Abstract: A diamond semiconductor includes a high-quality thin diamond film layer with few crystal defects and few impurities, implanted with ions of dopant elements and controllable in conductivity determined by a kind and a concentration of the dopant elements. The diamond semiconductor is fabricated by a method including the step of implanting ions of dopant elements into a high-quality thin diamond film layer with few crystal defects and few impurities under conditions that can attain given distribution of concentrations of the dopant elements and with the high-quality thin diamond film layer kept to a temperature in accordance with the conditions so as not to be graphitized, to thereby enable the diamond semiconductor to have conductivity determined by a kind and a concentration of the dopant elements.

Abstract: A ultra fine particle film forming apparatus is provided which is capable of forming a ultra fine particle film which has ultra fine particles sufficiently bonded together, sufficient density, flat surface and uniform density. A planarized ultra fine particle film forming method for forming a planarized ultra fine particle film from a deposited film of ultra fine particles formed by supplying the ultra fine particles to a substrate, the method comprising one or more of a planarizing step of planarizing a surface of the deposited film of the ultra fine particles supplied to the substrate.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of measuring the internal structure (packing structure or dispersion condition of particulate material) of a composite filled with particles having an irregular matrix by observations based on its optical anisotropy, in which the internal structure (packing structure or dispersion condition of particulate material) of the composite obtained by mixing particulate material as raw material with a liquid material is made visible by utilizing the photoelasticity based on local rearrangement of liquid material molecules or difference of refractive indices of the particulate material and liquid material, and the structure thereof are observed, and an evaluation device using this principle of measurement.

Abstract: A surface-type light amplifier device has an active layer of a light amplification section sandwiched between an n-type semiconductor cladding layer that is an n-type semiconductor layer and a p-type semiconductor multilayer reflecting mirror. The light amplification section is attached to a transparent substrate on the side of the n-type semiconductor cladding layer. A plurality of divided electrodes form electrical continuity relative to the p-type semiconductor multilayer reflecting mirror via a p-type cap layer provided on the reflecting mirror. An electrode forming electrical continuity relative to the n-type semiconductor cladding layer is connected to a wiring conductor provided on the surface of the transparent substrate. The device enables amplification of a single, uniform, large diameter beam and oscillation of a laser.

Abstract: The present invention provides a bioassay system, for detection of hazardous chemical substances, natural toxic substances in the environment and unknown toxic compounds, with high sensitivity, simplicity and speed. The invention provides cells and a method of using the cells for use in the bioassay system. The cell provided by the invention contains a heat shock factor binding DNA sequence and a transcriptional regulatory sequence necessary on an occasion of stress induction as a transcriptional regulatory factor binding site. The cell also possesses a reporter gene under the control of the promoter. The reporter gene is connected, on the downstream side, to the SV40pA signal without any intervening intron.

Abstract: A method is provided for adjusting the optical axis of a light transmission path that includes a plurality of optical components. The method uses an apparatus to sequentially adjust the optical axis of one or more of the optical components, using a probabilistic search technique to obtain optimum evaluation value with respect to light transmitted through the light transmission path.

Abstract: A main object of the present invention is to provide a novel optical power limiting material of high performance being less susceptible to damages caused by heat occurring when an intensified laser beam is irradiated, having reversible characteristic and exhibiting a stable optical power limiting effect; production of the optical power limiting is simple and economical. The optical power limiting material of the present invention comprises a transparent substrate and an oxide(s) of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Nb, Mo, Ru, In, Sn, Sb, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir and Bi.

Abstract: This invention provides a complex oxide comprising the features of : (i) being represented by the formula:(A0.4B0.1M0.1)x/0.6Co2Oy wherein A and B are elements differing from each other, each represents Ca, Sr or Ba, M represents Bi, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb or Lu, 1.7≦x≦2, and 3.8≦y≦5, (ii) having a Seebeck coefficient of 100 &mgr;V/K or more at a temperature of 100 K (absolute temperature) or higher and (iii) having an electrical resistivity of 10 m&OHgr;cm or less at a temperature of 100 K (absolute temperature) or higher. The complex oxide of the invention is a material composed of low-toxicity elements existing in large amounts, the material having superior heat resistance and chemical durability and a high thermoelectric conversion efficiency in a temperature range of 600 K or higher which falls in the temperature range of waste heat.

Abstract: The present invention provides a single-phase lithium ferrite based oxide which is suitable as a cathode material for a secondary battery, a process for preparing the oxide, and its uses, the oxide having a layered rock salt-type structure and comprising lithium ferrite (LiFeO2)−Li2-xMO3-y solid solution wherein M is at least one species selected from the group consisting of Mn, Ti and Sn, 0≦x<2, 0≦y≦1 such that the proportion of iron is 0.1≦Fe/(Fe+M)≦0.9.

Abstract: A digital system that performs a specified function by performing digital processing according to one or more clock signals is provided with a plurality of delay elements which are respectively inserted in a plurality of clock circuits that supply the clock signals in the digital system and each of which is composed of a circuit element that changes a delay time according to a value indicated by a control signal, and a plurality of holding circuits that hold a plurality of control signals to be given to the plurality of delay elements. In the plurality of holding circuits, a value of the control signals held by these holding circuits is changed by external devices according to a probabilistic search technique so that the digital system operates correctly in relation to operation timing.

Abstract: An image coding apparatus including a context generator configured to select a reference pixel that has been coded in image data to generate a context formed of the selected reference pixel, an entropy encoder configured to code the image data based on the context to generate coded data, an evaluation value calculator configured to calculating a compression ratio based on the image data and the coded data to output the compression ratio, and an adaptive evolution processor configured to perform adaptive evolution based on the compression ratio to find optimal reference pixels for the image data, the optimal reference pixels being supplied to the context generator for optimizing the context.

