Author: claimsbot

1. A device comprising:
a plurality of connectors on a top surface of a package component, wherein the plurality of connectors comprises:
a first plurality of connectors in a first local surface region of the package component, wherein each of the first plurality of connectors has a first lateral dimension, wherein the first local surface region has a first connector density equal to a ratio of a total top-view area of all connectors in the first local surface region to a total top-view area of the first local surface region; and
a second plurality of connectors in a second local surface region of the package component, wherein each of the second plurality of connectors has a second lateral dimension different from the first lateral dimension, with the first and the second lateral dimensions measured in directions parallel to a major surface of the package component, wherein the second local surface region has a second connector density equal to a ratio of a total top-view area of all connectors in the second local surface region to a total top-view area of the second local surface region, and wherein the first connector density is substantially equal to the second connector density.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of connectors and the second plurality of connectors have essentially a same shape in a top view of the package component.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of connectors is uniformly distributed in the first local surface region, and wherein the second plurality of connectors is uniformly distributed in the second local surface region.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the second lateral dimension to the first lateral dimension is smaller than about 2.55.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of connectors and the second plurality of connectors comprise metal pillars.
6. A device comprising:
a package component comprising:
a first surface region;
a first plurality of connectors on a top surface of the package component and uniformly distributed in the first surface region, wherein each of the first plurality of connectors has a first lateral dimension, and wherein the first surface region has a first connector density equal to a ratio of a total top-view area of all connectors in the first surface region to a total top-view area of the first surface region;
a second surface region; and
a second plurality of connectors on the top surface of the package component and uniformly distributed in the second surface region, wherein each of the second plurality of connectors has a second lateral dimension greater than the first lateral dimension, wherein the second surface region has a second connector density equal to a ratio of a total top-view area of all connectors in the second surface region to a total top-view area of the second surface region, and wherein the first connector density is substantially equal to the second connector density.
7. The device of claim 6, wherein a first pitch of the first plurality of connectors and the first lateral dimension have a first ratio, wherein a second pitch of the second plurality of connectors and the second lateral dimension have a second ratio, and wherein the first ratio is substantially equal to the second ratio.
8. The device of claim 6, wherein a ratio of the second lateral dimension to the first lateral dimension is smaller than about 2.55.
9. The device of claim 6, wherein the first plurality of connectors and the second plurality of connectors comprise metal pillars.
10. The device of claim 6, wherein the package component is a device die.
11. A device comprising:
a package component comprising:
a first surface region;
a first plurality of solder balls on a top surface of the package component and distributed in the first surface region as a first array, wherein each of the first plurality of solder balls has a first lateral dimension, and wherein the first surface region has a first density of solder balls, with the first density being a ratio of a total top-view area of all solder balls in the first surface region to a total top-view area of the first surface region;
a second surface region; and
a second plurality of solder balls on the top surface of the package component and distributed in the second surface region as a second array, wherein the second plurality of solder balls has a second lateral dimension, wherein the second lateral dimension is greater than the first lateral dimension, and wherein the second surface region has a second density of solder balls substantially equal to the first density, with the second density being a ratio of a total top-view area of all solder balls in the second surface region to a total top-view area of the second surface region.
12. The device of claim 11, wherein the first lateral dimension is equal to diameters of the first plurality of solder balls, and the second lateral dimension is equal to diameters of the second plurality of solder balls.
13. The device of claim 11, wherein the first plurality of solder balls has a first uniform pitch, and the second plurality of solder balls has a second uniform pitch greater than the first pitch.
14. The device of claim 11, wherein a ratio of the second lateral dimension to the first lateral dimension is smaller than about 2.55.
15. The device of claim 11, wherein the package component comprises a device die.
16. The device of claim 11, wherein the first array includes at least three rows and at least three columns of the first plurality of solder balls, and the second array includes at least three rows and at least three columns of the second plurality of solder balls.
17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first array includes at least three rows and at least six columns of the first plurality of solder balls, and the second array includes at least three rows and at least six columns of the second plurality of solder balls.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

What is claimed is:

