Abstract: A layer-forming apparatus coats a solution containing a layer component and a flammable solvent on a surface of a base material, and forms a layer on the surface of the base material. In the layer-forming apparatus, a coating chamber in which the solution is coated on the surface of the base material is closed substantially hermetically, and a clean air is supplied from a clean-air supplier to the coating chamber. Then, ions that are produced by a corona discharger are sprayed to the surface of the base material in a state that a vapor concentration of the solvent in the coating chamber is below a burning lower limit, and dusts are removed from the base material. Then, the solution is coated on the surface of the base material from which the dusts are removed.

Abstract: When a linear pattern is drawn on a non-permeable medium by ejecting droplets of liquid onto the non-permeable medium by using an inkjet method, drawing of the linear pattern is started from a middle portion of the linear pattern.

Abstract: The present invention provides an organic/inorganic composite containing a rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal in which the aforementioned rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal is doped at a high concentration, and control of quenching and optical transparency are assured thereby; and an optical amplifier, a light control optical element, and luminescent device utilizing the same. The organic/inorganic composite containing a rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal is one in which at least one species of rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal is dispersed in an organic polymer, with the aforementioned composite containing an optically transparent organic polymer and an inorganic dispersion phase comprising: (1) a rare earth metal and (2) another element coordinated thereto via an oxygen atom(s).

Abstract: The liquid coating method includes the step of ejecting droplets from nozzles of a recording head onto an imaging region of a surface of a substrate placed on a support plate, wherein a dot pitch ? that is an interval between landing positions of the droplets on the surface of the substrate satisfies a following condition: ? ? 2 ? 3 ? V ? ( 1 + cos ? ? ? a ) ? sin ? ? ? a ? ? ( 1 - cos ? ? ? a ) ? ( 2 + cos ? ? ? a ) 3 where V stands for a volume of a droplet ejected from each of the nozzles and ?a stands for an advancing contact angle of the droplet against the substrate.

Abstract: A pattern forming method includes the step of ejecting droplets of a liquid containing a functional component, from nozzles of an inkjet recording head onto a surface of a substrate in one direction in sequence so as to form a linear pattern on the surface of the substrate, wherein: the inkjet recording head is controlled in such a manner that p ? ? ? ? d 6 ? ( ? sin 2 ? ? - cos ? ? ? sin ? ? ? ) ? { tan ? ? 2 ? ( 3 + tan 2 ? ? 2 ) } - 2 3 is satisfied where d denotes a diameter of the droplets of the liquid before depositing on the surface of the substrate, ? denotes a contact angle of the droplets of the liquid with respect to the substrate, and p denotes a dot pitch of the droplets of the liquid that are adjacently deposited on the surface of the substrate, and the droplets of the liquid contain a volatile solvent with volume ratio not less than [ 1 - 6 ? p ? ( ? sin 2 ? ? - cos ? ? ? sin ? ? ? ) ? { tan ? ? 2

Abstract: A line image forming method includes the steps of: ejecting a plurality of droplets of liquid sequentially from an inkjet head, the liquid containing a functional component; and depositing the droplets of the liquid onto a non-permeable medium, the deposited droplets becoming joined together on the non-permeable medium to form a line pattern of the liquid, wherein a receding contact angle of the liquid with respect to the non-permeable medium being not larger than 10°.

Abstract: Luminescent compositions are described comprising lanthanide-containing nanoclusters comprising lanthanide atoms bonded to at least one semimetal or transition metal via an oxygen or sulfur atom. Novel compositions include an antenna ligand complexed with the nanoclusters. The rare earth-metal nanoclusters are in the size range of 1 to 100 nm. Articles, such as solar cells, are described in which the nanoclusters (with or without antenna ligands) are dispersed in a polymer matrix. Novel methods of making luminescent films are also described.

