Abstract: Provided is a method of etching a silicon nitride film, which comprises subjecting the silicon nitride film located on copper to dry etching using a mixture of fluorocarbon gas and an inert gas as the reaction gas, the fluorocarbon gas containing CF4 and CHF3 supplied at flow rates in a ratio of 3:7 to 0:1 or contains CF4 and CH2F2 supplied at flow rates in a ratio of 2.5:1 to 0:1, thereby suppressing the formation of copper fluoride.

Abstract: An antireflection film includes a base resin and an additive resin, the additive resin having a dry etching rate higher than that of the base resin. A photoresist pattern is formed and the antireflection film is selectively etched using the photoresist pattern as a mask. The molecular weight and weight percent of the additive resin are selected to provide an etching rate for the antireflection film that permits selective removal of the antireflection film while leaving an effective amount of the photoresist.

Abstract: A sheet feeder, or a printer incorporating the sheet feeder, has separation pads for separating a sheet to be fed by sheet feed rollers from the next sheet and a roller spring which produce urging force smaller than that produced by a spring of the separation pad. Idle rollers are brought into contact with the separation pads by means of the roller spring, thereby preventing the lowering of the next sheet. A sheet reset lever is pivoted so as to return the next sheet to a hopper. As a result, the sheet sheets stacked on the hopper in an inclined state is fed one by one through use of a separation pad method without increasing force for driving rollers and a back tension.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for improving the freedom of movement of a carriage of an ink jet printer while a suction pump of the printer is being driven. The ink jet printer includes a carriage which reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which printing paper is conveyed by a paper conveyor, a head, housed on the carriage, for printing characters on the printing paper, and a cap which is joinable tightly to the ink-jet face of the head. The printer further includes a suction pump communicating with the cap, a pump driving mechanism, a motor capable of driving the pump driving mechanism, and a switching gear capable of transferring the motive power of the motor selectively to and away from the pump driving mechanism as controlled by the apparatus. The apparatus includes structure which form paths through which an operating projection movably fitted to the carriage.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus and a printer wherein an idle roller is brought into contact with a separation pad by a roller spring for generating urging force smaller than that of a separation pad for separating a paper sheet to be fed by a paper feeding roller having a D-shape side cross section from a next paper sheet; a restraining pin for restraining movement of the separation pad toward the paper feeding roller when the paper sheet is not held between the separation pad and the paper feeding roller is provided; a pair of conveying rollers are temporarily and inversely rotated after the leading end of the paper sheet has passed through a nipping portion between the pair of the conveying rollers and in a state where the paper sheet is not held between the separation pad and a circular-arc portion of the paper feeding roller so as to arrange the leading end of the paper sheet along the nipping portion so that diagonal conveyance of the paper sheet is smoothly prevented and the load acting on the fed paper shee

Abstract: The ink jet printer is provided which eliminates play between a carriage supporting an ink jet head and a guide shaft, allows the ink jet head to be releasably attached to the carriage, and provides reliable electrical connection between the ink jet head and the carriage with a reduced number of parts. An embodiment of the ink jet printer of the invention includes a guide shaft extending in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which paper is forwarded. A carriage is slidably mounted on the shaft, moving in reciprocal directions while being guided by the guide shaft. An ink jet head, releasably attached to the carriage, prints ink dots on the paper for forming a printed image by jetting ink out of nozzles. A first electrically connecting portion is arranged on the carriage. A second electrically connecting portion is arranged on the ink jet head so as to come in pressure contact with the first electrically connecting portion.

Abstract: In an ink jet printer, a recording unit in which an ink cartridge is detachably mounted has a cartridge removal preventing member so that the ink cartridge is prevented from being carelessly removed therefrom, and a moving mechanism is provided which, when the recording unit is mounted on the carriage, moves a first electrical connecting section towards a second electrical connecting section so that the first and second electrical connecting section are connected to each other with the aid of an energizing member under pressure, and, when the recording head is removed from the carriage, moves the first electrical connecting section away from the second electrical connecting section against the elastic force of the energizing member, whereby the recording head is detachably mounted on the carriage, and the former is positively electrically connected to the latter.