1. A seal for separating a first chamber from a second chamber in a device for aspirating or dispensing fluids or both aspirating and dispensing fluids, the seal being ring-shaped, adapted to act on either an outer surface of a piston or an inner surface of a cylinder of said device, and adapted to be inserted either into an annular groove located in the outer surface of the piston, or in the inner surface of the cylinder, the seal comprising:
a flat contact surface that rests against a flank of said annular groove,
a support area freely projecting into said first or second chamber, and
a cylindrical sealing face supported by the contact surface and the support area.
2. The seal in accordance with claim 1, wherein the support area is a cone surface, which narrows linearly or non-linearly against the cylindrical sealing face.
3. The seal in accordance with claim 1, wherein the contact surface has an outer diameter of less than 1 cm, and the sealing face has a diameter of less than 5 mm and a height of less than 2 mm.
4. The seal in accordance with claim 1, wherein the contact surface has an outer diameter of less than 5 mm and the sealing face has a diameter of less than 3 mm and a height of less than 1 mm.
5. The seal in accordance with claim 1, wherein a frictional force is present between the seal and the piston, or between the seal and the cylinder, said frictional force having a value of less than 5 Newtons.
6. The seal in accordance with claim 5, wherein said frictional force has a value of less than 3 Newtons.
7. The seal in accordance with claim 1 that is made of an elastomeric material.
8. The seal in accordance with claim 1 that is ethylene-propylene-diene monomer caoutchouc.
9. A device for aspirating or dispensing fluids or both aspirating and dispensing fluids, having a first and second chamber, a seal for separating the two chambers and an annular groove for inserting the seal, wherein said device comprises at least one seal in accordance with one of claims 1 to 8.
10. The device in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a piston positioned between the first and second chambers.
11. The device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the annular groove for receiving the seal is formed in an inner surface of a cylinder of the device, and the seal acts on an outer surface of the piston.
12. The device in accordance with claim 10 wherein the piston has a surface roughness no greater than N5.
13. The device in accordance with claim 12, wherein the piston has a surface roughness of N2.
14. The device in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a multitude of pistons and cylinders, which are arranged essentially parallel with each other, the multitude being one of 96, 384, or 1536.
15. The device in accordance with claim 10, further comprising a multitude of pistons and cylinders, which are arranged essentially parallel with each other, the multitude being one of 96, 384, or 1536.
16. The device in accordance with claim 11, further comprising a multitude of pistons and cylinders, which are arranged essentially parallel with each other, the multitude being one of 96, 384, or 1536.
17. The device in accordance with claim 12, further comprising a multitude of pistons and cylinders, which are arranged essentially parallel with each other, the multitude being one of 96, 384, or 1536.
18. The device in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a multitude of pistons and cylinders, which are arranged essentially parallel with each other, the multitude being one of 96, 384, or 1536.

1. A light-emitting device, comprising:
a substrate comprising gallium arsenide;
an active region comprising an n-type spacing layer and a p-type spacing layer; and
a tunnel junction structure comprising a p-type tunnel junction layer adjacent the p-type spacing layer, an n-type tunnel junction layer and a tunnel junction between the p-type tunnel junction layer and the n-type tunnel junction layer, in which:
the p-type tunnel junction layer comprises a layer of a p-type first semiconductor material including gallium and arsenic; and
the n-type tunnel junction layer comprises a layer of an n-type second semiconductor material including indium, gallium and phosphorus;
wherein the second semiconductor material has an indium fraction that provides the second semiconductor material with a lattice constant that matches that of the first semiconductor material, where the first semiconductor material is gallium arsenide, and the second semiconductor material is indium gallium phosphide of which the indium gallium phosphide has an indium fraction of 0.4 to 0.6.
2. A light-emitting device, comprising:
a substrate comprising gallium arsenide;
an active region comprising an n-type spacing layer and a p-type spacing layer; and
a tunnel junction structure comprising a p-type tunnel junction layer adjacent the p-type spacing layer, an n-type tunnel function layer and a tunnel junction between the p-type tunnel junction layer and the n-type tunnel function layer, in which:
the p-type tunnel junction layer comprises a layer of a p-type first semiconductor material including gallium and arsenic; and
the n-type tunnel junction layer comprises a layer of an n-type second semiconductor material including indium, gallium and phosphorus;
wherein the second semiconductor material has an indium fraction that provides the second semiconductor material with a lattice constant that matches that of the first semiconductor material, where the first semiconductor material is gallium arsenide, and the second semiconductor material is indium gallium phosphide and the n-type tunnel junction layer additionally comprises a layer of an n-type third semiconductor material sandwiched between the layer of the second semiconductor material and the p-type tunnel junction layer, and the third semiconductor material comprises indium, gallium and arsenic.
3. The light-emitting device of claim 2, in which the second semiconductor material and the third semiconductor material have respective compositions that provide strain compensation between the layers.
4. The light-emitting device of claim 2, in which:
the first semiconductor material is gallium arsenide;
the second semiconductor material is indium gallium phosphide; and

