Abstract: A multilayer interconnection structure includes a first interlayer insulation film, a second interlayer insulation film formed over the first interlayer insulation film, an interconnection trench formed in the first interlayer insulation film and having a sidewall surface and a bottom surface covered with a first barrier metal film, a via-hole formed in the second interlayer insulation film and having a sidewall surface and a bottom surface covered with a second barrier metal film, an interconnection pattern filling the interconnection trench, and a via-plug filling the via-hole, wherein the via-plug makes a contact with a surface of the interconnection pattern, the interconnection pattern has projections and depressions on the surface, the interconnection pattern containing therein oxygen atoms along a crystal grain boundary extending from the surface toward an interior of the interconnection pattern with a concentration higher than a concentration at the surface.

Abstract: A process for cleaning contaminated soil containing a heavy metal, comprising: (a) an extraction step where extracting the heavy metal contained in the soil as a heavy metal ion by bringing an extracting reagent into contact with the soil to obtain an extract “a” containing soil and the heavy metal ion; (b) a solid-liquid separation step where carrying out the solid-liquid separation of the extract “a” to obtain cleaned soil and an extract “b” containing the heavy metal ion; (c) a precipitation step where adjusting the pH of the extract “b” to 3 or more in the presence of an iron ion to precipitate the heavy metal together with ion so as to obtain an extract “c” containing iron and heavy metal precipitates; and (d) a heavy metal recovery step where foaming the extract “c” in the presence of a surfactant and collecting the iron and heavy metal precipitates by bubbles to recover them. The process can remove a heavy metal from the polluted soil containing the heavy metal efficiently.

Abstract: A data transfer control device and electronic equipment that make it possible to implement high-speed data transfer with reduced overhead processing of firmware and smaller hardware. A data transfer control device that conforms to the IEEE 1394 standard comprises an arbitration circuit that permits firmware (FW) transfer after the completion of one transaction (or one packet transfer) in the continuous packet transfer, if the CPU issues an FW transfer start command during the execution of continuous hardware transfer (HW transfer) processing by a SBP-2 core. If HWStart and FWStart signals go active together, the FW transfer has priority. A header area in RAM is divided into an ordinary header area and an HW header area, and an address generation circuit switches between generating addresses for the ordinary header area and addresses for the HW header area, based on an HWDMARun signal from the arbitration circuit. A data area in RAM is divided into an ORB area and a stream area for the SBP-2 core.

Abstract: A method is provided for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a multilayer wiring structure in which at least one insulating film is formed with a set of conducting portions which are electrically connected to each other to have a surface area of no less than 500 ?m2 and which include a wiring having a width of no more than 1.0 ?m. The method includes a polishing step for flattening the conducting portions together with the insulating film by chemical mechanical polishing, a chemical cleaning step for cleaning the flattened surface of the insulating film with a cleaning liquid, and a rising step for removing the cleaning liquid using a rinsing liquid. The rinsing step is performed using water with a dissolved oxygen concentration decreased to no more than 6 ppm by weight as the rinsing liquid.

Abstract: To correct brightness by measuring with accuracy and high speed variation of the brightness between pixels of an organic EL display. A first correction data memory stores a first correction data Dhy in a row direction, and a second correction data memory stores second correction data Dhx in a column direction. A first operation circuit generates a pixel correction data DH based on the first correction data Dhy and the second correction data Dhx. The pixel correction data DH is stored into a pixel correction data memory. Input gray scale data Din is corrected by the pixel correction data DH to output as output gray scale data Dout.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of washing the surface of a substrate having insulation areas and metal areas exposed to the surface by using organic cleaning solvent, and radiating ultra-violet ray on the surface of the washed substrate, whereby the accumulation of a residue on the surface of the substrate can be suppressed.