Abstract: The pattern transfer apparatus includes: a liquid ejection device having liquid ejection ports through which droplets of liquid are ejected and deposited onto a substrate surface while the liquid ejection device relatively moves to scan the substrate surface in a relative scanning direction; and a stamp having a stamp surface on which a pattern is formed, the stamp surface being applied to the droplets of the liquid on the substrate surface in a stamp application direction while the stamp is relatively moved with respect to the substrate, wherein when defining, on the substrate surface, strips which are straight and parallel to the stamp application direction and have widths substantially equal to diameters of the droplets deposited on the substrate surface, at least one of the strips includes the droplets which are ejected respectively from at least different two of the liquid ejection ports of the liquid ejection device.

Abstract: The present invention provides an organic/inorganic composite containing a rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal in which the aforementioned rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal is doped at a high concentration, and control of quenching and optical transparency are assured thereby; and an optical amplifier, a light control optical element, and luminescent device utilizing the same. The organic/inorganic composite containing a rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal is one in which at least one species of rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal is dispersed in an organic polymer, with the aforementioned composite containing an optically transparent organic polymer and an inorganic dispersion phase comprising: (1) a rare earth metal and (2) another element coordinated thereto via an oxygen atom(s).

Abstract: When a linear pattern is drawn on a non-permeable medium by ejecting droplets of liquid onto the non-permeable medium by using an inkjet method, drawing of the linear pattern is started from a middle portion of the linear pattern.

Abstract: The present invention provides an organic/inorganic composite containing a rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal in which the aforementioned rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal is doped at a high concentration, and control of quenching and optical transparency are assured thereby; and an optical amplifier, a light control optical element, and luminescent device utilizing the same. The organic/inorganic composite containing a rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal is one in which at least one species of rare earth metal or/and Period IV transition metal is dispersed in an organic polymer, with the aforementioned composite containing an optically transparent organic polymer and an inorganic dispersion phase comprising: (1) a rare earth metal and (2) another element coordinated thereto via an oxygen atom(s).

Abstract: A pattern forming method includes the step of ejecting droplets of a liquid containing a functional component, from nozzles of an inkjet recording head onto a surface of a substrate in one direction in sequence so as to form a linear pattern on the surface of the substrate, wherein: the inkjet recording head is controlled in such a manner that p ? ? ? ? d 6 ? ( ? sin 2 ? ? - cos ? ? ? sin ? ? ? ) ? { tan ? ? 2 ? ( 3 + tan 2 ? ? 2 ) } - 2 3 is satisfied where d denotes a diameter of the droplets of the liquid before depositing on the surface of the substrate, ? denotes a contact angle of the droplets of the liquid with respect to the substrate, and p denotes a dot pitch of the droplets of the liquid that are adjacently deposited on the surface of the substrate, and the droplets of the liquid contain a volatile solvent with volume ratio not less than [ 1 - 6 ? ( ? sin 2 ? ? - cos ? ? ? sin ? ? ? ) ? { tan ? ? 2 ? (

Abstract: The liquid ejection head has an ejection unit which includes: a nozzle ejecting a droplet of liquid; a pressure chamber connected to the nozzle; a displacement generating device which changes a volume of the pressure chamber; and a supply flow channel which is connected to the pressure chamber and supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber, wherein a resonance frequency f (kHz) of the ejection unit and an ejection speed v (m/s) of the droplet ejected by the nozzle satisfy a following relationship: f>31×v+80.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus comprises: a plurality of ejection ports through which liquid is ejected toward a prescribed recording medium; a plurality of pressure chambers which are respectively connected to the plurality of ejection ports; a plurality of first actuators which respectively change volume of the plurality of pressure chambers; a common liquid chamber which is connected to the plurality of pressure chambers; a second actuator which changes volume of the common liquid chamber; and a drive unit which supplies drive signals to the first actuators and the second actuator, such that the first actuators cause the volume of the pressure chambers to contract to eject the liquid through the ejection ports and subsequently to expand the volume of the pressure chambers, and causes the second actuator to contract the volume of the common liquid chamber after the volume of the pressure chambers has been expanded.

