Abstract: In order to preventing thiol-coated metal particles from being liberated from a self-aligning membrane on a substrate during coating the metal particles deposited on the self-aligning membrane with thiol molecules, this invention provides a process for forming a metal particle ordered structure wherein a voltage is applied on the substrate for preventing the metal particles from being liberated from the self-aligning membrane during coating the metal particles deposited on the self-aligning membrane on the substrate with thiol molecules.

Abstract: A separator has a specimen separating area comprising a number of recesses defined in an inner wall of a flow passage through which a specimen passes. For separating nucleic acid and protein, the recesses have openings whose maximum diameter is 300 nm or less, and adjacent ones of the recesses are spaced at an average interval of 300 nm or less.

Abstract: A fractionating apparatus is used for fractionating sample into micro-structures different in size, and includes a fractionating unit formed with a fractionating passage; the fractionating passage is defined in a groove formed in a substrate of the fractionating unit, and pillar patches are formed in the groove at intervals wider than the gap among the pillar patches; while the sample is migrated through the fractionating passage, small-sized DNA molecules are trapped in the pillar patches, and large-sized DNA molecules are smoothly migrated through the wide intervals; this results in that the large-sized DNA molecules reaches the end of the fractionating passage faster than the small-sized DNA molecules without clogging.

Abstract: In order to preventing thiol-coated metal particles from being liberated from a self-aligning membrane on a substrate during coating the metal particles deposited on the self-aligning membrane with thiol molecules, this invention provides a process for forming a metal particle ordered structure wherein a voltage is applied on the substrate for preventing the metal particles from being liberated from the self-aligning membrane during coating the metal particles deposited on the self-aligning membrane on the substrate with thiol molecules.

Abstract: There is provided a method of patterning a substrate with an atomic mask having a mask substrate and first atoms adsorbed on the mask substrate, the first atoms forming a mask pattern having a one-atomic thickness, including the steps, in sequence, of (a) depositing adatoms over a surface of a substrate to be patterned, the adatoms having low reactivity with second atoms of which the substrate is composed, and (b) putting the atomic mask close to the substrate in such a distance that the first atoms make a chemical bond with the adatoms, so that adatoms located nearest to the first atoms are desorbed out of the substrate to form a pattern on the substrate, the pattern being defined as an area where none of the adatoms exists. In accordance with the above mentioned method, it is possible to form a pattern on the sub-nanometer or nanometer order with high accuracy and in a short period of time, and it is also possible to repeatedly form the same pattern by using the atomic mask.

Abstract: There is provided a method of patterning a substrate with an atomic mask having a mask substrate and first atoms adsorbed on the mask substrate, the first atoms forming a mask pattern having a one-atomic thickness, including the steps, in sequence, of (a) depositing adatoms over a surface of a substrate to be patterned, the adatoms having low reactivity with second atoms of which the substrate is composed, and (b) placed the atomic mask close to the substrate in such a distance that the first atoms form a chemical bond with the adatoms, so that adatoms located nearest to the first atoms are desorbed out of the substrate to form a pattern on the substrate, the pattern being defined as an area where none of the adatoms exists. In accordance with the above mentioned method, it is possible to form a pattern on the sub-nanometer or nanometer order with high accuracy and in a short period of time, and it is also possible to repeatedly form the same pattern by using the atomic mask.