Abstracts of Magazine FUJITSU 1999-7 (VOL.50, NO.4)

Special Issue : Research and Development for the 21st Century

• Document Processing Technology for Knowledge Management

Society is becoming more complex, and various new types of communication and processing have become essential. As a result, it has become more important for us to share and use our knowledge effectively. It is especially important for corporations to respond quickly to changes in the market and users' needs. Knowledge possessed by individuals should be shared between members of corporations and used. Such knowledge sharing and use is called knowledge management, and its success depends on the intellectual capabilities of individuals. These capabilities can be more fully exploited by using information processing systems that support the various aspects of knowledge management.
Obtaining and using knowledge often involves sifting through a large amount of unneeded information and then, after obtaining the needed information, adding new value to it through many intellectual processes. It is also important to create new knowledge during personal communication. The most basic of these activities is finding information from among a large amount of unneeded information.
In this paper, we mainly explain document processing, which is a basic technology for supporting knowledge management. We introduce information retrieval, summarization, extraction, and analysis technologies and various examples of research into these technologies.

• Distributed System Development Based on Business Models

In the advanced Internet era, new middleware and servers are appearing one after another and business conditions are changing at an increasingly rapid pace. In response, the authors have developed a software architecture which can easily adapt to these rapid changes in business and infrastructure. This architecture consists of four layers-the presentation layer, service layer, business model layer, and data integration layer-which integrate different types of servers.
Also, the number of collaborative development projects between distributed sites, including overseas sites, are increasing due to recent business decentralizations and globalizations. To make these projects efficient, it is essential to share information consistently between the distributed servers. Therefore, the authors have developed a new replication mechanism that enables information to be mutually and efficiently updated between servers. Based on these technologies, we have developed a distributed project support system in Java. This system will be used as a customer system.

• Internet Communicator -New Communication System Based on Awareness and Text Communication-

This paper describes the concept, major functions, and proposed services of Internet Communicator, which is a new communication system based on awareness and text messaging. The term “awareness” in the context of groupware means to be aware of the existence and activities of other persons connected through networks. The awareness function enables you to easily find out whether a person at a remote terminal is present （online）, absent （offline）, or busy. You can then select an appropriate method to communicate with that person. Communication with text data, which can easily be read and processed by a computer system, can easily be combined with current information processing technologies such as the WWW and database searches, thereby adding more value to communication systems.
A beta version of the Internet Communicator server （CHOCOS） can be freely downloaded from Fujitsu's web site.

• Software Agents

Software agents are programs that make it easier to use network services. They act on behalf of users to perform network tasks such as information retrieval to provide a convenient environment for using network services.
The Internet now provides a wide range of information, for example, news, stock market information, corporate information, government information, and information about leisure, documents, and books. However, it has recently become difficult to isolate useful information on the Internet because of the tremendous increase in the amount of accessible information, and how to collect and share information easily from sites such as offices and mobile terminals has become a serious problem. Software agents solve this problem by using their communication and mobile functions.
This paper explains the usefulness of software agents and gives some examples of using them in mobile information services and information retrieval services.

• Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems

This paper describes elliptic curve cryptosystems （ECCs）, which are expected to become the next-generation public key systems. This paper also describes Fujitsu Laboratories's studies of ECCs.
The ECC was invented in 1985. It requires a shorter key length than the RSA crytopsystem, which is the defacto standard of public key cryptosystems, but provides equivalent security. Because of the shorter key length, ECC can be implemented with less processing time and less hardware.
First, we outline the principle of ECC, and describe a typical digital signature algorithm. To explain the security of ECC, we also report on the latest attacks on ECC. Then, we describe the results of our study concerning safe parameter generation for ECC and the fast implementation of ECC using software and a digital signal processor （DSP）.
We think that ECC will be used widely as a base technology of electronic information services.

• Architecture Evaluation Tool for Server Machines: MUSCAT

In addition to their traditional role as processors for business and science applications, server machines are now being used in other areas, for example, web processing, decision making, and multimedia applications. Because of their expanding role, it is becoming increasingly necessary to be able to quickly develop servers that efficiently execute their target applications.
This paper describes MUSCAT, which is a simulator for designing the architecture of a multiprocessor server. MUSCAT works by analyzing instrumented program-based traces on a single processor and then evaluating the performance of a multiprocessor server so that the causes of poor performance can be identified before the server is designed in detail. This paper also describes an example of using MUSCAT for SMP system evaluation in which the causes of poor performance were identified.

• Cluster File System: HAMFS

The Highly Available Multi-Server File System （HAMFS） is a new file system which solves various problems in conventional file systems and allows the user to expand a system dynamically. HAMFS has various new features such as support for multiple disk drives, dynamic disk drive addition, and direct data sharing between servers through disks. The user of HAMFS can upgrade a single-server system with a single disk drive to a multiple-server system with multiple disk drives, step by step as required, without stopping the user's applications.

