Abstract: A base plate for mass spectrometry analysis is disclosed, which is used in a method in which a substance immobilized on a surface of the base plate is desorbed from the surface by application of laser light thereto and the ion of the desorbed substance is captured for mass spectrometry analysis. The base plate includes, on at least a portion of the surface thereof, a roughened metal surface capable of exciting local plasmon when exposed to laser light. The roughened metal surface is formed, for example, by forming numerous micropores in a surface of an alumina layer and filling gold particles in the micropores. Each gold particle has a head portion having a size larger than a diameter of the micropore and projecting from the surface of the alumina layer. Use of this base plate allows use of lower-power laser light.

Abstract: A measurement apparatus includes a dielectric block, a thin film layer formed on the dielectric block and brought into contact with a sample, a light source for generating a light beam, an optical incident system for causing the light beam to enter the dielectric block so that the light beam is totally reflected at the interface between the dielectric block and the thin film, and a two-dimensional light detection means for detecting the intensity of the light beam totally reflected at the interface. A predetermined pattern is formed within a region irradiated with the light beam on the dielectric block. The measurement apparatus includes a correction means for correcting an output from the two-dimensional light detection means, based on the pattern, so that an object on the face of the dielectric block is similar to the object detected by the two-dimensional detection means.

Abstract: A near-field light-emitting element includes a transparent medium having a plane of incidence into which a laser beam enters, and a light-condensing plane on which the laser beam having entered the plane of incidence is concentrated, and a metal body provided on the light-condensing plane of the transparent medium having a first surface contacting the light-condensing plane, a second surface opposing the first surface, and an aperture which is formed to penetrate through the first and second surfaces at a position where the laser beam is concentrated and which emits a near-field light obtained from the laser beam. The metal body is arranged apart from a center of the aperture by a predetermined distance to connect together the first and second surfaces, and has a plasmon reflection plane that reflects toward the aperture a surface plasmon excited on the first and second surfaces by the laser beam concentrated at the aperture.

Abstract: A measurement apparatus includes a dielectric block, a thin film layer formed on the dielectric block and brought into contact with a sample, a light source for generating a light beam, an optical incident system for causing the light beam to enter the dielectric block so that the light beam is totally reflected at the interface between the dielectric block and the thin film, and a two-dimensional light detection means for detecting the intensity of the light beam totally reflected at the interface. A predetermined pattern is formed within a region irradiated with the light beam on the dielectric block. The measurement apparatus includes a correction means for correcting an output from the two-dimensional light detection means, based on the pattern, so that an object on the face of the dielectric block is similar to the object detected by the two-dimensional detection means.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate with photodiodes, transfer electrodes on the semiconductor substrate, a light shielding film with openings above the photodiodes and covering the transfer electrodes, and inner lenses located above the openings. Each inner lens has an upper convex lens surface and a lower convex lens surface which projects into the opening. The lower convex lens surface has a light exit surface, at the bottom, which faces the photodiode. Except this light exit surface, the lower convex lens surface is covered with a reflective film. The upper convex lens surface converges the incident light on the inner lens to a diameter smaller than a maximum diameter of the lower convex lens surface. In the lower convex lens surface, the reflective film reflects the light to the light exit surface.

Abstract: A sensor chip includes a layer-shaped base body, which has a plurality of fine holes formed in one surface, and fine metal particles, each of which is loaded in one of the fine holes of the base body. At least a part of each of the fine metal particles is exposed to a side of the layer-shaped base body, which side is more outward than the one surface of the layer-shaped base body. The layer-shaped base body may be constituted of anodic oxidation alumina. The sensor chip constitutes a sensor utilizing localized plasmon resonance, with which a state of binding of a sensing medium with a specific substance is capable of being detected quickly and with a high sensitivity.

