Abstract: A tracking servo apparatus in which reflection light obtained when a laser beam is irradiated onto a recording surface of an optical disc is photoelectrically converted, thereby obtaining a photoelectric conversion signal, a tracking error signal showing a deviation amount of an irradiating position of said laser beam for a track in a disc radial direction on the recording surface is generated by the photoelectric conversion signal, a spherical aberration occurring in an optical system is detected, a level of the tracking error signal is corrected on the basis of the detection result, and the irradiating position of the laser beam is moved in the disc radial direction in accordance with the level-corrected tracking error signal.

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus and method can polish a surface of an object very precisely at a high speed irrespective of the presence of a local defect on the surface to be polished. By using a multiplex ring-shaped polishing pad, an effective surface to be polished is increased, and very precise and uniform polishing can be performed at a high speed. By using a plurality of polishing pads, having different diameters smaller than the diameter of the surface to be polished, provided with an interval on the same revolution radius on a revolution table, or by using a plurality of polishing pads, having the same diameter smaller than the diameter of the surface to be polished, provided at positions having different revolution radii on a revolution table, very precise and uniform polishing can be performed.

Abstract: A disk cartridge permits improved efficiency of airflow circulation in a disk accommodation chamber and improved efficiency of dust collection, and also allows the spring force of a shutter spring to be reduced. In a cartridge main body of the disk cartridge, a spring accommodation chamber is formed outside a disk accommodation chamber. The spring accommodation chamber is separated by upper and lower partitions of upper and lower halves so that it is discrete and independent from the disk accommodation chamber. An elastic member installed in the spring accommodation chamber is used to rotatably drive a shutter opening and closing arm in the direction for closing.

Abstract: A film running device which enables the film to run stably, which as a whole is small in size, simple in construction and requires easy maintenance. A long film 1 is delivered from a delivery roll 2. A drive rotor R of the delivery roll incorporates an outer rotor-type electric motor 25M therein, and is rotated by the motor.

Abstract: Provided are precision polishing methods and apparatus for efficiently and uniformly polishing a surface of a substrate with high precision by efficiently and uniformly distributing a polishing liquid over entire contact surfaces of the substrate and a polishing pad.

Abstract: A door operable in unison with a cartridge holder is provided at the entrance of the apparatus, whereby a movement amount of a cartridge holder (23) is set to be an amount made smaller than a thickness of a disk cartridge (1) and also to be an amount in which the disk cartridge (1) can be prevented from interfering with a spindle motor (3) when the disk cartridge (1) is loaded and unloaded. The thickness of the disk storage apparatus can be reduced, and hence the whole of the disk storage apparatus can be reduced in thickness.

Abstract: The invention provides an external-use composition imparting no sticky sensation in use, particularly an external-use composition for a cosmetic composition exhibiting excellent retention during use, by finding a gelling agent for an oily ingredient, particularly for silicone oil. The external-use composition contains a spherical powder (mean particle size: 0.1-200 &mgr;m) of organopolysiloxane elastomer having a JIS A hardness of 1.0-30.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system for developing photosensitive resin plates with an aqueous developing solution and for disposing of a waste developing solution. In the system, a fresh developing solution is added to a developing unit in a continuous manner or at intervals of a fixed period, while a part of the resin-containing developing solution is removed from the developing unit, whereby the resin content of the developing solution in the developing unit is kept substantially constant and the disposal of the waste developing solution is carried out in parallel with the development. Also disclosed herein are apparatus used in the developing system.

Abstract: In order to efficiently polish a large-area member to be polished to a desired shape, a polishing apparatus includes a first polishing station including a first holding unit for holding a member to be polished in a state in which a surface to be polished thereof is upwardly placed, and a first polishing head for holding and rotating a polishing pad whose polishing surface is larger than the surface to be polished in a state of contacting the surface to be polished, a detection station for detecting a polished state of the surface to be polished in a state in which the surface to be polished is upwardly placed, and a second polishing station including a second holding unit for holding the member to be polished in a state in which the surface to be polished thereof is upwardly placed, and a second polishing head for holding and rotating a polishing pad whose polishing surface is smaller than the surface to be polished in a state of contacting the surface to be polished.

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus and method can polish a surface of an object very precisely at a high speed irrespective of the presence of a local defect on the surface to be polished. By using a multiplex ring-shaped polishing pad, an effective surface to be polished is increased, and very precise and uniform polishing can be performed at a high speed. By using a plurality of polishing pads, having different diameters smaller than the diameter of the surface to be polished, provided with an interval on the same revolution radius on a revolution table, or by using a plurality of polishing pads, having the same diameter smaller than the diameter of the surface to be polished, provided at positions having different revolution radii on a revolution table, very precise and uniform polishing can be performed.

Abstract: Pick-up tools and other devices for handling semiconductor wafers are require to be capable of withstanding corrosive chemical substances and extreme temperatures, and the valve unit for use in such devices must meet these requirements. The valve unit is also desired to be free from electrostatic charging. To this end, the valve unit comprises a valve main body, having a valve seat defined therein, which is made of relatively electroconductive and self-lubricating material such as PTFE, and a valve case which is injection molded around the valve unit and made of a material having some electroconductivity and a high resistance against deformation such as PEEK mixed with carbon fibers. Provision of annular grooves on the outer surface of the valve main body improves the attachment between the valve main body and the valve case so as to improve both the sealing performance and the mechanical integrity of the valve unit.

