Abstract: Provided are a semiconductor laser device capable of increasing an emission angle of a laser beam, an astigmatic correction plate used therefor and a method of arranging the astigmatic correction plate. In order to correct the astigmatism of a laser beam emitted from a first laser light source or a second laser light source, the astigmatic correction plate is arranged so as to intersect diagonally an optical center line (an optical axis) of the laser beam, and the astigmatic correction plate, the first light source and the second light source are arranged so that an optical axis of the first laser light source coincides with a center line (CL) of an effective diameter of an aperture and a distance from the second laser light source to the astigmatic correction plate in a direction parallel to the optical axis is shorter than a distance from the first laser light source to the astigmatic correction plate.

Abstract: A method of production and a method of polishing a semiconductor device and a polishing apparatus, capable of easily flattening an initial unevenness of a metal film, excellent in efficiency of removal of an excess metal film, and capable of suppressing damage to an interlayer insulation film below the metal film when flattening the metal film by polishing, the polishing method including the steps of interposing an electrolytic solution including a chelating agent between a cathode member and the copper film, applying a voltage between the cathode member used as a cathode and the copper film used as an anode to oxidize the surface of the copper film and forming a chelate film of the oxidized copper, selectively removing a projecting portion of the chelate film corresponding to the shape of the copper film to expose the projecting portion of the copper film at its surface, and repeating the above chelate film forming step and the above chelate film removing step until the projecting portion of the copper film

Abstract: A method of heat-treating a nitride compound semiconductor layer, comprising heating a nitride compound semiconductor layer doped with a p-type impurity at a temperature that is at least 200° C. but less than 400° C. for at least 100 minutes.

Abstract: When a Levenson phase-shift mask is manufactured, the relationship of optical conditions (numerical aperture, partial coherence factor, and others) of an optical system of an exposure device used for exposure and a mask structure (amount of excavation of a substrate, thickness of a phase shifter, or the like) with displacement of a pattern to be transferred by exposure is sought by simulation, and optical conditions and a mask structure that limit displacement of the pattern within a required range are selected, taking manufacturing errors of the mask into consideration. Then the selected optical conditions and mask structure are examined to determine whether they ensure a desired exposure tolerance and a desired focal depth, and this procedure is repeated until an acceptable result is obtained.

Abstract: First and second integrating circuits are connected to both terminals of an impact sensor, and a difference between integration outputs of the integrating circuits is obtained by a differential amplifier. Voltage waveforms result from an input offset voltage in output terminals of the first and second integrating circuits and thereby cancel each other out. In essential impact detection, a comparator compares a differential output of the differential amplifier with a threshold level, whereby impact detection is performed.

Abstract: An active-matrix-type liquid crystal display device supplies signal potentials to signal lines of a liquid crystal display panel according to a time-division drive method using time-division switches. The low-level potential of select pulses to be supplied from a select pulse generating circuit to CMOS analog switches of the time-division switches is set to be lower than the low-level potential of a signal potential output from a horizontal drive circuit. With this arrangement, even if the signal potential of a non-selected signal line is decreased due to the crosstalk of a signal potential from a selected signal line to the non-selected signal line, the generation of insufficient contrast and non-uniformity of the luminance in the horizontal direction can be prevented. As a consequence, a high image quality is maintained.

Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device featuring a reducing operating voltage while maintaining a good disturbance characteristic and high speed in a write operation, including a gate insulating film and gate electrode stacked on a channel forming region of a semiconductor provided on the surface of a substrate and planarly dispersed charge storing means such as carrier traps in a nitride film or near the interface with the top insulating film, provided in the gate insulating film, the gate insulating film including an FN tunnel film having a dielectric constant larger than that of a silicon oxide film and exhibiting an FN electroconductivity, whereby the thickness of the gate insulating film, converted to that of a silicon oxide film, can be reduced and the voltage can be reduced.

Abstract: An image transcription method of transcribing an image of the dye on a printing sheet outputted by e.g., a video printer onto a substrate for transcription, such as a cup of pottery or the like. For transcription, a resin is coated on the surface of the substrate for transcription to form a reception layer. This reception layer is dried in an electrical oven to form a support for transcription. A printing sheet carrying an image of a sublimable dye is stacked on the reception layer of the support for transcription and pressured to the reception layer under application of heat and pressure. As the resin for the reception layer, the acrylic resin or the epoxy resin or both are employed. If the resin composed mainly of the acrylic resin is employed, the viscosity of the resin is set to 43 to 52 seconds in terms of the Ford cup viscosity, and the resin discharge pressure from a spray gun is set to 35 kg/m2±0.01 kg.cm2.

Abstract: To make it possible to mount micro ball electrodes of a semiconductor device of CSP (chip size package) or BGA (ball grid array) type, to reduce the diameter of the electrode forming hole, to make fine the pattern of the wiring film, to improve precision of the external accuracy, and to facilitate production. A plurality of wiring films (4) are formed on one surface part of the base (5) of an insulating resin such that said film surface is positioned flush with said base surface and at least part of the wiring films overlap the electrode forming hole (8) of said base, each electrode forming hole (8) is buried with an electrically conductive material and the external electrode (6) projecting to the opposite side of the wiring film is formed, and the semiconductor chip (14) is flip-chip-connected onto said one surface of the base (5).

