Abstract: An apparatus washes/disinfects, at a time, a plurality of endoscopes having a plurality of channels with different diameters, and dewaters the channels at a time. For the dewatering, the apparatus includes plural ports for receiving air supply, and a plurality of tubes for connecting between each of the plurality of ports and each of the plurality of channels in each of the plurality of endoscopes. The apparatus also includes an on-off valve for intermittently supply air to the ports, and a control unit for opening/closing the valve a plurality of times at a predetermined ratio. Water droplets remaining in a large-diameter channel are mainly moved by wind pressure of continuously flowing air while the valve is open, and discharged. Water droplets in a smaller-diameter channel are mainly moved by hammer effect of high-pressure air caused while the valve is closed, and discharged. The valve opening/closing is repeated for complete dewatering.

Abstract: In a washing/disinfecting tank of an endoscope washing/disinfecting device, an endoscope connection portion to be joined to a connector portion of an endoscope body is provided, and receiving-side bases to be connected to each of pipelines of the endoscope body are provided. In washing/disinfecting the endoscope body, the connector portion is opposed to the endoscope connection portion in the predetermined positioned state, and then, a switch is turned on. Then, an electromagnet disposed at the endoscope connection portion is excited so as to attract and fix the connector portion by a generated magnetic force.

Abstract: An endoscope is provided which has good operability, such as ease of varying the rigidity of an insertion portion, as well as a lighter-weight bending mechanism for changing the shape of a bending portion. The endoscope according to the present invention comprises an insertion portion to be inserted into a subject, an electroconductive expanding/contracting member which can expand/contract the insertion portion in the lengthwise direction and which is for expanding/contracting according to the state of voltage application, and electrodes for applying the voltage supplied from a power source to the electroconductive expanding/contracting member.

Abstract: A manufacture method for zinc oxide (ZnO) based semiconductor crystal includes providing a substrate having a Zn polarity plane; and reacting at least zinc (Zn) and oxygen (O) on the Zn polarity plane of said substrate to grow ZnO based semiconductor crystal on the Zn polarity plane of said substrate in a Zn rich condition. (a) An n-type ZnO buffer layer is formed on a Zn polarity plane of a substrate. (b) An n-type ZnO layer is formed on the surface of the n-type ZnO buffer layer. (c) An n-type ZnMgO layer is formed on the surface of the n-type ZnO layer. (d) A ZnO/ZnMgO quantum well layer is formed on the surface of the n-type ZnMgO layer, by alternately laminating a ZnO layer and a ZnMgO layer. @(e) A p-type ZnMgO layer is formed on the surface of the ZnO/ZnMgO quantum well layer. (f) A p-type ZnO layer is formed on the surface of the p-type ZnMgO layer. @(g) An electrode is formed on the n-type ZnO layer and p-type ZnO layer. The n-type ZnO layer is formed under a Zn rich condition at the step (b).

Abstract: A growth apparatus and a method for making a nitrogen (N)-doped oxide crystal grow can be configured to set a nitrogen concentration to a desired concentration and to make the concentration of nitrogen uniform in a depth direction. A nitrogen source gun configured to supply ammonia (NH3) gas into an ultrahigh vacuum chamber can be arranged on a side of an ultrahigh vacuum chamber that is approximately opposite to a side that includes an exhaust port. A stage can be located between the nitrogen source gun and the exhaust port so as to form a flow path for ammonia that allows ammonia introduced into the ultrahigh vacuum chamber to be quickly exhausted after reaching a ZnO substrate placed on the stage. As a result, accumulation of ammonia in the ultrahigh vacuum chamber can be minimized, so that the nitrogen concentration in a crystal growth layer on the ZnO substrate can be set at a desired concentration and can be made uniform in the depth direction.

