Abstract: A two-dimensional light-modulating fine aperture array apparatus includes a spatial light-modulating unit for adjusting quantity of incident light by using a plurality of light amount adjusting cells (liquid crystal cells or micromirrors) arrayed in matrix form, a two-dimensional microlens array having microlenses which focus light beams passing through the light quantity adjusting cells, and a highly efficient two-dimensional fine aperture array. The light is emitted through the fine apertures by connecting the two-dimensional light-modulating fine aperture array apparatus with a light source unit. A scanning unit moves in the x and y directions to perform a scanning process on a surface of a recording medium by using the light emitted from the apertures.

Abstract: A projection image display apparatus is equipped with a light shielding member for partially shielding the illumination light from the illuminating optical system so as to reduce the image brightness in a region where the intensity of the reflected light reflected between the on-light and off-light becomes strong, and making the intensity of the illumination light emitted to the respective mirror elements uneven.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus for performing direct exposure on a relatively moving exposure target substrate comprises: a plurality of exposure heads arranged so that an overlapping exposed area occurs between exposed areas formed on the exposure target substrate as a result of exposure by the exposure heads; and light adjusting means for adjusting the amount of light to be projected from two adjacent exposure heads onto the overlapping exposed area so that the amount of the projected light becomes equal to the amount of light that a single exposure head would project onto an exposure area if the exposure area were to be exposed through the same pattern by the single exposure head alone.

Abstract: A stage apparatus includes a base having a reference surface, a moving unit which moves along the reference surface, a static bearing which is provided in the moving unit and which supports the moving unit such that the moving unit can move along the reference surface, and a temperature controller which is provided in the moving unit and which controls the temperature of gas supplied to the static bearing. In the stage apparatus, air fluctuation in the measurement area of interferometers due to gas exhausted from the static bearing and/or distortion caused by heat transmitted to a retainer of a target is suppressed, and the stage positioning accuracy is thereby increased.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus which irradiates a photosensitive agent applied to a substrate to form a latent image pattern on the photosensitive agent. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage which drives the substrate, a focus measurement unit which obliquely irradiates the substrate with measurement light to measure the position of the substrate in the direction of the axis of the exposure beam on the basis of the light reflected by the substrate, and a controller which executes a calibration for correcting, on the basis of the measurement result obtained by the focus measurement unit, a track plane of the substrate stage with reference to the reference plane of the focus measurement unit so as to set the track plane parallel to the reference plane.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes the following components: an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam, a support constructed to support a patterning device, a substrate support constructed to hold a substrate, and a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate. The patterning device is capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam. At least one of the components that experiences a heat load in use is provided with an integrally mounted heating element arranged to maintain the component at a substantially constant temperature.

Abstract: The exposure apparatus and the substrate processing unit is connected via an in-line I/F portion. In addition, information on the substrate carriage is communicated in between the control unit of the exposure apparatus side and the control unit of the substrate processing unit, and both units decide their next operation that contribute to improving the processing capacity related to the wafer carriage, before actually starting the operation. Therefore, the throughput of the series of wafer processing performed by the substrate processing unit and the exposure apparatus can be improved, and as a consequence, becomes possible to improve the productivity of the device. In this case, for example, information on the predicted time or the expected time when the substrate can be received or sent out is reciprocally communicated between both units.

Abstract: A device for processing a photosensitive material using processing solution includes, processing chambers for storing processing solution therein, at least one of the processing chambers being lower than another processing chamber, a bypass for placing each processing chamber that is downstream of another processing chamber relative to conveyance direction of the photosensitive material in fluid communication with the another processing chamber to pass the processing solution therethough, and a check valve disposed at each bypass for allowing the processing solution which flows from the processing chamber disposed downstream relative to conveyance direction of the photosensitive material to the another processing chamber, and for preventing the processing solution from flowing from the another processing chamber to the downstream processing chamber.

Abstract: A device for removing moisture from individual sheets of a photographic material has a pair of transport rollers at the incoming side and another pair of transport rollers at the exit side of the device. Arranged between the roller pairs is a squeeze-out surface with a wiper blade set against the squeeze-out surface.

Abstract: In a viewfinder for a camera, a first front finder lens forms an image of a subject including a background area of the subject, a second front finder lens forms an image of the subject including a background area of the subject that is greater than the background area of the subject included in the image of the subject formed by the first front finder lens, and a rear finder lens permits simultaneous viewing of the images of the subject formed by the first and second finder lenses, whereby dual images of the subject including greater and lesser background areas of the subject can be simultaneously viewed when looking through the rear finder lens. When one sees in the viewfinder the difference between the greater and lesser background areas of the subject, he or she is alerted to take care in composing the picture to be taken.

Abstract: In a digital instant camera, a fixed exposure head emits a printing light to an instant film contained in a film pack, and a spreading roller performs a developing process. While the instant film is conveyed by the spreading roller toward the outside of the camera, the exposure head emits the printing light in synchronism with the conveyance of the instant film. A conveyance speed of the instant film is suddenly increased at the moment that a developer pod provided on the instant film is broken by the spreading roller. A brake roller, however, prevents the conveyance speed from suddenly increasing. In virtue of the brake roller, the printing light may be surely emitted to the instant film.

