Abstract: A lithium ion secondary battery has an electrode group including: a winding core; and a positive electrode and a negative electrode that are wound around the winding core. This electrode group does not have an independent separator between the positive and negative electrodes. A porous film is integrally formed on both sides of at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The negative electrode and the positive electrode are connected to the winding core by a negative electrode resin film and a positive electrode resin film, respectively. The use of such resin films makes it possible to reduce the breakage of the porous films and prevent a short-circuit between the positive and negative electrodes.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprises: a positive electrode sheet comprising a positive electrode mixture containing a lithium-containing transition metal oxide as an active material and a particulate binder; a negative electrode sheet comprising a negative electrode mixture containing a carbon material; a separator interposed between the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet; and a non-aqueous electrolyte containing a lithium salt, wherein the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet are wound with the separator interposed therebetween to form an electrode assembly, and the positive electrode mixture has an active material density of 3.0 to 4.0 g/ml. The battery has a long life, high energy density and high output.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte battery is provided, which exhibits good high-rate discharge characteristics and low-temperature characteristics and ensures high safety when the negative electrode contains 0.6 to 1.7 parts by weight of a particulate modified styrene-butadiene rubber as a binder and 0.7 to 1.2 parts by weight of a thickening agent so that the total amount of the binder and thickening agent is 1.3 to 2.4 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of a carbon material as an active material, and the concentration of LiPF6 in the non-aqueous electrolyte is 0.6 to 1.05 mole/liter. The surface area of the active material effectively contributable to charging and discharging reaction is sufficient when the surface area of the carbon material per 1 g of the binder contained in the negative electrode is 300 to 600 m2.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte battery is provided, which exhibits good high-rate discharge characteristics and low-temperature characteristics and ensures high safety when the negative electrode contains 0.6 to 1.7 parts by weight of a particulate modified styrene-butadiene rubber as a binder and 0.7 to 1.2 parts by weight of a thickening agent so that the total amount of the binder and thickening agent is 1.3 to 2.4 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of a carbon material as an active material, and the concentration of LiPF6 in the non-aqueous electrolyte is 0.6 to 1.05 mole/liter. The surface area of the active material effectively contributable to charging and discharging reaction is sufficient when the surface area of the carbon material per 1 g of the binder contained in the negative electrode is 300 to 600 m2.

Abstract: A method for charging a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, the battery comprising a positive electrode that comprises a lithium-containing composite oxide, a negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The method comprises the step of detecting an open-circuit-voltage of the battery to determine which of voltage regions A, B and C the detected value is included in. The region A is not smaller than a prescribed value X. The region B is smaller than the prescribed value X and larger than a prescribed value Y (Y<X). The region C is not larger than the value Y. According to the determination, charging is stopped when the detected value is included in the region A, charging is conducted when the detected value is included in the region B, or discharging is conducted until a closed-circuit-voltage of the battery becomes not larger than a prescribed value Z and then charging is conducted, when the detected value is included in the region C.

Abstract: A wiring film, which can be formed into wiring for ULSI semiconductor circuits, is formed by first forming holes in an insulating film on a substrate; then depositing a metallic material of copper, copper alloy, silver or silver alloy into the holes under an atmosphere including hydrogen; and finally annealing the deposited metallic material. The metallic material can be deposited by a sputtering process in which the atmosphere includes an inert gas in addition to the hydrogen. Hydrogen doped in the metallic material during the sputtering process promotes diffusion of atoms in the metallic material. The diffusion eliminates voids in the deposited metallic material.

Abstract: A lithium ion secondary battery comprising: a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes, and an electrolyte prepared by dissolving a lithium salt in a non-aqueous solvent, wherein the separator comprises a porous film layer containing basic solid particles and a composite binder, the porous film layer is adhered to at least one surface of at least one of the positive and negative electrodes, the composite binder comprises a primary binder and a secondary binder, the primary binder comprises polyether sulfone and the secondary binder comprises polyvinylpyrrolidone.

Abstract: A method of forming a buried wiring comprising the steps of: (A) forming a wiring and a first insulating layer filled between the wirings on a substratum, (B) immersing the first insulating layer in a fluid which can dissolve the first insulating layer, to dissolve the first insulating layer into the fluid, (C) substituting, for the fluid, a raw material solution containing a raw material for forming a second insulating layer, without bringing the wiring into contact with a gas, and (D) filling a second insulating layer formed by gelation in the raw material solution at least between the wirings, and then, drying off the raw material solution, thereby to form the second insulating layer at least between the wirings.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte battery is provided, which exhibits good high-rate discharge characteristics and low-temperature characteristics and ensures high safety when the negative electrode contains 0.6 to 1.7 parts by weight of a particulate modified styrene-butadiene rubber as a binder and 0.7 to 1.2 parts by weight of a thickening agent so that the total amount of the binder and thickening agent is 1.3 to 2.4 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of a carbon material as an active material, and the concentration of LiPF6 in the non-aqueous electrolyte is 0.6 to 1.05 mole/liter. The surface area of the active material effectively contributable to charging and discharging reaction is sufficient when the surface area of the carbon material per 1 g of the binder contained in the negative electrode is 300 to 600 m2.