Abstract: There is proposed a high-sensitive TMR element wherein the selection of electronic state contributing to tunnel conduction is optimized. In this invention, a junction plane between a ferromagnetic layer (210) having a bcc structure and a tunnel barrier layer (310) is constituted by (211) plane or (110) plane of the ferromagnetic layer (210). The tunnel barrier layer (310) is formed of a thin aluminum oxide film which is formed through two stages, i.e. a first stage wherein an aluminum film having a thickness of 1 nm or less is formed on the surface of a magnetic metal by taking advantage of the excellent wettability of aluminum to the surface of metallic film, the resultant aluminum film being subsequently naturally oxidized or oxidized by oxygen radical; and a second stage wherein an aluminum thin film is formed directly from an aluminum flux in an oxygen atmosphere or an atmosphere of oxygen radical.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for the production of an oxide of a metal A by heating precursors of the oxide of a metal A, in the presence of an oxygen partial pressure control agent comprising an oxide of a metal B that is capable of assuming multiple valence numbers. The process is carried out under a condition that an ionization tendency relationship of Ai+<Bj+<A0 is satisfied, where i is a valence number of the metal A in the oxide to be produced and j is a valence number of the metal B in the oxygen partial pressure control agent.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photolithographic pattern-forming material capable of giving a fine patterned resist layer rapidly and being used repeatedly. The pattern-forming material is a multilayered body comprising a substrate and a photoresist layer thereon which is overlaid with a three-layered composite film for near-field light generation consisting of an intermediate layer of a non-linear optical material such as antimony sandwiched between two dielectric layers. When irradiated with active rays focused on the optically nonlinear layer, a fine optical window or light scattering point is formed therein where a near-field light is generated to pattern-wise expose the photoresist layer.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a proton-conducting membrane excellent in resistance to heat and durability and showing excellent proton conductivity at high temperature. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing the same and fuel cell using the same. The present invention provides a proton-conducting membrane, comprising an organic material (A), three-dimensionally crosslinked structure (B) containing a specific metal-oxygen bond, agent (C) for imparting proton conductivity, and water (D), wherein the organic material (A) has a number-average molecular weight of 56 to 30,000, and at least 4 carbon atoms connected in series in the main chain, and the organic material (A) and three-dimensionally crosslinked structure (B) are bound to each other via a covalent bond.

Abstract: A carborane supercluster consisting of carborane (C2B10H12) as its constituent unit expressed as a molecular formula C2mB10mH12m-x, where x is a positive integer (i.e., x=1, 2, 3, . . . ) and m is an integer greater than unity (i.e., m=2, 3, . . . ). The parameter x represents the count of removed or detached hydrogen atoms. The parameter a represents the count of the clusters linked together. To produce the supercluster, carborane (C2B10H12) is ionized in a reaction chamber to generate carborane ions and then, the carborane ions thus generated are successively reacted with the remaining neutral (i.e., non-ionized) carborane (C2B10H12), thereby generating the carborane supercluster. Preferably, the cluster of the carborane consists of at least two of o-carborane, m-carborane, and p-carborane.

Abstract: An optical device and a recording medium are provided with a recording layer for recording information by radiation of light, and a mask layer which is formed closely to the recording layer, reduces its transmittance of light due to light or heat, and transmits light to the recording layer by using a near-field effect. An optical reproducing and recording method includes the steps of: emitting a laser beam onto the mask layer, generating a near field around an area of the mask layer that has transmittance being reduced by the laser beam, and reproducing or recording optical information in the recording layer by interaction between the near field and the recording layer. With this method, it is possible to provide the optical device, recording medium, and optical reproducing and recording method that can realize a high S/N ratio upon reproducing and recording and that can readily form a recording mark.

Abstract: A digital system that performs a specified function by performing digital processing according to one or more clock signals is provided with a plurality of delay elements which are respectively inserted in a plurality of clock circuits that supply the clock signals in the digital system and each of which is composed of a circuit element that changes a delay time according to a value indicated by a control signal, and a plurality of holding circuits that hold a plurality of control signals to be given to the plurality of delay elements. In the plurality of holding circuits, a value of the control signals held by these holding circuits is changed by external devices according to a probabilistic search technique so that the digital system operates correctly in relation to operation timing.

Abstract: A butadiene polymer (i) having a cis bond unit content of at least 50% based on the total butadiene units, a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 1,000 to 10,000,000, and at least 80%, based on the total molecular chains, of living chains containing a transition metal of group IV of the Periodic table at a terminal thereof; a polymer (ii) obtained by modifying terminals of the polymer (i); and a polymer (iii) obtained by coupling the polymers (i). These polymers (i), (ii) and (iii) are obtained by polymerizing a conjugated diene monomer alone or with a copolymerizable monomer at a specific temperature in the presence of a catalyst comprising a compound (A) of a transition metal of group IV of the periodic table having a cyclopentadienyl structure and a co-catalyst (B) selected from organoaluminum-oxy compound (a) and others and optionally further by contacting the resultant polymer with a terminal modifier or a coupling agent.

Abstract: A method for control of a cooperative object-transporting robot, in which a man and a robot transport a long object or a large-sized object while grasping each of the ends of the object. An angle of a hand-tip of the robot is detected by angle sensors, and based on the sensor signals, a motion instruction for a translational motion of the hand-tip in the vertical direction is output so as to keep the posture of the object horizontal.