Abstract: A method for manufacturing an SiC wafer from an SiC ingot includes a verifying step of applying a test laser beam to the SiC ingot in a predetermined area with the focal point of the test laser beam set inside the SiC ingot at a predetermined depth from the end surface of the SiC ingot. The test laser beam has a transmission wavelength to SiC, thereby forming a test separation layer inside the SiC ingot at the predetermined depth. The test separation layer has a test modified portion where SiC is decomposed into Si and C and test cracks extend from the test modified portion along a c-plane in the SiC ingot. Whether or not the test cracks have been properly formed is verified. When verifying, the power of the test laser beam is changed to set a proper power at which the test cracks are properly formed.

Abstract: A management device for managing an operation of a cargo transportation vehicle that autonomously travels on a road with no driver and that is able to store cargo in each of a plurality of storages shielded by doors that are opened and closed includes a receiver configured to receive request information about transportation of the cargo from a user, an operation determiner configured to determine the operation of the cargo transportation vehicle so that the cargo transportation vehicle arrives at a delivery destination of the cargo, a registrant configured to register a plurality of users pre-designated as recipients of the cargo, and a processor configured to perform a process of controlling a control mechanism of the storage so that the recipient is able to unload the cargo from the storage when an authentication process on the recipient registered by the registrant has succeeded.

Abstract: A laser oscillation unit of a laser processing machine for manufacturing a SiC wafer from a SiC ingot includes a seed laser that emits a pulsed laser beam at predetermined pulse intervals, a splitter unit that splits the pulsed laser beam emitted by the seed laser, into at least a first pulsed laser beam and a second pulsed laser beam, a delay unit that delays one of the first pulsed laser beam and the second pulsed laser beam, a merger unit that merges the first pulsed laser beam and the second pulsed laser beam on a downstream side of the delay unit, and an amplifier arranged on a downstream side of the merger unit. A manufacturing method of a SiC wafer from a SiC ingot is also disclosed.

Abstract: A peeling apparatus includes a holding table that holds an ingot, a water supply unit that forms a layer of water on an upper surface of the ingot, an ultrasonic unit that applies an ultrasonic wave to the upper surface of the ingot through the layer of water, a peeling confirmation unit that confirms peeling-off of a wafer to be manufactured, a wafer delivery unit that lowers a suction pad having a suction surface facing the upper surface of the ingot, to hold the wafer to be manufactured on the suction surface under suction, and delivers the wafer from the ingot, and a controller. After the peeling-off of the wafer is confirmed by the peeling confirmation unit, the controller positions the water supply unit, the ultrasonic unit, and the peeling confirmation unit at retracted positions and operates the wafer delivery unit to deliver the wafer from the ingot.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a first reflected light detection unit having a first light receiving element that detects inspection light reflected by a crack in an inspection region located on one side of a focal point in a direction along an X-axis, a second reflected light detection unit having a second light receiving element that detects the inspection light reflected by the crack in the inspection region located on the other side of the focal point in the direction along the X-axis, and a controller.

Abstract: A detecting apparatus for use in specifying regions having different impurity concentrations in an ingot includes an ingot holding unit having a holding surface for holding the ingot thereon, an excitation light source for applying excitation light having a predetermined wavelength to a face side of the ingot held on the holding surface, and a photodetector for detecting fluorescence emitted from the ingot upon exposure to the excitation light and generating an electric signal representing a number of photons of only light whose wavelength is in an infrared radiation range, of the detected fluorescence.

Abstract: An operation valve includes a valve formed into a rod shape and including a barrel portion in which a flow path for a fluid is provided, a head portion in which an inlet of the flow path is provided, and a leg portion in which an outlet of the flow path is provided, a housing body housing the barrel portion, and an operation dial screw coupled to the housing body and moving the valve in an extension direction of the valve.

Abstract: A conveying apparatus for conveying a plate-shaped workpiece includes a holding unit that holds the plate-shaped workpiece under suction, a moving unit that moves in a vertical direction together with the holding unit, a detection unit that detects that the holding unit has moved downward and made contact with the plate-shaped workpiece, and a control unit that performs control to stop a downward movement of the moving unit when the detection unit detects that the holding unit has made contact with the plate-shaped workpiece.

Abstract: An emergency breakaway coupling, which is a disconnect coupling, is configured such that a first coupler and a second coupler thereof are connected under normal conditions and the first coupler and the second coupler are disconnected during an emergency. A disconnect detecting device includes a detecting piece and a moving piece that are arranged in the emergency breakaway coupling. The disconnect detecting device detects the disconnect of the emergency breakaway coupling due to the movement of the moving piece from the detecting piece. The detecting piece and the moving piece are arranged in the emergency breakaway coupling such that a moving direction O2-O2 of the moving piece moving from the detecting piece is in parallel with a disconnecting direction O1-O1 of the first coupler disconnecting from the second coupler.

Abstract: A wafer producing apparatus detects a facet area from an upper surface of an SiC ingot, sets X and Y coordinates of plural points lying on a boundary between the facet area and a nonfacet area in an XY plane, and sets a focal point of a laser beam having a transmission wavelength to SiC inside the SiC ingot at a predetermined depth from the upper surface of the SiC ingot. The predetermined depth corresponds to the thickness of the SiC wafer to be produced. A control unit increases the energy of the laser beam and raises a position of the focal point in applying the laser beam to the facet area as compared with the energy of the laser beam and a position of the focal point in applying the laser beam to the nonfacet area, according to the X and Y coordinates.

