Abstract: An ultrasound transducer includes a substrate, an ultrasound transducer cell placed on one surface of the substrate and having a lower electrode, a first gap portion placed on the lower electrode and an upper electrode placed on the first gap portion, a first conductive layer placed on the other surface of the substrate and electrically connected to one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode, an electret film placed on the first conductive layer, an insulating layer placed on the electret film, and a second conductive layer placed on the insulating layer and electrically connected to the one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode not electrically connected to the first conductive layer.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup apparatus includes: a first major surface on which a light receiving portion is formed; a second major surface opposed to the first major surface, and a hermetic seal portion formed on the first major surface, for sealing the light receiving portion, the hermetic seal portion being formed by a flat plate portion made of a transparent inorganic insulating member and a frame portion made of an inorganic insulating film.

Abstract: A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) is constituted by a plurality of transducer elements comprising plural transducer cells that are mutually connected in parallel and comprises: a silicon substrate; a bottom electrode placed on the top surface of the silicon substrate; an upper electrode placed opposite to the bottom electrode and apart therefrom by a prescribed air or vacuum; a membrane for supporting the bottom electrode; and a membrane supporting part for supporting the membrane, wherein the cMUT comprises a third electrode which has an electrical continuity to the bottom electrode and which corresponds to either one of the transducer cells of a prescribed number of the transducer subelement or of the transducer elements, and a fourth electrode which is a ground electrode electrically connected to the bottom electrode.

Abstract: A ultrasonic transducer of the invention comprises: a transducer cell including a first electrode and a second electrode disposed separated from the first electrode by an air gap portion; and an electret for applying a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode. The electret is disposed in a region where at least a part thereof does not overlap with the transducer cell when viewed from a transmitting direction of ultrasonic waves.

Abstract: A method for obtaining a virus vector free of a serum, and a serum-free medium for cultivation of a virus producer cell which can be used for the method are provided. By cultivating a virus producer cell using a serum-free medium containing serum albumin, it is possible to cultivate the cell in a state equivalent to that in a serum-containing medium to produce a virus vector at a sufficient titer. The virus vector prepared from the virus producer cell cultivated in the medium exhibits gene transfer efficiency comparable to that of a conventional vector. The medium is useful for gene therapy and studies thereof.

Abstract: Methods and related computer program products, systems, and devices for auto-focusing in an image-capturing system includes sampling output signals from an auto-focusing circuit in a first interval of lens distances and determining a first lens distance and a second lens distance corresponding to the two highest values of the sampled output signals in the first interval of lens distances.

Abstract: In order to correctly hold a low-amplitude input signal even when the operating speed of a display element drive apparatus is high, a differential signal including a pair of CLKP1 and CLKN1 is input to a first comparator and a second comparator in a manner that provides opposite phases between respective output voltage signals. An output of the first comparator is frequency-divided by the first frequency dividing flip-flop, while an output of the second comparator is frequency-divided by the second frequency dividing flip-flop. A first data holding flip-flop holds an input data signal in synchronization with a signal output by a first frequency dividing flip-flop, while a second data holding flip-flop holds an input data signal in synchronization with a signal output by a second frequency dividing flip-flop.

Abstract: An exposure parameter is determined based on an illumination condition by calculating a red divided by green (R/G) value, calculating a blue divided by green (B/G) value, and comparing the R/G and B/G values to a predetermined auto-white balancing map to determine the exposure parameter.

Abstract: A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) device, comprising: a cMUT formed on a semiconductor substrate; a DC high-voltage generation unit that is provided on the semiconductor substrate and that is for generating a DC high-voltage signal to be superposed on a driving signal for the cMUT; a driving signal generation unit that is provided on the semiconductor substrate and that is for generating the driving signal; and a superposition unit that is provided on the semiconductor substrate and that is for branching the DC high-voltage signal output from the DC high-voltage generation unit and for superposing one of the branched DC high-voltage signals on the other of the branched DC high-voltage signals via the driving signal generation unit.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device of the present invention, an electrode pad is formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, and in the electrode pad, two different areas: a connection area of through wiring electrically connected to a through wiring; and a pad area for inspection that keeps away from an opening on the surface of a through hole, are set. Accordingly, the electrode pad can be adequately prevented from being damaged due to contact of a probe, providing a high yield and reliability of the semiconductor device. That is, because the through hole is not opened directly below the pad area for inspection with which the probe is in contact upon operation inspection of devices, a mechanical strength of the electrode pad against the probe can be maintained in a high level.

Abstract: According to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a short-circuit wiring is formed in a region on a wafer including a dicing region, and electrode pads for input and output signals of a plurality of devices disposed in a semiconductor device forming region are electrically short-circuited by the short-circuit wiring, so that occurrence of plasma damage is suppressed even if the wafer is subjected to various plasma processes. When the wafer subjected to the plasma processes is cut along the dicing region to separate a semiconductor device, the electrical short-circuit of the electrode pads by the short-circuit wiring is released, so that the functionally unwanted short-circuit of the devices or the like is appropriately released.

