Abstract: A breast pump includes a body including a hood attachment portion, a bottle attachment portion, and an inner passage extending between the hood attachment portion and the bottle attachment portion; a diaphragm configured to generate negative pressure in the inner passage; a handle manually operated to move back and forth; and a link mechanism configured to support the handle in a manner movable back and forth relative to the body. The handle is configured to change pressure of the inner passage from a normal state to a negative state by displacing the diaphragm in a lifting direction. The link mechanism is configured to apply an operation force to the handle that becomes maximal during handle movement when the handle is moved in an operation direction that changes the pressure from the normal state to the negative state.

Abstract: A breast pump includes a main body and a handle. The main body includes an internal passage, a negative pressure generation mechanism configured to generate negative pressure in the internal passage for pumping milk, a hood attaching portion to which a hood fitted to a breast is attached, the hood attaching portion being disposed at a front part of the main body, and a bottle attaching portion to which a bottle for collecting milk is attached, the bottle attaching portion being disposed at a lower part of the main body. The handle is pivotal to the main body and includes a basal end, at a side located closer to a pivot point on the main body, connected to the negative pressure generation mechanism. The handle includes a finger rest at a distal side and extends forward from the pivot point beside the main body.

Abstract: A semiconductor device has a first metal pattern made of a first metal formed on a semiconductor substrate, an insulating film formed over the first metal pattern, and a second metal pattern made of a second metal formed on the insulating film. The insulating film has a barrier property for preventing the diffusion of the first metal.

Abstract: To improve the performance for measuring autocorrelation bit errors of optical signals to be measured, an autocorrelation-bit-error detection apparatus of the present invention using an optical branch system first has an optical branch unit for branching an optical signal to be measured into a plurality of branched optical signals, a plurality of light-to-electricity converters for converting a plurality of branched optical signals supplied from the optical branch unit into electrical signals, a plurality of decision circuits for deciding relations between the electrical signals supplied from the light-to-electricity converters and their threshold values, and a detector for detecting autocorrelation bit errors of the optical signal to be measured in accordance with comparison results between the decision circuits.

Abstract: A semiconductor device has a first metal pattern made of a first metal formed on a semiconductor substrate, an insulating film formed over the first metal pattern, and a second metal pattern made of a second metal formed on the insulating film. The insulating film has a barrier property for preventing the diffusion of the first metal.

Abstract: Each corner portion is formed between straight-lined portions so as to connect them. Each of the straight-lined portions has a trim portion having a substantially U-shape in section and a hollow seal portion. The corner portion has a molded trim portion and a molded hollow seal portion. The molded trim portion is formed of a hard material with predetermined hardness and flexibility so as to have a substantially U-shape in section. The molded hollow seal portion is composed of a soft material. The opening width between opposite side walls of the molded trim portion is formed to be narrower than the opening width between opposite side walls of the trim portion. Further an opening portion for drawing out a forming core member is formed at an edge of the molded hollow seal portion. Then, a flap portion is provided for abutting against the outer surface of the molded trim portion. Notch portions for facilitating the elastic deformation of the flap portion are formed in portions of the flap portion.

Abstract: An interconnect forming method includes the steps of: a) forming a through hole in an insulating film over a substrate; b) depositing a photosensitive masking material over the insulating film as well as inside the hole; c) patterning the material, thereby forming a mask pattern, which has an opening located over the hole and is used to define a trench; d) etching the insulating film to a predetermined depth using the mask pattern, thereby defining a trench pattern, linked to the hole, in an upper part of the insulating film; e) filling in the hole and the trench pattern with a conductive material; and f) before the trench pattern is defined, defining the mask pattern so that no remaining part of the material, which has been filled in the hole, will reach a level higher than the bottom of the trench pattern.

Abstract: To improve the performance for measuring autocorrelation bit errors of optical signals to be measured, an autocorrelation-bit-error detection apparatus of the present invention using an optical branch system first has an optical branch unit for branching an optical signal to be measured into a plurality of branched optical signals, a plurality of light-to-electricity converters for converting a plurality of branched optical signals supplied from the optical branch unit into electrical signals, a plurality of decision circuits for deciding relations between the electrical signals supplied from the light-to-electricity converters and their threshold values, and a detector for detecting autocorrelation bit errors of the optical signal to be measured in accordance with comparison results between the decision circuits.

Abstract: Each corner portion is formed between straight-lined portions so as to connect them. Each of the straight-lined portions has a trim portion having a substantially U-shape in section and a hollow seal portion. The corner portion has a molded trim portion and a molded hollow seal portion. The molded trim portion is formed of a hard material with predetermined hardness and flexibility so as to have a substantially U-shape in section. The molded hollow seal portion is composed of a soft material. The opening width between opposite side walls of the molded trim portion is formed to be narrower than the opening width between opposite side walls of the trim portion. Further an opening portion for drawing out a forming core member is formed at an edge of the molded hollow seal portion. Then, a flap portion is provided for abutting against the outer surface of the molded trim portion. Notch portions for facilitating the elastic deformation of the flap portion are formed in portions of the flap portion.

Abstract: An interconnect forming method includes the steps of: a) forming a through hole in an insulating film over a substrate; b) depositing a photosensitive masking material over the insulating film as well as inside the hole; c) patterning the material, thereby forming a mask pattern, which has an opening located over the hole and is used to define a trench; d) etching the insulating film to a predetermined depth using the mask pattern, thereby defining a trench pattern, linked to the hole, in an upper part of the insulating film; e) filling in the hole and the trench pattern with a conductive material; and f) before the trench pattern is defined, defining the mask pattern so that no remaining part of the material, which has been filled in the hole, will reach a level higher than the bottom of the trench pattern.

Abstract: A switching circuit switches operation states between a state in which m consecutive bit data of an M-sequence reception code having a period (2.sup.m -1), which is input to a measurement terminal, are set in a feedback shift register (FSR), and a state in which the FSR is set in a closed-loop state to be set in a self-running state. A synchronization detection comparator sequentially compares each bit data output from the FSR in a self-running state with corresponding bit data of the reception code. On the basis-of the comparison result from the synchronization detection comparator, a control section determines that the bit data output from the FSR are a reference code, or outputs a command to the FSR through the switching circuit to fetch the m bit data again. A storage circuit stores consecutive bit data of the reception code which are input before the control section determines that the bit data are the reference code, and outputs the stored bit data upon delaying them by a predetermined period of time.