Abstract: A ligator comprises a ligation member formed of a bar-shaped body having a constant thickness in a region extending by at least prescribed length from one end of the ligation member. The ligation member has a front hole and a pair of side holes. The front hole is formed on one end surface of the ligation member. The front hole has a prescribed shape and a prescribed depth in the longitudinal direction of the ligation member. The pair of side holes are formed on opposite positions at one end portion of the ligation member so as to be substantially at right angles to the front hole. The front hole is located between the opposite positions. The side holes communicating with the front hole. The opposite ends of a ligature to be knotted passes through the front hole and the side holes.

Abstract: Soldering apparatus designed to apply soldering, by means of jetting out streams of molten solder, which is gathered in a solder bath, to a piece to be soldered carried in a predetermined direction. While jetting out molten solder from the solder bath, a drive means in the apparatus supplies drive for setting the relative position between the end of the jet-stream nozzle and the piece and a control means also available outputs control signals matching a predetermined condition to the drive means to carry out micro-adjustment of the jet-stream nozzle in short time with high accuracy. At the same time, remote operation can also be performed.

Abstract: A pilot opening to the outside is formed at one side end of a package for a solid-state image-pickup device and a guide opening to the outside is formed at a side end opposite to and approximately in parallel with the one side end of the package. The pilot is made to face a pilot pin projecting above a circuit board and a guide pin is inserted into the guide. The solid-state image-pickup device is then fixed at a prescribed position on the circuit board after the pilot comes into contact with the pilot pin. With a solid-state-,image-pickup device and a mounting method thus provided, package size does not become large and mounting is carried out with an extremely high positioning precision.

Abstract: An input device and an electronic apparatus using such an input device capable of providing visual amusement at the time of operating thereof and allowing the down sizing and thinning are provided. The input device has a reversible chromatic layer exhibiting color change in response to temperature change, and a sheet-type input portion laminated on the reversible chromatic layer and activates ON operation upon being pressed.

Abstract: When a current charge method is used as a method of detecting capacitance, there poses a problem in which S/N is deteriorated by a dispersion in element characteristics of a cell to be detected and when a voltage charge method is used, since parasitic capacitances of column sense lines are very large and accordingly, there is needed some devise for sampling electric charge charged to the capacitance. There are arranged unit cells having detection electrodes and cell selecting switches connected between the detection electrodes and column sense lines in an array shape, electric charge is charged from detecting circuits to the detection electrodes under constant charge voltage, and thereafter, the column sense lines are imaginarily grounded to thereby detect the capacitances formed between the detection electrodes and the surface of the finger in accordance with recesses and projections of a fingerprint via the column sense lines.

Abstract: A filter circuit is provided for suppressing an increase of circuit area, enabling easy circuit design, realizing a reduction of power consumption by a common control voltage operation, and able to stably control the cut-off frequency. The filter circuit includes a differential circuit and a control circuit. The differential circuit includes a first MOS transistor connected to a first current source and a second MOS transistor connected to a second current source. The control circuit controls the out currents of the first and second current source and provides a control signal to the first and second MOS transistors.

Abstract: A pattern formation method and method and apparatus for production of a semiconductor device using that method which irradiate light from a light source to a phase shifting mask through a fly's-eye lens comprised of an assembly of a plurality of lenses, transfer the pattern of the phase shifting mask onto the substrate, and form the pattern on the substrate, wherein the amount of light made incident upon the center portion of the fly's-eye lens is lowered by 2 to 90 percent, preferably 10 to 90 percent, further preferably 20 to 80 percent or 20 to 60 percent, relative to the amount of light incident upon the peripheral portion of the fly's-eye lens.

Abstract: A method for producing an aluminum nitride/aluminum base composite material comprising the steps of; (A) charging aluminum nitride powder into a container provided in a molten metal pressure apparatus, (B) applying pressure to the aluminum nitride powder in the container, (C) pouring a molten aluminum base material into the container, and, (D) applying pressure to the molten aluminum base material in the container to fill the aluminum base material in space between the aluminum nitride powder particles.

Abstract: An AM/FM radio receiver is integrated with a wireless phone unit. Preferably, a wireless headset communicates with the integrated unit to selectively provide both commercial radio audio and wireless telephony. A microphone unit allows the user to conduct a wireless telephone call from the headset.

Abstract: For manufacturing a thin film semiconductor device, first conducted is a film-making step to make a non-single-crystalline semiconductor thin film (4) on an insulating substrate (1). Next conducted is an annealing step to irradiate laser light (50) for once heating and melting the non-single-crystalline semiconductor thin film (4) and then changing it into a polycrystal in its cooling process. Thereafter, a processing step is conducted to form thin film transistors in an integrated form, which includes the polycrystalline semiconductor thin film (4) as their active layer. For the purpose of ensuring uniform crystallization and enlargement of grain sizes, in the annealing step, by using a laser oscillator (51) including an excimer laser source, the laser light (50) having a pulse width not shorter than 50 ns is shaped by an optical system (53) to form a rectangular cross-sectional area whose sides are not shorter than 10 mm to sequentially irradiate the semiconductor thin film (4).

