Abstract: According to the present invention, a semiconductor device is fabricated by: forming an insulation layer on a substrate; forming a groove in the surface of the insulation layer; forming a diffusion protection layer on the surface of the insulation layer including inside of the groove; forming a reaction layer on the diffusion protection layer; forming an oxide layer on the surface of the reaction layer; forming a layer of a wiring material on the oxide layer to embed the groove; forming a layer of a mixture of the reaction layer, the layer of the wiring material and the oxide layer by annealing; and removing the diffusion protection layer, the mixture layer and the layer of the wiring material from the surface of the insulation layer except for the diffusion protection layer, the mixture layer and the layer of the wiring material in the groove.

Abstract: The present invention is a semiconductor sensor having a semiconductor sensor chip for detecting a physical value applied in a direction perpendicular to the chip surface; and a package for incorporating the semiconductor sensor chip. The main surface for mounting the semiconductor sensor chip is formed at a predetermined angle with respect to the surface of a printed circuit board for mounting the package. The main surface is provided with a plurality of terminals along two opposite sides for connecting with input/output terminals of the semiconductor sensor chip. A bottom surface, perpendicular to the main surface, is provided with a plurality of pins formed along the two sides parallel to the main surface, so that the plurality of pins are inserted into mounting holes formed in the printed circuit board.

Abstract: The WDM light source comprises a light source which generates an optical signal for an optical channel. The optical signal is intensity modulated with modulating signals. The modulated optical signal is applied to a dispersion generating circuit, at which dispersion occurs on the optical signal, according to the wavelength of the signal. A phase difference detector detects phase difference between the optical signal input to the dispersion generating circuit and the optical signal output from the dispersion generating circuit. According to the detected phase difference, the control signal which corresponds to delay time is generated. The control signal is fed back to the light source thus the wavelength of the light source is controlled.

Abstract: A surface acoustic wave duplexer of the present invention comprises a first surface acoustic wave filter having a first pass frequency band, a second surface acoustic wave filter having a second pass frequency band lower than the first pass frequency band and including a series arm surface acoustic wave resonator and a parallel arm surface acoustic wave resonator, a multi-layer package substrate including first to third package substrates, electrode pads formed on the first package substrate, a first ground potential pattern formed on the second package substrate, the first ground potential pattern being connected to the electrode pads and extending to a central region of the second package substrate and a second ground potential pattern formed on the third package substrate. One end of the parallel arm surface acoustic wave resonator is connected to ground potential via the electrode pads and the first and second ground potential patterns.

Abstract: This invention relates to a water-based composition having at least one of ant-bacterial or anti-fungal properties and use thereof for skin care and for fabric treatment. The composition is not only effective as an anti-bacterial and/or anti-fungal material when included in a skin care gel or lotion for topical use, such as in a sun screen composition, or in conjunction with sanitary elastic gloves as a coating therein, it is gentle to the user's skin and may include constituents which advantageously indicate its presence. The composition is not only effective as an anti-bacterial and/or anti-fungal material when used as a liquid to treat fabric employed for personal hygiene aids including disposable diapers for children and adults, sanitary napkins, and wipes, it is gentle to the skin and may be formulated to provide odor control. Users include humans and animals.

Abstract: An image sensor with sampling control system including a sensor unit 1 having a number of pixel circuits arranged in matrix, a memory unit 2 having a number of memory circuits 12 arranged in matrix, each memory circuits being corresponding to respective pixel circuits, a first horizontal shift register 9 writing a pixel read-out pattern into said memory circuits in accordance with an externally supplied sample selection signal, a first vertical shift register 8 for generating signals for writing and reading said pixel read-out pattern into and out of said memory circuits, a second vertical shift register 7 driven in synchronism with said first vertical shift register 8 for supplying a pixel value read-out signal to said pixels circuits, a second horizontal shift register 3 for outputting pixel values selected in accordance with the pixel read-out pattern, a third horizontal shift register 4 for outputting all pixel values, and a switch unit 6 for selectively reading the pixel values out of any one of said sec

Abstract: A database network system is capable of recognizing in a short time (within several minutes) the state of damage or the like of city lifelines (waterworks, electricity, and gas supplies) over a whole city. A database network system according to the present invention includes a center station, relay database stations (RDSs), and terminal stations. A terminal station group includes a plurality of terminal stations for acquiring changing information to accumulate the information as data and for transmitting the data as requested. Each of the plurality of relay database stations (RDSs) is arranged for the terminal station group, and accumulates pieces of information sequentially received from the terminals as specific data and other data and transmits the data as requested.

