Abstract: Provided is an imaging device capable of further suppressing color mixing between pixels. The imaging device includes: a semiconductor substrate provided with a photoelectric conversion unit for each of pixels two-dimensionally arranged; a color filter provided for each of the pixels on the semiconductor substrate; an intermediate layer provided between the semiconductor substrate and the color filter; and a low refraction region provided between the pixels by separating at least the color filter and the intermediate layer for each of the pixels, the low refraction region having a refractive index lower than a refractive index of the color filter.

Abstract: To provide a semiconductor device with which it is possible to reduce parasitic capacitance between electrodes for a resistance element, and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. A semiconductor device according to the present disclosure includes: a substrate; a first resistance layer provided on the substrate; a first electrode in contact with a lower surface of the first resistance layer; and a second electrode in contact with an upper surface of the first resistance layer.

Abstract: A first photoelectric converter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a light absorbing layer having a light incidence surface and including a compound semiconductor material; a first electrode that is provided for each of pixels to be opposed to a surface of the light absorbing layer opposite to the light incidence surface; a first semiconductor layer of a first electrical conduction type; a second semiconductor layer of a second electrical conduction type; a diffusion region of the second electrical conduction type; a groove that separates the first semiconductor layer, the second semiconductor layer, and a portion of the light absorbing layer between the adjacent pixels; a first insulating film that is continuously provided on a side wall and a bottom surface of the groove; and a light shielding film that is continuously provided from a side wall of the first semiconductor layer to a side wall of the light absorbing layer with the first insulating film interposed in between.

Abstract: An imaging device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a photoelectric converter. The first electrode includes an oxide semiconductor material having an amorphous state. The second electrode is opposed to the first electrode. The photoelectric converter is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, and includes a compound semiconductor material.

Abstract: An object is to provide a coated semiconductor nanoparticle having sufficient fluorescence intensity. A method for manufacturing a coated semiconductor nanoparticle according to the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a coated semiconductor nanoparticle containing a semiconductor nanoparticle having a core/shell structure and a translucent coating layer containing silicon coating the semiconductor nanoparticle. The method includes a step of bringing the semiconductor nanoparticle into contact with a silane compound in the presence of an antioxidant and that the antioxidant contains at least one kind selected from the group consisting of compounds containing at least one of a phosphor atom and a sulfur atom and no hydroxy group.

Abstract: An objective is to provide an image forming method and an image forming apparatus exhibiting neither failure in lack of line image nor image defect in halftone images, together with extremely high image quality and longer lifetime. Disclosed is an image forming method possessing the steps of evenly charging an organic photoreceptor; conducting a light exposure process; conducting a developing process to visualize the electrostatic latent image formed on the organic photoreceptor to form a toner image; transferring the toner image into a transfer medium; and conducting a cleaning process to remove a residual toner from the organic photoreceptor, the method further comprising the step of replenishing a developing device with a developer comprising toner and carrier, wherein the organic photoreceptor comprises a surface protective layer containing a filler, and the carrier is mixed with the toner, after attaching a lubricant onto a carrier particle in advance.

Abstract: An organic photoreceptor is disclosed, comprising on an electrically conductive support an intermediate layer, a charge generation layer, a charge transport layer and a protective layer in this order, wherein the protective layer contains inorganic particles in an amount of not less than 5% by mass and not more than 30% by mass, and a skewness (Rsk) of a cross section curve of a surface of the electrically conductive support is within a range of ?8<Rsk<0.