• Photonic Network

In the beginning of the 21st century, data communication services such as the Internet will be widely used in the home and in enterprises at the high speed of 10 Mbps. The dramatic increase in data transmission capacity will depend on new optical communication technologies such as Fujitsu's next-generation photonic network systems.
The photonic network enables ultra-large-capacity （Tera bits per second） data transmission by using dense wavelength division multiplexing （DWDM）, in which a large number of optical signals are multiplexed and sent through a single optical fiber. The photonic network also uses wavelength-based optical signal processing such as optical add/drop multiplexing （OADM） and optical cross-connection （OXC）. These techniques improve the expandability and flexibility of networks and especially improve their reliability.
This paper outlines technological trends and issues of the photonic network and introduces the prototype OADM and OXC systems that were demonstrated at Supercomm'98 held in 1998 in Atlanta, USA.

• Technology Development for Integration of IP Traffic

This paper describes the work being done at our Network Systems Laboratories to develop a network infrastructure technology for efficient accommodation of IP traffic.
To provide IP users with an economical multimedia communication environment, we have focused on realizing a hybrid network （multi-service network） based on Optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing （WDM） technology in which various transport and switching mechanisms are supported and the optimal mechanism for the application can be selected and provided.
The topic covered in this paper include the IP traffic integration technology used in public core networks and access networks; high-speed router technology, which is a key requirement for IP traffic handling; and integrated network management technology, which will become more important in the future.

• Interference Cancellation Techniques for Next Generation Mobile Communications W-CDMA

A next-generation mobile communication system has been studied in various regions to satisfy the demands of multimedia mobile communications. This new system, which uses the 2 GHz band, must provide an international roaming and multimedia service having a bandwidth of up to 2 Mbps.
The Wideband Code Division Multiple Access （W-CDMA） system, which can achieve a large system capacity and efficient communication at transmission speeds ranging from low to high, has been proposed from Japan. In the W-CDMA system, the interference caused by cross-correlation of spreading codes assigned to individual users is the dominant factor restricting the channel capacity. To reduce this interference, interference cancellation using interference cancellers and adaptive array antennas are becoming important technologies.
This paper first describes the W-CDMA technologies and standardization activities and then introduces the partial interference cancellers and adaptive array antennas that we propose. This paper also evaluates the measured characteristics of these cancellers and antennas.

• High-Speed Signal Transmission Technology

Due to the tremendous increase in Si LSI performance, the amount of data that can be input to or output from an LSI chip has sharply increased. However, if the inter-chip data transmission capacity is not sufficiently improved to keep up with the intra-chip data processing capacity, the total data processing capacity will be restricted. This problem can be resolved by a new high-speed signal transmission technology.
This paper describes the future demands on this transmission technology and introduces a new inter-server connection technology to be used in Synfinity II that provides a bandwidth of 2.5 gigabytes per second.

• System LSI Core Technology -Development of Embedded Processors-

System LSIs are key devices of the multimedia era, and embedded processors are their most important components. This paper explains the background and features of two embedded processors developed in the System LSI Development Laboratories and outlines the technological history of the laboratories' embedded processors.
The Media and Graphics Engine （mGEN） was the first embedded processor developed by our laboratories, and we obtained much experience when we designed its architecture. The Procyon is a graphics processor for 3-dimensional geometry transformation. We developed it in a short period by using powerful design techniques.
We are now developing a next-generation embedded processor which uses the VLIW architecture and features high performance and flexible processing of various types of media. We hope that this new processor will be widely used as a multi-purpose next-generation system LSI core.

• CMOS Scaling beyond 0.1μm

To meet the market's demand for LSIs with even higher performances, device scaling and reduced power supply voltages have been aggressively pursued in order to develop sub-0.1 micron CMOS devices. The main goals of the new technologies that have been developed are to enable CMOS devices to operate normally with shorter gates and to obtain a high performance from these shorter gates even at a low voltage.
This paper describes a new CMOS device that meets the above goals and describes some of its experimental results. The new CMOS device incorporates technologies for threshold voltage reduction, short-channel effect suppression, parasitic resistance reduction, and parasitic capacitance reduction. Experiments have shown that this device has an ultra-fast gate delay of 11 ps, which is very competitive with already reported CMOS devices such as SOI CMOS devices.

• Material Technology for Creating Next Generation LSIs

The steady increase in the speed of information processing devices is largely due to the ever-increasing operating speeds of CMOS LSIs. At the beginning of the 21st century, operating frequencies exceeding 1 GHz will become possible in commercially available LSIs for personal use.
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. has been developing resist materials for microlithography and low-dielectric materials for insulation in multi-level interconnections. We believe that these materials are the key technologies for supporting the high operating speeds mentioned above. We have developed a new resist material for the ArF eximer laser lithography which can resolve a pattern of 0.15μm lines and spaces. We have also become the first in the world to produce a product using the insulation material, Hydrogen Silsesqui Oxane （HSQ）, which has a relative dielectric constant of 3.0 or less.
This paper introduces resist and insulator technologies developed for next generation LSIs that have a resolving power better than 0.18μm and describes the future prospects of these technologies.

