Abstract: A transparent conductive film includes: a conductive stripe formed on a plastic support by a mask deposition process, the conductive stripe including a plurality of conductive lines made of a metal or an alloy having a film thickness of not less than 50 nm and not greater than 500 nm and a line width of not less than 0.3 mm and not greater than 1 mm in plan view and being arranged at an interval of not less than 3 mm and not greater than 20 mm; and a transparent conductive material layer formed to cover the plastic support and the conductive stripe, the transparent conductive material having a specific resistance of not greater than 4×10?3 ?·cm and a film thickness of not less than 20 ma and not greater than 500 nm.

Abstract: A structure body has a liquid-repellent surface exhibiting repellency to a liquid. The structure body includes: a substrate which has a base surface; and a plurality of projections which are arranged on the base surface of the substrate. The projections have a characteristic angle defined as an angle between a lateral surface of each of the projections and a plane that intersects with the lateral surface and is parallel to the base surface, the angle being taken inside the projection on the lateral surface and in a side of the base surface on the plane. The characteristic angle of the projections is smaller than 90° and is smaller than a reference angle that is separately determined as a static contact angle of the liquid with respect to a reference surface that is smooth and has a chemical state identical to a chemical state of the lateral surface of the projection.

Abstract: In order to simply produce a microstructured body in which metal particles are arranged so as to be fixed to depressions of a metal substrate having at a surface a structure of protrusions and the depressions, a process for producing the microstructured body includes the steps of: (A) preparing a metal substrate 11 with a surface having a structure of protrusions and depressions; (B) forming a metal film 21 on the surface of the metal substrate 11, where the metal film 21 contains as the main component a metal different from the constituent metal of the metal substrate 11; and (C) annealing the metal film so that the constituent metal of the metal film is coagulated into particles.

Abstract: A photoelectric converting device comprises: a first electrode layer having conductivity; a metal filled dielectric layer formed on said first electrode layer and comprising a dielectric base material in which a plurality of micropores are formed, and a plurality of conductive fine metal bodies made of a metal material which fills said plurality of micropores formed in said dielectric base material; a photoelectric converting layer that is formed on said metal filled dielectric layer and is made of a photoelectric converting material; and a second electrode layer having conductivity that is formed on said photoelectric converting layer; each of said fine metal bodies including a protruding unit that protrudes from said dielectric base material to within said photoelectric converting layer, and being electrically connected to said first electrode layer; said photoelectric converting layer covering said protruding unit of each of said fine metal bodies.

Abstract: A method of measuring Raman signals comprises: an analyte placing step of placing an analyte on a detection surface of a microstructure plate which generates an enhanced electric field when irradiated with excitation light; an irradiating step of irradiating the detection surface with the excitation light so that the enhanced electric field is generated around the detection surface and light is emitted from the analyte and the detection surface to be enhanced by the generated enhanced electric field; a Raman signal obtaining step of detecting the enhanced light to obtain a Raman signal emitted from the analyte and a background signal for use as a reference, the Raman signal and the background signal having respective intensities; and a normalizing step of normalizing the Raman signal from the analyte by dividing the intensity of the Raman signal from the analyte by the intensity of the background signal obtained as the reference.

Abstract: A method of producing an inspection chip includes a microstructure producing step of producing a microstructure where metallic portions having dimensions permitting excitation of surface plasmons are formed and distributed on one surface of a substrate, a specimen attaching step of attaching a specimen to the surfaces of the metallic portions of the microstructure, and a metallic particle attaching step of attaching metallic particles having dimensions permitting excitation of surface plasmons to the metallic portions and the specimen, wherein the specimen is attached to the metallic portions to which no substance capable of specifically binding to the specimen is secured in the specimen attaching step, and/or the metallic particles to which no substance capable of specifically binding to the specimen is secured are attached to the specimen in the metallic particle attaching step.

Abstract: A mass spectroscope includes a mass analysis device having a surface provided with metallic members capable of exciting plasmons when irradiated by laser light, the mass analysis device allowing an analyte to be attached to the surface, a light radiation unit for irradiating the surface of the mass analysis device with laser light to ionize the analyte attached to the surface and desorb the analyte from the surface, and a detection unit for detecting a mass of the analyte ionized and desorbed from the surface of the mass analysis device from a time of flight of the analyte. The light radiation unit includes a polarization adjusting mechanism for adjusting a polarization direction of the laser light.