Abstract: In a binary digital signal transmission system, a transmitter generates a binary digital signal including at least a rise portion where a level of the binary digital signal steeply rises in accordance with inputted binary digital data of a first value, and at least a fall portion where the level of the binary digital signal steeply falls in accordance with the inputted binary digital data of a second value, and then transmits the binary digital signal via a cable to a receiver. On the other hand, the receiver receives the transmitted binary digital signal, and first and second resonance circuits respectively have two resonance frequencies which are even multiples of each other, and extract first and second resonance signals respectively having resonance frequency components of the two resonance frequencies, from the received binary digital signal.

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a recording device for jetting ink droplets from a printer head while moving in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of a recording medium in the form of a sheet, to form a dot image on the recording medium according to an input time. The ink jet printer further includes a conveying mechanism, including a gate roller that performs an intermittent feed operation at a speed corresponding to the pixel density of a character or pattern recorded on the recording medium; and a roller provided downstream of the recording device, the roller being operated after the rear edge of the recording medium passes through the conveying mechanism located upstream of the recording device, to convey the recording medium while in contact with the dot image forming surface of the recording medium, the roller being movable into and out of engagement with the recording medium.

Abstract: An ink jet printer comprising a recording device for jetting ink droplets from a printer head while moving in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of a recording medium in the form of a sheet, to form a dot image on the recording medium according to an input time, further including a pair of sheet retaining devices respectively arranged before and behind in the direction of travel of the recording device, where one of the pair of sheet retaining devices arranged before in the direction of travel is displaced to push against the recording medium in order to form a predetermined clearance between the printer head and the recording medium, while the other is displaced to leave from the recording medium.

Abstract: A sealing structure for bumps on a semiconductor integrated circuit chip to be bonded through the bumps onto a circuit board is provided wherein a plurality of pads are formed on the semiconductor integrated circuit chip. Each of the pads is formed with a bump thereon. A coating material is provided to coat at least surfaces of the above a plurality of bumps. The material is made of an insulation material having a hardness sufficiently small for showing, when bonding the chip onto the circuit board, a deformation thereby at least a top portion of each of the bumps is made contact with pads provided on the circuit board.

Abstract: In an ink jet printer having a sheet conveying mechanism which changes the speed of conveyance of a recording sheet in accordance with the density of characters or a pattern to be printed to intermittently convey the recording sheet in such a manner that all printed portions are properly dried before the sheet is conveyed to a subsequent position. The recording head of the printer performs a printing operation while pushing the front end portion of the recording sheet against the platen with a sheet retaining lever.

Abstract: To perform a stable wire bonding connecting against a multi-level wiring board using an organic material for the interlayer insulating film, a silicon oxide film and organic interlayer insulating films, for example, polyimide layers, and the first to the fourth level wirings, including a nickel layer by plating are formed on the surface of the silicon substrate as a base in order. By adjusting the thickness of the nickel layer in the wiring, the total Vickers hardness from the substrate to each wiring is adjusted to more than 100, respectively.

Abstract: A mechanism for automatically adjusting the gap between the platen and print head of a printer includes a paper thickness lever detecting lever pivotably mounted on the printer base so that one end selectively contacts the surface of the platen. The opposite end of the lever contacts a pressure sensitive conductive member or adjusts the amount of light striking a photosensitive member of a paper thickness detector to generate an initial signal. After paper is fed onto the platen the lever contacts the surface of the paper and the paper thickness detector generates a second paper thickness signal corresponding to the different position of the lever. A carriage control circuit receives this signal and controls a print head carriage guide to adjust the relative position between the carriage and the platen to provide a suitable distance for printing.