Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a neutron beam includes a plurality of columnar prisms 1 that are made of a material having a refractive index of less than 1 for a neutron beam, and are arranged so as to be multi-layered. The columnar prisms 1 each have an approximately right-triangle-shaped section, and are three-dimensionally multi-layered such that respective surfaces 1a, 1b, 1c of the columnar prisms are in parallel to one another. Stick-shaped members 5 are made of the above material, the stick-shaped members 5 are set in a plurality of grooves formed on a jig 6 that have the same shape, and upper surfaces of the grooves are flattened at the same time.

Abstract: There is provided a mechanochemical sensor including a minute mechanical structure body having the functional membrane formed at least on one part of its surface, a supporting part for supporting the minute mechanical structure body; and a detection part for detecting the change of a mechanical property of the minute mechanical structure body. According to the invention, it is possible to provide improved adhesion between the functional membrane and the minute mechanical structure body since the functional membrane is integrally formed in advance on the minute mechanical structure body, which will contribute to the increase of detection signal, and improvement of measurement precision and sensitivity.

Abstract: There is prepared V-CAD data obtained by dividing external data 12 consisting of boundary data of an object into rectangular parallelepiped cells 13 having boundary planes orthogonal to each other in accordance with octree division and separating the respective divided cells into internal cells 13a positioned on the inner side of the object and boundary cells 13b including a boundary face, and mold data and mold processing data used to manufacture the object are generated from data of a reference plane which at least partially comes into contact with the object 1 and the V-CAD data. Further, in the mold processing data, a plurality of the processing tools 2 are selected in descending order of a size in accordance with sizes of the internal cells 13a of a processing portion, and the processing tool 2 is moved in a plane of the mold and in the thickness direction, thereby processing the mold.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a large double-sided curved Fresnel lens. The method includes a machining step (A) of performing ultra-precise three-dimensional machining on an upper mold and a lower mold to each have an upper transfer surface and a lower transfer surface engaging an upper surface and a lower surface of a thermoplastic resin plate, respectively. Further, the method includes a hot press molding step (B) of pressing the thermoplastic resin plate between the upper and lower molds by a predetermined pressure with the resin plate being held at a temperature higher than a softening temperature thereof and lower than a melting temperature thereof so that the thermoplastic resin plate is curved, and both lens surfaces for the double-sided Fresnel lens are respectively transferred to an upper surface and a lower surface of the thermoplastic resin plate.

Abstract: (A) V-CAD data of an object (1) is prepared. (B) A processed surface shape after NC processing is predicted by simulation using the V-CAD data. (C) The object is subjected to NC processing by a predetermined NC program, and a processed surface shape after NC processing is measured, and (D) processing correction data is obtained from a difference between the processed surface shapes acquired by simulation and measurement, and the NC program is corrected based on the processing correction data. As a result, the ultra-precise processing is enabled even if a workpiece or a tool has low rigidity and an inconstant quantity of deformation.

Abstract: V-CAD data is prepared by dividing external data 12 consisting of boundary data of an object into rectangular parallelepiped cells 13 having boundary planes orthogonal to each other in accordance with octree division and separating the respective divided cells into internal cells 13a positioned on the inner side of the object and boundary cells 13b including a boundary face, and a modeling unit quantity of a prototyping material 7 is changed in accordance with sizes of the internal cell 13a and the boundary cell 13b of a modeling portion. The prototyping material 7 is a resin, lumber powder, a low-fusing-point metal, metal powder, ceramics powder or a mixture of a binder and one of these materials, and its modeling unit quantity is set in such a manner that the modeling unit quantity is smaller than a capacity of a corresponding cell and does not protrude from the boundary plane of the cell.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a large double-sided curved Fresnel lens. The method includes a machining step (A) of performing ultra-precise three-dimensional machining on an upper mold and a lower mold to each have an upper transfer surface and a lower transfer surface engaging an upper surface and a lower surface of a thermoplastic resin plate, respectively. Further, the method includes a hot press molding step (B) of pressing the thermoplastic resin plate between the upper and lower molds by a predetermined pressure with the resin plate being held at a temperature higher than a softening temperature thereof and lower than a melting temperature thereof so that the thermoplastic resin plate is curved, and both lens surfaces for the double-sided Fresnel lens are respectively transferred to an upper surface and a lower surface of the thermoplastic resin plate.

