Abstract: After a plurality of grooves are formed in an insulating film and in an anti-reflection film on the insulating film, a barrier metal film and a conductive film are deposited on the anti-reflection film such that each of the grooves is filled therewith. Subsequently, the portions of the conductive film outside the grooves are removed by polishing and then the portions of the barrier metal film outside the grooves are removed by polishing. Thereafter, respective foreign matters adhered to a polishing pad and to a surface to be polished during polishing are removed and then a surface of the anti-reflection film is polished.

Abstract: After forming a groove in a surface portion of a substrate, a deposited film is formed on the substrate so as to fill the groove. The deposited film is subjected to a first stage of chemical mechanical polishing with a relatively high rotation speed and a relatively low pressure, so as to eliminate an initial level difference formed in the deposited film due to the groove. After eliminating the initial level difference, the deposited film is subjected to a second stage of the chemical mechanical polishing with a relatively low rotation speed and a relatively high pressure, so as to remove a portion of the deposited film present outside the groove.

Abstract: After a plurality of grooves are formed in an insulating film and in an anti-reflection film on the insulating film, a barrier metal film and a conductive film are deposited on the anti-reflection film such that each of the wiring grooves is filled therewith. Subsequently, the portions of the conductive film outside the grooves are removed by polishing and then the portions of the barrier metal film outside the wiring are removed by polishing. Thereafter, a foreign matter adhered to a surface to be polished during polishing is removed and then a surface of the anti-reflection film is polished.

Abstract: After a plurality of grooves are formed in an insulating film, a barrier metal film and a conductive film are deposited successively on the insulating film such that each of the grooves is filled completely therewith. Subsequently, the portions of the conductive film outside the grooves are removed by polishing and then the portions of the barrier metal film outside the grooves are removed by polishing. Thereafter, a foreign matter adhered to the surface to be polished during polishing is removed and then a surface of the insulating film is polished.

Abstract: After a plurality of grooves are formed in an insulating film and in an antireflection film on the insulating film, a barrier metal film and a conductive film are deposited on the anti-reflection film such that each of the grooves is filled therewith. Subsequently, the portions of the conductive film outside the grooves are removed by polishing and then the portions of the barrier metal film outside the grooves are removed by polishing. Thereafter, a foreign matter adhered to a surface to be polished during polishing is removed and then a surface of the anti-reflection film is polished by using an abrasive agent of the same type as used in the step of polishing the conductive film.

Abstract: A belt for continuously variable transmission, wherein the relationship between the thickness of the metal ring assembly and the groove width of the ring slot is established so that a limit rolling angle &agr; defined as a rolling angle of the metal elements provided when a radially outer peripheral surface of the metal ring assembly contacts a radially outer edge of the ring slot in the metal element is in a range of 0.7°<&agr;<2.5°. The upper limit value 2.5° of the angle &agr; is set as a rolling angle at which the driving force transmitting efficiency is a predetermined value or more, and the lower limit value 0.7° of the angle &agr; is set as a rolling angle generated following the deformation of a V-face due to an axial thrust on a drive or driven pulley.

Abstract: A belt for a continuously variable transmission includes a metal ring assembly formed of a plurality of endless metal rings laminated one on another, and a large number of metal elements each having a ring slot into which the metal ring assembly is fitted. In the belt, a crowning radius of the metal ring in a free state is set smaller than a crowning radius of a saddle face of the ring slot supporting the innermost metal ring. Thus, the metal ring assembly can be centered to a central portion of the saddle face, whereby a difference between a tensile stress at a central portion of an outer peripheral surface of the metal ring and a tensile stress at opposite ends of the outer peripheral surface can be reduced in an area where the metal belt is wound around a pulley, thereby preventing a reduction in durability.

Abstract: An electronic camera including a recording medium for recording a plurality of images and a menu switch for displaying, on a display device, a page of a menu applicable to select items for image recording and another page of a menu applicable to set the brightness of the display device.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus comprises an imaging element, an imaging optical system configured to input an image of an object to the imaging element, a non-volatile memory part for storing defect data concerning the imaging element, and includes a first memory area storing initial defect data concerning the imaging element, and a second memory area different from the first memory area, a defect detection part for detecting defect data concerning the imaging element, and a control part for controlling reading and writing of the defect data on the imaging element from and to the non-volatile memory part, the control part writing, to the second memory area, defect data detected by the defect detection part.

Abstract: An electronic camera for coupling with a printer including a recording medium for recording a plurality of images and a menu switch for displaying, on a display device, a page of a menu applicable to select an item of SINGLE PRINT for printing only a selected image, of the plurality of images recorded on the recording medium and another page of a menu applicable to select another item of PRINT ALL for printing all the images recorded on the recording medium.

Abstract: A V-face of a metal element is prevented from being inclined due to a load from a pulley by increasing the height Hs of an upper non-contact portion of the V-face of the metal element. For example, when the height of the V-face is represented by Hv (mm), and the height of the upper non-contact portion of the V-face is represented by Hs (mm), the height Hv of the V-face and the height Hs of the upper non-contact portion are set so that a relationship −0.5265Hv+2.768≦Hs≦−0.5934Hv+3.524 is established.

