Abstract: A method of manufacturing a tubular carbon molecule capable of regularly aligning a carbon nanotube with a finer spacing is provided. A catalyst is arranged on a material substrate (10) made of a semiconductor such as silicon (Si) and including iron (Fe) as a catalyst through the use of melting according to a modulated heat distribution (11). The heat distribution (11) is formed, for example, through diffracting an energy beam (12) by a diffraction grating (13). As a method of arranging the catalyst, for example, iron may be deposited in a planar shape or a projection shape in a position corresponding to the heat distribution (11), or the deposited iron may be used as a master to be transferred to another substrate. A carbon nanotube is grown through the use of the arranged catalyst. The grown carbon nanotube can be used as a recording apparatus, a field electron emission device, an FED or the like.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a tubular carbon molecule capable of regularly aligning a carbon nanotube with a finer spacing is provided. A catalyst is arranged on a material substrate (10) made of a semiconductor such as silicon (Si) and including iron (Fe) as a catalyst through the use of melting according to a modulated heat distribution (11). The heat distribution (11) is formed, for example, through diffracting an energy beam (12) by a diffraction grating (13). As a method of arranging the catalyst, for example, iron may be deposited in a planar shape or a projection shape in a position corresponding to the heat distribution (11), or the deposited iron may be used as a master to be transferred to another substrate. A carbon nanotube is grown through the use of the arranged catalyst. The grown carbon nanotube can be used as a recording apparatus, a field electron emission device, an FED or the like.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a tubular carbon molecule capable of regularly aligning a carbon nanotube with a finer spacing is provided. A catalyst is arranged on a material substrate (10) made of a semiconductor such as silicon (Si) and including iron (Fe) as a catalyst through the use of melting according to a modulated heat distribution (11). The heat distribution (11) is formed, for example, through diffracting an energy beam (12) by a diffraction grating (13). As a method of arranging the catalyst, for example, iron may be deposited in a planar shape or a projection shape in a position corresponding to the heat distribution (11), or the deposited iron may be used as a master to be transferred to another substrate. A carbon nanotube is grown through the use of the arranged catalyst. The grown carbon nanotube can be used as a recording apparatus, a field electron emission device, an FED or the like.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a tubular carbon molecule capable of regularly aligning a carbon nanotube with a finer spacing is provided. A catalyst is arranged on a material substrate (10) made of a semiconductor such as silicon (Si) and including iron (Fe) as a catalyst through the use of melting according to a modulated heat distribution (11). The heat distribution (11) is formed, for example, through diffracting an energy beam (12) by a diffraction grating (13). As a method of arranging the catalyst, for example, iron may be deposited in a planar shape or a projection shape in a position corresponding to the heat distribution (11), or the deposited iron may be used as a master to be transferred to another substrate. A carbon nanotube is grown through the use of the arranged catalyst. The grown carbon nanotube can be used as a recording apparatus, a field electron emission device, an FED or the like.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a gas pressure regulator including an electrochemical cell (4) having a first electrode (1) for decomposing gas into ions, a second electrode (2) for converting the ions generated in the first electrode (1) into the gas again and an ion conductor (3) sandwiched in between both the electrodes (1) and (2); and a high pressure vessel (5) disposed in one side of the electrochemical cell (4). In this device, the gas is decomposed into the ions in the first electrode (1). The decomposed ions are allowed to pass through the ion conductor (3) sandwiched in between the first electrode (1) and the second electrode (2) and conducted to the second electrode (2) side. The conducted ions are reconverted into the gas in the second electrode (2).

Abstract: A recording medium and technique which reduces problems relating to copyright, reduces the necessity for collecting an optical disk for, e.g., rental use and enables the optical disk itself to be inhibited from rental use. A reflectance of a reproducing film of the optical disk is changed by an irradiating laser beam having a greater strength than the laser beam strength used to form the film. The depth of a pre-pit in a data section is set to less than a quarter of the wavelength of the laser beam and the reproducing film is composed such that its reflectance drops if it is irradiated by the laser beam having the greater strength.