Abstract: In order to simply produce a microstructured body in which metal particles are arranged so as to be fixed to depressions of a metal substrate having at a surface a structure of protrusions and the depressions, a process for producing the microstructured body includes the steps of: (A) preparing a metal substrate 11 with a surface having a structure of protrusions and depressions; (B) forming a metal film 21 on the surface of the metal substrate 11, where the metal film 21 contains as the main component a metal different from the constituent metal of the metal substrate 11; and (C) annealing the metal film so that the constituent metal of the metal film is coagulated into particles.

Abstract: A part of a human body is caused to contact the surface layer of a recording medium over which a plurality of metallic grains with an outside size of 200 nm or less are distributed. Then, secretions from the skin surface of the body part are caused to adhere to the surface layer of the recording medium to take the print of the body part. If light is irradiated to the recording medium, specific optical characteristics resulting from the surface structure of the recording medium are obtained, and therefore the color of the recording medium varies between a region having secretions and a region having no secretions. This renders it possible to record a visible print on the recording medium.

Abstract: A photoelectric converting device comprises: a first electrode layer having conductivity; a metal filled dielectric layer formed on said first electrode layer and comprising a dielectric base material in which a plurality of micropores are formed, and a plurality of conductive fine metal bodies made of a metal material which fills said plurality of micropores formed in said dielectric base material; a photoelectric converting layer that is formed on said metal filled dielectric layer and is made of a photoelectric converting material; and a second electrode layer having conductivity that is formed on said photoelectric converting layer; each of said fine metal bodies including a protruding unit that protrudes from said dielectric base material to within said photoelectric converting layer, and being electrically connected to said first electrode layer; said photoelectric converting layer covering said protruding unit of each of said fine metal bodies.

Abstract: Provided are a steering device and a feed screw mechanism. The steering device is made so easy in the adjusting work of a backlash that it can eliminate the backlash reliably, even if the precision of the thread of a feed thread shaft or a feed nut is poor, thereby to improve the rigidity and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the feed screw mechanism. An upper-side end portion feed nut is urged upward of FIG. 8 by an upper-side disc spring so that an upper-side flank face of the thread ridge of the upper-side end portion fee nut is brought into close contact with the lower-side flank face of the thread ridge of a feed screw shaft. On the other hand, a lower-side end portion feed nut is urged downward of FIG. 8 by a lower-side disc spring so that a lower-side flank face of the thread ridge of the lower-side end portion fee nut is brought into close contact with the upper-side flank face of the thread ridge of the feed screw shaft.

Abstract: A device for Raman spectroscopy comprises a fine structure body provided with an array structure region, in which a plurality of recess areas having approximately identical shapes, as viewed from above, are arrayed regularly at approximately identical pitches. A surface of the fine structure body on the side of the array structure region acts as a light scattering surface. The fine structure body may be constituted of an un-anodized part of a metal body to be subjected to anodic oxidation processing, the un-anodized part remaining after a processing, wherein the anodic oxidation processing is performed on the metal body, a part of the metal body being thereby converted into a metal oxide layer, and wherein the metal oxide layer is removed from the metal body, has been performed.

Abstract: A Raman spectrum detecting method includes a liquid sample contacting step of placing a liquid sample containing a reference substance and a specimen in contact with a detection surface, the reference substance generating a known Raman spectrum having at least one peak therein that is different from peaks in a Raman spectrum generated by the specimen; a scattered light detecting step of irradiating the detection surface in contact with the liquid sample with an excitation light and detecting Raman scattered light occurring from the liquid sample; and a normalizing step of extracting a Raman spectrum signal of the reference substance and a Raman spectrum signal of the specimen from the signal detected in the scattered light detecting step and normalizing a signal intensity of the Raman spectrum signal of the specimen according to an intensity of the Raman spectrum signal of the reference substance.

Abstract: A near-field light-emitting element includes a transparent medium having a plane of incidence into which a laser beam enters, and a light-condensing plane on which the laser beam having entered the plane of incidence is concentrated, and a metal body provided on the light-condensing plane of the transparent medium having a first surface contacting the light-condensing plane, a second surface opposing the first surface, and an aperture which is formed to penetrate through the first and second surfaces at a position where the laser beam is concentrated and which emits a near-field light obtained from the laser beam. The metal body is arranged apart from a center of the aperture by a predetermined distance to connect together the first and second surfaces, and has a plasmon reflection plane that reflects toward the aperture a surface plasmon excited on the first and second surfaces by the laser beam concentrated at the aperture.

