Abstract: There are provided a method of depositing an aluminum oxide film, a method of forming the same, and a sputtering apparatus, which are capable of depositing an aluminum oxide film that can be crystallized at a low-temperature annealing process. In the method of depositing an aluminum oxide film according to this invention, a target made of aluminum oxide and a substrate W to be processed are disposed inside a vacuum chamber, a rare gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and HF power is applied to the target to thereby deposit by sputtering the aluminum oxide film on the surface of the substrate, the pressure in the vacuum chamber during film deposition is set to a range of 1.6 through 2.1 Pa.

Abstract: A body structure of a vehicle includes a floor panel, a battery pack, an electric water heater (electric apparatus), and a bracket which mounts the electric water heater to the floor panel. The electric water heater is mounted to the floor panel so as to set a battery pack side of the electric apparatus higher.

Abstract: A vibration device includes a touch panel, a vibrator that is arranged on the touch panel, a frame that is separated from at least a part of the touch panel and is arranged to surround the touch panel in a planar view, and a first connecting member that is arranged on the touch panel and the frame to cover a space between a part of the touch panel and the frame in a planar view and that connects the touch panel and the frame. Furthermore the first connecting member includes a first member positioned on the operation panel, a second member positioned on the frame, and a third member covering a space in a planar view. The thickness of the third member is smaller than those of the first and second members.

Abstract: A cathode assembly is provided in which, while preventing the occurrence of abnormal electric discharging between a projected portion of a backing plate and a side surface of a target, particles can be prevented from being generated. The cathode assembly for a sputtering apparatus of this invention has: a target made of an insulating material; a backing plate bonded to one surface of the target; and, where such a side of the backing plate as is on the side of the target is defined as a lower side, an annular shield plate disposed to lie opposite to the lower side of that projected portion of the backing plate which is projected outward beyond an outer peripheral end of the target. The cathode assembly has a bonding portion arranged to be protruded relative to the projected portion.

Abstract: A method of discriminating a state of a sputtering apparatus in which, by sputtering a target (2), a film is formed on a substrate disposed to lie opposite to the target, the discrimination being made, prior to the film formation on the substrate, as to whether an atmosphere in the vacuum chamber is in a state fit for film formation. As the sputtering apparatus, use is made of one provided inside the vacuum chamber with an isolated space which is isolated from the vacuum chamber by an isolating means (6, 71˜73), the isolated space being for the target and the substrate to lie therein opposite to each other, the sputtering apparatus being so arranged that the isolated space is evacuated accompanied by the evacuation in the vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber is evacuated to a predetermined set pressure and a gas is introduced therein in this state.

Abstract: A target assembly is provided in which an abnormal discharging between a projected portion of a backing plate and a side surface of the target is prevented and also in which a bonding material to bond the target and the backing plate can be surely prevented from seeping to the outside and also which is easy in reusing the backing plate. The target assembly according to this invention having: a target made of an insulating material; and a backing plate bonded to one surface of the target via a bonding material, the backing plate having a projected portion which is projected outward beyond an outer peripheral edge of the target, further has an annular insulating plate. The annular insulating plate: encloses a circumference of the target while maintaining a predetermined clearance to a side surface of the target; and covers that surface of the projected portion.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for data communication by forming a hybrid that includes an electrical switching network with packet granularity of switching and store-and-forward forwarding services to network traffic and an optical switching network providing circuit granularity of switching and optical bypassing services to network traffic; applying local control of optical switching modules in the optical switching network with a network controller coupled to the electrical switching network, the optical switching network, and a loss-of-light detection module; and detecting loss-of-light in a failure point in the optical switching network and rerouting traffic to avoid the optical failure point.

Abstract: A target assembly is provided which is capable of preventing abnormal discharging from being generated between a projected portion of a backing plate and a side surface of a target, and which is also capable of surely preventing a bonding material that bonds the target and the backing plate together from seeping to the outside. The backing plate has a projected portion which is projected outward beyond an outer peripheral end of the target, and an annular shield plate is disposed to lie opposite to the projected portion so as to enclose the target in a state in which the target assembly is assembled onto a sputtering apparatus (SM). That portion of the backing plate to which the target gets bonded is defined as a bonding portion, and this bonding portion is protruded relative to the projected portion.

Abstract: Provided is a RF sputtering apparatus in which film forming can efficiently be made by suppressing an amount of reverse sputtering at a substrate. The RF sputtering apparatus SM, according to this invention, in which RF power is applied in vacuum to a target to thereby perform film forming processing on one surface (Wa) of the substrate (W) is provided with a stage for holding the substrate in a state in which one surface thereof is left open in an electrically insulated state. The stage has a dented portion on such a holding surface as is adapted to hold thereon the substrate. A movable body, which is movable toward, and away from, the substrate, and is connected to grounding is disposed in a space defined by such an opposite surface of the substrate as is opposite to said one surface and an outline of the dented portion.

Abstract: A side airbag device includes an airbag which includes a first base fabric and a second base fabric constituting an inflatable envelope, and in the event of a lateral collision of a vehicle, the airbag is deployed between an occupant and a door. The airbag further includes a partition fabric between the first base fabric and the second base fabric. The partition fabric partitions the inflatable envelope into a first inflatable compartment corresponding to a shoulder of the occupant, and a second inflatable compartment. The partition fabric is provided with a valve mechanism which opens to connect the first inflatable compartment and the second inflatable compartment when the first inflatable compartment is fully inflated.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires image information of an image of an original document, a recognition unit that recognizes from the image information acquired by the acquisition unit each of plural entry items and an entry remark written differently from the plural entry items, included in the image, and an associating unit that associates the entry remark with one of the entry items in accordance with a relationship between a location of the entry items recognized by the recognition unit and a location of the entry remark.

Abstract: A seat provided in a vehicle interior of the vehicle; a side airbag having a plurality of chambers each folded, the side airbag being stored in a side portion of a seat back; an inflator arranged together with the side airbag, the inflator being capable of suppling gas to the plurality of chambers when a side-impact crash of the vehicle is detected; a channel section for distributing the gas generated from the inflator to the plurality of chambers; a valve unit provided in the channel section, the valve unit being capable of reducing the distributed amount of the gas flowing from the channel section to a particular chamber among the plurality of chambers; and an actuator unit that allows the valve unit to operate to reduce the distributed amount of the gas flowing from the channel section to the particular chamber according to the deployment behavior of any chamber among the plurality of chambers, are included.

Abstract: Controllers in a software defined network and methods implemented such controllers include forming an auxiliary graph based on a network graph. The network graph includes aggregating and non-aggregating nodes and the auxiliary graph includes a number of non-aggregating nodes based on a number of incoming neighbors to non-aggregating nodes in the network graph. A best path from a source node to a destination node through the auxiliary graph is determined based on output links from non-aggregating nodes are occupied. The best path through the auxiliary graph is translated to a best path from the source node to the destination node through the network graph. Traffic is routed through the software-defined network based on the best path.

Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus including an acquisition section that acquires one or more sets of attribute information which indicates an attribute of a publication, identification information which identifies the publication, and label information which indicates at least one of an arrangement of the publication in an establishment and a period during which the publication is not permitted to be lent, a conversion section that converts the acquired identification information into a code image, a generation section that generates a label image based on the acquired label information, and an image forming section that forms an image which expresses some or all of the acquired attribute information, the code image which is acquired through conversion, and the generated label image on one or more media such that image groups corresponding to one set are formed on one piece of medium.