Abstract: A process for producing a polymer optical waveguide in which all of one or a plurality of start points and all of one or a plurality of end points of a wave guide are uniformly aligned along a same single straight line. The process comprises the steps of: preparing a mold comprising a concave portion for forming a core; bringing a cladding substrate into close contact with the mold disposing a concave portion toward the cladding substrate; filling the concave portion of the mold with a core-forming curable resin; curing the core-forming curable resin in the concave portion to form a core; and cutting a cladding substrate possessing a core part and a cladding layer thereon along the same single straight line.

Abstract: A process for producing a polymer optical waveguide, including the steps of: preparing a mold;

Abstract: An electrodeposition solution comprising an electrodeposition material including at least an electrodepositive polymer material, which comprises hydrogen atoms, and capable of forming an electrodeposition film by depositing the electrodeposition material from the electrodeposition solution, wherein 10% to 90% of the hydrogen atoms are substituted by heavy hydrogen atoms and a transmission loss of the electrodeposition film to light in a wavelength region of 700 nm to 1,350 nm is no more than 1 dB/cm.

Abstract: A method includes the steps of disposing a substrate having a conductive thin film and a photo-semiconductor thin film in this order on an insulative base in an aqueous electrolyte material that solubility is lowered by a change of pH, irradiating with light a selected region of the photo-semiconductor thin film and precipitating the material to the selected region of the photo-semiconductor thin film to form a micro-lens array layer.

Abstract: The invention provides an aqueous ink composition, which comprises at least: 1) an alkali neutralized product of a copolymer containing constituent units of: (i) at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of alkene, styrene, styrene derivatives, vinyl naphthalene, and vinyl naphthalene derivatives; (ii) at least one monomer selected from monomers containing an acidic group that ion dissociate; and (iii) at least one &agr;,&bgr;-ethylenic unsaturated carboxylic acid alkyl ester; 2) a pigment; and 3) an aqueous medium, wherein the alkali neutralized product of the copolymer in the aqueous ink composition forms micelle aggregations with an average diameter being set in the range of 10 nm to 300 nm. A manufacturing method of the aqueous ink composition and an image forming method using the aqueous ink composition are also provided.

Abstract: A process for producing an optical waveguide is provided, the process containing the steps of: forming a layer of a resin material for forming a template on a master having protrusions for optical waveguides, releasing the layer to duplicate the master, and cutting both ends of the layer to expose depressions corresponding to the protrusions for optical waveguides as a template; closely contacting a film substrate having good adhesiveness to the template with the template; contacting one end of the template with an ultraviolet ray curable resin or a thermosetting resin to be a core, so as to fill the ultraviolet ray curable resin or the thermosetting resin in the depressions of the template by capillary phenomenon; curing the ultraviolet ray curable resin or the thermosetting resin thus filled, and releasing the template from the film substrate; and forming a clad layer on the film substrate.

Abstract: A flexible optical element useful for optical wiring is provided, in which a light emitting portion is disposed to a core end face of a flexible polymeric optical waveguide channel sheet having a film substrate clad, a core and a clad layer covering the core. A method which enables of manufacturing the optical element in a simple and convenient manner at a low cost is also provided.

Abstract: A process for producing a polymer optical waveguide, including the steps of: preparing a mold comprising a concave portion for forming a core; bringing a cladding film substrate, having good adhesiveness to the mold, into close contact with the mold; rotating the mold with which the cladding film substrate is brought into close contact and with one end of which an ultraviolet ray-curable resin or a thermosetting resin to serve as a core is brought into contact, so that a centrifugal force acts in a direction to move the ultraviolet ray-curable resin or the thermosetting resin into the mold, to fill the concave portion of the mold with the ultraviolet ray-curable resin or the thermosetting resin; and curing the ultraviolet ray-curable resin or the thermosetting resin.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing a polymer optical waveguide equipped with a plurality of alignment marks (AM), which comprises bringing a film substrate into contact with a mold having concave portions corresponding to convex portions for the optical waveguide and convex portions for a plurality of AMs, introducing a curable resin from an end of the mold into concave portions, curing the resin, peeling the mold, and forming a cladding layer on a core/AM-forming surface, or bringing a film substrate into contact with the mold having concave portions corresponding to convex portions for the optical waveguide and notches, introducing the curable resin from an end of the mold into the concave portion, curing the resin, applying a material for AM to the film substrate through the notches and, thereafter, forming the cladding layer on the core/AM-forming surface.

Abstract: A process for producing a polymer optical waveguide including the steps of: preparing a mold by applying a mold-forming resin layer onto a master template, peeling the layer from the master template to obtain a template, and cutting both ends of the template to expose a concave portion; bringing the mold into close contact with a film used for a cladding layer; introducing, by capillarity, a UV-curable resin or heat-curable resin by contacting the resin with one end of the mold; curing the introduced resin and removing the mold from the film; and forming a cladding layer on film on which the core has been formed, wherein a sectional area, a sectional shape, or both of a sectional area and a sectional shape of the core changes in a longitudinal direction of the core, and both end faces of the core have different areas.