Abstract: A microstructure is formed on a conductor. The microstructure is equipped with a dielectric base material, in which a great number of fine holes having substantially the same shape in plan view are formed. The fine holes are open at the surface of the dielectric base material, and are substantially uniformly provided therein. A plurality of micro metal members are fixed to the dielectric base material. The micro metal members include filling portions that fill one or more of the fine holes, and protruding portions that protrude from the surface of the dielectric base material and are of diameters greater than the fine holes, capable of inducing local plasmon. The plurality of micro metal members include those that have different numbers of filling portions.

Abstract: A mass spectroscopy device constituted by a first reflector which is partially transparent and partially reflective, a transparent body, and a second reflector which is reflective. The first reflector and the second reflector are arranged on opposite sides of the transparent body so as to form an optical resonator in such a manner that when a specimen containing an analyte subject to mass spectroscopy is arranged in contact with a surface of the first reflector, and the surface is irradiated with measurement light, optical resonance occurs in the optical resonator, and intensifies an electric field on the surface, and the intensified electric field desorbs the analyte from the surface.

Abstract: An image presentation apparatus is provided that includes a display section that sequentially displays a plurality of images, a biosignal acquisition section that acquires a signal value of a biosignal indicating a biological response of an observer watching the image displayed on the display section, and a display controlling section that controls a timing at which an image subsequent to the image being displayed on the display section is displayed on the display section based on the signal value acquired by the biosignal acquisition section.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a solid state imaging device having a light receiving characteristic in which an amount of light received reaches a maximum when an angle of incidence of parallel light, radiated at continuously changing angle, is not vertical (angle ? of incident light in the range of 3° to 15°) to a light receiving surface. This characteristic changes the amount of light received greatly when an aperture stop is opened, and enhances an opening/closing effect of the aperture stop. The solid state imaging device includes a core/clad light guide path structure, whose core serves as a light guide path. This light guide path includes a columnar portion located above a photodiode, and a lens portion on the columnar portion.

Abstract: A recording medium comprises a substrate and a recording layer overlaid on the substrate. The recording layer comprises a material, which has properties such that, when recording light having a predetermined wavelength ?1 is irradiated to the material, the material is capable of being caused to change into a fluorescent material and such that, when excitation light having a wavelength ?2 is then irradiated to the thus formed fluorescent material, the fluorescent material is capable of being caused to produce fluorescence. The wavelength ?1 of the recording light and the wavelength ?2 of the excitation light may be identical or different. The substrate may be constituted of a material having properties such that, when the excitation light is irradiated to the material, the material does not produce fluorescence having a wavelength identical with the wavelength of the fluorescence produced by the fluorescent material.

Abstract: A sensor has a sensing surface, to which a specific substance R to be detected can bind. Further, the sensor has a metal portion, at least a portion of which is exposed at the sensing surface, and in which localized plasmons can be excited. The sensor is used in sensing, in which the substance R to be detected is marked with a fluorescent marker Lu that selectively binds to the substance R to be detected and one of two-photon excitation fluorescence and multi-photon excitation fluorescence of the fluorescent marker Lu is detected. Further, the sensing surface is illuminated with measurement light L1 having a wavelength that can excite localized plasmons in the metal portion and that is an absorption wavelength of the fluorescent marker Lu, at which the fluorescent marker Lu emits one of the two-photon excitation fluorescence and the multi-photon excitation fluorescence.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate with photodiodes, transfer electrodes on the semiconductor substrate, a light shielding film with openings above the photodiodes and covering the transfer electrodes, and inner lenses located above the openings. Each inner lens has an upper convex lens surface and a lower convex lens surface which projects into the opening. The lower convex lens surface has a light exit surface, at the bottom, which faces the photodiode. Except this light exit surface, the lower convex lens surface is covered with a reflective film. The upper convex lens surface converges the incident light on the inner lens to a diameter smaller than a maximum diameter of the lower convex lens surface. In the lower convex lens surface, the reflective film reflects the light to the light exit surface.