Abstract: The present invention is an object to provide an apparatus or a method making it possible to easily effect connection between additional electrodes, etc. and lead electrodes when performing a processing for achieving a predetermined throat height value or crown processing or the like and making it possible to measure the requisite lapping amount. For achieving the object, a flexible electrode extension sheet is used which consists of a portion for retaining a ceramic bar in which element portions are formed and a portion where there are formed wirings respectively in correspondence with the elements and adapted to be connected to these elements, in which these wirings, which can be easily connected to an external measurement system, are electrically connected to the elements, whereby the lapping amount is easily obtained from the characteristic amount of the elements in the lapping process.

Abstract: The present invention is an object to provide an apparatus or a method making it possible to easily effect connection between additional electrodes, etc. and lead electrodes when performing a processing for achieving a predetermined throat height value or crown processing or the like and making it possible to measure the requisite lapping amount. For achieving the object, a flexible electrode extension sheet is used which consists of a portion for retaining a ceramic bar in which element portions are formed and a portion where there are formed wirings respectively in correspondence with the elements and adapted to be connected to these elements, in which these wirings, which can be easily connected to an external measurement system, are electrically connected to the elements, whereby the lapping amount is easily obtained from the characteristic amount of the elements in the lapping process.

Abstract: In conventional organic EL display elements of this type, unevenness of brightness surely occurs at high temperatures. These conventional organic elements cannot be used in, for example, display devices to be mounted on vehicles, giving rise to the problem of inferior generalities. An organic EL display element 1 according to the present invention comprises a stress relaxation layer on a cathode after the cathode is formed, the stress relaxation layer being a film which exhibits tensile stress when the film stress of the cathode is compressive stress or exhibits compressive stress when the film stress of the cathode is tensile stress. This structure allows the organic EL display element to prevent the occurrence of unevenness of brightness caused by the film stress of the cathode to solve the problem and makes it possible to give generalities to organic EL display elements of this type.

Abstract: A light emitting diode device can include a pair of opposed electrodes and a thin film multilayer structure interposed between the pair of electrodes. The device can include one or more light emitting layers each having an emission interface. In the device, there can be adjacent layers having an interfacial plane therebetween. The interfacial plane being disposed in a position where an optical path length from the emission interface to the interfacial plane is substantially equal to, or less than, the coherent length of light emitted from the emission interface. Furthermore, the difference in refractive index between the adjacent layers is substantially equal to, or less than, 0.6. This can eliminate an interference effect within the thin film multilayer structure, thereby enhancing light emitting efficiency and achieving intended light color.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a lapping apparatus and a lapping method that may effect further machining in response to each element on a ceramic bar to the ceramic bar that is largely locally lapped and may reduce a cost needed for machining without any jig for holding the ceramic bar. The ceramic bar is held by a surface of an elastic member made of rubber or the like. A plurality of actuators are arranged on a back surface of this elastic member. When the ceramic bar is depressed against the lapping surface, a specific portion of the ceramic bar is deformed or strongly deformed through the elastic member by these actuators to thereby make it possible to perform the lapping in response to each element.

Abstract: The present invention is an object to provide an apparatus or a method making it possible to easily effect connection between additional electrodes, etc. and lead electrodes when performing a processing for achieving a predetermined throat height value or crown processing or the like and making it possible to measure the requisite lapping amount. For achieving the object, a flexible electrode extension sheet is used which consists of a portion for retaining a ceramic bar in which element portions are formed and a portion where there are formed wirings respectively in correspondence with the elements and adapted to be connected to these elements, in which these wirings, which can be easily connected to an external measurement system, are electrically connected to the elements, whereby the lapping amount is easily obtained from the characteristic amount of the elements in the lapping process.

Abstract: An inspection equipment can be provided, which captures microbes in a sample solution with a filter, and detects information about microbes from a sample obtained by fluorescence-staining the microbes. The filter is irradiated with different excitation light beams (1, 2), and binary images (A, B, C) of fluorescences obtained in the respective fields in correspondence with the respective excitation light beams are sensed. The binary images (A, B, C) obtained with respect to the respective excitation light beams (1, 2) are compared to automatically identify the binary image B, which emits fluorescence with respect to only a specific excitation light beam (e.g., 1), as a fluorescent image based on a microbe, and the binary images A and C, which emit fluorescence with respect to all the excitation light beams, as fluorescent images other than those of microbes, thereby easily identifying microbes in the sample solution in an unmanned fashion.

