Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus comprises a substrate handling chamber, a pair of position sensors, and a substrate transfer robot. Each of the sensors comprises an emitter configured to emit a beam of light, and a receiver configured to receive the light beam. The substrate transfer robot comprises an end effector and a robot actuator. The end effector is configured to hold a substrate such that the substrate has a same expected position with respect to the end effector every time the substrate is held. The robot actuator is configured to move the end effector within the handling chamber to transfer substrates among a plurality of substrate stations. An edge of a substrate held in the expected position by the end effector can partially block a light beam of one of the position sensors, while another end of the end effector partially blocks a light beam of the other position sensor.

Abstract: In nonlinear measurement in which a dephasing readout gradient magnetic field is not used, a positional shift of the k space data, which is caused by a difference between a readout gradient magnetic field actually applied and the calculated value, and a deterioration in the image quality resulting therefrom are reduced. In order to do so, in the invention, when executing an imaging pulse sequence including a nonlinear measurement which does not use a dephasing gradient magnetic field, a prescan sequence is executed and a correction value for correcting the shift of the readout gradient magnetic field from the set value is calculated from the data acquired in the prescan. When gridding the data acquired in the imaging pulse sequence, a parameter value of the gridding is corrected using the correction value to perform the gridding.

Abstract: When executing an imaging pulse sequence using a high frequency magnetic field pulse with a partial waveform of a predetermined waveform, an application start time of a slice gradient magnetic field applied simultaneously with the high frequency magnetic field pulse is corrected. Specifically, a magnetic resonance signal for correcting the imaging pulse sequence is acquired by executing a prescan sequence using a high frequency magnetic field pulse with a predetermined waveform, an application start time of a slice selection gradient magnetic field in the imaging pulse sequence is corrected using the magnetic resonance signal for correction, and the imaging pulse sequence is executed by applying the slice selection gradient magnetic field with the corrected application start time.

Abstract: The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a control unit for controlling a pulse sequence that applies an RF magnetic field and a magnetic field gradient to a subject placed in a static magnetic field and detects a magnetic resonance signal generated from the subject, and a calculation unit for processing the signal, and the control unit performs the process including the steps of; (1) obtaining first images at different positions in a first direction, (2) obtaining images after the first images are subjected to correction of brightness distortion, (3) obtaining images after the images as to which the brightness distortion has been corrected are further subjected to correction of positional distortion, and (4) synthesizing by a weighting calculation, overlapping areas of the images, after the positional distortion thereof has been corrected.

Abstract: Disclosed is a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising static magnetic field generation means, gradient magnetic field generation means, high-frequency magnetic field generation means, reception means, signal processing means, and control means which controls the gradient magnetic field generation means, the high-frequency magnetic field generation means, the reception means, and the signal processing means, wherein said apparatus comprises: approximation means that approximates the output error of the gradient magnetic field using a combination of multiple parameter values with respect to each direction of the gradient magnetic field; evaluation means that evaluates the combinations of multiple parameter values based on the image quality of a magnetic resonance image that is reconstructed while taking into account the output error of the gradient magnetic field that has been approximated by the approximation means; and determination means that, based on the result of the evaluation by the evaluation

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a generation unit configured to generate first print data and second print data based on input print data, a printing unit configured to generate first image data by executing image processing on the first print data generated by the generation unit and to print the generated first image data on a sheet, a transmission unit configured to transmit the second print data generated by the generation unit to another printing apparatus connected to the printing apparatus, and a conveyance unit configured, in order to print the second print data transmitted by the transmission unit, to convey the sheet having the first image data printed thereon by the printing unit to the another printing apparatus.

Abstract: A semiconductor-processing apparatus includes: a wafer handling chamber; a wafer processing chamber; a wafer handling device; a first photosensor disposed in the wafer handling chamber in front of the wafer processing chamber at a position where the wafer partially blocks light received by the first photosensor at a ready-to-load position and substantially entirely blocks light received by the first photosensor when the wafer moves from the ready-to-load position toward the wafer processing chamber in the x-axis direction; and a second photosensor disposed in the wafer handling chamber in front of the wafer processing chamber at a position where the wafer does not block light received by the second photosensor at the ready-to-load position and partially blocks light received by the second photosensor when the wafer moves from the ready-to-load position toward the wafer processing chamber in the x-axis direction.

Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a first program on a controller and a second program on an interface board between the controller and controlled devices. Both of the programs update their own counters and exchange their counter values with each other, serving as bi-directional software watchdog timers (WDT). If a counter value of the first program on the controller sent to the second program on the interface board is determined to be abnormal by the second program, the second program on the interface board sends commands to the controlled devices to terminate output so that the apparatus is navigated to a safe mode. The first program similarly monitors the counter values of the second program for anomalies. This bi-directional software WDT can be implemented as add-on to software programs that already exist in the controller and the interface board, therefore, this implementation does not incur extra cost of hardware of the apparatus.

Abstract: An MRI apparatus includes an imaging means being provided with a means for generating magnetic fields respectively of a static magnetic field, a gradient magnetic field, and an RF magnetic field, and a means for receiving an echo signal generated from a subject, the imaging means being for measuring echo data associated with at least one measurement trajectory in k-space, while varying angles with respect to a coordinate axis in the k-space of the measurement trajectory, so as to collect at least one measured data for each of the angles; and an image reconstruction means for rearranging the measured data in the k-space and reconstructing an image; wherein, the image reconstruction means calculates a phase for correction based on standard data selected from the measured data for each of the angles, prior to rearranging the measured data in the k-space, and performs a phase correction as to the measured data, by using the phase for correction being calculated.