Abstract: A magnetic modulator coil driving circuit comprises: first and second switching elements for inverting the polarity of exciting currents supplied to magnetic modulator coils, first and second bias voltage setting circuit for determining control voltages to be applied to the first and second switching elements to adjust the currents flowing through the first and second switching elements to a predetermined value, and a data input circuit for supplying modulating data to turn on and off the first and second switching elements alternately. The magnetic modulator coil driving circuit applies a control voltage to the control electrode of the corresponding switching element to control the exciting current to be supplied through the switching element to the corresponding magnetic modulator coil so that the exciting current coincides with a desired value when a reference voltage is applied to the control electrode.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for reproducing data from a CD-ROM at a constant angular velocity and for recording and reproducing data to and from a magneto-optical compact disc (CD-MO) at a constant angular velocity. Data reproduced from the CD-ROM is demodulated in accordance with an amount of reproduction time of a sync signal contained in the reproduced data. The clock rate of data to be recorded to or reproduced from the CD-MO is determined in accordance with the position or zone on the CD-MO at which the data is to be recorded or from which it is reproduced. The position or zone may be identified by address data which is reproduced from the CD-MO. In addition, a constant rotational velocity of the CD-MO is maintained by measuring an amount of reproduction time of the address data and varying the rotational velocity of the CD-MO in accordance with the measured reproduction time.

Abstract: A disk storage medium, for example, a magneto-optical compact disk, includes a plurality of data areas that have data stored therein and a plurality of address areas each associated with a respective data area and that have address data stored therein. The data in each of the data areas are stored at respectively different clock rates, and all of the address data in all of the address areas are stored at the same constant clock rate.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for reproducing data from a CD-ROM at a constant angular velocity and for recording and reproducing data to and from a magneto-optical compact disc (CD-MO) at a constant angular velocity. Data reproduced from the CD-ROM is demodulated in accordance with an amount of reproduction time of a sync signal contained in the reproduced data. The clock rate of data to be recorded to or reproduced from the CD-MO is determined in accordance with the position or zone on the CD-MO at which the data is to be recorded or from which it is reproduced. The position or zone may be identified by address data which is reproduced from the CD-MO. In addition, a constant rotational velocity of the CD-MO is maintained by measuring an amount of reproduction time of the address data and varying the rotational velocity of the CD-MO in accordance with the measured reproduction time.

Abstract: An optical recording medium on which a data signal is formed comprises an area A of recording tracks for recording a data signal between pairs of grooves Gr and a d.c. offset cancel area B for canceling d.c. offset by the push-pull system, which serves as a predetermined area. In the d.c. offset cancel area B, no grove Gr is formed, and grooves are formed at the recording track center positions Tc. The groove at the recording track center position Tc is caused to have the same width and depth as those of the groove Gr. In carrying out recording/reproduction of a data signal by using this optical recording medium, a return light from the optical recording medium is detected by a bisected detector. A difference signal between outputs from the detector is determined by an amplifier. In accordance with an output signal of a sample-hold signal supply unit, first and second sample-hold units respectively hold signals having output phases different from each other by 180 degrees.

Abstract: An optical recording medium on which a data signal is formed comprises an area A of recording tracks for recording a data signal between pairs of grooves Gr and a d.c. offset cancel area B for canceling d.c. offset by the push-pull system, which serves as a predetermined area. In the d.c. offset cancel area B, no grove Gr is formed, and grooves are formed at the recording track center positions Tc. The groove at the recording track center position Tc is caused to have the same width and depth as those of the groove Gr. In carrying out recording/reproduction of a data signal by using this optical recording medium, a return light from the optical recording medium is detected by a bisected detector. A difference signal between outputs from the detector is determined by an amplifier.

Abstract: An optical recording medium on which a data signal is formed comprises an area A of recording tracks for recording a data signal between pairs of grooves Gr and a d.c. offset cancel area B for canceling d.c. offset by the push-pull system, which serves as a predetermined area. In the d.c. offset cancel area B, no grove Gr is formed, and grooves are formed at the recording track center positions Tc. The groove at the recording track center position Tc is caused to have the same width and depth as those of the groove Gr. In carrying out recording/reproduction of a data signal by using this optical recording medium, a return light from the optical recording medium is detected by a bisected detector. A difference signal between outputs from the detector is determined by an amplifier.