Abstract: An exposure parameter is determined based on an illumination condition by calculating a red divided by green (R/G) value, calculating a blue divided by green (B/G) value, and comparing the R/G and B/G values to a predetermined auto-white balancing map to determine the exposure parameter.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer according to the invention includes a flexible sheet, a rigid body portion including a lower electrode made of at least a thin-film conductive material on a surface of the flexible sheet, a dividing portion which divides the rigid body portion into segments, and a plurality of transducer elements including the divided rigid body portion, has at least one transducer cell composed of one of the segments, an insulating partition portion bonded to the segment, an air gap portion surrounded by the partition portion, an upper electrode opposed to the lower electrode extending to the partition portion to sandwich the air gap portion therebetween, and an upper insulating layer formed on the upper electrode, and includes an upper protection film which continuously covers a surface portion of the transducer elements and the dividing portion.

Abstract: An industrial process for producing hydroxyaldehydes efficiently, by solving the problems of conventional DERA, such as low stability against aldehydes, low catalytic activity for aldol condensation, and the difficulty of controlling the number of acetaldehyde molecules to be condensed, is provided. According to the process, aldol condensation of a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic aldehyde compound having 2 to 6 carbon atoms with acetaldehyde is conducted by using D-2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase which is highly stable against aldehydes and has high catalytic activity for aldol condensation, whereby a hydroxyaldehyde compound having the number of carbon atoms increased by two or four can be produced.

Abstract: A driving device for driving an image display system, which sequentially receives input image data corresponding to gradation of each pixel of a display image and outputs a driving voltage signal includes: an operation section for obtaining output image data of which a bit number is smaller than a bit number of the input image data based on input image data of a target pixel to be processed and input image data of a pixel in vicinity of the target pixel; a reference voltage generation section for generating a plurality of reference voltages of different levels; and a reference voltage selection section for selecting one of the plurality of reference voltages. The operation section is configured to obtain output image data of the target pixel so that a difference between the input image data and output image data of the target pixel and a difference between the input image data and output image data of the pixel in vicinity of the target pixel cancel out each other.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer of a capacitance type includes a pair of electrodes disposed to be opposed to each other and a vibration film including one of the pair of electrodes. The ultrasonic transducer includes n (n is a natural number equal to or larger than 1) air gap layers interposed between the pair of electrodes and m (m is a natural number equal to or larger than 1) insulating layers interposed between the pair of electrodes. In the ultrasonic transducer, a following Formula (1) is satisfied: d1?{?dn+?(tm/Km)}/3 ??(1) where, dn indicates a thickness of an nth air gap layer, d1 indicates a thickness of an air gap layer for allowing the vibration film to vibrate, tm indicates a thickness of an mth insulating layer, and Km indicates a dielectric constant of the mth insulating layer.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer cell according to the present invention includes: a substrate; a charge holding portion provided on the substrate; a lower electrode provided on the charge holding portion and used to input and output a signal; and a vibration membrane provided above the lower electrode to be separated from the lower electrode with a cavity, and configured to include at least an insulating film and an upper electrode provided on the insulating film.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention includes: two or more ultrasonic transducer cells, each of which has a lower electrode, a first insulating layer placed on the lower electrode, a cavity placed on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer placed on the cavity, and an upper electrode placed above the second insulating layer; channels which communicate the cavities with each other; the second insulating layer placed on the channels; holes formed in the second insulating layer placed on the channels; and sealing portions which seal the holes, where that part of the sealing portions which enters the channels is the same in cross-sectional shape as the holes.

Abstract: First and second input/output circuits each have an input terminal connected to the input node. A first power supply wiring supplies a first voltage. A second power supply wiring supplies a second voltage. The first and second input/output circuits each select any one of the first and second power supply wirings, depending on the polarity of an input signal, to output an output signal. The first and second input/output circuits each have any one of a first characteristic in which an output signal having the same polarity as that of the input signal is output and a second characteristic in which an output signal having a polarity opposite to that of the input signal is output. The characteristics possessed by the first and second input/output circuits are different from each other.

Abstract: In a forward-direction fetching operation mode, each of display panel drive devices other than a last display panel drive device fetches display data upon the reception of a start signal. In the forward-direction fetching operation mode, the last display panel drive device fetches the display data upon the reception of the start signal. In a reverse-direction fetching operation mode, each of the display panel drive devices other than the last display panel drive device transmits the start signal to the immediately subsequent device in the forward direction upon the reception of the start signal. In the reverse-direction fetching operation mode, the last display panel drive device fetches the display data and transmits an enable signal to the immediately preceding device in the reverse direction upon the reception of the start signal.