Abstract: To accurately display a predetermined gray level. A first transistor T1 and a second transistor T2 are arranged in a first path 501 from a power line 41 to a constant-current circuit 301. A driving transistor Tdr and a current supply transistor Tc are arranged in a second path 502 from the power line 41 to an OLED element 51. A capacitor C1 connected to the gate of the driving transistor and a capacitor C2 connected to the gate of the current supply transistor Tc hold a voltage corresponding to a data current Idata-j flowing in the first path 501. The driving transistor Tdr controls a driving current flowing in the second path 502 in accordance with the voltage held in the capacitor C1. The current supply transistor Tc controls the driving current flowing in the second path 502 in accordance with the voltage held in the capacitor C2.

Abstract: Aspects of the invention can provide an image processing circuit for gray scale correction, an image display apparatus, and an image processing method that allow reduction in the storage capacity needed for storing correction characteristics data without increasing clock rate in relation to interpolation processing of correction characteristics. A exemplary image processing circuit according to the invention can be applied, for example, to color correction or gamma correction of color image data. Gray scale correction characteristics data for a number of gray scale levels that is less than the number of gray scale levels of input image data can be stored in first and second lookup table storing units.

Abstract: To provide an electro-optical device, a driving method therefor, and an electronic apparatus which can accurately control the brightness of electro-optical elements in accordance with the signal level of a data signal. A brightness detection circuit 15 is provided which samples power-supply current Io every time one scan line is selected and which converts the power-supply current Io into a digital voltage signal DS having a digital value corresponding to the power-supply current Io. A light-emission-period control circuit 16 generates light-emission-period control signals H1 to Hn in accordance with a light-emission-period adjusting signal F corresponding to the digital voltage signal DS and outputs the light-emission-period control signals H1 to Hn to corresponding control-signal supply lines G1 to Gn.

Abstract: To provide a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device that is capable of controlling more smoothly brightness as compared with a control in every one frame and preventing large current from flowing when switching frames in a peak brightness control, a method of driving the same, and an electronic apparatus. A grayscale data average value operation unit 33 performs, for each line, an average value calculation of grayscale levels of images corresponding to images of an one-frame-length and outputs, based on average value for the one frame-length, mode signals M1 to M4 for brightness control in each line. A driver input data converter 34 rewrites, based on the mode signals M1 to M4 from the grayscale data average value operation unit 33, grayscale data HD for one line among grayscale data from a frame memory 31 into grayscale data DD. The driver input data converter 34 outputs grayscale data DD which is image data for the one frame-length and whose brightness is adjusted in a signal generating circuit.

Abstract: A data transfer control device and electronic equipment that make it possible to implement high-speed data transfer while observing restriction that prevent the traversing of page boundaries. A data transfer control device that conforms to the IEEE 1394 standard comprises a page table fetch circuit for fetching a page table from another node if a page table exists in a data buffer at the initiator, a page table creation circuit for creating a virtual page table if no page table exists, and an SBP-2 core for automatically dividing transfer data into a series of packets that do not traverse page boundaries based on the thus fetched or created page table and transmitting them. The page table creation circuit creates a page table in which a portion between a start address and a Kth page boundary is an X-type page table element, a portion between the Kth and Lth page boundaries is a Y-type page table element, and a portion between the Lth page boundary and an end address is a Z-type page table element.

Abstract: A data transfer control device and electronic equipment that make it possible to implement high-speed data transfer while observing restriction that prevent the traversing of page boundaries. A data transfer control device that conforms to the IEEE 1394 standard comprises a page table fetch circuit for fetching a page table from another node if a page table exists in a data buffer at the initiator, a page table creation circuit for creating a virtual page table if no page table exists, and an SBP-2 core for automatically dividing transfer data into a series of packets that do not traverse page boundaries based on the thus fetched or created page table and transmitting them. The page table creation circuit creates a page table in which a portion between a start address and a Kth page boundary is an X-type page table element, a portion between the Kth and Lth page boundaries is a Y-type page table element, and a portion between the Lth page boundary and an end address is a Z-type page table element.

