Abstract: A carrier contains a core; and a cover layer located overlying the core, wherein the cover layer comprises a binder resin, a first particulate material and a second particulate material,wherein the following relationships are satisfied: 1<(D1/h)<10, and 0.001<(D2/h)<1, wherein D1 (?m) represents a volume average particle diameter of the first particulate material, D2 (?m) represents a volume average particle diameter of the second particulate material, and h (?m) represents a thickness of the cover layer, and wherein the second particulate material has a volume resistivity of not greater than 1.0×1012 ?·cm.

Abstract: A developer for an electrophotographic tandem image forming method is provided that contains a toner; and a carrier, wherein the toner has a shape factor SF-1 of from 120 to 160, an average circularity of form 0.93 to 0.98, a weight-average particle diameter (D4) of from 3.0 to 8.0 ?m, and a ratio (D4/Dn) of the weight-average particle diameter (D4) to a number-average particle diameter (Dn) of from 1.01 to 1.20, and wherein the carrier is almost a spherical ferrite coated with a resin wherein alumina is dispersed, which has an average particle diameter of from 20 to 45 ?m and the following formula: (MgO)x(MnO)y(Fe2O3)z wherein x is from 1 to 5 mol %, y is from 5 to 55 mol % and z is from 45 to 55 mol %.

Abstract: A carrier composition, including a particulate magnetic material; and a layer located on a surface of the particulate magnetic material, wherein the layer is formed by heating a mixture containing a metal alkoxide; a resin having a hydroxyl group reacting with the metal alkoxide; and a particulate inorganic material.

Abstract: A second communications server obtains adjustment information of an adjustment unit in an exposure apparatus and information related to image forming quality (such as wavefront aberration) of a projection optical system under an exposure condition that serves as a reference, via a first communications server, and then calculates an optimal adjustment amount of the adjustment unit under a target exposure condition based on the information. In addition, the second communications server obtains adjustment information of the adjustment and actual measurement data of image forming quality of the projection optical system via the first communications server, and then calculates the optimal adjustment amount of the adjustment unit under the target exposure condition based on the information. And, the second communications server controls the adjustment unit in the exposure apparatus via the first communications server, based on the calculations results.

Abstract: A carrier for a double component developer for developing latent electrostatic images at least contains a particulate core material having a weight average particle diameter (Dw) of from 25 to 45 ?m and a magnetic moment of from 65 to 90 Am2/Kg at 1 KOe and a resin layer located on the surface of the particulate core material. Further, the carrier has a breakdown voltage not less than 1,000 V.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a self-aligned contact hole is formed by providing a side wall oxide film on a gate electrode, covering the gate electrode and the side wall oxide film by an oxide film and further covering the oxide film by a nitride film, wherein the oxide film is formed by a plasma CVD process with a reduced plasma power such that the H2O content in the oxide film is less than about 2.4 wt %.

Abstract: A carrier for electrophotographic developer comprising carrier particles, each carrier particle having at least one surface-coating layer by resin material, wherein the surface-coating layer containing an acrylic resin and a silicone resin, the acrylic resin is in an amount ranging 10 to 90 wt. % based on the total amount of resin coating ingredients. The carrier shows no accumulation of toner-spents, therefore can obtain a stable electric charge, and has no layer scraping in binder resin layer, therefore can obtain a stable electric resistance, hence occurs no deterioration of images reproduced, by using acrylic resin having high anti-abrasive and high surface energy, whereas it has strong adhesiveness and high fragility, in combination use of silicone resin having poor anti-abrasive and small adhesiveness but has low fragility, thus is hard to cause a toner spent and hard to integrate the spent constituents due to its low surface energy.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus and a method of operating the exposure apparatus. The exposure apparatus includes a light source generating illumination light and a projection optical system. A detector detects illumination light reaching a plurality of measuring positions within an image field of the projection optical system. An illumination area setting and changing device arranged between the light source and the detector sets an illumination area on a mask to illuminate a pattern on the mask, and changes the illumination area during detection of a projected image of the pattern by the detector while illumination light is maintained on the mask. The illumination area setting and changing device changes the illumination area from a first illumination area illuminating a first pattern on the mask to a second illumination area illuminating both the first pattern and a second pattern which differs from the first pattern.

Abstract: A carrier for electrostatic development contains a core particle and a coating layer covering the core particle, and the core particle is a ferrite particle containing at least one of Zr in an amount of 0.005% by mass to 5% by mass and Bi in an amount of 0.001% by mass to 1% by mass. The carrier shows a sufficient resistance, is stably charged over a long period of time, can avoid roughness and irregular density in halftone images, prevents deposition of the carrier particles on a photoconductor, can satisfactorily reproduce character images and can produce high-quality images over a long period of time. The carrier is usable for constituting a developer, a container housing the developer, an image forming apparatus and process, and process cartridge using the developer.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a self-aligned contact hole is formed by providing a side wall oxide film on a gate electrode, covering the gate electrode and the side wall oxide film by an oxide film and further covering the oxide film by a nitride film, wherein the oxide film is formed by a plasma CVD process with a reduced plasma power such that the H2O content in the oxide film is less than about 2.4 wt %.