Abstract: After joining strips of lead plates in a lengthwise direction to a strip of porous metal sheet having a three-dimensional structure, the metal sheet is rolled entirely or in the vicinity of the lead plates. The porous metal sheet is then cut into several electrode substrates, which are coated with active materials and further cut into several electrode plates having a lead plate on one side thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed is a drying method constituted such that, in a case of including the cleaning step using the water-containing solvent, substituting a water on a microstructure by a fluorocarbon type solvent having the water substitution solvent proper value X of from 0.01 to 10 defined by the formula (1) and further substituting by a fluorocarbon type solvent which may be identical with or different from the fluorocarbon type solvent described above, enabling steps up to the drying with liquefied/critical carbon dioxide to be conducted rapidly and to prevent collapse or swell of a photoresist pattern.

Abstract: A color shutter, comprising first, second and third polarizers, first and second retarders, first and second polarizing rotators, and at least one absorption type partial polarizer.

Abstract: A wiring film, which can be formed into wiring for ULSI semiconductor circuits, is formed by first forming holes in an insulating film on a substrate; then depositing a metallic material of copper, copper alloy, silver or silver alloy into the holes under an atmosphere including hydrogen; and finally annealing the deposited metallic material. The metallic material can be deposited by a sputtering process in which the atmosphere includes an inert gas in addition to the hydrogen. Hydrogen doped in the metallic material during the sputtering process promotes diffusion of atoms in the metallic material. The diffusion eliminates voids in the deposited metallic material.

Abstract: A method of forming a buried wiring comprising the steps of: (A) forming a wiring and a first insulating layer filled between the wirings on a substratum, (B) immersing the first insulating layer in a fluid which can dissolve the first insulating layer, to dissolve the first insulating layer into the fluid, (C) substituting, for the fluid, a raw material solution containing a raw material for forming a second insulating layer, without bringing the wiring into contact with a gas, and (D) filling a second insulating layer formed by gelation in the raw material solution at least between the wirings, and then, drying off the raw material solution, thereby to form the second insulating layer at least between the wirings.

Abstract: Disclosed is a positive electrode for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising: a positive electrode mixture layer; and a positive electrode current collector which carries the positive electrode mixture layer, with the positive electrode mixture layer comprising: at least one positive electrode active material; at least one conductive agent; at least one binder; and at least one thickening agent, and the thickening agent comprising a polymer containing at least one acrylonitrile unit and at least one —(CH2)n— structure portion where 6≦n.

Abstract: A method for producing a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising the steps of: (i) mixing a positive electrode active material, a first binder A and a dispersion medium to prepare a paste A, the active material comprising a lithium-containing transition metal oxide; (ii) mixing a conductive agent, a second binder B and a dispersion medium to prepare a paste B, the conductive agent comprising carbon black; (iii) mixing the paste A and the paste B to prepare a positive electrode material paste C; (iv) applying the positive electrode material paste C onto a positive electrode core member and rolling and drying the resultant member to prepare a positive electrode; and (v) fabricating a battery using the positive electrode, a negative electrode and a non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein contact angle &thgr;A between the non-aqueous electrolyte and the binder A and contact angle &thgr;B between the non-aqueous electrolyte and the binder B satisfy the formula (1): &thgr;B−&thgr;A≧15°.

Abstract: A method of forming a buried wiring comprising the steps of: (A) forming a wiring and a first insulating layer filled between the wirings on a substratum, (B) immersing the first insulating layer in a fluid which can dissolve the first insulating layer, to dissolve the first insulating layer into the fluid, (C) substituting, for the fluid, a raw material solution containing a raw material for forming a second insulating layer, without bringing the wiring into contact with a gas, and (D) filling a second insulating layer formed by gelation in the raw material solution at least between the wirings, and then, drying off the raw material solution, thereby to form the second insulating layer at least between the wirings.

Abstract: Disclosed is a drying method constituted such that a microstructure is brought into contact with liquefied carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide while the surface of the microstructure being covered with a fluorocarbon type solvent, and that when in a cleaning step using a water-containing solvent, water is substituted for a water draining liquid, and then this water draining liquid is substituted for the fluorocarbon type solvent, enabling steps up to the drying step to be smoothly conducted and to prevent collapse or swell of a photoresist pattern.

Abstract: A die pickup method and apparatus that uses a tape peeling stage which supports a portion of an adhesive tape that corresponds to a die to be picked up, and a suction holding stage in which suction holding holes that, with vacuum suction, holds areas of the adhesive tape that surround the die to be picked up, thus separating the die from the adhesive tape by forming an air layer between the die and the adhesive tape, and then picking up the die. The air layer is formed, with the die being held via vacuum suction by a suction nozzle provided above the suction holding stage, by raising the tape peeling stage and then by moving the tape peeling stage horizontally in a direction away from the die.

Abstract: This invention provides a filming method for covering the surface of the insulating film of a semiconductor substrate with a copper interconnect film free from pores. The surface of the insulating film 2 of a semiconductor substrate 1 is filmed with a copper or copper alloy 3 by any one of plating, CVD and PVD, and the whole body is then heated under a high-pressure gas atmosphere to cover the surface with an interconnect film 4 free from pores.