Abstract: A substrate processing method forming an oxynitride film by nitriding an oxide film formed on a silicon substrate includes a nitridation processing step that nitrides a surface of the oxide film by radicals or ions formed by exciting a nitrogen gas by microwave-excited plasma, the nitridation processing is conducted at a substrate temperature of 500° C. or less by setting an electron temperature of the microwave-excited plasma to 2 eV or less, and by setting the resident time of oxygen in the processing space in which the substrate to be processed is held, to two seconds or less.

Abstract: A current measuring apparatus comprises a current detection unit 10 and a photoelectric converter 20. The current detection unit 10 comprises an optical fiber sensor 11 extended or looped around a conductor 30. A reflective film 12 is attached to one end of the sensor 11 so that light can be reflected by the end of the sensor. The current detection unit 10 further comprises a first Faraday element 13, a light-transmitting birefringent member 14, a first optical fiber 15, a second optical fiber 16 and a lens 17. The Faraday element 13 rotates a plane of polarization of the incident light through about 22.5°. The birefringent member 14 functions to separate the light emitted from the sensor 11 into an ordinary ray L1 and an extraordinary ray L2 that are orthogonal to each other, and to transmit linearly polarized light L0 emitted from a light source. The lens 17 is provided between the element 13 and the birefringent member 14.

Abstract: A method of processing a for an electronic device, comprising, at least: a nitridation step (a) of supplying nitrogen radicals on the surface of the electronic device substrate, to thereby form a nitride film on the surface thereof; and a hydrogenation step (b) of supplying hydrogen radicals to the surface of the electronic device substrate. By use of this method, it is possible to recover the degradation in the electric property of an insulating film due to a turnaround phenomenon which can occur at the time of nitriding an Si substrate, etc.

Abstract: A plurality of lighting units using light emitting diodes as light sources is accommodated in a lamp housing in such a state as to be supported on a common metallic support member provided tiltably. When a part or all of the lighting units are turned on, the light emitting diodes generate heat with a light emission. These light emitting diodes are supported on the common metallic support member. Also in the case in which any of the lighting units is turned on, therefore, the heat generated by the light emitting diodes is moved to the metallic support member having a large heat capacity through boards and light source support blocks by a heat conducting function. Consequently, a rise in the temperatures of the light emitting diodes can be suppressed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a display panel drive system that can reduce the driver circuit power consumption and heat generation. The lighting rate of the light emitting elements in the display panel is calculated. The higher the lighting rate is, the higher the value of the voltage supplied to the driver circuit for driving the light emitting elements is set. The calculation of the lighting rate may be performed for each frame or each line of the display screen.

Abstract: A display panel driving device that can obviate the need for constant current driving circuits in an anode driver circuit, in which a light emission column electrode lines is opened in a light emission period during scanning of each line of a display panel, and parasitic capacitors of light emitting elements are used to allow leak current from the combined parasitic capacitors of the non-scanned elements to the scanned elements to serve as the light emission current of the scanned elements.

Abstract: Disclosed is a lighting circuit for a vehicular discharge lamp which controls current limitation in accordance with the status of the discharge lamp to thereby suppress an increase in consumption current when a source voltage drops. In the lighting circuit, when a lighting switch 5 is set on, a battery voltage is boosted in a DC booster circuit and is converted into an AC voltage by a DC/AC converter before it is applied to a metal halide lamp. The DC booster circuit has a chopper structure having an inductor and a field effect transistor (FET). A control signal from a control circuit is sent to the FET. The control circuit has a V (voltage)-I (current) controller for controlling the lighting and a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller. The lighting circuit further has a current compensator to prevent an excessive current from flowing through the FET at the beginning of the lighting or when the battery voltage drops.

Abstract: A cord connection structure for connecting a ballast circuit and a starter circuit in which an output cord from a starter circuit unit mounted on a lamp body is connected to a discharge bulb inserted into a bulb insertion hole, and an output cord from a ballast circuit unit disposed in the vicinity of a starter circuit unit is removably connected through a connector to a connector connection part (receptacle) provided in the starter circuit unit, characterized in that a connector slip-off preventing protector covering the connector coupled into the connector connection part is provided around the connector connection part (receptacle). Such a construction makes it difficult for a general user to connect and disconnect the connector of high voltage to and from the connector connection part.