Abstract: An optical pickup is controlled to move to a target track on an optical information storage disc based on target value information representing the sum of speed information indicative of a speed at which the optical pickup is to move, and distance information indicative of a distance which the optical pickup has moved toward the target track. A first subtractor produces a differential signal indicative of the difference between the target value information and remaining distance information which represents a remaining distance that the optical pickup is to move. The differential signal is supplied to a second subtractor which determines the difference between the differential signal and actual speed information indicating an actual speed at which the optical pick is moving. The second subtractor produces a differential signal which is supplied to an actuator to move the optical head.

Abstract: In a circuit and method for moving an optical pickup to a set target track on an optical disc, namely performing a track seek operation wherein, the address of a current track is detected with address information obtained from a playback signal from the optical disc, a reference value which is generated that chronologically changes while the optical pickup is being moved from the address of the current track to the address of the target track, an actuator for moving the optical pickup in the radial direction of the optical disc being driven so as to perform the seek operation at a high speed without requiring a speed sensor for sensing the speed of the moving optical pickup.

Abstract: A focus servo device for use in an optical disk apparatus including a reproducer for irradiating a light beam emitted from a light source to an optical disk through an objective lens, and detecting an RF signal and a focus error signal on the basis of the return light beam reflected from the optical disk; a maximum-minimum detector for detecting the maximum and the minimum of the RF signal obtained from the reproducer; and a control signal generator for generating a focus servo signal obtained from the reproducer responsive to the maximum and the minimum of the RF signal detected by the maximum-minimum detector. Since the focus servo lock-in control is performed in conformity with the detected maximum and minimum values of the reproduced RF signal, the apparatus is capable of recording information on and/or reproducing the same from any optical disk regardless of the disk's reflectivity.

Abstract: An optical recording and reproducing apparatus comprising an erroneous recording prevention component which prevents this apparatus from making an erroneous recording or erasing operation while it records data on a writable disk. The apparatus is arranged such that, while it is performing a recording or erasing operation, a state of its beam of light just about to go off the control point of tracking and a state of its beam of light just about to go off the control point of focusing are each monitored and, when either of the states is detected, the recording or erasing operation is canceled. Hence, laser power of the beam of light can be controlled before the beam of light completely goes off the control point of tracking, thereby preventing the beam of light from affecting data having been recorded along other tracks.

Abstract: A spindle servo system for a magneto-optical recording/playback apparatus, comprising a PLL circuit lockable in phase by sample servo pits formed on a track of a magneto-optical disc; a phase comparator for comparing the phase of a signal, whose period corresponds to the output of the PLL circuit, with the phase of a reference frequency signal; and a resonator having a reference frequency conforming to the eccentricity cycle of the disc. In this servo system, the rotation period of a spindle motor for driving the disc is controlled in accordance with the output of the phase comparator and the output of the resonator. The PLL circuit includes a voltage-controlled crystal oscillator, and the resonator is excited in conformity to the output of the phase comparator to control the rotation frequency of the spindle motor, thereby reducing the jitter component included in the output of the PLL circuit.

Abstract: A recording medium in which one sector is divided into a plurality of segments and information is recorded in the segments, uses a reproducing method in which information is reproduced optically from this medium. The recording medium has an area in which no embossed pit is formed beforehand comprising at least one segment among a plurality of segments, and embossed pits indicative of the head of the sector which is formed in correspondence to the head position of the sector. Clocks are reproduced by detecting the pit for clock reproduction on the basis of the area in the recording medium in which no embossed pit is formed beforehand. The head position of the sector is detected by detecting whether the pit indicative of the head of the sector is present or not at a timing based on the clock. With this method, the head position of the sector can be detected correctly even if information was recorded by a modulating system in which all signal patterns can exist according to the modulating rule.

Abstract: A head protection control for a magneto-optical recording/reproducing device, including an elastic arm for mounting a magnetic head at one end portion of the arm and biasing the magnetic head in a direction contacting a surface of a magneto-optical disk, which elastic arm is movable in a radial direction of the magneto-optical disk; a driver for driving the elastic arm in a direction moving away from the surface of the magneto-optical disk; a phase-locked loop (PLL) for generating a lock signal when the PLL circuit becomes synchronous with a clock signal in a reproduced signal from the magneto-optical disk; and a controller for controlling the driver so as to cause the driver, upon receipt of the lock signal, to lower the magnetic head to face the magneto-optical disk during rotation at the predetermined speed with a fine gap defined between the magnetic head and the magneto-optical disk by a flying force due to an air stream.