Abstract: A method of forming a crystalline semiconductor thin film on a base material which can be prepared at a low temperature by simple step and device, the method including a processing step of applying UV-rays to an amorphous semiconductor thin film provided on a base material while keeping a temperature at not less than 25° C. and not more than 300° C. in a vacuum or a reducing gas atmosphere, as well as a substrate having the semiconductor thin film provided on the base material, a substrate for forming a color filter and a color filter using the substrate.

Abstract: A process for producing a microlens array is provided, the process contains the steps of: producing a microlens array master by the photo-electrodeposition method or the photocatalytic method using a substrate for forming a microlens array master containing an insulating substrate having thereon an electroconductive thin film and a photosemiconductor thin film; producing a template by forming a layer of a template resin material on the surface of the master, followed by releasing; and forming a layer of a microlens array resin material having a controlled refractive index on the template, followed by releasing.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a process for easily preparing an optical element in a form of thin film which contains a functional material whose concentration changes gradationally in an in-plane direction and a thickness direction of a thin film, an electrolytic solution used for the process, and an apparatus for preparing an optical element. The process is designed to form an optical element on an optical element preparing substrate from an electrolytic solution containing a functional material by electrodeposition or photovoltaic electrodeposition. The process includes a step of changing concentration of the functional material in the electrolytic solution in the vicinity of the optical element preparing substrate, so that a resulting thin film changes gradationally in the concentration of the functional material in the in-plane direction and/or the thickness direction of the thin film.

Abstract: The present invention provides a film-making method, wherein a film-making substrate having a light-transmittable substrate which supports a light-transmittable conductive thin film and a photocatalytic thin film is immersed in an electrolytic solution and irradiated with ultraviolet light directed onto the photocatalytic thin film to form a film thereon, the conductive film and photocatalytic film being arranged on the film-making substrate in such a way that they are in contact with each other, that the conductive film is allowed to conduct to the electrolytic solution and that the photocatalytic film comes into contact with the electrolytic solution, and the electrolytic solution containing a substance which decreases in solubility or dispersibility in an aqueous liquid when its pH is changed.

Abstract: A method includes the steps of disposing a substrate having a conductive thin film and a photo-semiconductor thin film in this order on an insulative base in an aqueous electrolyte material that solubility is lowered by a change of pH, irradiating with light a selected region of the photo-semiconductor thin film and precipitating the material to the selected region of the photo-semiconductor thin film to form a micro-lens array layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a titanium oxide photocatalytic thin film having a surface layer containing silicon oxide and titanium oxide and a production method for producing a titanium oxide photocatalytic thin film having a surface layer containing silicon oxide and titanium oxide and comprising a step of radiating excimer beam to the titanium oxide thin film while heating substrate on which the titanium oxide thin film is disposed in vacuum or gas atmosphere in the presence of a silicon-including compound.

Abstract: An image forming method wherein an aqueous dispersion is prepared in a vessel of an apparatus. The aqueous dispersion contains an electrodeposition material including a fine particle coloring material, and a polymer which is chemically dissolved, or is deposited and precipitated, by a change in pH. The vessel can hold a liquid, and has therein an image supporting member. The image supporting member has at least an electrode, which can supply current or an electric field in accordance with an image pattern, and a surface which can support an image; and a counter electrode which forms a pair of electrodes together with the electrode. The electrodeposition material is deposited and precipitated to form an image by supplying current or an electric field in accordance with an image pattern to the image supporting member and the counter electrode and by changing the pH value of the aqueous dispersion in the vicinity of the image supporting surface of the image supporting member.

Abstract: An image forming method wherein an aqueous dispersion is prepared in a vessel of an apparatus. The aqueous dispersion contains an electrodeposition material including a fine particle coloring material, and a polymer which is chemically dissolved, or is deposited and precipitated, by a change in pH. The vessel is able to hold a liquid, and has therein an image supporting member. The image supporting member has at least an electrode, which can supply current or an electric field in accordance with an image pattern, and a surface which can support an image; and a counter electrode which forms a pair of electrodes together with the electrode. The electrodeposition material is deposited and precipitated to form an image by supplying current or an electric field in accordance with an image pattern to the image supporting member and the counter electrode and by changing the pH value of the aqueous dispersion in the vicinity of the image supporting surface of the image supporting member.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor-integrated color filter for use in a liquid crystal display element including a step of manufacturing a substrate for use in liquid crystal display by arranging and forming a thin film transistor and a transparent conductive film on a transparent substrate and a step of bringing the substrate for use in the liquid crystal display into contact with an aqueous electrodeposition solution containing a colorant, supplying an electric current, thereby electrochemically changing the concentration of hydrogen ions to deposit the colorant on the transparent conductive film of the substrate for use in liquid crystal display to form a colored conductive electrodeposition film.

Abstract: A method of reducing resistance for a conductive film based on simple process at low temperatures, particularly a method of reducing resistance for a conductive film formed on a base of plastic resins is provided. A method of reducing resistance for a conductive film formed on a base material includes a treating process, in which a conductive film made of metal oxide is formed on a base material and irradiated with UV light in vacuum or in an atmosphere of reducing gas maintaining the temperature between 25° C. and 300° C.