the third semiconductor material is indium gallium arsenide.
5. The light-emitting device of claim 2, in which the p-type tunnel junction layer additionally comprises a layer of a p-type fourth semiconductor material sandwiched between the layer of the first semiconductor material and the layer of the third semiconductor material, the fourth semiconductor material comprising gallium, arsenic and antimony.
6. The light-emitting device of claim 5, in which the fourth semiconductor material and the third semiconductor material have respective compositions that provide strain compensation between the layers.
7. The light-emitting device of claim 5, in which:
the first semiconductor material is gallium arsenide;
the second semiconductor material is indium gallium phosphide

the third semiconductor material is indium gallium arsenide; and
the fourth semiconductor material is gallium arsenide antimonide.
8. A surface-emitting laser, comprising:
opposed semiconductor reflectors the same conductivity type, the reflectors defining an optical cavity; and
an active region and a tunnel junction structure located in the optical cavity, in which:
the active region comprises an n-type spacing layer and a p-type spacing layer;
the tunnel junction structure comprises a p-type tunnel junction layer adjacent the p-type spacing layer, an n-type tunnel junction layer and a tunnel junction between the p-type tunnel junction layer and the n-type tunnel junction layer;
the p-type tunnel junction layer comprises a layer of a p-type first semiconductor material including gallium and arsenic; and
the n-type tunnel junction layer comprises a layer of an n-type second semiconductor material including indium, gallium and phosphorus;
wherein the second semiconductor material has an indium fraction that provides the second semiconductor material with a lattice constant that matches that of the first semiconductor material, where the first semiconductor material is gallium arsenide, and the second semiconductor material is indium gallium phosphide of which the indium gallium phosphide has an indium fraction of 0.4 to 0.6.
9. A surface-emitting laser, comprising:
opposed semiconductor reflectors if the same conductivity type, the reflectors defining an optical cavity; and
an active region and a tunnel junction structure located in the optical cavity, in which:
the active region comprises an n-type spacing layer and a p-type spacing layer;
the tunnel junction structure comprises a p-type tunnel junction layer adjacent the p-type spacing layer, an n-type tunnel junction layer and a tunnel junction between the p-type tunnel junction layer and the n-type tunnel junction layer;
the p-type tunnel junction layer comprises a layer of a p-type first semiconductor material including gallium and arsenic; and
the n-type tunnel junction layer comprises a layer of an n-type second semiconductor material including indium, gallium and phosohorus;
wherein the second semiconductor material has an indium fraction that provides the second semiconductor material with a lattice constant that matches that of the first semiconductor material, where the first semiconductor material is gallium arsenide, and the second semiconduct material is indium gallium phosphide and the n-type tunnel junction layer additionally comprises a layer of an n-type third semiconductor material sandwiched between the layer of the second semiconduct material and the p-type tunnel junction layer, and the third semiconductor material comprises indium, gallium and arsenic.
10. The surface-emitting laser of claim 9, in which the second semiconductor material and the third semiconductor material have respective compositions that provide strain compensation between the layers.
11. The surface-emitting laser of claim 9, in which:
the first semiconductor material is gallium arsenide;
the second semiconductor material is indium gallium phosphide; and

the third semiconductor material is indium gallium arsenide.
12. The surface-emitting laser of claim 9, in which the p-type tunnel junction layer additionally comprises a layer of a p-type fourth semiconductor material sandwiched between the layer of the first semiconductor material and the layer of the third semiconductor material, the fourth semiconductor material comprising gallium, arsenic and antimony.
13. The surface-emitting laser of claim 12, in which the fourth semiconductor material and the third semiconductor material have respective compositions that provide strain compensation between the layers.
14. The light-emitting device of claim 12, in which:
the first semiconductor material is gallium arsenide;
the second semiconductor material is indium gallium phosphide

the third semiconductor material is indium gallium arsenide; and
the fourth semiconductor material is gallium arsenide antimonide.