Abstract: An electronic camera includes a menu switch for displaying, on a display, the first print mode of printing only image data and the second print mode of superimposing and printing attendant data on image data, increment and decrement switches for moving menu items, and an execution switch for determining and executing a target item, wherein when an image file recorded on a recording medium is to be displayed on the display, if the electronic camera is in the first print mode, attendant data is superimposed and displayed on image data after the start of display, and display is switched to display of only the image data after a predetermined period, or if the electronic camera is in the second print mode, attendant data is always superimposed and displayed on image data during display.

Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor chip which has a first surface, a pad which is formed directly on the first surface, an oxide film which is formed on the first surface, an insulating film which is formed on the oxide film and a part of the pad, a conductive film which is formed on the insulating film and the pad, a sealing material which covers a part of the conductive film and the insulating film and a bump which is formed over the conductive film, wherein the bump is exposed from a surface of the sealing material.

Abstract: A probe device having a contact probe including a film, a plurality of wiring patterns formed on the film with each wiring pattern having a front end portion projecting from the film so as to form contact pins, and a metal layer provided on the film. In one embodiment, the contact probe device includes first and second contact probes connected to each other, the first contact probe including a first film, and a plurality of first wiring patterns formed on the first film, each first wiring pattern having a front end portion projecting from the first film so as to form contact pins. The second contact probe includes a second film, and a plurality of second wiring patterns formed on the second film. The plurality of second wiring patterns are connected to the plurality of first wiring patterns, and the second contact probe is formed separately from the first contact probe.

Abstract: Holes are formed in a first insulating film deposited on a substrate. After depositing a first conducting film over the first insulating film including the holes, the first conducting film is subjected to first CMP, so as to form plugs from the first conducting film. Next, the first insulating film is subjected to second CMP with a polishing rate of the first insulating film higher than a polishing rate of the first conducting film, so as to planarize the first insulating film by eliminating erosion caused in a region of the first insulating film where the plugs are densely formed. After depositing a second insulating film on the planarized first insulating film, interconnect grooves are formed in the second insulating film. After depositing a second conducting film over the second insulating film including the interconnect grooves, the second conducting film is subjected to third CMP, so as to form buried interconnects from the second conducting film.

Abstract: A camera comprises a beam splitter configured to divide an incident light from a subject through a photographing lens, an eyepiece lens configured to observe the incident light divided by the beam splitter with a viewfinder, a relay lens provided between the beam splitter and the eyepiece lens, and a shutter provided in a vicinity of the relay lens and configured to cut a reverse-incident light from the eyepiece lens.

Abstract: In a belt for a continuously variable transmission, a first line on a lower edge of an element body of a metal element is determined, and a second line straightforwardly connecting a lower end of a V-face to which a load is applied from a V-groove in a pulley and an inner end of a saddle surface is determined, so that when a downward load is applied from a metal ring assembly to an outer end of the saddle surface, the folding-resistant strength of the element body is uniform laterally. The position of the recess is determined in the vicinity of a point of intersection of the first and second lines. The lower edge of the element body is defined by the first line inside the recess and by the second line outside the recess. The durability of the metal element can be enhanced by devising the shape of the lower edge of the element body of the metal element in this manner.

Abstract: A method for detecting an inhibitory effect of a test gene on intracellular signal transduction is provided, which comprises transforming host cells by a vector carrying a gene capable of inducing cell death under specific conditions and having been ligated downstream to a promoter functioning in response to specific extracellular stimulation, introducing a test substance into the host cells or treating the host cells with the test substance so as to exracellularly stimulate the same, and then examining whether the cells survive or not to thereby detect whether the test substance has an inhibitory effect on intracellular signal transduction or not. Another detection method uses a reporter gene in place of the gene capable of inducing cell death. Furthermore, a method for isolating a gene having an inhibitory effect on intracellular signal transduction is provided, which comprises introducing a gene library into the host cells, screening surviving cells, and then isolating the introduced gene from the cells.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a library apparatus capable of enhancing the coupling accuracy and the positioning accuracy among a plurality of lockers to bring up the traveling accuracy and positional accuracy of an accessor within a passage penetrating the lockers so that the accessor can surely accomplish the insertion/extraction of a cartridge into/from a storage rack or a deck. For this purpose, a supporting member which holds a rail for guiding the accessor along a direction of coupling the plurality of lockers within the passage is installed in the coupling direction for each of the lockers, and a positioning groove in which a bar-like tool is fitted when positioning the adjacent lockers with respect to each other is made in an end portion of the supporting member in the coupling direction. This invention is applicable to a large-capacity external memory system storing a large number of cartridges such as magnetic tape cartridges and optical disk cartridges.

Abstract: A protein having transcription inhibitory activity and lacking at least a part of regions other than a region having DNA binding activity in a transcriptional regulatory factor is provided. This protein can be obtained by isolating cDNA encoding a protein capable of binding to the transcriptional regulatory region of the gene transcription of which is to be inhibited, deleting from the cDNA at least a part of the regions other than the region having DNA-binding activity, inserting the resulting DNA into an appropriate vector, introducing said vector into cells to allow them to express the deleted gene, and isolating and purifying a protein showing the transcription inhibitory activity. For example, the protein can be used in the field of pharmaceuticals as a therapeutic agent. Its use in the field of gene therapy is also expected.