Abstract: In a system for switching high-capacity and variable length packets from m input ports to n output ports, k Banyan networks are connected into a ring by means of at least n parallel lines, said input ports are connected to inputs of said Banyan networks in a dispersed manner by means of m input modules, misroute tag check parts are connected to outputs of said Banyan networks as well as to inputs of n output modules whose outputs are connected to said output ports. Each of plural unit switches constituting a Banyan network is constructed such that when an input packet cannot be sent to a desired output, the relevant packet is outputted to a non-occupied output of the relevant Banyan network. When the misroute tag check part finds that the misroute tag is set, the relevant packet is sent to a next stage Banyan network, but when the misroute check tag is not set, the relevant packet is outputted to an output module connected to a desired output.

Abstract: An optical device includes a transparent layer having a desired curved surface configuration, a layer including a variable refractive index material having a dielectric constant anisotropy, at least two transparent electrodes arranged to sandwich the transparent material layer and the variable refractive index material, and a driving device supplying a voltage including driving frequencies f1 and f2 between the transparent electrodes. The difference &Dgr;∈ in the dielectric constant of the variable refractive index material due to the anisotropy is positive at one of the driving frequencies and negative at the driving frequency.

Abstract: The speech synthesis apparatus according to the present invention includes a text analyzer operable to generate a phonetic and prosodic symbol string from text information of an input text; a word dictionary storing a reading and accent of a word; a voice segment dictionary storing a phoneme that is a basic unit of speech; a prosody generator operable to generate synthesizing parameters including at least a phoneme, a duration of the phoneme and a fundamental frequency for the phonetic and prosodic symbol string, the prosody generator including a vowel devoicing determining means operable to determine whether or not a vowel devoicing process is to be performed and a duration modifying means operable to modify the duration of the phoneme depending on a speech rate set by a user, the vowel devoicing determining means determining that the vowel devoicing process is not performed when the set speech rate is slower than a predetermined rate; and a waveform generator operable to generate a synthesized waveform by m

Abstract: This invention provides an apparatus for stopping the idling of an automobile engine, a system for relating the apparatus to a traffic signal device and further a signal display apparatus for supplying a driver information such as idling stop of the automobile engine and the like in relation to the system in order to prevent generation of exhaust gases caused by unnecessary engine idling when an automobile is stopped at a traffic signal and the like. A period of time tS corresponding to the period of time until the traffic signal of a traffic signal device is changed to green is calculated based on a signal received from by the traffic signal device. A period of time T, which serves as a base for determining whether idling is to be stopped or not, is determined based on the calculated period of time tS. The idling of the automobile engine is stopped only when the period of time T satisfies a predetermined condition.

Abstract: A water repellent coating composition includes fine particles having functional groups on their surfaces and having a particle diameter ranging from 10 nm to 1 mm; a coupling agent containing (a) a functional group which is capable of reacting with the functional group of the fine particles and (b) a water repellent fluorinated group; a binder resin for binding the fine particles; and a solvent for the binder.

Abstract: A feedback controlled substrate bias generator having a substrate bias level sensing circuit, a charge pump circuit and an improved oscillator is disclosed. The substrate bias level sensing circuit is coupled to a semiconductor substrate for sensing a bias voltage of the semiconductor substrate and outputting a control signal in response to the sensed bias voltage. The charge pump circuit is coupled to the semiconductor substrate and the substrate bias level sensing circuit for receiving a clock pulse and the control signal and supplying the bias voltage to the semiconductor substrate in response to the received signals. The improved oscillator is coupled to the charge pump circuit for generating the clock pulse. The improved oscillator has a loop circuit having a plurality of serially and circularly coupled inverters each of which has a source terminal applied to voltage from a voltage source, an input terminal for receiving an input signal and an output terminal for outputting an output signal.