Abstract: There is prepared V-CAD data obtained by dividing external data 12 consisting of boundary data of an object into rectangular parallelepiped cells 13 having boundary planes orthogonal to each other in accordance with octree division and separating the respective divided cells into internal cells 13a positioned on the inner side of the object and boundary cells 13b including a boundary face, and mold data and mold processing data used to manufacture the object are generated from data of a reference plane which at least partially comes into contact with the object 1 and the V-CAD data. Further, in the mold processing data, a plurality of the processing tools 2 are selected in descending order of a size in accordance with sizes of the internal cells 13a of a processing portion, and the processing tool 2 is moved in a plane of the mold and in the thickness direction, thereby processing the mold.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a metal bond grind stone having a flat plate portion 10a and a tapered portion 10b; an electrode 13 opposed to the metal bond grind stone with a gap therebetween; voltage applying means 12 for applying a direct-current pulse voltage between the metal bond grind stone and the electrode; conductive liquid supplying means 14 for supplying a conductive liquid 15 between the metal bond grind stone and the electrode; and grind stone moving means 16 for moving the metal bond grind stone in a direction orthogonal to the shaft center thereof, and an ingot 1 of a single crystal SiC is thereby cut at the tapered portion 10b of the metal bond grind stone and the cut surface is then specular-worked at the flat plate portion 10a.

Abstract: There is a workpiece clamp device 10 for horizontally holding a thin section long workpiece 1 having a constant section shape or having the same section shape in spaced positions in a longitudinal direction in two positions of the same section shape. The workpiece clamp device 10 is constituted of a driving clamp device 10A and a driven clamp device 10B comprising the same holding device 12. The driving clamp device 10A rotates the workpiece 1 centering on a horizontal axis O extending in a longitudinal direction of the workpiece, and the driven clamp device 10B follows movement of the workpiece and idles centering on the horizontal axis. An arbitrary portion to be machined of the workpiece can be directed in a direction in which the portion is easily machined by the rotation (e.g., upward direction).

Abstract: An aspherical reference surface 2 is manufactured with such a shape accuracy that an interference band appears according to the aspherical shape of a surface 1 to be measured, an aspherical wave front 3 is formed using the reference surface, and a large aspherical surface is measured from interference within a short time. The aspherical reference surface is an aspherical surface optical element 10 manufactured by fly-cutting or ELID-grinding, that produces the interference band from light reflected from the aspherical surface and predetermined reference light, and thereby measures the shape of the aspherical surface from interference. The aspherical surface optical element should be an aspherical reflecting mirror with such a shape accuracy that an interference band is generated and parallel light is reflected in the direction normal to the surface to be measured. Thus, the shape can be measured in a short time without using an aspherical surface standard.

Abstract: A probe head 10 and a laser interferometric displacement meter 20 are provided. The probe head supports a probe 2 that is capable of contacting a workpiece 1, that is free to move in the direction of the workpiece, and drives the probe towards the workpiece. The displacement meter measures the displacement of the probe with a high accuracy without contact. The probe head 10 is also provided with a probe shaft 12 with steps 11a, 11b at intermediate portions thereof and air bearings 14a, 14b that support the probe shaft on each side of the steps. The air bearings have a high stiffness in the radial direction, and the probe shaft is made to float by using compressed air, thus the resistance of the shaft to sliding is reduced. In addition, another compressed air is supplied to the location of the step and produces a driving force in the direction of the workpiece due to the difference of cross sectional areas on each side of the step, that provides a very small load within a predetermined range.

Abstract: The polishing pad conditioner incorporates a plurality of diamond prisms 12 arranged regularly and protruding towards a surface to be processed, and a conducting bonding member 14 that fixes the diamond prisms into a single body. The conducting bonding member 14 is provided with a conducting metal plate 15 with a plurality of holes 15a for embedding the diamond prisms 12, and a conducting sintered metal 16 that is filled into the spaces between the holes and the diamond prisms and sintered. The conducting bonding member can be dressed electrolytically by passing a flow of conducting liquid 24 through the gap between the member and an electrode placed opposite. Thus, the surface of a polishing pad can be reprocessed (reconditioned) to an appropriate roughness, so the conditioner can continue to operate under even, stable conditions for a very long time, with a rather low manufacturing cost and without contaminating the silicon wafers.

Abstract: A thin strip-shaped grindstone 12 is held flat under tension and moved backwards and forwards in the longitudinal direction, while the grindstone is moved in a direction perpendicular to a cylindrical ingot 1 and cuts the ingot. A metal-bonded grindstone is used as the strip-shaped grindstone 12, at least one pair of electrodes 23 are disposed adjacent to both surfaces of the metal-bonded grindstone one on each side of the ingot. The metal-bonded grindstone is made the positive electrode and DC voltage pulses are applied between the grindstone and the electrodes, and at the same time, a conducting processing fluid 25 is fed to the gaps between the metal-bonded grindstone and the electrodes, and both surfaces of the metal-bonded grindstone are dressed electrolytically on both sides while the cylindrical ingot is being cut by the metal-bonded grindstone.