Abstract: In order to reclaim defective articles, wafers carried in from a loading unit are transported to a wafer stocker unit, a polishing unit, a pre-rinsing unit, a rinsing unit, a spin dehydrating unit and a drying unit in the named order, and in a defect inspecting device, defective articles are sorted and the remainder are taken out of an unloading unit as products. The defective articles are classified in a discriminating device in conformity with the kinds of defects and are returned to the polishing unit, the rinsing unit or the drying unit through a return duct.

Abstract: A chemical-mechanical polishing apparatus for polishing a workpiece. The apparatus includes a rotatable table having a surface for holding a workpiece to be polished, a table drive mechanism for rotating the rotating table, a polishing tool rotatable around a rotation axis and being rectilinearly movable in an axial direction along the rotation axis, a polishing tool drive mechanism for rotating and rectilinearly moving the polishing tool, the polishing tool drive mechanism pressing the polishing tool against the workpiece to be polished at a predetermined pressure, a supply for supplying an abrasive material between the polishing tool and the workpiece to be polished, and a foreign substance removing device for removing a foreign substance on the surface of the table. The removing device is located rotationally downstream of the table relative to the polishing tool.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polishing machine in which the polishing face of the polishing pad is made to contact the polishing object face of the wafer with efficient supply of the polishing agent on the polishing object face of the processing object in the polishing process, the polishing object face of the wafer being polishing by allowing at least either one of them to rotate, wherein the wafer is polished by repeatedly making a contact and non-contact between the polishing pad and wafer during the polishing process in the polishing agent accommodated in the vessel.

Abstract: A precision polishing apparatus has a first hermetically sealed chamber provided with polishing means, a third hermetically sealed chamber capable of communicating with the first hermetically sealed chamber through a second hermetically sealed chamber, first and second opening-closing means for alternately placing the first and the third hermetically sealed chamber in communication with the second hermetically sealed chamber, and atmosphere pressure control means for controlling the atmosphere pressure of the first and the second hermetically sealed chamber so that the atmosphere pressure of the first hermetically sealed chamber may become lower than the atmosphere pressure of the second hermetically sealed chamber when at least the first opening-closing means is opened.

Abstract: In a removable disk storage apparatus, a reading/writing head can be stably and reliably moved so as to correspond to an information recording medium. A rotation supporting member for supporting the reading/writing head is formed of a rotary arm and an elastic supporting member fitted to a tip end portion of the rotary arm for supporting the reading/writing head. The rotary arm member is formed by bending it so that it should be dogleg-shaped. The elastic supporting body is fixed on a tip end portion of a bent portion thereof in the extended direction in which the elastic supporting body is bent. The rotary arm is inserted into a disk cartridge substantially straight with its tip end being faced to the disk cartridge, and then supported by a ramp on a center line thereof.

Abstract: A substrate holding device includes a frame member for holding a substrate on an open side of the frame member, the open side being formed by a recess in the frame member, a plurality of fluid chambers disposed concentrically in the recess of the frame member, a respective wall face on the substrate holding side of the frame member at least partially defining each fluid chamber, each wall face being formed by a deformable resilient film, a controller for separately controlling the pressure inside of each of the fluid chambers, and at least one guide ring disposed adjacent to a respective one of the plurality of fluid chambers on the substrate holding side of the frame member, the at least one guide ring being movable relative to the frame member by varying the pressure inside a respective fluid chamber.

Abstract: A polishing system includes a polishing pad for polishing a surface of a layer provided on a substrate, a surface condition measuring device for detecting a condition of a polishing surface of the polishing pad and a controller for controlling a process to the polishing pad by judging whether the polishing pad can be continuously used for polishing of the surface of the layer provided on the substrate, on the basis of a signal indicative of a measurement from the surface condition measuring device.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to reliably achieve a locked PLL even with a short VFO field to correctly perform subsequent reproduction of information data. A PLL circuit of the present invention is supplied with a composite signal composed of a repetitive signal including a pulse train of a constant duty ratio and a random signal including a pulse train allowing variations in duty ratio, where the two signals are arranged in time series. The circuit is provided with a VCO for generating an output signal having a frequency according to a control signal, a PFC for comparing the repetitive signal with the output signal in terms of phase and frequency to generate a phase frequency error signal, a PC for comparing the random signal with the output signal to generate a phase error signal, and loop filters for extracting predetermined band components of the phase frequency error signal and the phase error signal to generate the control signal.

Abstract: A polishing method of polishing the surface of a layer provided on the surface of a substrate includes a surface configuration measuring step of detecting surface information at a plurality of locations on the layer and obtaining the surface configuration of the layer, the surface configuration of the layer being obtained by measuring a distance from a reference surface set relative to the surface of the layer, a film thickness distribution measuring step of detecting the film thicknesses at a plurality of locations on the layer and obtaining the film thickness distribution of the layer, a determining step of determining whether the surface configuration and film thickness distribution of the layer are within a preset allowable range and a polishing controlling step of continuing or stopping the polishing on the basis of a result of the determination in the determining step.