Abstract: A fine structure body comprising first fine metal particles, which have head regions projected upwardly from a surface of a base body, is utilized. A substance capable of undergoing specific binding with a test body is fixed to the head regions of the first fine metal particles. Second fine metal particles, to which a substance capable of undergoing specific binding with the test body has been fixed, are dispersed in a sample liquid. The test body is detected from variation of a resonance wavelength of localized plasmon resonance, which variation occurs when the test body is adsorbed to the surface of the fine structure body by being sandwiched between the substance fixed to the first fine metal particle and the substance fixed to the second fine metal particle.

Abstract: A new and novel sensor having a simple structure with high detection sensitivity. The sensor (S1) includes the following from measuring light (L1) input side in the order listed below: a first reflector (10) having semi-transmissive and semi-reflective properties; a translucent body (20); and a second reflector (30) having perfect reflection properties, or semi-transmissive and semi-reflective properties. The first reflector (10) and/or second reflector is brought into contact with a specimen, and the average complex refractive index varies with the specimen. Absorption properties for absorbing light having a particular wavelength are produced by these components, the properties of the measuring light (L1) are changed by the optical properties including the absorption properties, the output light (L2) is outputted from the first reflector (10) and/or second reflector (30), and the physical properties of the output light (L2) that vary according to the optical properties are detected.

Abstract: In a microstructure: minute pores are formed at a surface of a substrate in such a manner that the minute pores are dispersedly distributed over the surface, and the gaps between the minute pores are 1 micrometer or smaller; minute metal particles are arranged at the minute pores and have such sizes that the minute metal particles can cause localized plasmon resonance; the minute metal particles have head portions protruding from the surface; and the diameters of the head portions are greater than the diameters of the minute pores. In Raman spectrometry, a specimen material is absorbed by the surface from which the head portions protrude, light is applied to the surface, and a spectrum of scattered light is obtained.

Abstract: A base plate for mass spectrometry analysis is disclosed, which is used in a method in which a substance immobilized on a surface of the base plate is desorbed from the surface by application of laser light thereto and the ion of the desorbed substance is captured for mass spectrometry analysis. The base plate includes, on at least a portion of the surface thereof, a roughened metal surface capable of exciting local plasmon when exposed to laser light. The roughened metal surface is formed, for example, by forming numerous micropores in a surface of an alumina layer and filling gold particles in the micropores. Each gold particle has a head portion having a size larger than a diameter of the micropore and projecting from the surface of the alumina layer. Use of this base plate allows use of lower-power laser light.

Abstract: In a plating-thickness monitor apparatus, a base light irradiation unit irradiates a member to be plated with base light L. A detection unit detects the characteristic of reflection light Le emitted from the member to be plated by irradiation with the base light L. A plating-thickness monitor unit examines, based on a detection result obtained by the detection unit, the thickness of a plating material deposited in very small pores formed on the member to be plated during plating.

Abstract: In a Raman spectroscopy, the surface of metal film which is formed on a dielectric substrate in thickness of 50 to 200 nm and is characterized in that a plurality of fine holes satisfying the conditions defined by the following formulae are formed is caused to adsorb the material to be analyzed, light is projected onto the surface and the scattering light scattered by the surface is separated to obtain a spectrum of the scattering light, ? = a ? ? ( ? ? ? 1 · ?2 ?1 + ?2 ) 1 2 d<? wherein ? represents the wavelength of the projected light, a represents the cycle of the fine holes, d represents the diameter of the fine holes, ? 1 represents the dielectric constant of the metal film and ? 2 represents the dielectric constant of the medium around the surface of the metal film.

Abstract: A sensor chip includes a layer-shaped base body, which has a plurality of fine holes formed in one surface, and fine metal particles, each of which is loaded in one of the fine holes of the base body. At least a part of each of the fine metal particles is exposed to a side of the layer-shaped base body, which side is more outward than the one surface of the layer-shaped base body. The layer-shaped base body may be constituted of anodic oxidation alumina. The sensor chip constitutes a sensor utilizing localized plasmon resonance, with which a state of binding of a sensing medium with a specific substance is capable of being detected quickly and with a high sensitivity.