Abstract: A light emitting structure light in response to a load applied to an object from a load object. In the light emitting structure are formed contacting portions which are provided on a supporting surface of the object, and which have a predetermined length from the surface of the supporting surface in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the object, wherein a stress-luminescent material is included in at least a portion of the supporting surface and the surface of the contacting portions.

Abstract: An antireflection structure comprising a transparent substrate having a plurality of holes with U-shaped or V-shaped cross-sectional shapes perpendicular to a flat surface portion and a metal oxide film disposed on the surface portion of the transparent substrate and in the space portions formed in an upward direction from the bottom portions of holes in the transparent substrate, wherein the average diameter of the openings of the holes is 50 nm to 300 nm, the average distance between the center points of openings of the adjacent holes is 100 nm to 400 nm, and the depth of each hole from the surface portion of the substrate is 80 nm to 250 nm; and the thickness of the metal oxide film disposed in each of the space portions increases as the depth of each of the holes becomes larger, thereby reducing the difference in depth between the holes from the uppermost surface portion of the metal oxide film disposed on the surface portion to the surface portions of the metal oxide films in the space portions.

Abstract: In this disclosure, there is provided a polarization element comprising a substrate having a predetermined light transmittance in a predetermined wavelength region and a plurality of polarization portions having a wire grid structure on the main surface of the above substrate, wherein the plurality of polarization portions are arranged to ensure that the ratio of the total area of the polarization portions to the predetermined area of the main surface gradually changes along a predetermined direction so that at least one of light transmittance and polarization degree gradually changes in the predetermined direction on the main surface of the substrate. A method for manufacturing the polarization element is also disclosed.

Abstract: A wire-grid polarizer includes metal reflectors which are embedded in a large number of grooves formed in a one-dimensional grid pattern in the same direction and with the same period in the front surface of a transparent sheet, wherein the average width (a) of the metal reflectors is 200 nm or less, the ratio (b/a) of the average thickness (b) of the metal reflectors from the front side of the sheet to the tip in the backward direction to the above average width (a) is 4 to 25, in any cross-section perpendicular to the surface of the sheet, the shape of each of the metal reflectors in the vicinity of the tip in the thickness direction is such that it gradually becomes thinner in a linear or smoothly curved shape toward the tip, and the ratio of the average length (c) toward the tip of portions that gradually become thinner toward the tip to the above average width (a) is 1.2 or more.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an optical element comprising a fine pattern over a substrate. Further, the method comprises: preparing the substrate comprising an uneven structure on a surface of the substrate, the uneven structure comprising recesses for the fine pattern; applying functional ink to the recesses; obtaining the optical element comprising the fine pattern made from the functional ink in the recesses.

Abstract: In the present invention, an uneven structure is formed on a surface of a base material to be printed to which ink is applied, and the pitch, the shape in plan view, and the depth of recesses in the uneven structure are determined on the basis of the physical properties (specific weight, viscosity, and contact angle) of ink to be used, in accordance with a printing pattern and a required printing precision. The amount of ink filling the recesses is thereby controlled, and high-precision is enabled at low cost without changing the printing process itself.

Abstract: A resin product wherein a resin B has pillar structures or lamellar structures inside a resin A is molded by kneading the resin A and the resin B that serves as a base material in an injection molding machine while heating both of the resins to at least a temperature at which both of the resins are melted at least partially. The resin product is soaked in a solution having higher erosion capability with respect to the resin A than the resin B, thereby dissolving the resin B and forming an uneven structure on the surface. As a result, an uneven structure having various shapes, densities or depths which are precisely adjustable can be formed at low cost. And provided are a resin structure and a production method thereof that can maintain wettability control or optical property control of the molded article over a long period of time.

Abstract: A resin product wherein a resin B has pillar structures or lamellar structures inside a resin A is molded by kneading the resin A and the resin B that serves as a base material in an injection molding machine while heating both of the resins to at least a temperature at which both of the resins are melted at least partially. The resin product is soaked in a solution having higher erosion capability with respect to the resin A than the resin B, thereby dissolving the resin B and forming an uneven structure on the surface. As a result, an uneven structure having various shapes, densities or depths which are precisely adjustable can be formed at low cost. And provided are a resin structure and a production method thereof that can maintain wettability control or optical property control of the molded article over a long period of time.

Abstract: An etching resist has a first heat-generating layer, a second heat-generating layer, and a metal compound layer including a metallic oxynitride layer containing a metallic oxynitride. The first heat-generating layer, the metallic oxynitride layer, and the second heat-generating layer are directly or indirectly laminated such that the metallic oxynitride layer is positioned between the first heat-generating layer and the second heat-generating layer.

Abstract: A process for producing through simple operations a molding die for optical device having an antireflective structure of nano-order microscopic uneven plane on a substratum surface. The molding die for optical device having microscopic uneven plane (antireflective structure die plane) on a surface of substratum is produced by a process comprising forming one or more etching transfer layers on substratum; forming thin film for formation of semisperical microparticles on the etching transfer layers; causing the thin film to undergo aggregation, or decomposition, or nucleation of the material by the use of any of thermal reaction, photoreaction and gas reaction or a combination of these reactions so as to form multiple semispherical islandlike microparticles; and using the multiple island like microparticles as a protective mask, carrying out sequential etching of the etching transfer layers and substratum by reactive gas to thereby form a conical pattern on the microscopic surface of the substratum.