Abstract: An electrolytic in-process dressing device 10 is provided with a disk-shaped metal-bonded grindstone 2 with a surface 2a with a circular arc shape with a radius R at its outer periphery and a numerical control device 16. The disk-shaped metal-bonded grindstone 2 rotates around an axis Y, and the grindstone is dressed electrolytically while the device 10 grinds the workpiece 1. The numerical control device 16 is provided with a rotary truing device 12 that rotates around the X axis that orthogonally crosses the axis of rotation Y and trues the circular arc surface 2a, a shape measuring device 14 for measuring the shape of the circular arc surface of the grindstone and the shape of the processed surface of workpiece 1 on the machine, and controls the grindstone numerically in the three directions along the axes X, Y and Z. The numerical control device 16 moves the grindstone in three axial directions and repeats the operations of truing, grinding and measurements on-line.

Abstract: A flat workpiece 5 (silicon wafer) is driven so as to rotate in horizontal by a workpiece driving device 12. A cylindrical conducting grindstone 14 is provided, the outer periphery of which is in contact with the surface of the workpiece. A grindstone rotating device 16 drives the grindstone about the axis thereof. A grindstone reciprocating device 18 moves the grindstone with a reciprocating motion along the surface of the workpiece. An axial guiding device 20 keeps the center line X of the grindstone at a predetermined angle to the horizontal axis. An ELID device 22 electrolytically dresses the outer periphery of the grindstone. The center line X of the grindstone is held at a predetermined angle &thgr; to the horizontal axis, and at the same time, the outer periphery of the grindstone is dressed electrolytically.

Abstract: There is disclosed a removable electrode for electrolytic dressing grinding in which the electrode is disposed opposite to a processing surface of a conductive grinding wheel via a gap, a conductive liquid is passed through between the electrode and the conductive grinding wheel to apply a voltage thereto, the grinding wheel is dressed by electrolysis and a workpiece is simultaneously ground, the electrode comprising: an electrode support member 12 having a surface 12a disposed opposite to the processing surface of the grinding wheel via a constant gap; a conductive foil 14 detachably attached to and along the opposite surface of the electrode support member; and a conductive terminal 16 for contacting the conductive foil to apply the voltage to the conductive foil. Even when a deposit is built up on a cathode surface, the cathode surface can be cleaned in a short time. Even after repeated use, an electrode shape does not change.

Abstract: There is here disclosed a metal-less bond grinding stone for protrusion of grains on the grinding stone by electrolytic dressing, comprising abrasive grains and a bond portion for holding the abrasive grains, wherein the bond portion comprises a carbon-containing nonmetallic material alone. Furthermore, this metal-less bond grinding stone is used, whereby a current which is allowed to flow between the grinding stone and the electrode is controlled within a desired range. In this way, environmental pollution with a waste liquid containing heavy metal ions and metal contamination of device wafers can be prevented, and a mirror-like high-quality level ground surface can be obtained with a satisfactory efficiency.

Abstract: An ELID centerless grinding apparatus comprising: a blade 2 for horizontally supporting a rotator workpiece 1 and and a regulating wheel 10 driven to rotate around a horizontal shaft center. An outer surface of the workpiece is subjected to ELID grinding by using a conductive grinding wheel 4. An outer peripheral portion of the wheel 10 includes a conductive elastic member 11 and abrasion resisting particles 12. An electrolytic electrode 14 is provided in close vicinity to an outer peripheral surface of the wheel 10. An electrolytic power supply 16 applies an electrolytic voltage between the electrolytic electrode and the wheel. A conductive electrolytic fluid is flow between the electrode and the wheel and the member 11 is removed by the electrolytic dressing to cause the abrasion resisting particles 12 to project, while the particles 12 are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece 1 to rotate around its shaft center.

Abstract: A voltage is applied between a cylindrical cutting grindstone 2 that rotates about a vertical axis Y and a cylindrical truing grindstone 6 that rotates about a horizontal axis X. The vertical outer surface 2a and the horizontal lower surface 2b of the cutting grindstone are trued by a plasma discharge. Then without applying the voltage, the cutting grindstone 2 is trued mechanically by the truing grindstone 6, and while the outer periphery and lower surface of the cutting grindstone are dressed electrolytically, the outer periphery and lower surface are made to contact a workpiece 1 and process a micro-V groove. This method makes it possible to produce an immersion grating with a high resolution using hard, brittle materials such as germanium, gallium arsenide and lithium niobate.