Abstract: The end parts of three optical waveguide parts are supported, mutually in parallel, on a substrate, the end part of the center optical waveguide part being one input port and the end parts of other two optical waveguide parts being a first and a second output port, the emitted light from the input port is switched, by means of a first moving mirror and a second moving mirror which are switchingly inserted into positions having the same distance from the end face of the input port, to either the first output port side or the second output port side, the light from the first moving mirror and the light from the second moving mirror being reflected respectively in a first fixed mirror or a second fixed mirror, the light being respectively coupled to the first or the second output port.

Abstract: A miniature movable device comprises a movable part (a mirror, a movable rod, support arms, and a movable comb tooth electrode) formed on a substrate and adapted to be displaced in a direction parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate, a fixing part formed and fixedly mounted on the substrate, and hinges, each having its opposite ends connected to the movable part and the fixing part and assuming two flexural conditions which are reversed in flexural, the hinges being effective to maintain the movable part at two positions by a self-holding action when it assumes either flexural condition. The substrate is formed with wall surfaces which are disposed oppositely to the opposite surfaces of the hinges over a movable range of the hinges.

Abstract: In a microminiature moving device that has disposed, on a single-crystal silicon substrate, movable elements (a movable rod 46, a movable comb electrode 49, etc.) displaceable in parallel to the substrate surface and stationary parts (a stationary part 40a, etc.), the stationary parts are fixedly secured to the single-crystal silicon substrate 61 with an insulating layer 62 sandwiched therebetween, and depressions 64 are formed in those surface regions of the single-crystal silicon substrate 61 where no stationary parts are present, and the movable parts are positioned above the depressions 64. The depressions 64 form gaps 50 large enough to prevent foreign bodies from causing troubles such as malfunction of the movable parts and shoring.

Abstract: An optical device formed on a substrate comprises: plural fiber channels formed in the top surface of the substrate; a mirror to be pushed into and pulled out of an optical path between optical fibers disposed in the fiber channels; a movable rod carrying at one end the mirror; a comb-type electrostatic actuator disposed in association with the intermediate portion of the movable rod, for moving the movable rod lengthwise thereof; and plural support beams disposed near the one and the other end of the movable rod on both sides of the point of application of driving force by the comb-type electrostatic actuator, for movably supporting the movable rod. The support beams support the movable rod at positions having line symmetry with respect to a center line parallel to the lengthwise direction of the movable rod, and points of supporting the movable rod by the plural support beams are symmetrical with respect to the point of application of the driving force by the comb-type electrostatic actuator.

Abstract: A movable part formed on a substrate and adapted to be displaced in a direction parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate, a fixing part formed and fixedly mounted on the substrate, and springy hinges extending parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate and having their opposite ends connected to the movable part and the fixing part for supporting the movable part in a displaceable manner are provided. As viewed in cross section in a plane perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the hinges, the hinge has a width which is diminishing as the top surface of the substrate is approached, thus having a trapezoidal or triangular cross section. A width as measured on the top surface of the hinge which is required to provide an equivalent spring constant can be chosen to be greater than the width of a hinge having a rectangular cross section (constant width), and this facilitates the implementation of the photolithography during the manufacture.

Abstract: An optical device formed on a substrate comprises: plural fiber channels formed in the top surface of the substrate; a mirror to be pushed into and pulled out of an optical path between optical fibers disposed in the fiber channels; a movable rod carrying at one end the mirror; a comb-type electrostatic actuator disposed in association with the intermediate portion of the movable rod, for moving the movable rod lengthwise thereof; and plural support beams disposed near the one and the other end of the movable rod on both sides of the point of application of driving force by the comb-type electrostatic actuator, for movably supporting the movable rod. The support beams support the movable rod at positions having line symmetry with respect to a center line parallel to the lengthwise direction of the movable rod, and points of supporting the movable rod by the plural support beams are symmetrical with respect to the point of application of the driving force by the comb-type electrostatic actuator.

Abstract: In a microminiature moving device that has disposed, on a single-crystal silicon substrate, movable elements (a movable rod 46, a movable comb electrode 49, etc.) displaceable in parallel to the substrate surface and stationary parts (a stationary part 40a, etc.), the stationary parts are fixedly secured to the single-crystal silicon substrate 61 with an insulating layer 62 sandwiched therebetween, and depressions 64 are formed in those surface regions of the single-crystal silicon substrate 61 where no stationary parts are present, and the movable parts are positioned above the depressions 64. The depressions 64 form gaps 50 large enough to prevent foreign bodies from causing troubles such as malfunction of the movable parts and shoring.

Abstract: A movable part formed on a substrate and adapted to be displaced in a direction parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate, a fixing part formed and fixedly mounted on the substrate, and springy hinges extending parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate and having their opposite ends connected to the movable part and the fixing part for supporting the movable part in a displaceable manner are provided. As viewed in cross section in a plane perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the hinges, the hinge has a width which is diminishing as the top surface of the substrate is approached, thus having a trapezoidal or triangular cross section. A width as measured on the top surface of the hinge which is required to provide an equivalent spring constant can be chosen to be greater than the width of a hinge having a rectangular cross section (constant width), and this facilitates the implementation of the photolithography during the manufacture.

Abstract: A miniature movable device comprises a movable part (a mirror, a movable rod, support arms, and a movable comb tooth electrode) formed on a substrate and adapted to be displaced in a direction parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate, a fixing part formed and fixedly mounted on the substrate, and hinges, each having its opposite ends connected to the movable part and the fixing part and assuming two flexural conditions which are reversed in flexural, the hinges being effective to maintain the movable part at two positions by a self-holding action when it assumes either flexural condition. The substrate is formed with wall surfaces which are disposed oppositely to the opposite surfaces of the hinges over a movable range of the hinges.

