Abstract: An imaging system includes a first illuminator that irradiates a subject with light whose intensity varies over time; and a first imaging device that includes a first imaging cell having a variable sensitivity, and a first sensitivity control line electrically connected to the first imaging cell. The first imaging cell includes a photoelectron conversion area that receives light from the subject to generate a signal charge, and a signal detection circuit that detects the signal charge. During an exposure period, the first sensitivity control line supplies to the first imaging cell a first sensitivity control signal having a waveform expressed by a first function that takes only positive values by adding a first constant to one basis from among bases of a system of functions constituting an orthogonal system.

Abstract: An imaging system includes an imaging optical system, an imaging device, an actuator, and control circuitry. The actuator changes a relative position of a plurality of pixel cells and an image of a subject. The pixel cells have variable sensitivity, and include a photoelectric converter and a charge accumulation region. The control circuitry sets the relative position to a first position, and also sets the sensitivity of each pixel cell to a first sensitivity. A first signal charge obtained at the photoelectric converter is accumulated in the charge accumulation region. The relative position is set to a second position different from the first position, and also the sensitivity of each pixel cell is set to a second sensitivity different from the first sensitivity. A second signal charge obtained at the photoelectric converter is accumulated in the charge accumulation region in addition to the first signal charge.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a photoelectric conversion element includes providing a base structure including a semiconductor substrate having a principal surface, a first electrode located on or above the principal surface, second electrodes which are located on or above the principal surface and which are one- or two-dimensionally arranged, and a photoelectric conversion film covering at least the second electrodes; forming a mask layer on the photoelectric conversion film, the mask layer being conductive and including a covering section covering a portion of the photoelectric conversion film that overlaps the second electrodes in plan view; and partially removing the photoelectric conversion film by immersing the base structure and the mask layer in an etchant.

Abstract: An image sensor includes: a substrate; pixel electrodes disposed on the substrate; a control electrode disposed on the substrate; a photoelectric conversion film disposed on the pixel electrodes; a transparent electrode disposed on the photoelectric conversion film; and a connector that is made of a metal or a metal nitride and electrically connects the control electrode to the transparent electrode. The control electrode is configured to be connected to a circuit that applies a voltage to the photoelectric conversion film. The transparent electrode is made of a semiconductor, and the control electrode is made of a metal or a metal nitride. The connector includes a first region in contact with the transparent electrode and a second region in contact with the control electrode. The area of the first region is larger than the area of the second region.

Abstract: A three-dimensional motion obtaining apparatus includes: a light source; a charge amount obtaining circuit that includes pixels and obtains, for each of the pixels, a first charge amount under a first exposure pattern and a second charge amount under a second exposure pattern having an exposure period that at least partially overlaps an exposure period of the first exposure pattern; and a processor that controls a light emission pattern for the light source, the first exposure pattern, and the second exposure pattern. The processor estimates a distance to a subject for each of the pixels on the basis of the light emission pattern and on the basis of the first charge amount and the second charge amount of each of the pixels obtained by the charge amount obtaining circuit, and estimates an optical flow for each of the pixels on the basis of the first exposure pattern, the second exposure pattern, and the first charge amount and the second charge amount obtained by the charge amount obtaining circuit.

Abstract: A photodetection element includes: a photoelectric conversion structure that contains a first material having an absorption coefficient higher than an absorption coefficient of monocrystalline silicon for light of a first wavelength, for which monocrystalline silicon exhibits absorption, and generates positive and negative charges by absorbing a photon; and an avalanche structure that includes a monocrystalline silicon layer, in which avalanche multiplication occurs as a result of injection of at least one selected from the group consisting of the positive and negative charges from the photoelectric conversion structure. The first material includes at least one selected from the group consisting of an organic semiconductor, a semiconductor-type carbon nanotube, and a semiconductor quantum dot.