• Excellent Temperature Performance Lasers Operating in 1.3μm Range Developed with New Material Technology

The characteristics of semiconductor lasers with a communication wavelength of 1.3 to 1.55μm are more dependent on temperature than those of semiconductor lasers with the shorter wavelength of 0.8 to 1.0μm. For the new application fields of the next century, it is an urgent task to develop lasers whose characteristics are not largely affected by temperature changes.
This paper introduces a laser with excellent temperature performance which operates in the 1.3μm wavelength range and is realized by using a new ternary InGaAs substrate. We can grow a very-deep-potential quantum well for the 1.3μm wavelength range on the ternary substrate. Because carrier overflow can be completely suppressed even at high temperature, this laser has an excellent temperature performance. Research and development of such a ternary-substrate laser has been conducted under the Real World Computing （RWC） Project for future optical interconnections, which is promoted by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
We developed a laser that operates at a wavelength of 1.23μm at up to 210℃. We have also developed a laser that has a wavelength of 1.32μm and temperature characteristics which are remarkably better than those of conventional lasers.
Based on these developments, we also discuss the prospect of applying the ternary substrates to surface-emitting-type lasers.

• High-Density Recording Technology

The amount of information being processed by PCs has increased explosively due to the wide use of multimedia applications. This information is commonly recorded on magnetic disk drives and magneto-optic disk drives. These disk drives are classified according to the information read/write technology they use. Magnetic disk drives use electrical-to-magnetic data conversion technology, and magneto-optic disk drives use electrical-to-optical data conversion technology. Because of the high demand for high-performance, inexpensive, and compact disk drives, new technologies that enable even further increases in recording densities are continually being developed.
This paper introduces Fujitsu Laboratories' studies on high-density recording technology for magnetic disk drives and magneto-optic disk drives.

• Technologies and Issues of Plasma Display Panels (PDPs)

In the information society of the 21st century, display units will be an increasingly important human/machine interface. Instead of cathode ray tube （CRT） displays, which have been the most widely used displays in the 20th century, flat-panel displays such as liquid crystal displays （LCDs） and plasma display panels （PDPs） are expected to emerge as key devices for the 21st century. The LCD has been most widely used for small-size displays on notebook PCs and mobile devices and has now partly replaced the CRT of desktop PCs. Unlike the LCD, the PDP is a large-size flat-panel display.
The basic technologies of full-color PDPs were developed by Fujitsu. Fujitsu produced the world's first full-color, 21-inch diagonal AC PDP in 1993. Then, in 1995, Fujitsu released a 42-inch PDP, which started the trend towards large-size flat-panel displays.
This paper describes the basic technologies and characteristics of the PDP and describes the PDPs that Fujitsu has developed and marketed. Then, this paper describes various issues concerning the creation of a large PDP market in the 21st century.

• Packaging Technology of Mobile PCs

Along with the expansion of information networks in the 21st century, mobile PCs will be greatly improved in terms of performance and functions and will rapidly enter widespread use as communication and information processing terminals. However, this will require more advanced portability （light weight and small size） and special materials to produce halogen-free resin cases and easy material recycling.
Fujitsu Laboratories have developed new build-up wiring boards for mobile PCs, hybrid housings which integrate metal with resin, and adhesives for Bump Interconnection Technology （BIT） materials. To further improve device performance and portability, we are now developing new high-reliability insulation materials for build-up boards, electrically conductive adhesives for narrow-pitched circuits, and a new cooling technology. In addition, we are developing halogen-free resin cases to minimize environmental pollution.
This paper introduces the above technologies and looks at the future of packaging technologies for mobile PCs.

• Common Platform for Network Operation Systems

The recent explosion of the telecommunications industry and the many new related businesses that have been created are making tougher demands on advanced communication devices such as data transmission, exchanges, and access devices for new data services.
Fujitsu has developed various network operation systems for managing these devices. However, because different departments have developed different operation systems, there are various problems to be solved, for example, operation procedures differ between departments and operating costs are high because of duplicated development.
To solve these problems, we developed “Common Foundation,” which is a common platform for network operation systems that are common to communication departments. The basic architecture of Common Foundation adopts the Telecommunication Management Network （TMN） concept, which conforms to the International Telecommunications Union （ITU） standard. Also, various new software technologies such as the Common Object Request Broker （CORBA） have been incorporated into Common Foundation.
This paper introduces the software architecture and application products of this newly developed common platform. This software will become an innovative product that enables different manufacturers' network operation systems to be interconnected and will therefore be of great use to communication carriers.