Abstract: Provided are a valve guide made of an iron-based sintered alloy excellent in wear resistance and thermal conductivity, and a method of producing the same. Specifically, provided are a method of producing a valve guide made of an iron-based sintered alloy, the method including the steps of: molding raw material powder including diffusion-alloyed powder including core iron powder and Cu bonded to the core iron powder through diffusion to obtain a molded body; and sintering the molded body, to thereby produce a valve guide made of an iron-based sintered alloy, and a valve guide produced by the production method.

Abstract: In an auxiliary heating part for performing a preheating treatment on a semiconductor wafer, VCSELs are arranged so as to surround LED lamps arranged in a circular region. The LED lamps irradiate the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer with light, and the VCSELs which emit light of relatively high directivity irradiate a peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer where a temperature decrease is prone to occur with the light. A common power supply circuit is provided for the LED lamps and VCSELs that irradiate the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer with light. Increases in size and costs of power supply circuitry are suppressed because the single power supply circuit supplies power to the two different types of light sources to collectively control the two different types of light sources.

Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to a recovery method of 226Ra, and the recovery method of 226Ra includes a step (A1) of immersing a solid-state 226Ra containing substance and a carrier having a function of adsorbing 226Ra ions in a processing solution, and then irradiating the processing solution with ultrasonic waves.

Abstract: A heat pump system includes a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a refrigerant flow path included in a heat medium heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a heat source side heat exchanger are connected, the heat medium heat exchanger including the refrigerant flow path and a heat medium flow path; a heat medium feed path connected to the heat medium flow path included in the heat medium heat exchanger; an indoor unit connected to the heat medium feed path and configured to condition air inside a room; a room temperature sensor configured to detect an indoor temperature in the room; a heat medium temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of a heat medium that flows into the indoor unit; and a controller configured to control the refrigerant circuit or the indoor unit by using a set temperature in the room.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer is preheated with a halogen lamp, and then is heated by irradiation with a flash of light emitted from a flash lamp. The preheating with the halogen lamp is continued for a short time even after the flash lamp turns off. A radiation thermometer measures a front surface temperature and a back surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer. A temperature integrated value is calculated by integration of temperatures of the semiconductor wafer measured during a period from a start of the flash irradiation to an end of the heating of the semiconductor wafer. It is determined that the semiconductor wafer is cracked at the time of flash irradiation when the calculated temperature integrated value deviates from a preset range between an upper limit value and a lower limit value.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer is preheated with a halogen lamp, and then is heated by irradiation with a flash of light emitted from a flash lamp. The preheating with the halogen lamp is continued for a short time even after the flash lamp turns off. A radiation thermometer measures a front surface temperature and a back surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer. A temperature integrated value is calculated by integration of temperatures of the semiconductor wafer measured during a period from a start of the flash irradiation to an end of the heating of the semiconductor wafer. It is determined that the semiconductor wafer is cracked at the time of flash irradiation when the calculated temperature integrated value deviates from a preset range between an upper limit value and a lower limit value.

Abstract: A vehicle cleaner system according to the present invention includes: cleaner units that eject cleaning fluid to on-vehicle objects to be cleaned; motor pumps that supply the cleaning fluid to the cleaner units; normally closed solenoid valves provided between the cleaner units and the motor pumps to switch between allowance and disallowance of the transfer of the cleaning fluid from the motor pumps to the cleaner units; and a cleaner control unit that controls the motor pumps and the solenoid valves. The cleaner control unit sets an operation stop time t2, for which at least one of a motor pump and a solenoid valve is stopped, and stops, on the basis of a predetermined condition, the operation of the at least one of the motor pump and the solenoid valve for the duration of the operation stop time t2 after the cleaning fluid is ejected to the object to be cleaned.

Abstract: Provided is a vehicle cleaner system with which it can be ascertained which cleaner has broken down. A vehicle cleaner system comprises: a plurality of cleaner units; a motor pump; an electromagnetic valve which switches between allowing and denying the movement of a cleaning liquid; a cleaner control unit; and a plurality of protection determination units that protect the electromagnetic valve from being supplied with an overcurrent when the electromagnetic valve has short-circuited and is opened, and that notify the cleaner control unit that the electromagnetic valve has short-circuited and is opened. The cleaner control unit outputs, to a vehicle control unit, which electromagnetic valve is unavailable for use, on the basis of a signal that is acquired from the protection determination units and that indicates that the electromagnetic valve has short-circuited and is opened.

Abstract: Halogen lamps arranged in two, upper and lower, tiers to intersect each other in a lattice pattern are provided under a chamber for receiving a semiconductor wafer therein. In a location where the halogen lamps in the upper and lower tiers overlap each other, a reflector is provided such that an outer wall surface of a glass tube of each halogen lamp is open on upper and lower sides. In the location where the halogen lamps in the upper and lower tiers overlap each other, light emitted upwardly from a halogen lamp in the lower tier is transmitted through the open upper and lower portions of the outer wall surface of the glass tube of a halogen lamp in the upper tier, and is directed further upwardly. Thus, the light is prevented from entering the glass tube of the halogen lamp in the lower tier again.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer held by a susceptor in a chamber is irradiated with halogen light radiated from a plurality of halogen lamps to be heated. A stainless steel block having an opening in a cylindrical shape is provided between the chamber and the halogen lamps. This reduces a distance from a light emitting portion in a light source region in which the plurality of halogen lamps is arranged, throughout the entire circumference of the opening in a cylindrical shape, so that the amount of reflected light from the inner wall surface of the opening toward the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer becomes uniform. This causes a uniform increase in illuminance of the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer, where temperature tends to decrease, at the time of light irradiation from the halogen lamps, so that in-plane temperature distribution of the semiconductor wafer can be made uniform.