Abstract: An optical directional coupler includes a first waveguide, a second waveguide and a plurality of bridge waveguides connecting the first waveguide and the second waveguide.

Abstract: The synchronizing apparatus includes a block for detecting a code from an input signal, a block for detecting from the code the variable points of the code at several times as high as the symbol rate, a block for calculating a histogram of the detected variables of the code to time, and a block for deciding that the phase number at which the calculated histogram takes the maximum value is a symbol synchronization point. This synchronizing apparatus detects the zero-cross points of an intermediate frequency band signal at N times as high as the symbol rate. It also calculates a histogram of detected time (0 to N−1). The time (0 to N−1) at which the histogram is the maximum within a predetermined detected time is selected as a symbol clock, and thereby symbol synchronization is established.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a semiconductor device is fabricated by the following processes. First, a film to be etched is formed on a semiconductor substrate. On the film to be etched is formed a resist film. Then, a first pattern group including first patterns having a first size and a second pattern group including second patterns arranged outside of the first pattern group are formed by exposure. The resist film is then developed to form openings in the resist film so that the resultant openings correspond to the first and second patterns, respectively. The openings are then made smaller by annealing the resist film. The aforementioned processes enables openings having substantially the same shape to be formed in the film to be etched.

Abstract: A PHS terminal has a PHS slave unit and data processing equipment connected to the PHS slave unit for data communication. The PHS terminal includes a continuous slot forming circuit for continuously forming, at least at the time of direct communication between the PHS slave unit and the other PHS slave unit, a desired number of consecutive slots in a TDMA frame. An identification message forming circuit forms, when the PHS terminal calls the other PHS terminal including the other PHS slave unit, a message for informing the other PHS terminal of whether the PHS terminal to which the circuit belongs is a server or a client. A callback control circuit automatically redials if the message shows that the other PHS terminal originated a call is a client. A reserve message forming circuit forms, based on the quantity of data to send, a reserve message representative of the number of slots to reserve in one frame.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor which is a positive charging, single layer type organic photoconductor including a conductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer which is provided on the conductive substrate, which is a positive charging, single layer type organic photoconductor, and which is composed of at least one charge generation substance that contains a phthalocyanine pigment; a positive hole transport substance; an electron transport substance; and a binder that contains a polycarbonate resin with a polydialkylsilozane constructed of a repeated unit represented by formula (1). Toner consumption during repeated electrophotographic use is reduced and print defects including dirty background suppressed.

Abstract: Decoded image converting circuitry includes a display image compression circuit to which image data are input in the form of consecutive macroblocks. The compression circuit compresses each macroblock, a sequence of sixteen horizontal image data at a time, with a preselected compression ratio. The compressed image data representative of an I (Intra coded) picture and a P (Predictive coded) picture are written to a first memory while the compressed image data representative of a B (Bidirectionally predictive coded) picture are written to a second memory. The image data stored in the first and second memories each is read out at a preselected timing allowing raster scan data to be formed. A display image expansion circuit expands the compressed I and P pictures and B picture and thereby outputs raster scan data. An apparatus including the decoded image converting circuitry and a method practicable with the apparatus are also disclosed.

Abstract: A feed additive for livestock in which a first feed additive is prepared by mixing and pickling 50-80% by weight of urne (Japanese apricot) as a main ingredient, 1-3% by weight of shochu (Japanese distilled spirits) as a quiality-improving agent, 18-45% by weight of sugar and 1-4% by weight of additives such as vitamins for a predetermined period. A second feed additive is next prepared by mixing and pickling 65-85% by weight of urne as a main ingredient and 15-35% by weight of salt for a predetermined period. Then, the first and second feed additives are mixed in a ratio of about 1:1. 0.3-0.7% by weight of this mixture is then added to the feed.