Abstract: A focus controller for focusing a light beam and positioning the focused light beam onto a signal recording layer of a signal recording media is disclosed. The controller comprises a light beam focusing means having a numerical aperture of 0.6 or more; a focus controlling means for positioning the light beam focused by the light beam focusing means onto the signal recording layer of the recording media; and an offset adjusting means for adjusting an offset between the focused light beam positioned by the focus controlling means and the signal recording layer of the recording media.

Abstract: By providing an area of a smaller numerical aperture and an area of a greater numerical aperture on an objective lens, forming holograms of different characteristics corresponding to the respective areas, and using diffracted light beams of the same order of light beams having different wavelengths emitted from two light sources so as to carry out recording to and reproduction from an optical disc, it is possible to carry out recording and reproduction of information signals to and from a plurality of optical recording media of different types while efficiently using the light beams, and to eliminate the problem of a stray light due to an unwanted diffracted light.

Abstract: In white balance adjustment adopting a feedback control technique, after white balance has been established at a certain color temperature, a lead-in limiting frame may be shifted following the establishment of the white balance, causing an incorrect operation to be carried out for a next change in color temperature.

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: A tape cassette, in which a mouth portion opened forward, upward, and downward is provided in a front portion of a cassette shell containing tape reels around which a tape-like magnetic recording medium is wound, and part of the tape-like recording medium is positioned so as to cross the front end of the mouth portion, includes a front lid positioned on the front side of part of the tape-like recording medium positioned so as to cross the front end of the mouth portion; a slider movable forward and rearward, the slider being provided on the cassette shell; and a back lid positioned on the rear side of part of the tape-like recording medium positioned so as to cross the front end of the mouth portion, the back lid being separated rearward from the tape-like recording medium along with rearward movement of the slider. The tape cassette is characterized in that the back lid is supported on the slider, and each of the slider and the back lid is made from a good conductor, for example, stainless steel.

Abstract: A compound semiconductor substrate is manufactured by forming a higher-quality compound semiconductor layer having a smaller number of crystalline defects on a single-crystal substrate, and removing the single-crystal substrate without causing damage to the compound semiconductor layer. The method comprises the steps of forming the compound semiconductor layer (first, second and third compound semiconductor layers) on the single-crystal substrate (sapphire substrate) through crystal growth so as to partially have a space between the compound semiconductor layer and the single-crystal substrate; and removing the compound semiconductor layer from the sapphire substrate by irradiating the compound semiconductor layer from a side of the sapphire substrate with a laser beam passing through the single-crystal substrate and being absorbed in the compound semiconductor layer to melt an interface between the single-crystal substrate and the compound semiconductor.

Abstract: A voltage supply circuit capable of dealing with an abrupt change of a load by controlling an amount of increase of a power source voltage to be larger than an amount of reduction, supplying a stable operating power source voltage, and realizing lower power consumption while maintaining normal operation of a semiconductor integrated circuit is provided.

Abstract: This invention relates to a digital/analog converter circuit, a level shift circuit, a shift register containing this level shift circuit, a sampling latch circuit and a latch circuit as well as a liquid crystal display device mounted with these respective circuits, wherein a drive circuit integrated with the LCD device containing the digital/analog converter circuit has polysilicon thin film transistors arrayed in a matrix on the substrate as switching devices for the pixels, a level shift circuit in the shift register has a basic structure of CMOS latch cells and is utilized in each level shift of the clock signal at each transfer stage, a sampling latch circuit with a basic structure of CMOS latch cells has a level shift function, and these respective circuits may be incorporated into a single scanning type structural circuit with the drive circuit-integrated liquid crystal display device to provide an LCD panel with an extremely narrow picture frame, stable level shift operation, stable sampling & lat

Abstract: A concave design forming unit with the desired form is formed on the surface of a molded component for use in injection molding using a low melting point metal material. An injecting molding cavity of the predetermined shape is formed from a metal mold, and after mold curing the molten metal, the molded goods are removed from the injection molding cavity. The injection molding cavity is formed by a first metal mold unit and a second metal mold unit, the metal mold having a trapezoidal concave design forming unit with the predetermined height formed on the metal mold inside surface of the first metal mold unit or the second metal mold unit forming said injection molding cavity. The metal mold is heated to a predetermined metal mold temperature, and the molten metal heated to the predetermined molten temperature will be injected into the injection molding cavity of the heated metal mold at the predetermined injection rate.