Abstract: A lithium secondary battery comprises a cathode 1 capable of charging and discharging lithium ions, an anode 2 formed from a material which can be doped and de-doped with lithium ions, lithium metal, or the like, and an electrolyte that allows the movement of lithium ions. The anode 2 contains an imide compound represented by the chemical formula below. In the chemical formula above, Z is an optionally substituted —(CH2)n— (where n is an integer from 2 to 7), 1,2-cyclohexylene or 1,2-phenylene; X is a hydrogen atom, or an optionally substituted alkyl group, aralkylcarbonyl group, alkylcarbonyl group, alkoxycarbonyl group, aralkyloxycarbonyl group, or imidyloxycarbonyl group.

Abstract: A method is provided for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a multilayer wiring structure in which at least one insulating film is formed with a set of conducting portions which are electrically connected to each other to have a surface area of no less than 500 &mgr;m2 and which include a wiring having a width of no more than l.0 &mgr;m. The method includes a polishing step (501) for flattening the conducting portions together with the insulating film by chemical mechanical polishing, a chemical cleaning step (502) for cleaning the flattened surface of the insulating film with a cleaning liquid, and a rising step (503) for removing the cleaning liquid using a rinsing liquid. The rinsing step is performed using water with a dissolved oxygen concentration decreased to no more than 6 ppm by weight as the rinsing liquid.

Abstract: There are provided with a plurality of injection nozzles one ends of which are respectively inserted into a cylinder head every cylinder and other ends of which are covered with a cylinder head cover. A single common rail provided in parallel with a crankshaft is connected to a fuel injection pump through a first fuel pipe and connected to each injection nozzle through a plurality of second fuel pipes. The common rail is housed in the cylinder head cover, the front end of a first short pipe protruded from the common rail faces a first insertion portion formed in the sidewall of the cylinder head, and the first fuel pipe is connected to the first short pipe through the first insertion portion. Thereby, it is possible to decrease a fuel supply system using the common rail in weight and cost and improve the outside quality.

Abstract: There are provided with a plurality of injection nozzles one ends of which are respectively inserted into a cylinder head every cylinder and other ends of which are covered with a cylinder head cover. A single common rail provided in parallel with a crankshaft is connected to a fuel injection pump through a first fuel pipe and connected to each injection nozzle through a plurality of second fuel pipes. The common rail is housed in the cylinder head cover, the front end of a first short pipe protruded from the common rail faces a first insertion portion formed in the sidewall of the cylinder head, and the first fuel pipe is connected to the first short pipe through the first insertion portion. Thereby, it is possible to decrease a fuel supply system using the common rail in weight and cost and improve the outside quality.

Abstract: The object is to provide a thermal print head that can absorb an expansion due to difference of thermal expansion coefficients of a ceramic substrate and a glass-epoxy based printed circuit board to enable to obtain excellent printing quality, to be high in reliability, and to be capable of downsizing.

Abstract: The object is to provide a thermal print head that can absorb an expansion due to difference of thermal expansion coefficients of a ceramic substrate and a glass-epoxy based printed circuit board to enable to obtain excellent printing quality, to be high in reliability, and to be capable of downsizing.

Abstract: A lithium secondary battery comprises a cathode 1 capable of charging and discharging lithium ions, an anode 2 formed from a material which can be doped and de-doped with lithium ions, lithium metal, or the like, and an electrolyte that allows the movement of lithium ions. The anode 2 contains an imide compound represented by the chemical formula below.

Abstract: A lithium secondary battery includes a cathode which can be dischargeably charged with lithium ions, an anode made of lithium metal, a lithium alloy or any other anode material which can be releasably doped with lithium ions, and an electrolyte which allows migration of lithium ions between both electrodes. The cathode contains a halogen compound which releases halogen atoms, halogen ions or a reactive halogen-containing substance for reacting with the anode, thereby deactivating the anode to prevent excessive heat generation before oxygen released from the cathode due to a temperature rise reacts with the anode.