Abstract: A process for producing through simple operations a molding die for optical device having an antireflective structure of nano-order microscopic uneven plane on a substratum surface. The molding die for optical device having microscopic uneven plane (antireflective structure die plane) on a surface of substratum is produced by a process comprising forming one or more etching transfer layers on substratum; forming thin film for formation of semispherical microparticles on the etching transfer layers; causing the thin film to undergo aggregation, or decomposition, or nucleation of the material by the use of any of thermal reaction, photoreaction and gas reaction or a combination of these reactions so as to form multiple semispherical islandlike microparticles; and using the multiple islandlike microparticles as a protective mask, carrying out sequential etching of the etching transfer layers and substratum by reactive gas to thereby form a conical pattern on the microscopic surface of the substratum.

Abstract: According to the present invention, whether recoding pits are larger or smaller than diffraction limit is determined. Then, a signal process suitable for processing of the recording pits larger than the diffraction limit and a signal process suitable for processing of the recording pits smaller than diffraction limit are divided to divisionally perform equalizer processing. The respective signals subjected to the divisional processing are synthesized to obtain a processed output signal. A reproduction signal with reduced impact of intersymbol interference is thus obtained.

Abstract: According to the present invention, whether recoding pits are larger or smaller than diffraction limit is determined. Then, a signal process suitable for processing of the recording pits larger than the diffraction limit and a signal process suitable for processing of the recording pits smaller than diffraction limit are divided to divisionally perform equalizer processing. The respective signals subjected to the divisional processing are synthesized to obtain a processed output signal. A reproduction signal with reduced impact of intersymbol interference is thus obtained.

Abstract: An etching resist containing a metallic oxynitride. The etching resist of the present invention can be suitably used, for example, in the production of a molded article for surface-working an optical member such as a microlens sheet, a light diffusing sheet, a non-reflective sheet, a sheet for encapsulating photosemiconductor elements, an optical waveguide, an optical disk, or a photosensor.

Abstract: When a method for increasing density by providing a tracking guide such as a land/groove and introducing a plurality of strings of super-resolution pits into one track thereof is applied to a reproduction-dedicated optical disk, there are problems in that the production cost is increased, the structure is complicated, and the space which can be used for a recording pits is narrowed because of the land/groove structure. In the invention, a concept of group tracking is applied. One track is formed by a plurality of pit strings having a size not greater than the optical resolution limit in the radial direction and a size not less than or not greater than the optical resolution limit or only not greater than the optical resolution limit in the tangential direction.

Abstract: The invention performs super resolution reproduction with a recording layer and a signal reproducing functional layer laminated on a grooved substrate. A length of a mark recorded in a Mark Position method is only one length that is less than the resolution limit in an optical system to be used, and recording marks are formed both on a land and in a groove of the grooved substrate.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for manufacturing a mold for an optical element having a nanostructure of nano-order fine depressions and elevations on a surface of a substrate. The method includes: forming at least one etching transfer layer on the substrate, and forming a thin film for hemispherical fine particle formation on the etching transfer layer; forming multiple hemispherical island-shaped fine particles, with any of thermal-, photo- and gas reactions or combination thereof to cause any of aggregation, decomposition and nucleation functions of a material of the thin film; and forming a conical pattern on the fine surface of the substrate, by successively etching the etching transfer layer and the substrate with a reactant gas, using the multiple island-shaped fine particles as a protective mask, thereby manufacturing a mold for an optical element having fine depressions and elevations or a nanostructure mold face on the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A process for producing through simple operations a molding die for optical device having an antireflective structure of nano-order microscopic uneven plane on a substratum surface. The molding die for optical device having microscopic uneven plane (antireflective structure die plane) on a surface of substratum is produced by a process comprising forming one or more etching transfer layers on substratum; forming thin film for formation of semispherical microparticles on the etching transfer layers; causing the thin film to undergo aggregation, or decomposition, or nucleation of the material by the use of any of thermal reaction, photoreaction and gas reaction or a combination of these reactions so as to form multiple semispherical island-like microparticles; and using the multiple islandlike microparticles as a protective mask, carrying out sequential etching of the etching transfer layers and substratum by reactive gas to thereby form a conical pattern on the microscopic surface of the substratum.

Abstract: There are included a sensor 310 which outputs pulse signals corresponding to the traveling distances of a vehicle, a vehicle display device 100 which displays, based on the pulse signals, vehicle information including the traveling distance, and a navigation unit 200 which receives the distance data related to the traveling distances, obtained by processing the pulse signals, being outputted from the vehicle display device 100 or the pulse signals at a certain reception period to calculate the present position of the vehicle, and controls the vehicle display device 100 to display road traffic information including the display synthesized with the present position on a map in accordance with map data read from a map information memory medium 230.