Abstract: An ultra-minute microscope for spectroscopy includes a rod-shaped lens having an index of refraction distribution gradient and capable of having a sample mounted on one end surface thereof, an element for projecting a laser beam into the rod-shaped lens from another end surface thereof and converging it to a focal point at an interface region between the one end surface of the rod-shaped lens and the sample, and a scanner for varying the incidence angle of the laser beam to scan the focal point two-dimensionally on the one end surface.

Abstract: An optical phantom of a living body includes a multiplicity of phantom layers shaped to the contours of a target part of a living body. A space portion is provided at a prescribed location inside the phantom. Inlet and outlet conduits enable liquid phantom to be supplied to the space portion and removed therefrom. This arrangement enables the space portion to be used to simulate dynamic change of physiological states, and for such changes to be measured optically.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing fine flaky alumina particles which are suitable as a raw material for ceramics, a pigment for paint, etc., wherein aluminum hydroxide or alumina hydrate having a particle size regulated to the order of submicron is subjected to a hydrothermal treatment in water or an aqueous alkali solution at a temperature of 350.degree. C. or above and under a pressure of 200 kg/cm.sup.2 or below. The present invention further provides an alumina-based plastic material which is produced by kneading the aforesaid fine flaky particles with an organic water holding material and water. Methylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose, polyethylene glycol, etc. are preferably used as the organic water holding agent. The alumina-based plastic material has a high plasticity, so that there is no need of using a large amount of a binder. Thus a dense molded article having stable properties can be prepared.

Abstract: A vibration-isolator joint for a vacuum device is connected to a vacuum pump and to a vacuum chamber used to evacuate the vacuum chamber. The joint includes a bellows having an internal portion via which evacuation is effected, a first end connected to the vacuum pump, a second end connected to the vacuum chamber, and a support structure that, when the bellows has been compressed by a prescribed amount, prevents further compression of the bellows and also communicates to the bellows vibration in a direction other than the direction in which the bellows expands and contracts.

Abstract: An object is positioned in space by using a beam splitter to split a low-coherence laser light beam into a probe beam and a reference beam. The probe beam is projected at the target object, while the reference beam is reflected by a pair of mirrors synchronized along light paths and scanned at different amplitudes, to form two beams of equal intensity, and light reflected by the object and the interference fringes are detected together to obtain fringe signals with sharpened profile lines.

Abstract: A method of non-contact micromanipulation using ultrasound includes disposing in a liquid medium in which micro particles are distributed, an ultrasound transducer comprising a transducer plate, a surface electrode wholly covering a first principal surface of the transducer plate and a reverse surface electrode on a second principal surface of the transducer plate comprising a plurality of short electrode strips arranged in parallel, and a reflector set in parallel opposition to the first principal surface of the transducer plate from which the reflector is spaced apart by a prescribed distance, applying a voltage to at least one electrode strip selected from the plurality of electrode strips to radiate ultrasound to form a standing wave field between the ultrasound transducer and the reflector to trap micro particles, and electrically switching the voltage being applied to the selected electrode strip to an adjacent electrode strip to move the standing wave field by moving a position of ultrasound radiated b

Abstract: A Group III atomic layer required for fabrication of a semiconductor quantum nanostructure is grown to be properly restricted to a monolayer.A substrate is configured to have a fast-growth surface portion where growth of a Ga atomic layer proceeds at a relatively high rate and a slow-growth surface portion where the growth of the Ga atomic layer proceeds at a relatively low rate. Ga atoms are supplied to the fast-growth surface portion in an amount not less than that which grows one layer of the Group III atoms. Excess Ga atoms on the fast-growth surface portion are allowed to migrate to the slow-growth surface portion by surface migration, thereby growing only one layer of the Ga atoms on the fast-growth surface portion.

Abstract: An artificial heart pump includes a casing having a pump chamber inside the casing and a partition that closes, in a fluid-tight manner, the bottom portion of the pump chamber, an impeller disposed inside the pump chamber so that it is rotatable about the axis of rotation and including an impeller shaft portion having a shaft hollow part and an impeller portion having an impeller hollow part extending radially and communicating with the shaft hollow part, the shaft hollow part and the impeller hollow part constituting a blood flow channel, a magnetic supporter for rotatably supporting the impeller within the casing in a direction normal to the axis of rotation, a pivot bearing for rotatably supporting the impeller within the casing in a direction of the axis of rotation, a rotating device accommodated within the casing below the pump chamber for rotating the impeller, and a magnetic coupler for transmitting the rotating force of the rotating device to the impeller.

Abstract: A method of measuring physical properties using a cantilever comprises bringing a tip attached at one end of a cantilever into contact with a sample and causing a vibrational force of a frequency between 10 and 1000 times the fundamental resonance frequency of the cantilever to act on the cantilever.

Abstract: A method for the production of a superconducting oxide tape having a Bi.sub.2 Sr.sub.2 Ca.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.10 (Bi-2223) structure interposed between silver sheets, which method consists essentially of preparing a sandwich structure having interposed between silver sheets a molded layer of a superconducting oxide precursor powder consisting essentially of Bi, Pb, Sr, Ca, Cu, and O obtained from a raw material substance composed of, in atomic composition ratio, 1.00 of Bi, 0-0.2 of Pb, 0.9-1.1 of Sr, 0.9-1.1 of Ca and 1.3-1.7 of Cu, and O, heating the sandwich structure in an atmosphere consisting of oxygen and an inert gas, having an oxygen partial pressure in the range of 0-5%, and kept at a temperature in the range of 830-850.degree. C., thereby melting the molded layer, then causing the atmosphere to retain the heating temperature and meanwhile increasing the oxygen partial pressure, thereby inducing precipitation of crystal grains possessing a Bi.sub.2 Sr.sub.2 CaCu.sub.2 O.sub.