Abstract: There is provided a long-life and highly reliable air ridge type semiconductor laser device having a multi-layer structure including a first cladding layer of n-Al0.7GaInP, an active layer of AlGaAs, a second cladding layer of p-Al0.7GaInP and a contact (capping) layer of p-GaAs epitaxially grown in this sequential order on a substrate of n-GaAs, in which the contact layer and an upper portion of the second cladding layer is etched to be a ridge stripe, and the second cladding layer comprises an upper layer, which constitutes the ridge stripe together with the contact layer, and a lower layer having a thickness of 0.3 &mgr;m, which is positioned below the upper layer and extend outwardly from the both lower ends of the upper layer, and further, the semiconductor laser device includes a protection layer being an epitaxially grown n-GaAs layer having a film thickness of 0.

Abstract: A detection circuit for a maximum amplitude value of a 3-phase signal wherein the three phase-signals having a phase difference of 120° from each other is converted to sampling data of digital values by an A/D converter circuit in every sampling period properly decided, and after that, when the coincidence of the values of any two phase-signals among three phase-signals is detected, the value of the remaining one phase-signal is taken as the maximum amplitude value. Thereby, an accurate maximum amplitude value can be obtained.

Abstract: In a Chemical Mechanical Polishing flattening processing against a surface with minute bumps and dips in a semiconductor process, this invention provides a method of polishing to be able to perform selective polishing of the bumps. A laser beam is irradiated selectively on the surface of a work piece in accordance with a shape of minute bumps and dips on the surface of the work piece, thereby performing a removal control for the minute region and enabling to selectively polish particularly surface bumps.

Abstract: The invention provides a high-density multilayer printed wiring board and a method for manufacturing a multilayer printed wiring board having high-density wiring that is formed easily.

Abstract: A remote control system included a remote commander and a control apparatus. The remote commander includes a first transmitting unit for transmitting a first command signal modulated based on a first carrier frequency by a first radio transmission medium in response to an input operation. The control apparatus includes a receiving unit for receiving a radio transmission signal transmitted from the remote commander by a first radio transmission unit, and a second transmitting unit for transmitting a second command signal modulated based upon a second carrier frequency by a second radio transmission medium. This second command signal is to control an operation of an electronic appliance designated by the remote commander among a plurality of electronic appliances based upon an output signal derived from the receiving unit.

Abstract: An ink jet printer (100) ejects ink drops from a plurality of nozzles and drops the ink drops on paper P, thus recording information including a character and/or an image in the form of dots based on the ink drops. The ink jet printer (100) has a line head (120) having a driving element for ejecting ink drops from the nozzles. The ink jet printer (100) causes the line head (120) to scan the same portion on the paper P only once in one print and drives the line head (120) to modulate the diameter of a dot by the number of ink drops, using one or a plurality of ink drops for forming one dot.

Abstract: A polycrystalline thin film of good quality is obtained by improving a crystallization process of a semiconductor thin film using laser light. After conducting a film forming step of forming a non-single crystal semiconductor thin film on a surface of a substrate, an annealing step is conducted by irradiating with laser light to convert the non-single crystal semiconductor thin film to a polycrystalline material. The annealing step is conducted by changing and adjusting the cross sectional shape of the laser light to a prescribed region. The semiconductor thin film is irradiated once or more with a pulse of laser light having an emission time width from upstand to downfall of 50 ns or more and having a constant cross sectional area, so as to convert the semiconductor thin film contained in an irradiated region corresponding to the cross sectional area to a polycrystalline material at a time. At this time, the energy intensity of laser light from upstand to downfall is controlled to apply a desired change.

Abstract: Provided is an electronic view finder for use in a video camera apparatus that by making the relative position between an LCD and an ocular lens unit proper can decrease the rotatory polarization characteristic and can thereby enhance the contrast of the image. When a liquid crystal image screen surface has the characteristic of Viewing-Angle that this screen surface is seen with its contrast or brightness being different according to the direction in which to see the screen surface, the center of an eye-cup opening portion (6) on the light emission side of an ocular lens unit (2) is shifted from an optical axis (3) of the ocular lens unit (2). Thereby, an observer's eye is guided to a position detached from the position corresponding to the optical axis (3) to see the liquid crystal image screen surface (1) from an oblique direction. It has been thereby arranged to enable the liquid crystal image screen surface to be observed with an excellent contrast.

Abstract: An electronic component mounting apparatus uses sensors and a controller to correct the position at which a component holder, generally a suction nozzle, captures a component, thus avoiding component capture errors and failures. More specifically, sensors detect a deviation amount between a predetermined location on a component absorbed by a suction nozzle and the suction position of the suction nozzle. The deviation amount is multiplied by a sensitivity coefficient, and the resulting adjusted deviation amount is then applied by the controller to correct the position of the suction nozzle when capturing a subsequent component. Accordingly, the subsequent component is absorbed by the suction nozzle normal to the component and at a position substantially centered with respect to the component, reducing the occurrence of suction errors.

Abstract: To enable to provide an inhibitor switch capable of maintaining an accurate ON/OFF state for a long period of time regardless of wear of a moving contact and having high durability.