Abstract: A mask blank includes a transparent substrate and a light-shielding film formed on the transparent substrate. The light-shielding film is made of a material composed mainly of a metal that is dry-etchable with a chlorine-based gas. A resist film is used to form a transfer pattern in the light-shielding film. An etching mask film is formed on an upper surface of the light-shielding film and is made of a material containing a transition metal, silicon, and at least one of nitrogen and oxygen. A content ratio of the transition metal to a total of the transition metal and the silicon in the etching mask film is less than 9%.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photomask blank used for producing a photomask to which an ArF excimer laser light is applied, wherein: a light-shielding film is provided on a light transmissive substrate; the light-shielding film has a laminated structure in which a lower layer, an interlayer and an upper layer are laminated in this order from the side close to the light transmissive substrate; the thickness of the entire light-shielding film is 60 nm or less; the lower layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a first etching rate; the upper layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a third etching rate; the interlayer is made of a film containing the same metal as that contained in the lower layer or the upper layer and has a second etching rate that is lower than the first etching rate and the third etching rate; and the thickness of the interlayer is 30% or less of the thickness of the entire light-shielding film.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photomask blank used for producing a photomask to which an ArF excimer laser light is applied, wherein: a light-shielding film is provided on a light transmissive substrate; the light-shielding film has a laminated structure in which a back-surface antireflection layer, a light-shielding layer and a front-surface antireflection layer are laminated in this order from the side close to the light transmissive substrate; the thickness of the entire light-shielding film is 60 nm or less; the back-surface antireflection layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a first etching rate; the front-surface antireflection layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a third etching rate; the light-shielding layer is made of a film containing the same metal as that contained in the back-surface antireflection layer or the front-surface antireflection layer and has a second etching rate that is lower than the first etching rate and the third etching rate; and the thickness of

Abstract: The present invention provides a photomask blank in which a light-shielding film consisting of a plurality of layers is provided on a light transmissive substrate, wherein a layer that is provided to be closest to the front surface is made of CrO, CrON, CrN, CrOC or CrOCN, and wherein the atom number density of the front-surface portion of the light-shielding film is 9×1022 to 14×1022 atms/cm3.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photomask blank used for producing a photomask to which an ArF excimer laser light is applied, wherein: a light-shielding film is provided on a light transmissive substrate; the light-shielding film has a laminated structure in which a back-surface antireflection layer, a light-shielding layer and a front-surface antireflection layer are laminated in this order from the side close to the light transmissive substrate; the thickness of the entire light-shielding film is 70 nm or less; the back-surface antireflection layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a first etching rate; the front-surface antireflection layer is made of a film containing a metal and has a third etching rate; the light-shielding layer is made of a film containing the same metal as that contained in the back-surface antireflection layer or the front-surface antireflection layer and has a second etching rate that is lower than the first etching rate and the third etching rate; and the thickness of

Abstract: It is provided a photomask blank that has good flatness when a light-shielding film is patterned and hence can provide a good mask pattern accuracy and a good pattern transfer accuracy, and a method of producing a photomask. A photomask blank of the present invention includes a light-shielding film containing at least chromium on a light-transmitting substrate. The light-shielding film is formed so as to cause a desired film stress in the direction opposite to that of a change in the film stress that is anticipated to be caused in the light-shielding film by heat treatment according to a resist film formed on the light-shielding film. A photomask is produced by patterning the light-shielding film of the photomask blank by dry etching.

Abstract: A damper device having a casing with a cylindrical inner circumferential surface, a shaft body located in the cylindrical space of the casing and supported in a freely turnable manner, a cover which seals the casing, and viscous fluid stored in a sealed space formed between the shaft body and the casing. The casing is provided with a first engagement part and a second engagement part which engage with the cover, and the cover is welded with the first engagement part by ultrasonic welding and positioned by the second engagement part which is used as a positioning part in an axial direction for the cover.

Abstract: A photomask blank has a light shieldable film formed on a light transmitting substrate. The light shieldable film has a light shielding layer which is formed of molybdenum silicide metal containing molybdenum in a content greater than 20 atomic % and not greater than 40 atomic % and which has a thickness smaller than 40 nm, an antireflection layer formed on the light shielding layer in contact with the light shielding layer and formed of a molybdenum silicide compound containing at least one of oxygen and nitrogen, and a low reflection layer formed under the light shielding layer in contact with the light shielding layer.

Abstract: It is provided a photomask blank that has good flatness when a light-shielding film is patterned and hence can provide a good mask pattern accuracy and a good pattern transfer accuracy, and a method of producing a photomask. A photomask blank of the present invention includes a light-shielding film containing at least chromium on a light-transmitting substrate. The light-shielding film is formed so as to cause a desired film stress in the direction opposite to that of a change in the film stress that is anticipated to be caused in the light-shielding film by heat treatment according to a resist film formed on the light-shielding film. A photomask is produced by patterning the light-shielding film of the photomask blank by dry etching.

Abstract: There are provided a photomask blank which is capable of preventing static buildup caused by electron beam pattern drawing for forming a resist pattern, a photomask blank which provides a good pattern accuracy through optimization of the dry etching rate along the depth direction of the shielding film, and a photomask blank which is capable of reducing the dry etching time by increasing the dry etching rate of the shielding film. The photomask blank of the present invention includes a translucent substrate having thereon a shielding film composed mainly of chromium and the shielding film contains hydrogen. The shielding film is formed in such a manner that the film formation rate of the layer at the surface side is lower than the film formation rate of the layer at the translucent substrate side of the shielding film. The dry etching rate of the shielding film is lower at the translucent substrate side than at the surface side.

