being a prediction routine that is executable on the processor and is structured, responsive to an input, to output a number of proposed completions of the input, each proposed completion comprising a number of data elements additional to the input;
an input apparatus comprising a plurality of input members and being structured to provide input to the processor apparatus;
an output apparatus structured to receive output signals from the processor apparatus;
the memory further having stored therein a number of routines which, when executed on the processor, cause the handheld electronic device to perform operations comprising:
detecting an input member actuation editing a displayed text object that was generated as a result of an ambiguous text input;
when the input member actuation reflects a deletion of a character from the displayed text object, outputting a first list comprising a number of disambiguated interpretations of the ambiguous text input excluding the deleted character, the first list being free of proposed completions;
when the input member actuation reflects an addition to the displayed text object at a location disposed at the terminal end of the displayed text object, outputting a second list comprising a number of disambiguated interpretations and a number of proposed completions of the ambiguous text input plus the input member actuation; and
when the input member actuation reflects an addition to the displayed text object at a location disposed elsewhere than at the terminal end of the displayed text object, outputting a third list comprising a number of disambiguated interpretations of the ambiguous text input plus the input member actuation, the third list being free of proposed completions.
4. The handheld electronic device of claim 3 wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to the input member actuation reflecting the addition at the location disposed at the terminal end, or elsewhere than at the terminal end, of the displayed text object, reinitiating a terminated text entry session with respect to the ambiguous text input.