Abstract: A green sheet including a binder containing an acrylic resin having no polar group and a ceramics material in powder is prepared, and connection via are formed in the green sheet. Further, a conductor layer having virtually no voids is placed on the green sheet and a mask is also placed on the conductor layer. Then, the conductor layer is patterned by wet-etching so that wiring is formed thereon. A plurality of the green sheets thus formed are laminated, and a binding sheet, which contains an inorganic composition that has virtually no sintering shrinkage at the firing temperature of the multi-layered body as a main component, is formed on either both surfaces or one surface of the laminated body, and this is then fired, and thereafter, the binding sheet is removed.

Abstract: A dielectric ceramic is made of a sintered body of a complex oxide including at least one element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Ti and Mn, at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zn and Co, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Nb and Ta, wherein, the complex oxide is represented by a formula xZrO2-yTiO2-zA(1+w)/3B(2−w)/3O2 where ‘A’ in the formula denotes at least one element selected from the group (A) consisting of Mg, Zn and Co, ‘B’ denotes at one element selected from the group (B) consisting of Nb and Ta; x, y, z and w denote values in the respective ranges of 0.20≦x≦0.55, 0.40≦y≦0.55, 0.05≦z≦0.25, and 0≦w≦0.30, and x, y and z have a relationship represented as x+y+z=1; MnO is present in a range of 0.1 mol % to 1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a rotatable charging member, forming a nip with the image bearing member, for electrically charging the image bearing member; developing means for developing an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member to form a toner image, the developing means supplying electroconductive particles to the image bearing member, wherein the electroconductive particles are fed to the nip by the image bearing member; transferring means for transferring the toner image onto a recording material at a transfer position; wherein the developing means is capable of feeding the electroconductive particles of a region of the image bearing member which corresponds to a region between a first recording material and a second recording material immediately subsequent to the first recording material, and a time period from passage of a trailing end of the first recording material through the transfer position to arrival of a leading end of the second recording materia

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member, a charger means including a charge member for electrically charging the image bearing member with electroconductive particles between the charge member and the image bearing member and a developing member for developing a latent image with toner mixed with electroconductive particles. The latent image is formed on the image bearing member having been charged by the charging means, and a toner image provided by development of the latent image by the developing member is transferred onto a recording material. The electroconductive particles mixed in the toner is carried by the image bearing member and are fed to between the charge member and the image bearing member.

Abstract: A green sheet including a binder containing an acrylic resin having no polar group and a ceramics material in powder is prepared, and connection via are formed in the green sheet. Further, a conductor layer having virtually no voids is placed on the green sheet and a mask is also placed on the conductor layer. Then, the conductor layer is patterned by wet-etching so that wiring is formed thereon. A plurality of the green sheets thus formed are laminated, and a binding sheet, which contains an inorganic composition that has virtually no sintering shrinkage at the firing temperature of the multi-layered body as a main component, is formed on either both surfaces or one surface of the laminated body, and this is then fired, and thereafter, the binding sheet is removed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric ceramic composition that can be manufactured easily by an ordinary sintering method, is free from lead, and has a large frequency constant, a small grain size, and a high mechanical Q. This composition is expressed by a formula of (1-v-w)[(Li1-x-yNaxKy)zRO3].vLMnO3.wBi1/2Na1/2TiO3. The present invention also provides a piezoelectric ceramic composition, including at least one selected from Mn, Cr, and Co that is added to a composition expressed by a formula of (Li1-x-yNaxKy)zRO3 so as to have a ratio thereof to the whole of 0.01 to 1 wt % in terms of MnO2, Cr2O3, and CoO, respectively. In the above-mentioned formulae, 0≦v≦0.05, 0≦0.2, v+w>0, 0.2≦x≦0.97, 0≦y≦0.8, x+y≧0.8, 0.98≦z≦1, L indicates at least one element selected from the rare earth elements, and R denotes at least one element selected from Nb, Ta, and Sb.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composite magnetic body containing metallic magnetic powder and thermosetting resin and having a packing ratio of the metallic magnetic powder of 65 vol % to 90 vol % and an electrical resistivity of at least 104 &OHgr;·cm. When a coil is embedded in this composite magnetic body, a miniature magnetic element can be obtained that has a high inductance value and is excellent in DC bias characteristics.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member and an electrostatic image forming unit including an electrification device, which is disposed in contact with the image bearing member at an electrification location for performing injection electrification of the image bearing member. The apparatus is configured to change a peripheral speed difference between the electrification device and the image bearing member in accordance with a first period when an area of said image bearing member, which is to be an image forming area, is present in the electrification position; and a second period in which at least a particle of an area of said image bearing member, the area being a no-image area is present in the electrification position. The peripheral speed in the second period is smaller than the peripheral speed in the first period.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member; a charging rotatable member, contactable to the image bearing member at a contact position, for electrically charging the image bearing member, the charging rotatable member being rotatable for counterdirectional peripheral movement relative to rotation of the image bearing member at the contact position; developing means for developing an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member with a developer, the developing means being capable of collecting a residual developer from the image bearing member; and wherein start of rotation of the charging rotatable member is simultaneous with or prior to start of rotation of the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a charging member, contactable to the image bearing member, for electrically charging the image bearing member at a charging position; developing means for developing an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member with a developer; wherein when a first area on the image bearing member which is going to be an image formation area is at the charging position, the charging member moves with a peripheral speed difference relative to the image bearing member, and when a second area on the image bearing member which is a part of an area which is going to be a non-image formation area is at the charging position, the charging member moves substantially without a peripheral speed difference relative to the image bearing member, and wherein a collecting electric field is formed for collecting the developer from the second area to the developing means.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric ceramic composition that is free from lead and has a small grain size, a high coupling coefficient, a high mechanical Q, and a large frequency constant. This composition is characterized by being expressed by a formula of (LixNa1−x−yKy)z−2wMa2wNb1−wMbwO3, wherein 0.03≦x≦0.2, 0≦y≦0.2, 0.98≦z≦1, 0<w≦0.05, Ma indicates at least one element selected from the alkaline-earth metals, and Mb denotes at least one element selected from Bi, Sb, and the rare earth elements.