Abstract: A lighting circuit for a vehicular discharge lamp comprises a DC-to-AC converter, a lamp voltage detector, a lamp current detector, a voltage-current controller, and a power change reducing means. The DC-to-AC converter converts a DC voltage into an AC voltage and supplies it to the discharge lamp. The lamp voltage detector acquires a detection signal concerning a lamp voltage of the discharge lamp. The lamp current detector acquires a detection signal concerning a lamp current of the discharge lamp. The voltage-current controller produces a lamp current controller instruction signal generated with respect to the lamp voltage upon reception of the detection signal from the lamp voltage detector, and supplies a control signal to the DC-to-AC converter so as to minimize differences between the instruction signal and the detection signal from the lamp current detector, thereby controlling the output voltage of the DC-to-AC converter.

Abstract: A stop lamp for a vehicle, such as a stop lamp adapted for mounting on a rear spoiler of an automobile, having an improved efficiency of light utilization. The lamp includes a lamp body, a front lens, and a plural number of light-emitting diodes juxtaposed at predetermined intervals. Light control parts are formed in the inner wall of the front lens for directing the light output from the light-emitting diodes in predetermined directions. Each light control part is composed of nine prisms arranged in a 3.times.3 matrix. The central one of the prisms faces a respective one of the light-emitting diodes.

Abstract: A bead positioning apparatus includes a carriage for moving a magnetic head to a specified position of data tracks in a storage medium, a motor for driving the carriage depending on excitation pulses from a step motor, a light shielding plate mounted on the carriage, a light-emitting element, a light-sensitive element opposing to the light-emitting element through the light shielding plate and a position-judging device for judging the position of the magnetic head depending on the excitation pulses of the step motor and a signal of the light-sensitive element generated when light is shielded by the light-shielding plate, wherein the light-emitting element and the light-sensitive element are connected to a power source through a common switching element and the position-judging device outputs a signal, when the switching element is turned off, which is the same signal as if the light-sensitive element were device sensing light.

Abstract: In a flexible disc device having a magnetic head for reading data written in a flexible disc medium or writing data to the medium, the magnetic head enables to change effective track width specified by core width of writing/reading head gap and erasing head gap at the writing state corresponding to the record density in the diameter direction of the disc medium, thereby compatibility is obtained between plural sorts of flexible disc media being different in the track density.

Abstract: The invention is related to a magnetic head loading and unloading device and includes an electromagnet having a spring loaded armature operative to load a double-sided flexible magnetic recording disc having two associated opposite magnetic heads and resiliently unloading the magnetic heads from the recording disc. A permanent magnet is connected to the armature and forms a speed sensor with an associated solenoid to sense the loading or an unloading speed of the magnetic heads. The solenoid includes an output connected to a negative input of a differential amplifier which includes a positive input comprising a command loading signal. The amplifier output is connected to a winding for exciting the electromagnet through an emitter grounded transistor.

Abstract: A magnetic head supporting mechanism for a double side type flexible disc drive apparatus is rotatably driven and contains a first and second magnetic head for read-out or write-in on each magnetic recording surface of the disc. The magnetic head is slidably contacted with the surface during the operation and includes a carriage having a first and second magnetic head which is positioned on a predetermined data track of the disc with the carriage having first and second arms and one of the arms being rotated with the first and second magnetic head assemblies being mounted on the first and second arm respectively. One of the magnetic head assemblies contains a resilient holder affixed to the arm and simultaneously fixed to the magnetic head while a gimbal spring which is disposed on the holder and has a surface fitted to the head also contains a projection which is formed on the other surface.

Abstract: A magnetic head supporting mechanism equipped with a magnetic head positioning carriage of a interchangeable double side type flexible disc drive apparatus comprising a carriage having a pair of arms which is rotated in detachable to a double side type flexible disc and arms, and arm parts in the arms and sliding type magnetic heads which are respectively mounted on the arm part and slide on the surface of the flexible disc and gimbal spring placed between each sliding type magnetic head and each arm part.