Abstract: A power transmission shaft includes a swaged boot-engaging groove on an outer circumference of thereof. Further, the power transmission shaft includes a reduced diameter portion provided in the vicinity of the boot-engaging groove. The reduced diameter portion is formed by swaging at the same time as the boot-engaging groove is formed.

Abstract: A constant velocity universal joint includes an inner race having an outer peripheral face on which inner grooves are formed, an outer race having an inner peripheral face on which outer grooves are formed, a plurality of balls each engaging with each pair of inner groove and outer groove, and an annular cage disposed between the inner race and the outer race and including window portions for retaining respective balls. A coefficient of sliding friction between the ball and a rolling face on the inner groove with which the ball is in contact, and a coefficient of sliding friction between the ball and a rolling face on the outer groove with which the ball is in contact are larger than a coefficient of sliding friction between the ball and a sliding face on the window portion with which the ball is in contact.

Abstract: A cleaning valve drive unit constituted to be able to supply water to a toilet by manual rotational operation of a main shaft in which the main shaft is constituted to be able to pull out from a cleaning operation position to a draining operation position. Whereas an operation limiting mechanism with respect to the main shaft enables to carry out cleaning operation to the toilet by rotational operation around an axis line with respect to the main shaft when the main shaft is disposed at the cleaning operation position, when the main shaft is moved to the draining operation position, the operation limiting mechanism permits to drain water by the rotational operation around the axis line with respect to the main shaft.

Abstract: A power transmission shaft includes a swaged boot-engaging groove on an outer circumference of thereof. Further, the power transmission shaft includes a reduced diameter portion provided in the vicinity of the boot-engaging groove. The reduced diameter portion is formed by swaging at the same time as the boot-engaging groove is formed.

Abstract: A constant velocity universal joint includes an inner race having an outer peripheral face on which inner grooves are formed, an outer race having an inner peripheral face on which outer grooves are formed, a plurality of balls each engaging with each pair of inner groove and outer groove, and an annular cage disposed between the inner race and the outer race and including window portions for retaining respective balls. A coefficient of sliding friction between the ball and a rolling face on the inner groove with which the ball is in contact, and a coefficient of sliding friction between the ball and a rolling face on the outer groove with which the ball is in contact are larger than a coefficient of sliding friction between the ball and a sliding face on the window portion with which the ball is in contact.

Abstract: A damper device having a casing with a cylindrical inner circumferential surface, a shaft body located in the cylindrical space of the casing and supported in a freely turnable manner, a cover which seals the casing, and viscous fluid stored in a sealed space formed between the shaft body and the casing. The casing is provided with a first engagement part and a second engagement part which engage with the cover, and the cover is welded with the first engagement part by ultrasonic welding and positioned by the second engagement part which is used as a positioning part in an axial direction for the cover.

Abstract: A rotary damper device includes a case in which a viscous fluid is filled and sealed, a rotation shaft relatively rotatably supported by the case, a rotation vane formed protruded from the rotation shaft, and a check valve mounted on a tip part of the rotation vane. A passage where the viscous fluid passes through is formed in the rotation vane. The check valve is provided with an opposing face part facing the passage and a frame body interposing the rotation vane. An elastic member for energizing the opposing face part of the check valve for closing the passage of the rotation vane is formed in either the rotation vane or the opposite side of the frame body of the opposing face part.

Abstract: A cleaning valve drive unit constituted to be able to supply water to a toilet by manual rotational operation of a main shaft in which the main shaft is constituted to be able to pull out from a cleaning operation position to a draining operation position. Whereas an operation limiting mechanism with respect to the main shaft enables to carry out cleaning operation to the toilet by rotational operation around an axis line with respect to the main shaft when the main shaft is disposed at the cleaning operation position, when the main shaft is moved to the draining operation position, the operation limiting mechanism permits to drain water by the rotational operation around the axis line with respect to the main shaft.

Abstract: The present invention provides a color image processing system for processing drawings at high speed while reproducing color tone with fidelity. The color image processing system includes a digital processor that performs a raster operation on multigradation image data and generates an output image represented by a first plurality of color components. The system also includes a processor which separates the output image data into a second plurality of color components and stores the separated data in a memory. The system includes a reverse color separator which transforms the stored image data back into image data represented by the first plurality of color components and supplies this transformed image data to the digital processor. In a preferred embodiment, the digital processor performs an under color removal/black generation conversion to separate the output image data resulting from the raster operation into cyan, magenta, yellow and black color components.

Abstract: The color image processor in accordance with the invention has a raster circuit 1 for receiving data about an image of multiple gray levels of plural colors, an UCR/BG circuit 2 for decomposing the image data received from the raster circuit 1 by the use of input Raster Operation codes according to color materials of plural colors, rasterizing the image data into a buffer memory 5, and generating black, and a binarization circuit 3 for binarizing raster data about each gray level and converting the data into data about images each having one gray level. If the aforementioned Raster Operation codes are other than Raster Operation codes having a base image, the raster output function, the UCR/BG functions, and the binarization function are performed simultaneously.