Abstract: A process of forming a functional thin film uniformly on the surface of a large size glass substrate, which is used for construction or the like, and a glass substrate coated with a thin film formed by the above process are provided. A uniform metal oxide thin film is formed by: using large size plate glass produced by the float bath process, in which molten glass is poured into an Sn bath and gradually hardened; and applying by spraying a coating solution containing an alcohol as a solvent and 5% by mass to 15% by mass of water onto the bottom surface of the large size plate glass, which is formed by bringing the molten glass into contact with the Sn bath, while controlling the wettability of the coating solution on the glass substrate.

Abstract: An optical module includes at least one optical fiber, a gradient index rod lens, and an optical element. The rod lens is placed at a position separated from an end surface of the optical fiber by a space. The optical element is separated from the rod lens. Outgoing light from the single optical fiber is inputted to the optical element via the rod lens, and light reflected by the optical element is coupled to the optical fiber via the rod lens. When a distance between the rod lens and the optical element is longer than a predetermined value, and a lens length optimized for the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined pitch, the rod lens has end surfaces perpendicular to an optical axis.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for aligning the longitudinal direction of grooves of a diffraction grating to a predetermined direction. The method and apparatus detect a diffracted light pattern sent from the diffraction grating, and displace the diffraction grating such that the direction of an arranging direction obtained from the diffracted light pattern is aligned in the predetermined direction.

Abstract: A process for producing an optical element which has excellent heat resistance and adhesion to a substrate. This process comprises applying a liquid composition for forming an optical element to the molding surface of a substrate having a regular pattern surface consisting of areas having high wettability and areas having low wettability as the molding surface and curing the composition to form projections in the areas having high wettability. A solution containing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a hydrolyzable compound which can be hydrolyzed and polycondensed and a hydrolyzed/polycondensed product thereof is used as the liquid composition for forming an optical element.

Abstract: Since the invention makes a structure in which bent portions 18A, 18B of grounding pieces 16A, 16B of a center conductor side grounding portion 11 and bent portions 22A, 22B of grounding pieces 20A, 20B of an outer conductor side grounding portion 13 are connected to each other by joint portions 12A, 12B, solders contact portions 17A, 17B and 21A, 21B of the center conductor side grounding portion 11 and the outer conductor side grounding portion 13 respectively to a center conductor grounding side conductor portion F and an outer conductor grounding side conductor portion G of an antenna element of a glass board face 25a, and then breaks off the joint portions 12A, 12B and thereby separates the center conductor side grounding portion 11 and the outer conductor side grounding portion 13 from each other, the invention makes it possible to stably attach a center conductor and an outer conductor of the fore-end portion of a coaxial cable to the same positions as determined in a terminal for coaxial cable and to

Abstract: The present invention relates to an ultra-thin metal film, an ultra-thin metal multilayer film, and a method of fabricating an ultra-thin metal film or an ultra-thin metal multilayer film. The ultra-thin metal film and the ultra-thin metal multilayer film can be obtained by forming a dielectric film on a conductive base material in a film thickness that causes the significant tunneling effect between metals through the thin dielectric film, or a film thickness whereby the valence electrons and holes of the metal composing the metallic base material and the ultra-thin metal film are affected by the many-body effects, for example, in a film thickness wherein the band-gap width of said dielectric is narrowed; and the ultra-thin metal films are formed on the dielectric grown in the layer-by-layer mode by the deposition method.

Abstract: A bar-shaped light guide is provided to allow its emitting surface to be exposed from a white casing and is provided with a pattern for scattering and reflecting the light on a bottom surface opposite to the emitting surface. This pattern is formed by a white paint or minute irregularities. Further, an end face of the bar-shaped light guide opposite to the incident side is made cube-corner shaped. In other words, the end face is made chevroned by mirror-finished flat surfaces. These flat surfaces are tilted at such an angle that an incident angle ? of the rays of light traveling through the bar-shaped light guide parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bar-shaped light guide is smaller than a critical angle.

Abstract: It is an object to provide a photothermal conversion spectroscopic analysis method that enables measurement to be carried out with high sensitivity, and a photothermal conversion spectroscopic analysis apparatus that carries out the method. The photothermal conversion spectroscopic analysis apparatus is comprised of an exciting light source 111, a chopper 112 that is disposed close to the exciting light source 111 in the optical path of exciting light emitted from the exciting light source 111, a mirror 114 that changes the direction of travel of the exciting light, a detecting light source 120, a dichroic mirror 113 that has detecting light from the detecting light source 120 incident thereon and makes the exciting light and the detecting light coaxial, a lens 10 that has a suitable amount of chromatic aberration, and a holder 15 that holds the lens 10 such as to enable adjustment along three axes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for forming a titanium compound film on a substrate by a sputtering process by use of, in place of a conventional metallic titanium target, a titanium target containing a metal (such as tin or zinc) having two or more times higher sputtering yield in an argon atmosphere than titanium; an article coated with a titanium compound film; and a sputtering target for use in the film coating. The content of tin or zinc in the titanium target containing tin or zinc is preferably in the range of 1 to 45 at %, and further a third metal may be added. These can remove drawbacks in that the film has a low film formation rate and a high output power cannot be applied due to the occurrence of arcing in forming a titanium compound film on the surface of a substrate, such as plate-shaped glass, by a reactive sputtering process.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing glass parts for connection of glass fibers is provided, which can improve the accuracy of the cross-sectional size of a through hole in the glass part. A mother glass having a similar cross section to a desired cross section of a glass part having a through hole is prepared, and the prepared mother glass is drawn while it is heated. The mother glass is made of a glass having a maximum devitrification speed of 100 ?m or less per minute.

