Abstract: The reactor 1 has an upper end portion attached with a ring member 10 supporting an annular seal plate 4. The ring member 10 has an upper surface attached with a cylindrical block member 25 screwed to the ring member 10. The block member 25 has a portion opposing the annular seal plate 4, the portion being formed with an annular waveguide antenna portion 12. The annular waveguide antenna portion 12 has a bottom portion fitted by an annular plate member 16 formed with a plurality of slits 15, 15 . . . at a predetermined circumferential interval. A heating block 26 made of aluminum shaped into a cylindrical form is embedded detachably within the block member 25. The heating block 26 has a bottom surface detachably attached with an electrode 18 by screws. The electrode 18 is earthed.

Abstract: There is provided a probing and measurement system for measuring a capacitance value of a capacitance to be measured, by removing any influence made by a parasitic capacitance and a fluctuation thereof within a shield box 11. The probing and measurement system comprises a prober 1, a signal line having one end to be in contact with a sample to be measured, a shield line surrounding the signal line, and a capacitance measurement circuit 6. The capacitance measurement circuit 6 comprises an operational amplifier 61 having an inverting input terminal connected to the other end of the signal line and a non-inverting input terminal connected to the shield line, wherein an imaginary short state exists between the inverting input terminal and the non-inverting input terminal, and wherein a signal having a value corresponding to an electrostatic capacitance of the sample to be measured is outputted when an AC signal is applied to the non-inverting input terminal.

Abstract: A impedance-to-voltage converter for converting an impedance of a target to a voltage is described which comprises an operational amplifier (OP), a coaxial cable consisting a signal line and shielding element(s), and an AC signal generator. A feedback impedance circuit is connected between output and inverting terminals of the OP, and whereby a non-inverting terminal and the inverting terminal are an imaginal-short condition. One end of the signal line is connected to the inverting input terminal of the OP and the other end is connected to one electrode of the target and the AC signal generator is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the OP. The shielding element comprises at least one shielding layer surrounding the signal line and is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the OP, and thus the signal line and the shielding layer are the same voltage due to the imaginal-short of the input terminals of the OP, resulting in reduction of noise on the signal line.

Abstract: A vibration wave detector, having a receiver for receiving vibration waves such as sound waves and so on to be propagated in a medium, a resonant unit having a plurality of cantilever resonators each having such a length as to resonate at an individual predetermined frequency, a retaining rod for retaining the resonant unit, a vibration intensity detector for detecting the vibration intensity, for each predetermined frequency, of each of the resonators, by the vibration waves received by the receiver and propagated to the resonant unit by way of the retaining rod.

Abstract: A vibration wave detector in which: a plurality of resonator beams, each having a different length and being allowed to resonate at a specific frequency, are provided; a piezoresistor is installed in each resonator beam; and the piezoresistors are parallel-connected so that vibration is converted to an electric signal by the piezoresistors so as to output the sum of vibration waveforms at the respective resonator beams. Utilizing the fact that the magnitude of strain is different depending on positions on the resonator beam, the installation position of the piezoresistor is adjusted on each of the resonator beams so as to set the level of an output signal from each frequency band at a desired level; thus, it becomes possible to control the gain of a specific frequency band.

Abstract: An impedance-to-voltage converter utilizes an operational amplifier to convert an impedance into a voltage without suffering from the influence of stray capacitances. The impedance-to-voltage converter is formed of an operational amplifier which has an imaginary short-circuit state between an inverting input and a non-inverting input thereof when an impedance element is connected between an output and the inverting input, a shielding line for shielding a line for connecting the impedance element to the inverting input, an AC signal generator connected to the non-inverting input, and a shielding line for shielding the signal line. The shielding lines are connected to the non-inverting input.

Abstract: A method for detecting an etching endpoint and a plasma etching apparatus and a plasma etching system using such a device are disclosed, in which time series data of a signal corresponding to the amount of light of the plasma light generated during the plasma etching process are arithmetically processed, so that the change of light amount is corrected and an etching endpoint is detected from the time series data after the correction.

Abstract: A polishing method characterized by measuring the thickness of a film of a monitoring piece to be polished which is to be used exclusively for monitoring polishing amount, and obtaining polishing amount on the basis of the results of measurement, and judging, on the basis of the resulting polishing amount, setting/change of polishing condition of a polishing object, whether it is necessary or not to replace a polishing pad, and/or completion of run-in polishing after replacement of the polishing pad, and an apparatus to be used for practicing same.

Abstract: A polishing method characterized by measuring the thickness of a film of a monitoring piece to be polished which is to be used exclusively for monitoring polishing amount, and obtaining polishing amount on the basis of the results of measurement, and judging, on the basis of the resulting polishing amount, setting/change of polishing condition of a polishing object, whether it is necessary or not to replace a polishing pad, and/or completion of run-in polishing after replacement of the polishing pad, and an apparatus to be used for practicing same.

