Abstract: A recording/playback apparatus accommodates a recording medium in a cassette shell and performs recording and/or playback with respect to the recording medium cassette provided with a cassette-side antenna connected to an in-cassette memory. The playback apparatus includes a recording/playback mechanism, a cassette holding member, a cassette passing member and an apparatus side antenna. The apparatus side antenna effects communication through the in-cassette memory and the cassette-side antenna. An electric wave transmission portion is formed in a portion of the cassette holding member opposed to the cassette-side antenna. The apparatus-side antenna is arranged in correspondence with the electric wave transmission portion.

Abstract: To provide an etching method capable of forming a cavity portion having a large space portion or a complicated structure by etching a sacrifice layer through a very fine etching opening at favorable accuracy in configuration. An etching process of a object is carried out by exposing the object to a processing fluid containing etching reaction seed (the third step S3, the fourth step S4), and then, the pressure in the processing chamber is reduced to make a density of the processing fluid around the object lower than that in the fourth step S4 (the first step S1). While the first step S1 to the first step S4 are repeated, in the third step S3 and the fourth step S4 executed after the first step S1, the processing fluid containing etching reaction seed is newly supplied to the processing atmosphere in which the object is placed to make the density of the processing fluid around the object higher than that in the first step S1.

Abstract: Amount information stored in an IC chip installed in a portable terminal has been encoded, and no key is contained in the same terminal for protection against unauthorized use. On the other hand, in order to allow the information to be viewed even offline, a portion of the information can be displayed by a specific application. After a viewer application is downloaded from a service provider, followed by mutual authentication with the IC chip, the application is enabled on the terminal, and the extent viewed is registered. Therefore, the amount information stored in the IC card or IC chip can be displayed even in an offline environment.