Abstract: The present invention is concerned with an objective lens for an optical pickup, which is made up by a single lens of a meniscus structure, and which includes, looking sequentially from a light source side, a first surface S1 formed by an aspherical surface, having a positive refractive power, and a second surface S2, formed by an aspherical surface, having a negative refractive power, with the numerical aperture (NA) of the lens being not less than 0.8.

Abstract: This invention provides a liquid crystal display device having a partial screen display mode, in which a latch control circuit (17) first stores white data or black data as color data of one line to latch circuits (121), (131) at the beginning of an image non-display period and then repeatedly reads out and outputs the color data to respective column lines in a display area (11) until the display period ends, thereby stopping the operation to write data to the latch circuits (121), (131) substantially during the entire image non-display period.

Abstract: In an information processing apparatus, a portable device, an electronic pet apparatus, recording medium storing information processing procedures and an information processing method, various kinds of data is transmitted via a network, and in addition, words can be catalogued via voice. Further, various responses are made in accordance with user authentication, voice inputs and responses are classified into categories which are used as a basis for generating a response. Furthermore, the emotion of the electronic pet can be changed on the basis of a past history.

Abstract: In an image pickup device, a single refractive index distribution lens having a refractive index distribution which is substantially proportional to the square of the distance from an optical axis in a cross-section vertical to the optical axis is provided as an imaging lens in the neighborhood of the imaging face of an image pickup element. Specifically, the positional relationship between the image pickup element and the lens is fixed by adhesion of organic solvent or the like. Further, an infrared-ray cut filter is formed on the light incident face of the refractive index distribution lens.

Abstract: To provide a mask able to prevent a drop in pattern position accuracy due to the influence of internal stress of a membrane and able to align patterns including complementary divided patterns precisely, a method of producing the same, and a method of producing a semiconductor device. A stencil mask having lattice-shaped struts formed by etching a silicon wafer on four regions of a membrane wherein the lattices are offset from each other in the four regions and all of the struts are connected to other struts or the silicon wafer around the membrane (frame), a method of producing a stencil mask, and a method of producing a semiconductor device.

Abstract: A liquid crystal panel of any type is improved in display quality by adjusting a gap size with high accuracy and uniformity, a liquid crystal display and a liquid crystal projector adopting the liquid crystal panel of the present invention. A manufacturing method for such a liquid crystal panel at a low cost with high productivity is also disclosed. The liquid crystal panel is composed generally of first and second substrates opposed to each other with a given gap defined therebetween and a liquid crystal layer filling this given gap. One surface of the first substrate adjacent to the liquid crystal layer is formed with a planarizing film having a flat surface on the liquid crystal layer side. A plurality of pixels in the form of a matrix are formed on the flat surface of the planarizing film, and a light shielding region is formed between any adjacent ones of the pixels by a black matrix and a signal line.

Abstract: A clock generation circuit for generating clocks having a plurality of frequencies by which a suitable frequency for each task can be supplied such that the power consumption is reduced. A clock generation unit is provided for generating a clock with a constant frequency, with a counter operating in synchronization with the clock for counting pulses of the clock, a comparator for comparing a counter value of the counter with the number of pulses of a clock having a desired frequency, and an output gate for controlling the supply and stopping of pulses of the clock input from the clock generation unit based on a comparison result of the comparator.

Abstract: A stencil mask is disclosed which can be produced by performing pattern correction in a practically applicable comparatively short period of time. When stencil mask pattern data are corrected by a stress analysis, displacement amounts are calculated for those of stencil hole patterns which have a size equal to or greater than a predetermined size. As a result, stencil mask pattern data having corrected patterns are obtained in a comparatively short period of time which can be applied industrially. By producing a stencil mask based on the patterns, a stencil mask in which a desired pattern is formed is obtained.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical information recording/reproduction apparatus and an optical pickup apparatus in which the configuration of a light receiving element is optimized particularly in a focus error signal and/or tracking error signal. Thereby, the offset due to the stray light generated from the light emitted from a light emitting element which is incident directly onto the light receiving element without incidence onto a recording medium is equalized approximately to 0.

Abstract: A slider for an optical head for signal recording and/or reproduction on or from a recording medium which, even if reduced in size, assures optimum signal recording and/or reproduction on or from a recording medium, and which may be produced readily. The slider for the optical head includes a slider member for floating and running over a recording medium during recording and/or reproduction of information signals for the recording medium, an optical lens bonded to the slider member and a magnetic field generating unit provided on a surface of the slider member carrying the optical lens facing the recording medium. The slider member is formed with a terminal groove opened in a its surface facing the recording medium and in its lateral surface, with an electrically conductive material being charged in the terminal groove. The electrically conductive material charged forms a terminal electrically connected to the magnetic field generating unit.

Abstract: There are provided a multilayer disc manufacturing apparatus and method, capable of computing a rotational eccentricity of a disc with no contact with the disc and a high accuracy, and producing the disc with lower costs without having to rotate the disc or perform any complicated operations. The multilayer disc manufacturing apparatus (100) is for manufacturing a multilayer disc by bonding one disc (220) to another disc (210).