Abstract: A vibration wave detector in which: a plurality of resonator beams, each having a different length and being allowed to resonate at a specific frequency, are provided; a piezoresistor is installed in each resonator beam; and the piezoresistors are parallel-connected so that vibration is converted to an electric signal by the piezoresistors so as to output the sum of vibration waveforms at the respective resonator beams. It is possible to control a gain of a specific frequency band by changing a voltage to be applied to the parallel circuit or changing the resistance value of each piezoresistor.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of an electronic component comprises the steps of: mounting components on a sheet substrate having a plurality of component-mounting substrates and a plurality of through holes on which shield case-mounting electrodes are respectively formed; establishing a state in which a plurality of shield case pawls are inserted into the plurality of through holes to cover the components with shield cases, and solder is buried in the plurality of through holes; thereafter securing the plurality of shield cases to the sheet substrate to cover the components by melting the solder to secure the shield case pawls to the shield case-mounting electrodes of the through holes by the solder; and thereafter dividing the sheet substrate into the plurality of component-mounting substrates by cutting the sheet substrate, thereby producing a plurality of the electronic components each including the component-mounting substrate, the component mounted on the component-mounting substrate and the shield case secured

Abstract: An apparatus for polishing a semiconductor wafer includes a polishing pad to be in contact with the semiconductor wafer; a turn table which rotates the polishing pad; and an elastic member which is arranged between the turn table and the polishing pad. The polishing pad includes a polishing layer which is made of a material having a good characteristic of slurry holding; and a support layer which is made of a rigid material having an optimum thickness to prevent the polishing layer from loosening. The polishing pad is attached to the turn table by a stretch-holding technique without adhesive bonding.

Abstract: The invention provides a microwave plasma process apparatus in which an antenna having a tubular member curved in a C shape or a spiral shape and including a slit is disposed on a sealing member for sealing a chamber, so that a microwave can be emitted through the slit to the sealing member.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus includes an interval register (250), a calculator (208, etc.), means for providing a potential shift-amount (Shift.sub.-- LSZ) of the interval register for the image data in a specific condition (LPS), a shift-amount decision circuit (258), a shift-amount register (259), and a shifter (251). The interval register stores plural bits of interval data to be used for encoding the image data. The calculator updates the interval data in the interval register. The shift-amount decision circuit generates an actual shift-amount of the interval register, in accordance with the potential shift-amount and the output of the calculator. The shift-amount register stores the actual shift-amount, supplied from the shift-amount decision circuit. The shifter shifts the interval data in the interval register a plurality of bits at one time, in accordance with the actual shift-amount stored in the shift-amount register.

Abstract: A conversion parameter for a (N)th image data is read from the information table (201) while converting a (N-1)th image data, which is inputted one clock prior to the (N)th image data. The (N)th image data is converted in accordance with the previously read conversion parameter when the conversion of the (N-1)th image data is completed.

Abstract: A wheel for rolling stock in which when a deflection amount .lambda. of a disk relative to a rim section is set to not less than 5 mm, a condition that a deflection amount .delta. of the rim section relative a boss section .gtoreq.40 mm is secured easily, an excellent durability against cracking damage can be obtained.

Abstract: A vibration wave detector, having a receiver for receiving vibration waves such as sound waves and so on to be propagated in a medium, a resonant unit having a plurality of cantilever resonators each having such a length as to resonate at an individual predetermined frequency, a retaining rod for retaining the resonant unit, a vibration intensity detector for detecting the vibration intensity, for each predetermined frequency, of each of the resonators, by the vibration waves received by the receiver and propagated to the resonant unit by way of the retaining rod.

Abstract: In case of producing a welded tube from a metal band by using laser welding, edges of the metal band are preheated so that the temperature at the edges of the metal band before laser welding is not less than a predetermined temperature, the preheated abutting edges of the metal band are laser-welded to form a welded tube and welding beads generated on the outer and/or inner surfaces of the welded tube having been produced are eliminated by cutting. The predetermined temperature is determined depending on the thickness of the metal band and the time from the start of laser welding to the cutting of the welding beads. The edges of the metal band are preheated before welding to prevent the welding beads from being hardened by quick cooling at the welded section after laser welding.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a conductive thin film provided on a surface of a microwave introducing member which is exposed to a processing chamber, in which an object to be processed is placed. The conductive thin film is provided at the entire portion excluding a transmission portion, through which microwaves pass into the processing chamber. The conductive thin film is grounded to act as an electrode.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, an objective address signal is compared with at least one preceding address signal, provided prior to the objective address signal, to obtain a control signal. A unit of data corresponding to the objective address signal is read from a memory. A processor performs a predetermined processing to the unit of data to obtain renewal data. The renewal data are written to its original address in the memory. According to the control signal, a controller controls reading and writing access to the memory.