Abstract: A wafer producing method includes a peel-off layer forming step of forming a peel-off layer by positioning a focused spot of a laser beam having a wavelength transmittable through an ingot to a depth corresponding to a thickness of the wafer to be produced from the ingot from a first end surface of the ingot and applying the laser beam to the ingot, a first chamfered portion forming step of forming a first chamfered portion by applying, from the first end surface side to a peripheral surplus region of the wafer, a laser beam having a wavelength absorbable by the wafer, a peeling-off step of peeling off the wafer to be produced, and a second chamfered portion forming step of forming a second chamfered portion by applying, from a peel-off surface side of the wafer, the laser beam having a wavelength absorbable by the wafer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a reverse roller pair including a drive roller and a driven roller by which a recording medium is nipped and conveyed reversibly, a motor configured to rotate the drive roller reversibly, a conveyance roller pair, a detection unit configured to detect the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance roller pair, and a controller configured to control the motor, in a case in which the recording medium is detected by the detection unit, to cause the drive roller to rotate in a first rotation direction by a first rotation amount, thereafter to cause the drive motor to rotate in a second rotation direction by a second rotation amount. A difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount is set to an integer multiple of a predetermined rotation amount of the motor, the predetermined rotation amount making the drive roller one rotation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a reverse roller pair configured to reverse a conveyance direction of a recording medium between a first direction and a second direction, a first conveyance roller pair configured to convey the recording medium in the first direction, and a second conveyance roller pair configured to convey the recording medium in the second direction. A first distance is between the first conveyance roller pair and a reversal position in which a trailing edge of the recording medium is located when the conveyance direction is reversed. A second distance is between the reversal position and the second conveyance roller pair. An absolute value of a difference between the first distance and the second distance is an integer multiple of a circumferential length of a drive roller of the reverse roller pair or within a predetermined range from the integer multiple.

Abstract: There is provided a peeling apparatus including an ingot holding unit that has a holding surface for holding an ingot, a wafer holding unit that is capable of approaching and separating from the ingot holding unit and has a holding surface for holding under suction a wafer to be produced, and a cleaning brush that cleans peel-off surfaces at which the wafer to be produced has been peeled off from the ingot and thereby removes peeling swarf.

Abstract: An ultrasonic wave is applied to an upper surface of an ingot via a liquid layer, in a state in which an outer circumferential region of a lower surface of the ingot is sucked. A lower side around an outer circumferential arc-shaped portion of the lower surface of the ingot is open so that liquid that serves as a medium of the ultrasonic wave does not collect around the outer circumferential arc-shaped portion of the lower surface of the ingot. As a result, a peel-off layer formed in the ingot is not immersed in liquid when an ultrasonic wave is applied to the upper surface of the ingot via the liquid layer. Consequently, even when the ingot becomes thin, the ingot can be separated at the peel-off layer, and a wafer can be peeled off from the ingot.

Abstract: An operation valve includes a valve that controls the flow of a fluid, a cylindrical operator that operates opening and closing of the valve by rotating the operator in a peripheral direction, and has a first step parallel to a central axis of the operator, a storage that stores the valve, includes a flow channel of the fluid therein, and has a second step corresponding to the first step on an outer periphery of the storage in a first state in which the valve is closed, and an elastic body that urges the operator toward the storage.

Abstract: In an opening and closing valve of the invention, an operation dial and a valve body housed in a main body are connected by a rotary shaft, and a regulation member having a first fitting hole engaging with a fitter in the rotary shaft is disposed in a housing space of the main body. When a second fitting hole in the operation dial is released from the fitter in the closed state, the first fitting hole is fitted into the fitter to regulate the rotation, or when the second fitting hole is fitted into the fitter, the first fitting hole is released from the fitter to achieve the rotation.

Abstract: A method of producing a wafer from a hexagonal single-crystal ingot includes the steps of planarizing an end face of the hexagonal single-crystal ingot, forming a peel-off layer in the hexagonal single-crystal ingot by applying a pulsed laser beam whose wavelength is transmittable through the hexagonal single-crystal ingot while positioning a focal point of the pulsed laser beam in the hexagonal single-crystal ingot at a depth corresponding to a thickness of a wafer to be produced from the planarized end face of the hexagonal single-crystal ingot, recording a fabrication history on the planarized end face of the hexagonal single-crystal ingot by applying a pulsed laser beam to the hexagonal single-crystal ingot while positioning a focal point of the last-mentioned pulsed laser beam in a device-free area of the wafer to be produced.

Abstract: A wafer producing method for producing a wafer from an ingot, the ingot being previously formed with a separation layer along which the wafer is to be separated from the ingot. The wafer producing method includes a first ultrasonic vibration applying step of applying ultrasonic vibration to a given area of the ingot at a high density to thereby form a partially broken portion where a part of the separation layer is broken, a second ultrasonic vibration applying step of applying the ultrasonic vibration to the whole area of the ingot larger than the given area at a low density, after performing the first ultrasonic vibration applying step, thereby forming a fully broken portion where the separation layer is fully broken in such a manner that breaking starts from the partially broken portion, and a separating step of separating the wafer from the ingot along the fully broken portion.

Abstract: A detecting apparatus for use in specifying regions having different impurity concentrations in an ingot includes an ingot holding unit having a holding surface for holding the ingot thereon, an excitation light source for applying excitation light having a predetermined wavelength to a face side of the ingot held on the holding surface, and a photodetector for detecting fluorescence emitted from the ingot upon exposure to the excitation light and generating an electric signal representing a number of photons of only light whose wavelength is in an infrared radiation range, of the detected fluorescence.