Abstract: The liquid ejection head comprises: a nozzle through which liquid is ejected; a pressure chamber which stores the liquid ejected through the nozzle; a pressurizing device which changes a volume of the pressure chamber to apply pressure to the liquid stored in the pressure chamber; and a supply port through which the liquid is supplied to the pressure chamber, wherein the liquid ejection head has a structure such that inertance Mn of the nozzle, liquid resistance Rn of the nozzle, compliance Cn caused by a surface tension of the liquid in the nozzle, inertance Ms of the supply port, and liquid resistance Rn of the supply port satisfy the following inequality: 4 · ( Mn + Ms ) Cn ? ( Rn + Rs ) 2 , so that oscillation of a meniscus surface located in vicinity of the nozzle is controlled at a time of refill when the liquid is filled in the pressure chamber through the supply port after the liquid is ejected from the nozzle.

Abstract: A liquid droplet ejection apparatus comprises: a nozzle from which a liquid droplet is ejected; a pressure chamber filled with liquid to which a pressure is applied in order to eject the liquid in a form of the liquid droplet from the nozzle; and a supply port which supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber, wherein inertance Mn of the nozzle, resistance Rn of the nozzle, compliance Cn of a nozzle section due to surface tension, inertance Ms of the supply port, and resistance Rs of the supply port satisfy the following two formulas: 1 Mn + Ms ? Mn + Ms Cn - ( Rn + Rs ) 2 4 > ? ? ? f - Rn + Rs 2 ? ( Mn + Ms ) × 1 f < log ? ? 0.01 .

Abstract: The liquid coating method includes the step of ejecting droplets from nozzles of a recording head onto an imaging region of a surface of a substrate placed on a support plate, wherein a dot pitch ? that is an interval between landing positions of the droplets on the surface of the substrate satisfies a following condition: ? ? 2 ? 3 ? V ? ( 1 + cos ? ? ? a ) ? sin ? ? ? a ? ? ( 1 - cos ? ? ? a ) ? ( 2 + cos ? ? ? a ) 3 where V stands for a volume of a droplet ejected from each of the nozzles and ?a stands for an advancing contact angle of the droplet against the substrate.

Abstract: A drawing method includes three or more liquid drops are discharged by an inkjet method so as to draw a pattern on a substrate. The plural liquid drops are grouped into a plurality of groups that include at least a group composed of two or more adjacent liquid drops and each of which is composed of one, or two or more liquid drops. In each group composed of two or more liquid drops, each liquid drop hits the substrate so as to overlap an adjacent liquid drop of the same group. Also, a liquid drop disposed at an end of one group hits the substrate to be spaced from an adjacent liquid drop disposed at an end of an adjacent group to be joined to the adjacent liquid drop of the adjacent group when spread on the substrate.

Abstract: A layer-forming apparatus coats a solution containing a layer component and a flammable solvent on a surface of a base material, and forms a layer on the surface of the base material. In the layer-forming apparatus, a coating chamber in which the solution is coated on the surface of the base material is closed substantially hermetically, and a clean air is supplied from a clean-air supplier to the coating chamber. Then, ions that are produced by a corona discharger are sprayed to the surface of the base material in a state that a vapor concentration of the solvent in the coating chamber is below a burning lower limit, and dusts are removed from the base material. Then, the solution is coated on the surface of the base material from which the dusts are removed.

Abstract: The liquid ejection head having a nozzle through which liquid is ejected, the nozzle having an inertance Mn; a pressure chamber which accommodates the liquid to be ejected through the nozzle; a pressuring device which applies pressure to the liquid accommodated in the pressure chamber by deforming the pressure chamber to eject the ink from the pressure chamber; and a supply side flow passage which communicates with the pressure chamber and supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber, the supply side flow passage having an inertance Ms smaller than the inertance Mn of the nozzle.