Abstract: For example, by providing MMF software 10, 11 transferring data using a memory-mapped file respectively in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 and in an input signal analyzing system 8, data transfer load placed on control software 4 and analyzing software 9 is reduced. Additionally, in the MMF software 10, by inserting counter information in the memory-mapped file and by observing the information by the MMF software 11, communication abnormality is detected.

Abstract: An RF receiving means, which comprise respective at least three RF receiving coils (203, 201 (or 202), 204), (205, 202 (or 201), 206), (207, 201 (or 202), 208) disposed in at least two orthogonal directions (x, y, z), are set to a patient 209, any one direction (x) of the two directions is set as a phase encoding direction, magnetic resonance signals are measured by executing a pulse sequence while thinning phase encoding steps, and the aliasing of an image is eliminated by an arithmetic operation executed using the magnetic resonance signals measured by at least the three RF receiving coils (205, 202 (or 201), 206) disposed in the thus set phase encoding direction and using the sensitivity distributions of the respective RF receiving coils.

Abstract: An MRI apparatus includes an imaging means being provided with a means for generating magnetic fields respectively of a static magnetic field, a gradient magnetic field, and an RF magnetic field, and a means for receiving an echo signal generated from a subject, the imaging means being for measuring echo data associated with at least one measurement trajectory in k-space, while varying angles with respect to a coordinate axis in the k-space of the measurement trajectory, so as to collect at least one measured data for each of the angles; and an image reconstruction means for rearranging the measured data in the k-space and reconstructing an image; wherein, the image reconstruction means calculates a phase for correction based on standard data selected from the measured data for each of the angles, prior to rearranging the measured data in the k-space, and performs a phase correction as to the measured data, by using the phase for correction being calculated.

Abstract: The contrast of an image captured by imaging using a multi-echo sequence by radial sampling is improved. Images are simultaneously captured by using a multi-echo sequence by radial sampling, and echo signal groups of one or more blocks measured by executing the imaging using the multi-echo sequence are divided into a plurality of partial echo signal groups. Using the partial echo signal groups, images with different contrasts are reconstructed.

Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a processing unit for processing at least one wafer; a loading/unloading unit for loading/unloading at least wafer; an input/output chamber for taking in a processed wafer from the processing unit and taking out the processed wafer to the loading/unloading unit, and taking in a unprocessed wafer from the loading/unloading unit and taking out the unprocessed wafer to the reaction unit; and a wafer inspection device for inspecting the processed wafer through a light transmittable top portion of the input/output chamber, through which light is transmittable, while the processed wafer is temporarily placed in the input/output chamber.

Abstract: A method controls an apparatus such as a semiconductor-processing apparatus including a controller and at least one device controlled by the controller, wherein the controller is provided with an interface for communicating with the device, and the interface has an internal clock for measuring time intervals for the communication. The method includes: replacing a system clock of the controller's operating system, which is used for transmitting instructions to the interface, with the internal clock of the interface; transmitting instructions to the interface from the controller using the time intervals measured by the internal clock substituting the system clock; and transmitting the instructions to the device from the interface using the time intervals measured by the internal clock in the interface, thereby controlling the device.

Abstract: When performing susceptibility-emphasized imaging using the echo planar method in an MRI apparatus, it is possible to obtain a susceptibility-emphasized image having a preferable signal-to-noise ratio. When measuring a plurality of echo signals by applying a phase blip gradient magnetic field to inverse the polar characteristic of the frequency encode gradient magnetic field, the echo signals are divided into a first echo signal group and a second echo signal group. Image data is acquired from the first echo signal group while mask data is acquired from the second echo signal group. A susceptibility-emphasized image is obtained from the image data and the mask data.

Abstract: An image in which an area of interest on an image is optimally susceptibility-emphasized is obtained in susceptibility-emphasized imaging. A measuring order of plural echo signals is controlled in accordance with the size of a desired area of interest of an examinee. Preferably, a target frequency in a K space is determined in accordance with the size of the area of interest, and the measuring order of plural echo signals is controlled so that an echo signal corresponding to the target frequency is measured at a target echo signal or in the neighborhood of the target echo time.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprises static magnetic field generating means for generating a static magnetic field in an imaging space, a gradient magnetic field generating means for generating a gradient magnetic field in the imaging space, high-frequency magnetic field generating means for generating a high-frequency magnetic field so as to induce nuclear magnetic resonance in a subject placed in the imaging space, signal receiving means for detecting a nuclear magnetic resonance signal from the subject, signal processing means for reconstructing an image by using the detected nuclear magnetic resonance signal, display means for displaying the image, a table for placing the subject thereon to dispose the subject in the imaging means, and table moving means for moving the table on which the subject is placed. While moving the portions to be imaged of the subject continuously or stepwise in the imaging space and disposing the subject, a whole-body image of a large region of the subject is created.

Abstract: In a non-cartesian sampling method, in order to reduce an artifact on an image caused by an error of a gradient magnetic field, data for correcting the error caused by the gradient magnetic field are obtained when data used for image reconstruction are obtained, and the data used for the image reconstruction are corrected by using the obtained data for the correction. In order to obtain the data for correcting the error, a block having plural parallel echo signals is measured.

Abstract: A semiconductor-processing apparatus includes: a wafer transfer chamber provided with a wafer transfer robot having an end effector therein, at least one reactor connected to the wafer transfer chamber, and a robot diagnostic module connected to the wafer transfer chamber for diagnosing the transfer robot. The robot diagnostic module includes at least one sensor for detecting a position of the end effector when the end effector is located inside the robot diagnostic module.