Abstract: A method of measuring Raman signals comprises: an analyte placing step of placing an analyte on a detection surface of a microstructure plate which generates an enhanced electric field when irradiated with excitation light; an irradiating step of irradiating the detection surface with the excitation light so that the enhanced electric field is generated around the detection surface and light is emitted from the analyte and the detection surface to be enhanced by the generated enhanced electric field; a Raman signal obtaining step of detecting the enhanced light to obtain a Raman signal emitted from the analyte and a background signal for use as a reference, the Raman signal and the background signal having respective intensities; and a normalizing step of normalizing the Raman signal from the analyte by dividing the intensity of the Raman signal from the analyte by the intensity of the background signal obtained as the reference.

Abstract: A mass spectroscope includes a mass analysis device having a surface provided with metallic members capable of exciting plasmons when irradiated by laser light, the mass analysis device allowing an analyte to be attached to the surface, a light radiation unit for irradiating the surface of the mass analysis device with laser light to ionize the analyte attached to the surface and desorb the analyte from the surface, and a detection unit for detecting a mass of the analyte ionized and desorbed from the surface of the mass analysis device from a time of flight of the analyte. The light radiation unit includes a polarization adjusting mechanism for adjusting a polarization direction of the laser light.

Abstract: A method of producing an inspection chip includes a microstructure producing step of producing a microstructure where metallic portions having dimensions permitting excitation of surface plasmons are formed and distributed on one surface of a substrate, a specimen attaching step of attaching a specimen to the surfaces of the metallic portions of the microstructure, and a metallic particle attaching step of attaching metallic particles having dimensions permitting excitation of surface plasmons to the metallic portions and the specimen, wherein the specimen is attached to the metallic portions to which no substance capable of specifically binding to the specimen is secured in the specimen attaching step, and/or the metallic particles to which no substance capable of specifically binding to the specimen is secured are attached to the specimen in the metallic particle attaching step.

Abstract: A first reflecting body, which has semi-transmissive semi-reflective characteristics, a light transmissive fine hole body having a plurality of fine holes, which are adapted to be filled with a light transmissive substance and have diameters sufficiently smaller than wavelengths of incident light, and a second reflecting body, which has perfect reflective characteristics or semi-transmissive semi-reflective characteristics, are located in this order from a light incidence side. Absorption characteristics for absorbing light having a specific wavelength are exhibited in accordance with a mean complex index of refraction of the first reflecting body, the mean complex index of refraction of the second reflecting body, and the mean complex index of refraction and a thickness of the light transmissive fine hole body. The incident light is modulated due to the absorption characteristics, and modulated light is radiated out from the first reflecting body and/or the second reflecting body.

Abstract: A near-field light-emitting element includes a transparent medium having a plane of incidence into which a laser beam enters, and a light-condensing plane on which the laser beam having entered the plane of incidence is concentrated, and a metal body provided on the light-condensing plane of the transparent medium having a first surface contacting the light-condensing plane, a second surface opposing the first surface, and an aperture which is formed to penetrate through the first and second surfaces at a position where the laser beam is concentrated and which emits a near-field light obtained from the laser beam. The metal body is arranged apart from a center of the aperture by a predetermined distance to connect together the first and second surfaces, and has a plasmon reflection plane that reflects toward the aperture a surface plasmon excited on the first and second surfaces by the laser beam concentrated at the aperture.

Abstract: The method of manufacturing a microstructure having metal microbodies which generate an enhanced electric field includes forming, in a substrate, micropores each of which opens out on a surface of the substrate, has an inside diameter that varies in a depth direction, and has in a tip portion thereof a narrower, outwardly projecting recess, filling the micropores with metal to form the metal microbodies each having at a tip portion thereof a projection made of the metal filled into the outwardly projecting recess, and removing at least part of the substrate from a metal microbody tip portion side to expose at least the projection at the tip portion of each of the metal microbodies. The resulting microstructure has metallic nanostructural elements that generate an enhanced electric field by an antenna effect at their pointed tips.