Abstract: To provide an apparatus that may impart a complicated bend deformation to an object to be machined such as a ceramic bar elongated in one direction or the like, and may reduce the non-uniformity in machining amount of the object to be machined upon the machining work of the object to be machined, specifically a correcting mechanism for deforming the object to be machined together with a jig holding the object to be machined is provided in a machining apparatus. The correcting mechanism includes a base, a plurality of levers provided at first ends with pins, a shaft fixed to the base for rotatably supporting the levers, and a plurality of correcting drive means coupled to second ends of said levers for pivoting the levers to the shaft to thereby pivoting the pins.

Abstract: An apparatus for lapping a workpiece including a plurality of magnetic heads supported by a tool is disclosed. The lapping apparatus comprises a rotary-lapping table having an abrasive surface, and a lapping device assembly provided so as to be movable with respect to the abrasive surface of the lapping table. The lapping device assembly includes a device provided at a lower portion of the lapping device assembly for supporting the tool and a device for respectively applying predetermined loads to a plurality of load applying portions of the tool. The load applying portions of the tool is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the tool. The load-applying device applies the loads from a plurality of different directions to at least one of the load applying portions of the tool so that the tool is deformed into a predetermined shape.

Abstract: In conventional organic EL display elements of this type, unevenness of brightness surely occurs at high temperatures. These conventional organic elements cannot be used in, for example, display devices to be mounted on vehicles, giving rise to the problem of inferior generalities. An organic EL display element 1 according to the present invention comprises a stress relaxation layer on a cathode after the cathode is formed, the stress relaxation layer being a film which exhibits tensile stress when the film stress of the cathode is compressive stress or exhibits compressive stress when the film stress of the cathode is tensile stress. This structure allows the organic EL display element to prevent the occurrence of unevenness of brightness caused by the film stress of the cathode to solve the problem and makes it possible to give generalities to organic EL display elements of this type.

Abstract: When electric elements are formed on a ceramic bar or the like, the positional displacement of the respective elements occurs due to a division exposing process or the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method which unify the non-polished portion of the respective elements by conducting polishing while a complicated deformation or the like is given to the ceramic bar. To achieve this object, the ceramic bar or like is held by using a jig, and a plurality of loads are applied to portions of the jig where the ceramic bar or the like is held, to thereby deform the ceramic bar or the like and polish the element in that state. In this situation the load applied points are disposed so as to avoid the boundaries of the division exposure.

Abstract: To provide a lapping apparatus and a lapping method that may effect further machining in response to each element on a ceramic bar to the ceramic bar that is largely locally lapped and may reduce a cost needed for machining without any jig for holding the ceramic bar.

Abstract: The present invention is an object to provide an apparatus or a method making it possible to easily effect connection between additional electrodes, etc. and lead electrodes when performing a processing for achieving a predetermined throat height value or crown processing or the like and making it possible to measure the requisite lapping amount. For achieving the object, a flexible electrode extension sheet is used which consists of a portion for retaining a ceramic bar in which element portions are formed and a portion where there are formed wirings respectively in correspondence with the elements and adapted to be connected to these elements, in which these wirings, which can be easily connected to an external measurement system, are electrically connected to the elements, whereby the lapping amount is easily obtained from the characteristic amount of the elements in the lapping process.

Abstract: In the polishing work for forming a crown shape on a ceramic bar bearing a plurality of conversion units for the magnetic heads, the present invention is to provide a well-controlled satisfactory shape by pressing the ceramic bar, provided with plural grooves perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and on a surface opposed to the polished plane, to a substantially concave polishing plane through an elastic member principally composed of rubber, then measuring the magneto resistivity of an element provided in the conversion unit of the magnetic head, and adjusting the pressure at the crown forming operation by a closed loop control based on the result of such measurement.