Abstract: A magazine for spot welding electrodes that stores mini chips and can feed the mini chips one by one. A mini chip storage portion and a cap chip storage portion slidably aligning and storing a plurality of mini chips and a plurality of cap chips are formed such that the mini chip storage portion and cap chip storage portion communicate with each other at one of their ends, where they open to the outside to serve as a supply port. When an arm is inserted into the supply port, a cap chip is mounted to the arm, as well as the cap chip presses the mini chip so that the mini chip is also mounted to the chip base. When the mounting operation is complete, a push-out member pushes the mini chips and cap chips so that the mini chips and cap chips are automatically fed to the supply port.

Abstract: An electronic measuring wheel has a casing, a distance wheel and an operating shaft. The casing has a power supply, a seven-segment display and a sensor. The seven-segment display is mounted in the casing and is electrically connected to the power supply. The sensor is mounted on the seven-segment display in the casing and is electrically connected to the power supply and the seven-segment display. The distance wheel is rotatably connected to the casing and has a distance wheel axle and an induction ring. The distance wheel axle has an inner end mounted in the casing. The induction ring is mounted around the inner end of the distance wheel axle near the sensor. The operating shaft is connected to the casing.

Abstract: A device for characterizing the electro-optical performance of a semiconductor component includes a chamber containing a controlled atmosphere; a measuring head equipped with conductive probes for contacting the electrical interfaces of said component and connected to a data processing system in order to determine said electro-optical performance; and a staging fixture support to accommodate said component(s), the staging fixture being capable of being cooled and being moved in an upward and downward translational movement to bring the electrical interfaces of said component(s) into contact with the tip of the measuring probes of the measuring head. The staging fixture has bumps and the components are positioned in contact with these and the staging fixture accommodates, in the area of each of these bumps, two positioning grids which are capable of sliding relative to each other and cooperating with each other to define pockets suitable for accommodating the component(s) to be characterized.

Abstract: A gas sensor for measuring NOx concentration in measurement gas based on sensor output depending on an amount of the detected oxygen includes an oxygen concentration control part for controlling oxygen concentration in the measurement gas. The oxygen concentration control part allows a control of oxygen concentration in the measurement gas to set at a designated value even after being mounted on an automobile, so that dependency of the sensor output with respect to oxygen concentration can be quantitatively detected. The sensor output for detecting NOx concentration is corrected by estimating an amount of a change accompanying the sensitivity degradation of the sensor output with respect to NOx concentration on the basis of a difference between oxygen output characteristics of the sensor output of an actually-used sensor and oxygen output characteristics of a sensor in the initial state, and correcting the sensor output in accordance with the amount of the change.

Abstract: A lead-free brass material exhibiting excellent forgeability and dezincification resistance is provided. The brass material includes 61.0 to 63.0 wt % of Cu, 0.5 to 2.5 wt % of Bi, 1.5 to 3.0 wt % of Sn, 0.02 to 0.10 wt % of Sb, and 0.04 to 0.15 wt % of P, with the balance being substantially Zn. The brass material is a lead-free, free-cutting alloy which can be suitably applied to forging and which exhibits excellent mechanical properties and dezincification resistance without substantially subjecting the brass material to a heat treatment after forging.

Abstract: A resistive heating element 30 has a higher molybdenum carbide content in a central portion 35 than in a peripheral portion 34. Since molybdenum carbides have a low temperature coefficient of resistance compared to molybdenum, the amount of heat generated in the central portion 35 of the resistive heating element 30 does not increase as much as in the peripheral portion 34 even when the temperature is increased, and the increase in difference in temperature between the peripheral portion 34 and the central portion 35 can be suppressed. In other words, generation of hot spots near the center can be suppressed and a good uniform heating property in a wide range of operation temperatures can be obtained.

Abstract: When a product substrate passes a reference module which is an n-th module ahead of an inspection module in a transfer path, an inspection reservation signal for performing an inspection to a lot to which the product substrate belongs is outputted to the inspection module. When the inspection module is in trouble, the output of an inspection reservation signal for a product substrate is forbidden, and the product substrates to be transferred to the inspection module are transferred to a module which is next to the inspection module in a transfer order. When the trouble of the inspection module has been resolved and a substrate for confirmation inspection is preferentially transferred to the inspection module, an inspection reservation signal for the substrate for confirmation inspection is outputted, the substrate for confirmation inspection is transferred to the inspection module, and the confirmation inspection for the inspection module is performed.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of the present invention includes (a) a material preparation step of preparing a material containing lithium, manganese, and bismuth, and (b) a firing step of firing the material prepared by the material preparation step at a temperature of 830° C. to 1,000° C. In the material preparation step, the material is prepared such that the residual amount of bismuth in spinel-type lithium manganate yielded by the firing step is 0.01 mol % or less with respect to manganese.

Abstract: There are disposed two second substrate transferring apparatuses 60a and 60b, which are configured to transfer substrates W between substrate processing units 40 and a substrate accommodating part 30, in the up and down direction so as to correspond to the respective groups to which the plurality of substrate processing units 40 are divided. In addition, there is disposed a substrate displacing apparatus 35 that is configured to displace a substrate W, which has been transferred by a first substrate transferring apparatus 50 to the substrate accommodating part 30 and is not yet processed by the wafer processing unit 40, to another position in the up and down direction in the substrate accommodating part 30, as well as displace a substrate W, which has been processed by the wafer processing unit 40a and transferred by the second substrate transferring apparatus 60a to the substrate accommodating part 30, to another position in the up and down direction in the substrate accommodating part 30.