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 apparatus for reconstructing a 3D image of at least a first region of an object from truncated cone beam projection data acquired by means of an x-ray device having a source-detector assembly moved along an acquisition trajectory such that a cone beam between the source and the detector encompasses said first region, the apparatus comprising:
extrapolation means for processing the truncated projection data to derive pseudo-projection data associated with projection directions outside the detector;
first 3D reconstruction means for reconstructing an intermediate CT image covering at least the first region of the object based on the truncated projection data completed with the pseudo-projection data;
registration means for computing registration data representing a spatial transformation selected to register a prior CT image, representing a second region of the object including the first region and larger than the first region, with the intermediate CT image;
forward projection means for processing the truncated projection data and the registered prior CT image to derive forward projection data associated with projection directions outside the detector; and
second 3D reconstruction means for synthesizing a reconstructed CT image covering at least the first region of the object based on the truncated projection data completed with the forward projection data.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the registration means comprise means for determining a template of voxels of the intermediate CT image which are representative of contours present in the intermediate CT image, and means for determining a spatial transformation of the prior CT image which maximizes a local correlation measurement, at the voxels of the template, between the intermediate CT image and the transformed prior CT image.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for determining the template comprise means for determining a set of voxels of the intermediate CT image having respective x-ray attenuation values above a threshold, and means for selecting the voxels of the template whereby each voxel of the template has a respective local neighborhood including at least a predefined number of voxels of said set.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the means for selecting the voxels of the template are arranged to select voxels of the intermediate CT image having maximum edge strength values among the voxels having local neighborhoods including at least the predefined number of voxels of said set.
5. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2, wherein the maximized local correlation measurement is of the form
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where N is the number of voxels of the template, j is a voxel index, n(j) denotes a neighborhood of voxel j, b1 and ti are x-ray attenuation values of voxel i, within n(j) in the intermediate CT image and in the transformed prior CT image, respectively, and bi and to are the mean values of the x-ray attenuation values within no) in the intermediate CT image and in the transformed prior CT image, respectively.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forward projection means comprise first computing means for obtaining first forward projection data with a coarser resolution than the truncated cone beam projection data by means of the registered prior CT image, and second computing means for interpolating the first forward projection data to provide the forward projection data with the same spatial resolution as the truncated projection data.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forward projection means %4ycomprise linear transformation means to fit the forward projection data with the truncated cone beam projection data in a region located along the border of the detector.
8. A computer program product loadable in a processing unit of a computer for reconstructing a 3D image of at least a first region of an object from truncated cone beam projection data acquired by means of an x-ray device having a source-detector assembly moved along an acquisition trajectory such that a cone beam between the source and the detector encompasses said first region, the computer program product including instructions to execute the following steps when run by the processing unit of the computer:
extrapolating the truncated projection data to derive pseudo-projection data associated with projection directions outside the detector;
reconstructing an intermediate 3D CT image covering at least the first region of the object based on the truncated projection data completed with the pseudo-projection data;
registering a prior CT image, representing a second region of the object including the first region and larger than the first region, with the intermediate CT image;
processing the truncated projection data and the registered prior CT image to derive forward projection data associated with projection directions outside the detector; and
synthesizing a reconstructed CT image covering at least the first region of the object based on the truncated projection data completed with the forward projection data.
9. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8, wherein the instructions for registering the prior CT image with the intermediate CT image comprise instructions for determining a template of voxels of the intermediate CT image which are representative of contours present in the intermediate CT image, and instructions for determining a spatial transformation of the prior CT image which maximizes a local correlation measurement, at the voxels of the template, between the intermediate CT image and the transformed prior CT image.
10. The computer program product as claimed in claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining the template comprise instructions for determining a set of voxels of the intermediate CT image having respective x-ray attenuation values above a threshold, and instructions for selecting the voxels of the template whereby each voxel of the template has a respective local neighborhood including at least a predefined number of voxels of said set.
11. The computer program product as claimed in claim 10, wherein the instructions for selecting the voxels of the template select voxels of the intermediate CT image having maximum edge strength values among the voxels having local neighborhoods including at least the predefined number of voxels of said set.
12. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8, wherein the instructions to derive forward projection data comprise instructions for obtaining first forward projection data with a coarser resolution than the truncated cone beam projection data by means of the registered prior CT image, and instructions for interpolating the first forward projection data to provide the forward projection data with the same spatial resolution as the truncated projection data.
13. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8, wherein the instructions to derive forward projection data comprise instructions to fit the forward projection data with the truncated cone beam projection data in a region located along the border of the detector.