Abstract: An active matrix circuit having a simplified circuit configuration is disclosed. The active matrix circuit includes selection lines extending along rows, signal lines extending along columns, active devices disposed at respective locations where the selection lines and the signal lines cross each other, a vertical scanning circuit for outputting selection pulses to sequentially scan the selection lines thereby selecting active devices, and a horizontal scanning circuit for outputting control pulses to open or close the respective signal lines thereby inputting or outputting a signal to selected active devices.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having a thin-film transistor for driving a pixel electrode and a storage capacity element on a substrate comprises the storage capacity element being formed to underlie a thin-film semiconductor layer forming said thin-film transistor. And its manufacturing method characterizes in making the storage capacity element on the substrate and making the thin-film transistor to overlie the storage capacity element via an inter-layer insulating film.

Abstract: An alternating current driven type plasma display device comprising a first panel and a second panel, said first panel having sustain electrodes formed on a first substrate and a dielectric material layer formed on the first substrate and the sustain electrodes, wherein the first panel and the second panel are bonded to each other in their circumferential portions, characterized in that the dielectric material layer has a thickness of 1.5×10−5 m or less.

Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing a nitride system III-V compound layer which improves the quality and facilitates the manufacturing process and a method of manufacturing a substrate employing the method of manufacturing a nitride system III-V compound layer. A first growth layer is grown on a growth base at a growth rate, in a vertical direction to the growth surface, higher than 10 &mgr;m/h. Subsequently, a second growth layer is grown at a growth rate, in a vertical direction to the growth surface, lower than 10 &mgr;m/h. The first growth layer grown at the higher growth rate has a rough surface. However, the second growth layer is grown at the lower growth rate than that used for growing the first growth layer, so that depressions of the surface of the first growth layer are filled and thus the surface of the second growth layer is flattened. Further, growth takes place laterally so as to fill the depressions of the surface of the first growth layer.

Abstract: An optical disc drive compatible with optical discs of different types, for example, is provided. For focusing, through an optical system used in common with the different types of optical discs, a laser beam emitted from a selected one of a plurality of light sources disposed apart from each other radially of the optical disc, the optical system is moved radially of the optical disc corresponding to the selection of the light source for emitting the laser light. Namely, it is possible to prevent the optical property from being deteriorated when a single optical pickup is used in common with such optical discs of different types.

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: The present invention provides a semiconductor device a comprising: a delayed-signal-generating circuit for delaying a reference pulse signal by a delay time caused by a delay component on a critical path of a target circuit by a selector included in the delayed signal generating circuit and, thereby, generating a delayed pulse signal; a detection-signal-generating circuit, having the same delay component as the selector, for generating a detection pulse signal delayed in phase by one cycle of a clock signal Ck with respect to the reference pulse signal; a delay-difference-detecting circuit for detecting a phase difference between the delayed pulse signal and the detection pulse signal; and a control circuit for adjusting the magnitude of a power-supply voltage VDD supplied to the target circuit according to the-phase difference detected by the delay-difference-detecting circuit.

Abstract: A thin film forming apparatus S having a vacuum chamber 1, a substrate 10, a thermal catalyst 5, and a heating means 5a for heating this thermal catalyst 5, wherein a gas introduction system 3 for feeding the gas is connected in the vacuum chamber 1, the gas is fed from this gas introduction system 3 to the vacuum chamber 1, and thin films are formed on the surface of the substrate 10 by utilizing a thermal decomposition reaction or catalytic reaction by the thermal catalyst 5, the gas introduction system 3 is for introducing a carrier gas containing hydrogen and a material gas for forming the thin film on the substrate 10, and the carrier gas is constantly fed into the vacuum chamber 1 at least during the formation of the thin film.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to create the optimum resonating condition to constantly decrease switching losses. A converter transformer capable of varying the leakage inductance is employed as a converter transformer, and a control circuit is arranged to detect an input voltage applied to a switching circuit and a voltage drop brought about in a current detecting resistor which allows a load current to flow. Thus, the leakage inductance of the converter transformer can be controlled.

Abstract: The invention relates to a digital-signal processing apparatus for playing back a digital signal recorded on a recording medium, wherein the digital signal is recorded onto the recording medium by delimiting the digital signal at predetermined time intervals into blocks and then processing each of the blocks to convert the digital signal into at least first coefficient data prescribing the amplitude of the digital signal or first coefficient data prescribing the amplitude of a component obtained as a result of conversion of the digital signal and second coefficient data for prescribing the waveform of the digital signal in conjunction with the first coefficient data, and the digital-signal processing apparatus selectively updates the first coefficient data of the digital signal recorded on the recording medium.

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).