Abstract: The present invention is an adjustment method for a projection optical system which allows measuring the relationship (dependency) of the fluctuation amount of the image formation characteristics of the projection optical system with respect to the change of the installation environment (e.g. barometric pressure) around the projection optical system substantially, without actually changing the installation environment. The illumination light (IL) from the exposure light source (1) illuminates the reticle (9) via the fly eye lenses (2, 4) and the capacitor lens (8) etc., and the pattern image on the reticle (9) is projected onto the wafer (12) via the projection optical system (11) under the illumination light (IL).

Abstract: The present invention realizes a heterobipolar transistor using a SiGeC base layer in order to improve its electric characteristics. Specifically, the distribution of carbon and boron within the base layer is controlled so that the concentration of boron is higher than the concentration of carbon on the side bordering on the emitter layer, and upon the formation of the emitter layer, both boron and carbon are dispersed into a portion of the emitter layer that comes into contact with the base layer.

Abstract: A carrier for electrophotographic developer comprising carrier particles, each carrier particle having at least one surface-coating layer by resin material, wherein the surface-coating layer containing an acrylic resin and a silicone resin, the acrylic resin is in an amount ranging 10 to 90 wt. % based on the total amount of resin coating ingredients. The carrier shows no accumulation of toner-spents, therefore can obtain a stable electric charge, and has no layer scraping in binder resin layer, therefore can obtain a stable electric resistance, hence occurs no deterioration of images reproduced, by using acrylic resin having high anti-abrasive and high surface energy, whereas it has strong adhesiveness and high fragility, in combination use of silicone resin having poor anti-abrasive and small adhesiveness but has low fragility, thus is hard to cause a toner spent and hard to integrate the spent constituents due to its low surface energy.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus comprises a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of a mask on a photosensitive substrate; a plane-parallel plate disposed on a side of the photosensitive substrate of the projection optical system, almost perpendicularly to an optical axis of the projection optical system; and a adjustment device for adjusting at least one of an inclination angle of a normal line of the plane-parallel plate relative to the optical axis of the projection optical system and an inclination angle of the plane-parallel plate.

Abstract: A disclosed exposure apparatus has a projection optical system, an illumination system including a light source and adapted to send exposure illumination light to the projection optical system, and a substrate stage for supporting a sensitive substrate so that the sensitive substrate is exposed by the illumination light passed through the projection optical system. A shot area of the illumination light is formed on a plane corresponding to a top surface of the sensitive substrate.

Abstract: A disclosed exposure apparatus comprises a photo-electric sensor having a light receiving portion supported by the substrate stage for a shifting movement within the shot area along the plane, a blind disposed between the light source and the project ion optical system and adapted to shield the illumination light reaching the shot area excluding an area surrounding the light receiving portion while the light receiving portion is being shifted along the plane.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a self-aligned contact hole is formed by providing a side wall oxide film on a gate electrode, covering the gate electrode and the side wall oxide film by an oxide film and further covering the oxide film by a nitride film, wherein the oxide film is formed by a plasma CVD process with a reduced plasma power such that the H2O content in the oxide film is less than about 2.4 wt %.

Abstract: Points for calculation are set at uniform intervals on an ideal lattice set over a pattern area on a reticle. An amount of light incident on a slit-shaped illumination area on a lens is measured with an integrator sensor. An amount of heat absorbed by the reticle according to the position in a scanning direction is calculated on the basis of a pattern presence ratio on the reticle, and an amount of thermal expansion at each point for calculation is calculated on the basis of the calculated amount of heat absorbed. A change in the magnification of a projected image is obtained from the calculated amount of thermal expansion. At the same time, a change in the projection magnification caused by a projection optical system itself is also calculated according to the position in the scanning direction of the reticle. The projection magnification of the projection optical system is corrected through a magnification correction mechanism so as to cancel both the magnification changes thus calculated.

Abstract: A carrier for an image developer for electrophotography, including a core material, and a coating layer covering the core material and containing a binder and a powder having an average particle diameter of D &mgr;m and a specific resistance of at least 1012 &OHgr;·cm. The coating layer has a thickness of h &mgr;m. The ratio D/h is greater than 1:1 but less than 5:1.

Abstract: The exposure apparatus comprises a mark plate on which a plurality of types of measurement marks each used for self-measurement are formed, a reticle stage on which the mark plate is mounted, and an aerial image measurement unit. On a slit plate of the aerial image measurement unit, a slit is formed extending in the non-scanning direction which width in the measurement direction is equal to and under (wavelength &lgr;/numerical aperture N.A of the projection optical system). Therefore, in a state where a predetermined pattern is illuminated with the illumination light to form an aerial image of the pattern via the projection optical system, and when the slit plate is scanned in the measurement direction with respect to the aerial image, the light having passed through the slit during the scanning is photo-electrically converted with the photoelectric conversion element.