Abstract: A method for producing the photoelectric conversion element includes, in carbon nanotubes including semiconducting carbon nanotubes having different chiralities from each other and metallic carbon nanotubes, changing a chirality distribution in the semiconducting carbon nanotubes, separating the carbon nanotubes into the semiconducting carbon nanotubes and the metallic carbon nanotubes after changing the chirality distribution, covering the semiconducting carbon nanotubes with a polymer after performing separating, and forming a photoelectric conversion film including the semiconducting carbon nanotubes between a pair of electrodes after performing covering with the polymer.

Abstract: An imaging device includes: pixels arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally, each of the pixels including an electrode that is electrically connected to the other pixels, a charge capturing unit that is separated from the other pixels, and a photoelectric conversion layer that is located between the electrode and the charge capturing unit, the photoelectric conversion layer being continuous among the pixels. The photoelectric conversion layer contains semiconductor carbon nanotubes, and one of a first substance and a second substance, the first substance having an electron affinity larger than that of the semiconducting carbon nanotubes, the second substance having a ionization energy smaller than that of the semiconductor carbon nanotubes.

Abstract: A multispectral imaging device includes: an illumination optical system; and an imaging optical system, wherein the illumination optical system includes a filter group disposed in an overlap region of bundles of illumination rays which reach points in an imaging area of a subject, and including at least a first filter and a second filter having different transmission properties, and the imaging optical system includes: an image sensor which includes at least first light receiving elements and second light receiving elements; and a separation optical element which guides light which has passed through the first filter to the first light receiving elements, and guides light which has passed through the second filter to the second light receiving elements.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a first illuminator that irradiates a subject with light whose intensity varies over time; and a first imaging device that includes a first imaging cell having a variable sensitivity, and a first sensitivity control line electrically connected to the first imaging cell. The first imaging cell includes a photoelectron conversion area that receives light from the subject to generate a signal charge, and a signal detection circuit that detects the signal charge.

Abstract: A measurement system, comprising: a first light source that generates first light and irradiates an object with the first light, at least one of an intensity, a polarization state, and a wavelength being modulated with a first period in the first light; a second light source that generates second light, at least one of an intensity, a polarization state, and a wavelength being modulated with a second period in the second light; a first optical system that mixes light from the object based on the first light with the second light; a nonlinear optical crystal that generates third light from the mixed light by sum-frequency generation phenomenon, the third light having a frequency equivalent to a sum of a frequency of the light from the object based on the first light and a frequency of the second light; and a photodetector that measures an intensity of the third light.

Abstract: A measurement system, comprising: a first light source that generates first light and irradiates an object with the first light, at least one of an intensity, a polarization state, and a wavelength being modulated with a first period in the first light; a second light source that generates second light, at least one of an intensity, a polarization state, and a wavelength being modulated with a second period in the second light; a first optical system that mixes light from the object based on the first light with the second light; a nonlinear optical crystal that generates third light from the mixed light by sum-frequency generation phenomenon, the third light having a frequency equivalent to a sum of a frequency of the light from the object based on the first light and a frequency of the second light; and a photodetector that measures an intensity of the third light.

Abstract: A multispectral imaging device includes: an illumination optical system; and an imaging optical system, wherein the illumination optical system includes a filter group disposed in an overlap region of bundles of illumination rays which reach points in an imaging area of a subject, and including at least a first filter and a second filter having different transmission properties, and the imaging optical system includes: an image sensor which includes at least first light receiving elements and second light receiving elements; and a separation optical element which guides light which has passed through the first filter to the first light receiving elements, and guides light which has passed through the second filter to the second light receiving elements.

