Abstract: This invention discloses a memory cell threshold voltage shift method effective for the erase or write sequence of a nonvolatile semiconductor memory. First, the threshold voltages VTH of a plurality of memory cells are shifted at once to a range whose upper limit is set to an erase verify voltage VEV. After this, the lower limit of the threshold voltages VTH shifted at once to the range is shifted to a first overerase verify voltage VOEV1 close to the erase verify voltage VEV. Then, the lower limit of the threshold voltages VTH shifted to the first overerase verify voltage VOEV1 to a second overerase verify voltage VOEV2 closer to the erase verify voltage VEV.

Abstract: An optical element includes a first substrate having a diffractive surface or a surface structure with a surface level difference, a second substrate for covering the diffractive surface or the surface structure to provide a shield therefor, and a groove provided at the diffractive surface or the surface structure, and extending from a central portion to a peripheral portion thereof, for discharging or replacing a gas at the diffractive surface or the surface structure therethrough.

Abstract: A mask structure to be used for X-ray exposure or the like in manufacturing semiconductor devices prevents contaminants from adhering and accumulating on the surface of a mask, thereby extending the life of the mask. In this mask structure, titanium oxide films are formed on front and back pellicles that protect a mask, composed of a support film and an X-ray absorber, from dust or the like. Titanium oxide decomposes contaminants by functioning as a photocatalyst, and prevents the adhesion and accumulation of contaminants by an antistatic function based on photoconductivity. When a titanium oxide film is formed on the surface of the mask itself, it is preferable that the film be formed outside the exposure area or the like.

Abstract: A pulse generator circuit provides a capacitor, a constant current source circuit for charging the capacitor at a constant current in response to an input signal, and a differential amplifier circuit for comparing a charge voltage in the capacitor with a predetermined reference voltage Vref, thereby outputting a pulse signal.

Abstract: A pulse generator circuit provides a capacitor, a constant current source circuit for charging the capacitor at a constant current in response to an input signal, and a differential amplifier circuit for comparing a charge voltage in the capacitor with a predetermined reference voltage Vref, thereby outputting a pulse signal.

Abstract: An organic EL device comprises a substrate, an organic EL structure stacked on the substrate, a sealing plate located on the organic EL structure with a predetermined space therebetween, and a sealing adhesive agent for fixing the sealing plate on the substrate and thereby closing up the organic EL structure. The sealing adhesive agent is a photo-curing type adhesive agent which, upon photo-curing, generates gases under heating conditions of 85° C. and 60 minutes. In these gases, the total amount of a low-molecular straight-chain aliphatic hydrocarbon which may have a substituent, an aromatic hydrocarbon which may have a substituent, an alicyclic hydrocarbon which may have a substituent, and a heterocyclic compound and a siloxane which may have a substituent is 200 &mgr;g/g or lower calculated as benzene.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes a solid polymer ion exchange membrane having a thickness which is set to be within a range of 20 &mgr;m to 60 &mgr;m. The fuel cell comprises a fuel gas flow passage for supplying a non-humidified fuel gas from a side of a first surface of the ion exchange membrane, and an oxygen-containing gas flow passage for supplying a non-humidified oxygen-containing gas from a side of a second surface of the ion exchange membrane. A portion of the fuel gas flow passage, which is disposed in the vicinity of a fuel gas inlet, is arranged closely to a portion of the oxygen-containing gas flow passage disposed in the vicinity of an oxygen-containing gas outlet. Accordingly, the oxygen-containing gas and the fuel gas can be supplied without humidification, and it is possible to perform efficient and smooth operation.

Abstract: A mask ROM includes electrically programmable redundancy cells. Error data is stored in non-use cells among the redundancy cells and access inhibition addresses are attached to the non-use cells in which the error data is stored. If illegal copying is effected by sequentially incrementing the address of the mask ROM, the redundancy cell is accessed and the error data is output when the access inhibition address is accessed.

Abstract: An optical printer head capable of minimizing production of a ghost by incidence of light reflected on a filter holding hole. Light emitted from a light source is reflected out of a maximum allowable incident angle to minimize generation of a ghost due to incidence of reflected light on a selfoc lens array while reducing a size of a filter holding hole for holding each of filters therein. Also, a peripheral surface of the filter holding hole may be rendered rough, to thereby provide a scattering surface, resulting in preventing repeated reflection of light emitted from the light source on the peripheral surface of the filter holding hole.

Abstract: In a method for manufacture of an optical element, a thin film is formed on a surface, such as a grating surface, an aspherical surface or a spherical surface, formed on a mold. Then, a substrate is bonded to the thin film. Subsequently, the thin film and the substrate are separated from the mold.

Abstract: A device for measuring characteristics of an optical pickup and/or an optical disc by which characteristics of tracking signals can be measured accurately in a noise-free manner. The measurement device 1 has a sample-and-hold circuit 8 and an analog-to-digital converter 10 for directly sampling an output of an optical pickup 2 as signals A to F in order to store the resulting digital data in a second memory 11. An arithmetic-logic unit 12d measures tracking error signals based on the digital data stored in the second memory 11. The arithmetic-logic unit 12d eliminates unstable portions of the tracking signals generated responsive to rotational eccentricity of the optical disc to find data.

Abstract: An optical printer head capable of preventing catching between a filter holder and a luminous tube to prevent production of dust and attaining replacement of the luminous tube without exposing filters to an ambient atmosphere. A filter holder is arranged separately from a light source and an selfoc lens array, to thereby prevent production of dust from the filter holder due to contact of the filter holder with the light source and selfoc lens array. A base is arranged so as to receive only the filter holder therein, to thereby prevent the filters held on the filter holder from being exposed to an ambient atmosphere, resulting in dust being kept from adhering to the filters. A pair of light passages are formed on a light path and closed with a light-permeable cover to sealedly close the base, to thereby prevent dust from intruding into the base during replacement of the light source.