Abstract: In a liquid processing apparatus configured to remove, from a substrate including a first film and a second film formed above the first film, the first film and the second film, a first chemical-liquid supply part supplies, to a substrate W, a first liquid for dissolving the first film, a second chemical-liquid supply part supplies a second chemical liquid for weakening the second film, and a fluid supply part serving also as an impact giving part gives a physical impact to the second film so as to break the second film and supplies a fluid for washing away debris of the broken second film. A control device controls the respective parts such that, after the second liquid has been supplied and then the fluid has been supplied from the fluid supply part, the first chemical liquid is supplied.

Abstract: A device for oscillating an electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 0.1 THz to 3 THz from pump and idler waves by a parametric effect. The device includes a supporting body, an oscillating substrate made of a non-linear optical crystal, and an adhesive layer adhering the supporting body and oscillating substrate. The oscillating substrate includes an upper face, a bottom face and an incident face on which the pump wave is made incident. The oscillating substrate provides cut-off with respect to the electromagnetic wave oscillated by the parametric effect when the pump and idler waves propagate in parallel with the bottom face.

Abstract: A micro-bubble generating device is provided which is capable of mixing or dispersing micro-bubbles into a liquid with high stability and has a simple structure that permits reduction of a cost of manufacture. A first member and a first packing are superposed on each other on one side of a gas-permeable film, while a second member and a second packing are superposed on each other on the other side of the gas-permeable film. A pressurized gas delivered via a gas inlet of the first member flows through a fluid passage of the first packing, permeates through the gas-permeable film, and is ejected as micro-bubbles into a liquid flowing through a fluid passage in the form of a narrow shallow strip-like groove provided in the second packing.

Abstract: There is provided a coating method which can efficiently apply a coating liquid, such as a liquid resist, to the entire surface of a wafer even when the coating liquid is supplied in a smaller amount than a conventional one, and can therefore reduce the consumption of the coating liquid. The coating method includes: a first step of rotating the substrate at a first rotating speed while supplying the coating liquid onto approximately the center of the rotating substrate; a second step of rotating the substrate at a second rotating speed which is lower than the first rotating speed; a third step of rotating the substrate at a third rotating speed which is higher than the second rotating speed; and a fourth step of rotating the substrate at a fourth rotating speed which is higher than the second rotating speed and lower than the third rotating speed.

Abstract: A particulate matter detection device including a first electrode having one surface covered with a dielectric material; a second electrode which is disposed on the side of the one surface of the first electrode via a space where a gas including particulate matter flows and which performs one or both of the formation of a discharge and an electric field by a voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode; a pair of measurement electrodes disposed on the surface of the dielectric material so as to face each other; and a protective film disposed on the surfaces of the pair of measurement electrodes and having a volume resistivity of 10 ?cm to 1012 ?cm, where the variate of the electric properties between the pair of measurement electrodes is measured, and the amount of the collected particulate matter can be obtained.

Abstract: An optical laminate produced by a process for producing an anti-dazzling laminate comprising a light transparent base material and an anti-dazzling layer provided on the light transparent base material. The process includes providing the light transparent base material and forming the anti-dazzling layer having a concavoconvex shape on the light transparent base material, wherein the concavoconvex shape of the anti-dazzling layer satisfies the following requirements: Sm is not less than 100 ?m and not more than 600 ?m, ?a is not less than 0.1 degree and not more than 1.2 degrees, and Rz is more than 0.2 ?m and not more than 1 ?m, wherein Sm represents the average spacing of concavoconvexes or profile irregularities in the anti-dazzling layer; ?a represents the average inclination angle of the concavoconvexes or profile irregularities; and Rz represents the average roughness of the concavoconvexes or profile irregularities.

Abstract: There is provided a method for testing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator, wherein the displacement of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator is estimated on the basis of the relations between one or more frequency characteristic values selected from the group consisting of the heights and areas of the peaks of the resonance waveforms and the difference of the maximum and minimum of the first order or first to higher orders of the resonance frequency characteristic values of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator and the k-th order (k=1 to 4) of the first or first to higher orders of resonance frequencies. According to this piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator testing method, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator can be tested with high precision without actually driving the same as a product and without being accompanied by any disassembly/breakage.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a changeover mechanism which is able to change a connection state of an electric motor output shaft to any one of states including, “an IN-Connection State” in which a power transmission path is provided between a transmission input shaft and the electric motor output shaft, “an OUT-Connection State” in which a power transmission path is provided between the transmission output shaft and the electric motor output shaft, and “a neutral connection state” in which no transmission path therebetween is provided. The changeover is carried out based on a combination (area) of a vehicle speed V and a required driving torque T. As for the changeover, an IN-connection area, in which an electric-motor-driving-wheels-maximum-torque is larger than in an OUT-Connection State and in a neutral connection area, is enlarged.

Abstract: Apparatus for propping a device, comprising a platform, a bracket, a carriage and a backstay. The backstay is rotatable relative to the carriage and to the device. The carriage can be moved in a first direction, which can causes a device to move between a stowed position and a deployed position. Apparatus comprising a rotatable assembly and a device movable between stowed and deployed positions, a center of rotation of the device in the deployed position being at or displaced only substantially vertically from a center of gravity of the rotatable assembly. Apparatus comprising a platform mounting portion, a platform structure rotatably mounted thereon, a duct extending through the platform mounting portion and into a space within the platform structure, whereby fluid can be passed through the duct and into the enclosed space while the platform structure is rotating relative to the mounting portion. Methods of propping a device.