Abstract: A dielectric ceramic composition containing a first component and a second component (25 to 80 wt %) is used. The first component is a complex oxide represented by Formula: xZrO2—yTiO2—zL(1+u)/3M(2−u)/3O2 (L is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zn, Co, and Mn, and M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Nb and Tb. x, y, z, and u are numerical values represented by x+y+z=1, 0.10≦x≦0.60, 0.20≦y≦0.60, 0.01≦z≦0.70, 0≦u≦1.90). The second component is a glass composition containing an oxide of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, B, Al, Ba, Ca, Sr, Zn, Ti, La, and Nd.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a charge member, contactable to the image bearing member, for electrically charging the image bearing member, the charge member being capable of being supplied with a voltage; developing means for developing an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member with a developer; wherein the charge member is rotatable so as to provide a first peripheral speed difference between a surface of charge member and a surface of the image bearing member when the image bearing member is charged for image formation; wherein there is provided a cleaning period for transferring the developer from the charge member to the image bearing member with a second peripheral speed difference, which is smaller than the first peripheral speed difference, between the surface charge member of and surface of the image bearing member, when a charging operation for the image formation is not effected to the image bearing member.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composite magnetic body containing metallic magnetic powder and thermosetting resin and having a packing ratio of the metallic magnetic powder of 65 vol % to 90 vol % and an electrical resistivity of at least 104&OHgr;·cm. When a coil is embedded in this composite magnetic body, a miniature magnetic element can be obtained that has a high inductance value and is excellent in DC bias characteristics.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric ceramic composition that can be manufactured easily by an ordinary sintering method, is free from lead, and has a large frequency constant, a small grain size, and a high mechanical Q. This composition is expressed by a formula of (1−v−w)[(Li1-x-yNaxKy)zRO3].vLMnO3.wBi½Na½TiO3. The present invention also provides a piezoelectric ceramic composition, including at least one selected from Mn, Cr, and Co that is added to a composition expressed by a formula of (Li1-x-yNaxKy)zRO3 so as to have a ratio thereof to the whole of 0.01 to 1 wt % in terms of MnO2, Cr2O3, and CoO, respectively. In the above-mentioned formulae, 0≦v≦0.05, 0≦w≦0.2, v+w>0, 0.2≦x≦0.97, 0≦y≦0.8, x+y≧0.8, 0.98≦z≦1, L indicates at least one element selected from the rare earth elements, and R denotes at least one element selected from Nb, Ta, and Sb.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric ceramic composition that is free from lead and has a small grain size, a high coupling coefficient, a high mechanical Q, and a large frequency constant. This composition is characterized by being expressed by a formula of (LixNa1−x−yKy)z−2wMa2wNb1−2MbwO3, wherein 0.03≦x≦0.2, 0≦y≦0.2, 0.98≦z≦1, 0<w≦0.05, Ma indicates at least one element selected from the alkaline-earth metals, and Mb denotes at least one element selected from Bi, Sb, and the rare earth elements.

Abstract: A magnetic element including: a composite magnetic member A containing a metallic magnetic powder in an amount of 50-70 vol. % and a thermosetting resin in an amount of 50-30 vol. %; a magnetic member B that is at least one selected from a ferrite sintered body and a pressed-powder magnetic body of a metallic magnetic powder; and a coil. The magnetic element is characterized in that a magnetic path determined by an arrangement of the coil passes the magnetic member A and the magnetic member B in series and the coil is embedded in the magnetic member A. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the magnetic element.

Abstract: The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device of the present invention includes: a semiconductor substrate having a surface including a first surface region at a first level, a second surface region at a second level lower than the first level, and a step side region linking the first surface region and the second surface region together; a channel region formed in the first surface region of the semiconductor substrate; a source region and a drain region which are formed in the surface of the semiconductor substrate so as to interpose the channel region therebetween; a first insulating film formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate; a floating gate formed on the first insulating film; a second insulating film formed on the floating gate; and a control gate which is capacitively coupled to the floating gate via the second insulating film.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a charge member, contactable to the image bearing member, for electrically charging the image bearing member, the charge member being capable of being supplied with a voltage; developing means for developing an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member with a developer; wherein the charge member is rotatable so as to provide a first peripheral speed difference between a surface of charge member and a surface of the image bearing member when the image bearing member is charged for image formation; wherein there is provided a cleaning period for transferring the developer from the charge member to the image bearing member with a second peripheral speed difference, which is smaller than the first peripheral speed difference, between the surface charge member of and surface of the image bearing member, when a charging operation for the image formation is not effected to the image bearing member.

Abstract: In a semiconductor substrate having a surface including a first surface region at a first level, a second surface region at a second level lower than the first level, and a step side region linking the first surface region and the second surface region together, a channel region has a triple structure. Thus, a high electric field is formed in a corner portion between the step side region and the second surface region and in the vicinity thereof. A high electric field is also formed in the first surface region. As a result, the efficiency, with which electrons are injected into a floating gate, is considerably increased.