Abstract: An optical element according to the invention constituted by a multilayer structure having a periodic structural portion as at least one region constituted by repetition of a predetermined period, wherein an end surface of the multilayer structure not parallel to layer surfaces of the multilayer structure is used as a light input surface whereas one or each of opposite surfaces of the multilayer structure parallel to the layer surfaces is used as a light output surface. There is an intermediate layer between a medium and a surface of the multilayer structure, the intermediate layer having a refractive index less than the refractive index of the medium. The periodic structural portion of the multilayer structure can be regarded as a one-dimensional photonic crystal. Refracted light from the one-dimensional photonic crystal has good directivity and the direction of the refracted light has strong dependence on wavelength.

Abstract: In the present invention, a surface 7 of a glass substrate 1 is irradiated with a laser beam 2 to thereby form a V-shaped groove 6. At that time, the laser beam 2 is condensed outside and above the glass substrate 1. The distance between a beam-condensing point 4 of the laser beam 2 and the surface 7 of the glass substrate 1 is changed to thereby make it possible to change the angle between opposite side surfaces of the V-shaped groove. The angle is in a range of from 30 degrees to 120 degrees. Further, the laser beam used in the present invention is pulsed light, preferably with a pulse width not larger than 10 picoseconds.

Abstract: A transparent conductive film wherein the height number distribution of projections present on the surface is expressed by a distribution function of X2 type having a degree of freedom of 3.5 to 15 when the unit of the horizontal axis is a nanometer, the height/width ratio number distribution is expressed by a distribution function of X2 type having a degree of freedom of 10-35X2, the projections having a height of 50-350 nm account for 70% of more, and the projections having a height/width ratio of 0.25-1.02 account for 90% or more.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an optical glass element for which flatness and smoothness of the surfaces of the optical glass element can be improved while securing the similarity of the cross-sectional shape of the optical glass element to that of the mother glass, and for which continuous production involving few steps can be carried out, and an optical glass element manufactured using the method. A mother glass is prepared, which has a cross-sectional shape substantially similar to a desired cross-sectional shape of the optical glass element, and the mother glass is drawn while heating to a predetermined temperature such that the mother glass has a viscosity of 105 to 109 poise.

Abstract: An ITO film-formed substrate having excellent alkali resistance and adhesion is provided. For the ITO film-formed substrate, a structure is adopted in which a color filter 102, an organic protective film 103, intermediate layers 104a and 104b, and an ITO film 105 having an electrode pattern patterned therein are formed in this order from the bottom upwards on a surface of a glass substrate 101. The intermediate layer 104a is deposited on a surface of the organic protective film 103 through a high-frequency sputtering method using Ar as an introduced gas, and is made of a metal oxide that is not prone to dissolving in alkalis; the intermediate layer 104b is deposited through a reactive sputtering method or a high-frequency sputtering method, and is made of a metal oxide or metal nitride that is not prone to dissolving in alkalis.

Abstract: The optical device having a predetermined surface profile of the invention is fabricated by forming a multi-layered dielectric film on the surface of a solid composition layer having a glass transition temperature of not lower than 100° C. The solid composition layer is formed by molding and curing a polymerizable organic group-having fluid composition. The curing may be effected through photopolymerization or thermal polymerization of the polymerizable organic group in the composition, and a predetermined surface profile is transferred onto the composition layer from the mold used. The cured composition is released from the mold, and this is coated with a multi-layered dielectric film.

Abstract: A collimator includes a capillary for holding optical fibers, a gradient index rod lens, and a cylindrical lens holder which holds the gradient index rod lens and has an annular end face connected to an end face of the capillary by an adhesive. By using the holder, the resistant of light power is improved and the degree of freedom of selection of the adhesive is increased.

Abstract: A method of forming a micro groove structure according to the invention has the steps of: (a) forming a mask pattern on a substrate capable of being subjected to dry etching; (b) dry etching the substrate having the mask pattern formed thereon; (c) vapor-phase forming a thin film of a masking material for the dry etching, on a non-etched surface portion of the substrate after the dry etching; and (d) dry etching the substrate having the thin film formed thereon. The steps (a) to (d) are carried out successively.

Abstract: A method for quenching a glass sheet comprises the steps of radiating a microwave (46) at least on one surface of the glass sheet (G), and simultaneously air-quenching the glass sheet for tempering, wherein the microwave is radiated at the glass sheet through a gap (44) between adjacent air ducts (41A, 41A or 41B, 41B), and the quenching air is blown without hitting a plurality of conveying rollers (11) for conveying the glass sheet.

Abstract: A transmission diffraction optical element is presented in which ridges having a roughly rectangular cross-section shape are disposed parallel to each other at a regular pitch at the surface of a substrate. Striped thin-film layers are formed on these ridges and a thin-film layer is inserted between the substrate and the ridges. The thin-film layers are arranged at a regular pitch identical to the regular pitch of the ridges and the thin-film layer does not have a periodic pattern oriented in the same direction as the periodic pattern of the ridges.