Abstract: A three-dimensional universal unit includes multiple identically configured assembly units, each having a central unit body, arms that can rotate relative to the unit body, the arms extending from the unit body in three orthogonal axes and having a connecting mechanism at the end of each arm. The assembly unit also has an information processing unit for controlling a motor in the unit body, an assembly unit operation, a rotary drive transmission system for transmitting arm drive motion from the motor, and a drive transmission system for engaging and disengaging the connecting mechanisms. Each connecting mechanism can mechanically connect with a connecting mechanism of another assembly unit and includes a communication device for exchanging information between information processing units of connected assembly units.

Abstract: A high-speed, high-sensitivity photo-receiving device has a light-absorbing substrate, on which a pair of electrodes are provided. An insulative optical guide is located over an exposed surface portion of the substrate constituting an optical window. The optical guide is permeable to incident light, and the width of the optical guide does not exceed the wavelength of the incident light.

Abstract: A method of fabricating nanometric structures on a substrate by dry etching includes setting the substrate at a temperature at which condensation of etching gas products of etching gas decomposed, recombined and reacted, or products of reactions between the etching gas and substrate material starts to occur, forming condensates at specific locations on the substrate. The condensates form an etching mask for the dry etching process.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing metallic materials with extremely fine crystal grains comprises the steps of: taking molten metallic material that was melted by heating in a melting chamber and introducing it into an agitation chamber from said melting chamber, and in this agitation chamber, agitating it for 60 seconds or less by means of a screw-shaped stirring rod that is driven to rotate at 500 rpm or greater, and extruding the metallic material in the state of solid-liquid coexistence from an extrusion nozzle on the outlet side, and quench-solidifying the metallic material in the state of solid-liquid coexistence extruded from said nozzle immediately while it still has fine crystal grains as it is continuously formed into the desired shape. In this method, the speed of rotation of the screw-shaped stirring rod may be 800 to 1000 rpm. Also, the time in which the metallic material resides in the state of solid-liquid coexistence may be 5 to 60 seconds.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a photo-device includes the steps of forming an optically nontransparent, electrically conductive layer on the surface of a photoelectric conversion substrate, and transferring a portion of the optically nontransparent, electrically conductive layer using a scanning probe process apparatus to form, over an optical window, a light-permeable protective insulation structure of a region of the optical window on the substrate surface beneath the light-permeable protective insulation structure.

Abstract: An arm mechanism includes a drive control mechanism that uses an end effector coordinate system and has an end effector drive control mechanism. The drive control mechanism includes an end effector rotational drive control mechanism and an end effector coordinate system translational drive control mechanism. The rotational drive control mechanism has three rotational actuators for driving end effector rotation about each axis separately. The end effector coordinate system translational drive control mechanism has an end effector coordinate system translational actuator to drive translational motion of the object. The drive control mechanism further includes an orientation maintenance mechanism that maintains the orientation of the target object on the absolute coordinate system and two absolute coordinate system translational actuators supported on the orientation maintenance mechanism for providing translational motion of the object along two orthogonal axes on the absolute coordinate system.

Abstract: PrBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.Y exhibiting superconductivity is provided by a method including the steps of preparing a solvent consisting of a mixture of praseodymium oxide, at least one of barium oxide and barium carbonate, and copper oxide at a mixing ratio of between 1:3:5 and 1:8:20, disposing the solvent between a feed rod of PrBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7 formed to a high density and a seed crystal, heating the solvent to a temperature of 880.degree.-980.degree. C. in an atmosphere of an inert gas of at least one of argon and nitrogen mixed with 0.01-2% oxygen to form a floating solvent zone, moving the floating solvent zone toward the feed rod at 0.1-1.0 mm/hr under a temperature gradient at the solid-liquid interface of 25.degree.-35.degree. C./mm to precipitate single crystal on the seed crystal, and heat-treating the single crystal obtained in an atmosphere containing not less than 15% oxygen. Another aspect of the invention provides a superconducting device including the superconducting PrBa.sub.2 Cu.

Abstract: A method of measuring a beam flux rate in a film growth apparatus which includes supplying a hollow cathode lamp with a current that alternates between two current values and does not include a zero current, introducing intensity-modulated spectral light emitted by the hollow cathode lamp into a vacuum chamber of a film growth apparatus, absorbing the light by a beam of atoms projected at a substrate surface, and detecting components synchronized with the modulation of the spectral light obtained.

Abstract: Rheocasting is effected by an apparatus that comprises a melt tank, a temperature-controllable stirrer that is immersed in a melt contained in the melt tank and can stir the melt, a screw conveyor apparatus that can draw off metal in a semi-solid state contained in the melt tank. Vertical melt separation grooves on the inside of the conveyor apparatus enable the semi-solid into a semi-solid having a viscosity that is not less than a prescribed viscosity value and a semi-solid having a viscosity that is less than the prescribed viscosity value.

Abstract: A method for determination of optical properties of light scattering material, includes calculating temporal changes in output light intensity with respect to a large number of combinations of reduced scattering coefficients .mu.s' and absorption coefficients .mu.a of a light-scattering material sample, storing the results, irradiating the sample with picosecond pulses of light and measuring temporal changes in the intensity of light coming out from the sample. When a measured temporal change in output light intensity is the same as or similar to a stored temporal change in intensity, the reduced scattering coefficient .mu.s' and absorption coefficient .mu.a of the stored temporal change in output light intensity are determined as the .mu.s' and .mu.a of the sample.