Abstract: A semiconductor storage device, which has an automatic write/erase function, and uses a potential obtained by boosting a power supply voltage upon write/erase, has a write division control circuit which shifts the selection timings of bit lines upon write, so as to decrease the number of bits to be written simultaneously, thereby reducing the consumption current and compensating for insufficient current supply performance of a power supply circuit in case the power supply voltage is low, and refers to the contents of erase flags upon pre-programming in erase, and erase only blocks that require erases, while, when the power supply voltage is high as the power supply voltage has a wide range or the write time is short as in an acceleration test, the number of bits to be selected at the same time is increased to prevent an increase in write/erase time.

Abstract: This invention provides an electrode for a fuel cell comprising a catalyst layer obtained by a first step of homogeneously mixing carbon supporting platinum which is an electrode catalyst, an alcohol solution of an ion conductive component which is a solid polymer electrolytic membrane component, and an organic solvent, by means of a stirrer having a grinding effect to produce electrode paste in which the carbon is highly dispersed; a second step of stirring said electrode paste by means of a three-dimensional vibrating stirrer in order to obtain highly structured carbon on which platinum is supported; and a third step of coating a gas diffusion electrode material and/or a solid polymer electrolytic membrane with the electrode paste in which the carbon is highly structured, followed by removal of the organic solvent.

Abstract: In order to fabricate a hinge device for opening and closing an opening and closing member which is opened and closed one-sidedly or relatively in respect of a main body of the device in a small size, with a structure as simple as possible and inexpensively, the device is constituted by a shaft installed with a flange portion at one end portion thereof, a fixing member having a rotational lock which is engaged with other end portion of the shaft such that the fixing member does not come of f the other end portion and fixed to one connecting portion of the opening and closing member which is constituted to be rotatable along with the shaft, a fixed cam having a rotational lock which is fixed to other connecting portion of the opening and closing member while rotatably inserting the rotating shaft through a central portion thereof on a side of the flange portion of the rotating shaft, a rotary sliding cam which is installed between the fixed cam and the fixing member, engaged with the shaft inserted through a c

Abstract: The time required for the program verify and erase verify operations can be shortened. The change of threshold values of memory cells can be suppressed even if the write and erase operations are executed repetitively. After the program and erase operations, whether the operations were properly executed can be judged simultaneously for all bit lines basing upon a change, after the pre-charge, of the potential at each bit line, without changing the column address. In the data rewrite operation, the rewrite operation is not effected for a memory cell with the data once properly written, by changing the data in the data register.

Abstract: Aqueous solution, including at least one of optically active (-)-(R)-.alpha.-((tert-butylamino)methyl)-2-chloro-4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol represented by the following formula: ##STR1## and pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof. The aqueous solution also includes at least one photostabilizer selected from the group consisting of saccharide, sugar alcohol, and polyalcohol. A content of the at least one of optically active (-)-(R)-.alpha.-((tert-butylamino)methyl)-2-chloro-4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol and pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof is 0.01 to 10% (w/v) based on a volume of the aqueous solution. A content of the at least one photostabilizer is 1 to 50% (w/v) based on the volume of the aqueous solution. The content of the at least one photostabilizer is at least 10% (w/w) based on a total weight of the at least one of optically active (-)-(R)-.alpha.-((tert-butylamino)methyl)-2-chloro-4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol and pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof. Method of making a stabilized aqueous solution.

Abstract: The purpose is to provide anti-inflammatory agents which have potent pharmacological actions and exert a selective inhibitory activity on COX-2, thereby being expected to reduce adverse effects such as disorders in gastric mucosa. The present invention encompasses a compound of the formula (1): wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen or halogen, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are each independently hydrogen, halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, hydroxy or lower alkanoyloxy, R.sup.4 is lower haloalkyl or lower alkyl, X is sulfur, oxygen or NH, and Y is lower alkylthio, lower alkylsulfonyl or sulfamoyl, which exerts superior anti-inflammatory activity, and highly inhibits COX-2 induced in inflamed sites, with less inhibitory action on COX-1 present in stomach, kidney, etc. Pharmaceutical agents comprising the compound of the present invention are provided as selective COX-2 inhibitors, and anti-inflammatory agents rarely accompanying adverse actions including attacks on gastric mucosa.

Abstract: In a method for determining whether electronic charge has been accumulated on the inner surface of a cathode ray tube (10), at least one electron beam is generated within the cathode ray tube and is deflected so that it hits the inner surface of the funnel (14) of the cathode ray tube. The temperature of a portion of the cathode ray tube is measured and is compared with a reference temperature value. If the measured temperature is greater than or equal to the reference temperature, it is determined that the electronic charge has accumulated. If the measured temperature is below the reference temperature, then the electron beam or beams have become switched off and electronic charge may not have accumulated on the inner surface of the cathode ray tube.

Abstract: To ensure safe and easy demolition of tanks effectively in a short length of time, while significantly enhancing safety and saving much labor, by a work vehicle 3 with an attachment 1 having cutting edges that can be freely opened and closed for boring and cutting-off operations, a bore 10a is formed in a side wall of a tank 10. A notch is made in the side wall of the tank 10, starting from the said bore 10a. The bore 10a is expanded by means of removing a cut-off piece. Before the tank 10 buckles, it is supported at the position above the bore 10a. A notch is made in the side wall of the tank 10. The bore 10a is expanded by means of removing a cut-off piece. Then, a support force against the tank 10 is adjusted by a work vehicle 4 to buckle the tank 10 while utilizing a self weight of the upper portion of the tank 10. The buckled tank 10 is handled by the work vehicles 3 and 4.