Abstract: A method for producing a graphene nanoribbon is disclosed. This production method includes the steps of: forming a crystalline catalytic metal layer composed of copper or nickel on a (110) plane or a (112) plane of a MgAl2O4 single-crystal substrate or a MgO single-crystal substrate, with a thickness of the crystalline catalytic metal layer being controlled and with a crystal orientation of the crystalline catalytic metal layer being controlled so that the crystal orientation coincides with a crystal orientation of the single-crystal substrate; forming a cap layer composed of an oxide on the formed catalytic metal layer; exposing a {111} plane of the crystalline catalytic metal layer as a side wall by etching a stack including the substrate, the catalytic metal layer, and the cap layer; and growing graphene selectively on the exposed side wall by chemical vapor deposition.

Abstract: The method of manufacturing a semiconductor memory includes a process of forming a projection by performing an insulator forming process on the exposed side surface of a reactive conductive material and a non-reactive conductive material that are stacked above a substrate so as to change a predetermined length of the side surface of the reactive conductive material into an insulator, and thereby causing the side surface of the non-reactive conductive material to project outward from the side surface of the reactive its conductive material. The insulator forming process is an oxidation process or a nitridation process, the reactive conductive material is a material that reacts chemically and changes into the insulator in the oxidation process or nitridation process, and the non-reactive conductive material is a material that does not change into the insulator in the oxidation process or nitridation process.

Abstract: The method of manufacturing a semiconductor memory includes a process of forming a projection by performing an insulator forming process on the exposed side surface of a reactive conductive material and a non-reactive conductive material that are stacked above a substrate so as to change a predetermined length of the side surface of the reactive conductive material into an insulator, and thereby causing the side surface of the non-reactive conductive material to project outward from the side surface of the reactive its conductive material. The insulator forming process is an oxidation process or a nitridation process, the reactive conductive material is a material that reacts chemically and changes into the insulator in the oxidation process or nitridation process, and the non-reactive conductive material is a material that does not change into the insulator in the oxidation process or nitridation process.

Abstract: A stochastic processor and a stochastic computer comprises a fluctuation generator configured to generate and output analog quantity having fluctuation comprised of chaos of tent mapping, a mixer configured to output a fluctuation superposed signal with the analog quantity output from the fluctuation generator superposed on an input signal represented by analog quantity and a thresholding unit configured to perform thresholding on the fluctuation superposed signal output from the mixer to generate and output a pulse.

Abstract: An information recording/reproducing method comprises several steps. Information to be recorded, a reading key that allows a person knowing the key to specify a base used for recording each bit and inhibits a person unknowing it from specifying the base, and an algorithm for determining the base from the key are prepared. A state to be created for each bit from quantum states is selected so as to satisfy the conditions. A measured value corresponding to the information to be recorded is acquired when a reading procedure corresponding to each base is performed. The measured value is not acquired when unitary transformation corresponding to a different base is performed. The quantum state in the recording medium is created. The state is kept, and each base is determined according to the key and performing the reading procedure corresponding to the base. Safety of the recorded information can be sufficiently secured.

Abstract: A method of estimating substrate temperature according to this invention includes the steps of epitaxially growing a Si-containing layer (103) on a SiGe layer (102) formed on a substrate for temperature estimation (101) constituted of a Si substrate under a reaction control condition; finding a relationship between a rate of growth of the Si-containing layer and a substrate temperature of the substrate for temperature estimation; epitaxially growing a Si-containing layer on a substrate for device fabrication as a subject of substrate temperature estimation under a reaction control condition; and estimating a substrate temperature of the substrate for device fabrication based on the rate of growth of the latter Si-containing layer and the relationship between the rate of growth of the former Si-containing layer (103) and the substrate temperature of the substrate for temperature estimation.

Abstract: A thermal cleaning of a substrate that has been subjected to wet cleaning is carried out under a high vacuum atmosphere to remove an oxide film remaining on the substrate. Thereafter, a thermal cleaning is carried out under a hydrogen atmosphere to remove contamination such as carbon or the like. At this time, the oxide film has already been removed and therefore contamination is effectively removed by a relatively low temperature and short duration thermal cleaning. Thus, problems such as the degradation of the profile of the impurity concentration in the impurity diffusion layer which has been formed over the substrate are prevented.