Abstract: A sound recording system is used in conjunction with a conventional camera (C) that by itself cannot record sounds. A sound recorder (100) has a mounting device (120, 190), a microphone (110), and a sound record switch (130) that is placed adjacent the shutter button when the recorder is mounted on the camera. A removable “Sound Stick” (200) is inserted into the sound recorder (100) through an opening (170). The “Sound Stick” contains memories (230) that record sound segments. A playback device, which may be separate or combined with the recorder is provided, into which the “Sound Stick” plugs into for downloading and playback of the sound segments. The “Sound Stick” includes a reading head (270) that can scan a bar code that correlates the sound segments with the pictures.

Abstract: If a sun gear is rotated in the clockwise direction, a planetary arm is also rotated in the clockwise direction so as to permit the planetary gear and a transmission gear to operatively mesh. If the sun gear is then rotated in the clockwise direction, a cam plate driven by a pin is rotated in the counterclockwise direction. A first engaging lever is rotated in the clockwise direction by a cam mounted to the rotary edge of the cam plate to release the engagement of the rotary edge of the planetary arm. If the sun gear is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the planetary arm is rotated in the counterclockwise direction to permit the planetary gear to mesh with an idle gear. The planetary arm is engaged with a second engaging lever to maintain the meshed state between the planetary gear and the idle gear. If the sun gear is then rotated in the counterclockwise direction, a photographic film is wound up within a cartridge.

Abstract: An automatic processing apparatus is provided which includes a processing station for photographic-processing a film; a scanner for scanning the film during the photographic-processing by the processing station; an image data memory device for storing image data acquired by the scanner; and an image output device for outputting the image data stored in the image data memory device in parallel with a following photographic-processing.

Abstract: In a shutter facing an aperture portion in a partition plate in a photosensitive material processing device, a blocking member, formed substantially in a semicircular cylindrical shape, is placed by the rotation of a shaft between blades thereby closing the aperture portion. The opening between the blades is opened by rotating the blocking member integrally with the shaft so that a photosensitive material can pass through. Multi-leveled surfaces are formed on the top surface of a guide plate. Aperture portions for mounting rollers with adaptors are formed in an alternating pattern on the surfaces. A plurality of protruding guide ribs are provided extending across the surfaces. A plurality of brush roller parameters are adjusted so that a winding mark index defined by the parameters falls within a predetermined range. Rollers are washed when a finisher control system is restarted after an unforeseen long stoppage.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to optimization of the optical detection system for the use of optical emission spectroscopy in end-point detection. The optimization specifically addresses the needs of a radiant heated wafer system in a downstream process chamber environment. The present invention maximizes signal light from relevant reactions, maximizes signal-to noise and signal-to-background ratios, utilizes very small diagnostics access, collects light from the region of most intense light emission from endpoint processes, collects light from representative parts of an entire wafer with just one diagnostic access port to ensure complete end-point, and eliminates light signals from sources other than the wafer.

Abstract: Parallel cutter arrangement for a photographic laboratory, comprising: at least two cutters, each cutter for cutting a received web into print sheets; a feeding device which feeds the received webs to the cutters and the cut print sheets away from the cutters to a collecting station, said feeding device receiving at least two webs, each web bearing a plurality of photographic prints, photographic prints belonging to the same customer order being arranged in a sequence on each web, wherein prints of the same customer order may be present on different ones of the received webs; and a controller which controls the feeding device and the cutter such that, if prints of the same customer order are present on different webs, print sheets belonging to the same customer order arrive at the collecting station without an intermediate print sheet of an other customer order.

Abstract: An automated static film processor that will allow for the running of additional processing cycles of X-ray film while a previous cycle is running, comprising a housing having a pair of chemical storage reservoirs and multiple reaction chambers. The advantage of this apparatus is that a secondary operator may start processing X-ray film immediately without having to wait for completion of a previous cycle. The reaction chambers are configured so that tubing, connectors, and valves will allow chemicals to flow into and out of each reaction chamber from a single set of developer and fixer storage reservoirs. Each reaction chamber is provided with water and drain valves, and overflow protection. Each reaction chamber includes a lid that prevents light damage while X-ray film is being processed. A drying device that forces warm air into each reaction chamber is disclosed.

Abstract: An image-recording device that improves processing speed for image-recording that is carried out using a light and heat sensitive recording material. At the same time as irradiation of the light and heat sensitive recording material with light by a light source for fixing, a heating device heats the light and heat sensitive recording material. Because photo-fixing/photo-decolorization is carried out while the light and heat sensitive recording material is heated, viscosity of the system decreases, and dispersibility of active radicals increases. Due to this activation of radicals, a photopolymerization reaction and a photo-decolorization reaction accelerate, so that efficiencies of fixing and decolorizing increase.

Abstract: A roller carrying mechanism and photographic processing device is presented where pressing rollers 82, 84 are shiftable between a press-contact position at which the pressing rollers 82, 84 are rotated as follows while sandwiching the photographic paper 2 between the driving rollers 81, 83 and a press-contact releasing position at which the pressing rollers 82, 84 are disposed away from the driving rollers 81,83. Since a belt 98 having a circular cross section is extended between the pulleys 96, 97, even when only one of two pressing rollers 82, 84 is at the press-contact position and is rotated in an interlocking manner with one pressing roller. Accordingly, an impact which is applied to the photographic paper 2 when the pressing roller 84 is brought into contact with the photographic paper 2 can be made small.