Abstract: A micro-optic device including a complicate structure and a movable mirror is made to be manufactured in a reduced length of time. A silicon substrate and a single crystal silicon device layer with an intermediate layer of silicon dioxide interposed therebetween defines a substrate on which a layer of mask material is formed and is patterned to form a mask having the same pattern as the configuration of the intended optical device as viewed in plan view. A surface which is to be constructed as a mirror surface is chosen to be in a plane of the silicon crystal. Using the mask, the device layer is vertically etched by a reactive ion dry etching until the intermediate layer is exposed. Subsequently, using KOH solution, a wet etching which is anisotropic to the crystallographic orientation is performed with an etching rate which is on the order of 0.1 ?m/min for a time interval on the order of ten minutes is performed to convert the sidewall surface of the mirror into a smooth crystallographic surface.

Abstract: A load element, which is controlled by a control signal acquired by a logical operation of a write/read enable signal and a row address signal, is provided at a pair of digit lines. This structure provides a semiconductor memory device that suppresses a change in the potential difference between the digit line pair, which is caused by a parasitic resistor, to ensure an uniform read delay time and improve the reading speed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a porous polypropylene hollow fiber membrane of large pore diameter which have (a) rectangular pores formed by microfibrils that are oriented in the lengthwise direction of the fibers and joint portions that are composed of stacked lamellae, the pores being contiguous with each other from the inner wall surface to the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber membrane to form a stacked, multicellular structure, (b) an average pore diameter ranging from 1.7 .mu.m up to 10 .mu.m as measured with a mercury porosimeter, (c) a porosity of 80 to 95%, and (d) an air permeability of not less than 4.times.10.sup.5 l/m.sup.2.hr.0.5 atm. This hollow fiber membrane can be produced by melt-spinning polypropylene, annealing the resulting unstretched hollow fiber under specific conditions, and then cold-stretching and hot-stretching the annealed hollow fiber under specific conditions.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device for controlling active and inactive conditions of differential amplifier circuits by a pair of complementary signals produced on the basis of write data input to an external input terminal to reduce a drive load of an output signal of a control circuit for selecting a writing or reading operation of the semiconductor memory device to achieve a quick writing operation.

Abstract: A semiconductor device produced by a TAB method is provided which comprises a carrier tape section having a device hole, a first wiring layer formed on one surface of a tape section to be used for assembling the semiconductor device, a semiconductor chip retained in the device-hole electrically connected the first wiring layer, and a second wiring layer formed on the other surface of the tape section for electrically connecting the first wiring layer of the semiconductor device to the first wiring layer of a semiconductor device adjacently disposed thereto before being cut. By clamping the tape section on the widthwise sides with an electroconductive member pair electrically connected to each other, the first and second wiring layers are electrically connected. By disposing the electroconductive member pair in such a manner that is shown above to each of a plurality of semiconductor devices formed on the tape, these semiconductor devices can be electrically connected to the second wiring layer.

Abstract: Memory cells incorporated in a semiconductor memory device are arranged in matrix and coupled to bit line pairs, respectively, wherein each of the columns of the memory cells is divided into memory blocks coupled to bit line sections of the associated bit line pair and gate circuits accompanied with sense amplifier circuits are respectively coupled between the bit line sections for transferring a data bit through the associated gate circuits or, alternatively, data bits through difference amplifications of the associated sense amplifier circuits, thereby enhancing propagation of the data bits because the parasitic capacitance coupled to the bit line pairs are shared by the associated sense amplifier circuits.

Abstract: A porous polypropylene hollow fiber membrane of large pore diameter which have (a) rectangular pores formed by microfibrils that are oriented in the lengthwise direction of the fibers and joint portions that are composed of stacked lamellae, the pores being contiguous with each other from the inner wall surface to the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber membrane to form a stacked, multicellular structure, (b) an average pore diameter ranging from greater than 1 .mu.m up to 10 .mu.m as measured with a mercury porosimeter, (c) a porosity of 70 to 95%, and (d) an air permeability of not less than 4.times.10.sup.5 l/m.sup.2 .multidot.hr.multidot.0.5 atm can be produced by melt-spinning polypropylene, annealing the resulting unstretched hollow fiber under specific conditions, and then cold-stretching and hot-stretching the annealed hollow fiber under specific conditions.

Abstract: In an array of sense amplifiers associated respectively columns of a matrix array of memory cells, each amplifier comprises a first transistor having a source-drain current path connected at one end to a first output terminal and a gate connected to first ends of the memory cells of the associated column, a second transistor having a source-drain current path connected at one end to a second output terminal and a gate connected to second ends of the memory cells of the associated column. A third transistor is provided in each amplifier for grounding the other ends of the source-drain current paths of the first and second transistors when the associated column is identified by a column address during a read cycle to cause them to respond to complementary voltages supplied from a memory cell of the associated column.

Abstract: A difference amplifier circuit comprises two series combinations coupled in parallel between a first source of voltage and a common node, an activation transistor responsive to a control signal for propagating a second voltage level to the common node and a channel conductance regulating circuit responsive to the control signal and operative to regulate channel conductances of the respective series combinations, so that the channel conductances are easily fallen within a target range through the function of the regulating circuit even if the process conditions are fluctuated.