Abstract: An objective is to provide an Image forming method and an image forming apparatus exhibiting neither failure in lack of line image nor image defect in halftone images, together with extremely high image quality and longer lifetime. Disclosed is an image forming method possessing the steps of evenly charging an organic photoreceptor; conducting a light exposure process; conducting a developing process to visualize the electrostatic latent image formed on the organic photoreceptor to form a toner image; transferring the toner image into a transfer medium; and conducting a cleaning process to remove a residual toner from the organic photoreceptor, the method further comprising the step of replenishing a developing device with a developer comprising toner and carrier, wherein the organic photoreceptor comprises a surface protective layer containing a filler, and the carrier is mixed with the toner, after attaching a lubricant onto a carrier particle in advance.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor including a charge generating layer and a charge transfer layer accumulated on a support member, the charge transfer layer including at least two layers of a support side layer and a surface side layer, wherein the support side layer contains A mol/cm3 of charge mol/cm3 of charge transfer material having a dipolar moment of not more than 0.75 and inorganic particles having a number average primary particle diameter of 3-150 nm, wherein A and B satisfies relations of (1) and (2), 9.0×10?4>A>3.0×10?4??(1) 8.0×10?4>B>2.0×10?5??(2).

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor including a charge generating layer and a charge transfer layer accumulated on a support member, the charge transfer layer including at least two layers of a support side layer and a surface side layer, wherein the support side layer contains A mol/cm3 of charge mol/cm3 of charge transfer material having a dipolar moment of not more than 0.75 and inorganic particles having a number average primary particle diameter of 3-150 nm, wherein A and B satisfies relations of (1) and (2), 9.0×10?4>A>3.0×10?4 ??(1) 8.0×10?4>B>2.

Abstract: A method of producing a semiconductor device able to prevent a change of shape of a contact hole and to form a contact having a low resistivity and low variability in resistivity, comprising the steps of: forming a conductive layer in a substrate; forming an insulating layer on the conductive layer; forming an opening used as the contact hole in the insulating layer to penetrate and reach the conductive layer; and removing native oxide formed on a surface of the conductive layer at a bottom of the opening by plasma etching and using an etching gas containing a fluorine compound gas at a predetermined concentration in a predetermined pressure wherein the concentration and pressure are determined within a range able to control an etching amount of the native oxide.

Abstract: A method of producing a semiconductor device able to prevent a change of shape of a contact hole and to form a contact having a low resistivity and low variability in resistivity, comprising the steps of: forming a conductive layer in a substrate; forming an insulating layer on the conductive layer; forming an opening used as the contact hole in the insulating layer to penetrate and reach the conductive layer; and removing native oxide formed on a surface of the conductive layer at a bottom of the opening by plasma etching and using an etching gas containing a fluorine compound gas at a predetermined concentration in a predetermined pressure wherein the concentration and pressure are determined within a range able to control an etching amount of the native oxide.

Abstract: A semiconductor device has a semiconductor layer such as of Si, an insulator film formed on the semiconductor layer and having a contact hole formed therein, a first contacting layer such as of Ti formed in the contact hole so as to be in contact with the semiconductor layer, a second contacting layer such as of TiN formed on the first contact material, and a contacting material such as W formed on the second contacting layer so as to substantially fill the contact hole. The first contacting layer in as formed state has a thickness of 4 nm or greater, while the second contacting layer as formed has a thickness of 1 nm or greater. The optimum thicknesses of the contacting layers are determined based on the pattern rule, e.g., 3.5 m rule, and the kinds of the materials such as Ti, TiN and W. Electrically stable ohmic contact can be obtained at a high yield.

Abstract: A method for forming a film of refractory metal used for interconnection in a semiconductor integrated circuit and, above all, to a method for forming a tungsten film (Blk-W film) by a blanket CVD method. A blanket tungsten (Blk-W) film 10 is formed with good adherence and coverage on an SiO.sub.X based interlayer insulating film 3 having a minute-sized contact hole 4 for improving reliability in an interconnection. Before proceeding to Blk-W-CVD, a substrate having a Ti-based adherent layer 7 on its uppermost surface is heated and exposed to a silane-based gas atmosphere for forming Si-nuclei on its surface. A W-nucleus 9 is formed by reducing the WF.sub.6 gas with H.sub.2 and a Blk-W film 10 is also formed by reducing the WF.sub.6 with SiH.sub.4 under a rate determined by the rate of the surface reaction. If the substrate is preliminarily heated before forming the Si nuclei, formation of the Si nuclei proceeds with improved uniformity. The W-nuclei may be carried out uniformly in a temperature range of 450.