Abstract: After treatment of a preceding lot is completed, warm up treatment is started. In the warm up treatment, an in-chamber structure such as a susceptor is kept at a constant heat-retaining temperature by light irradiation from a halogen lamp. When a signal to pay out a lot is received while the warm up treatment is performed, the treatment proceeds to conditioning treatment. In the conditioning treatment, the in-chamber structure like the susceptor and so on is temperature-controlled to a stable temperature by repeatedly performing light irradiation on a dummy wafer held on the susceptor, the light irradiation being similar to that performed on a semiconductor wafer included in a lot to be treated. Performing the conditioning treatment after the warm up treatment is performed enables the in-chamber structure to be temperature-controlled to the stable temperature in a short time.

Abstract: A transportation preparation operation for transporting a semiconductor wafer from a treatment chamber is started before a temperature of the semiconductor wafer decreases to a transportable temperature. A gate valve is closed after a treatment on the semiconductor wafer is started, and an operation of transporting the semiconductor wafer into the treatment chamber is completed. A period of time for treating the semiconductor wafer and a period of time for transporting the semiconductor wafer in and out are overlapped with each other, thus a time required for transporting the semiconductor wafer W into and out of the treatment chamber can be reduced.

Abstract: In a coasting control process, an ECU increases line pressure PL of a hydraulic path to predetermined pressure P1 such that discharge pressure of an MOP becomes higher than that before a C1 clutch is disengaged at timing when an executing condition of coasting control is satisfied (time t=t1). According to such coasting control process, driving torque of the MOP increases, so that deceleration (deceleration G) caused by driving of the MOP by a drive wheel becomes larger than that in conventional coasting control in which the discharge pressure of the MOP is not increased. As a result, it is possible to inhibit a driver from feeling discomfort due to free-running feeling generated during the coasting control.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer is preheated with a halogen lamp, and then is heated by irradiation with a flash of light emitted from a flash lamp. The preheating with the halogen lamp is continued for a short time even after the flash lamp turns off. A radiation thermometer measures a front surface temperature and a back surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer. A temperature integrated value is calculated by integration of temperatures of the semiconductor wafer measured during a period from a start of the flash irradiation to an end of the heating of the semiconductor wafer. It is determined that the semiconductor wafer is cracked at the time of flash irradiation when the calculated temperature integrated value deviates from a preset range between an upper limit value and a lower limit value.

Abstract: A continuous lighting lamp irradiates a semiconductor wafer held by a quartz susceptor with light from below to perform preliminary heating, and then irradiation of a flash of light is performed by a flash lamp from above. A light absorption ring is provided so as to be close to a peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer held by the susceptor. The light absorption ring absorbs infrared light and transmits visible light through itself. During preliminary heating, the light absorption ring absorbs light emitted from the continuous lighting lamp to be increased in temperature so that heat radiated from the peripheral portion of the wafer is compensated to cause in-plane temperature distribution of the semiconductor wafer to be uniform. Meanwhile, the flash of light is transmitted through the light absorption ring, so that the light absorption ring is prevented from being damaged by the irradiation of the flash of light.

Abstract: After treatment of a preceding lot is completed, warm up treatment is started. In the warm up treatment, an in-chamber structure such as a susceptor is kept at a constant heat-retaining temperature by light irradiation from a halogen lamp. When a signal to pay out a lot is received while the warm up treatment is performed, the treatment proceeds to conditioning treatment. In the conditioning treatment, the in-chamber structure like the susceptor and so on is temperature-controlled to a stable temperature by repeatedly performing light irradiation on a dummy wafer held on the susceptor, the light irradiation being similar to that performed on a semiconductor wafer included in a lot to be treated. Performing the conditioning treatment after the warm up treatment is performed enables the in-chamber structure to be temperature-controlled to the stable temperature in a short time.

Abstract: An atmosphere of ammonia that absorbs infrared light in a wavelength band overlapping with the measurement wavelength band of a radiation thermometer is formed in a chamber in which a semiconductor wafer is thermally treated. A filter that selectively transmits infrared light having a wavelength not overlapping with the absorption wavelength band of ammonia is installed between an optical lens system and a detector of the radiation thermometer to avoid influence of the infrared light absorption by ammonia. A conversion table corresponding to the installed filter is selected from a plurality of conversion tables representing a correlation between energy of infrared light incident on the radiation thermometer and temperature of a black body, and is used at the radiation thermometer. Accordingly, the temperature of the semiconductor wafer can be accurately measured in the atmosphere of ammonia.

Abstract: In a state where nothing is held on a quartz susceptor provided in a chamber, a lower chamber window made of quartz is heated to and maintained at a stable temperature by light irradiation from a continuous lighting lamp. Then, immediately before a semiconductor wafer to be treated is transferred into the chamber, an object to be heated that absorbs infrared light is held on the susceptor, and the object to be heated is heated by light irradiation from the continuous lighting lamp. The susceptor is preliminary heated to a stable temperature by the heated object to be heated. The lower chamber window and the susceptor are each heated to the stable temperature when a semiconductor wafer to be treated first is transferred into the chamber, so that temperature histories of all semiconductor wafers constituting one lot can be made uniform. This enables dummy running, before a semiconductor wafer to be treated first is transferred, to be eliminated.

Abstract: The hydraulic control device includes: a mechanical variable-capacity oil pump; and an electronic control unit configured to calculate a target discharge volume of the mechanical variable-capacity oil pump using a plurality of parameters of the transmission, and control the mechanical variable-capacity oil pump based on the target discharge volume.