Abstract: An in-vehicle network system deployed in a vehicle includes a plurality of first nodes configured to perform an operation relevant to a first function in the vehicle, a second node configured to perform an operation relevant to a second function different from the first function in the vehicle; and a relay device configured to relay communication between the first nodes and the second node. The relay device is configured to start relay of communication between the first nodes earlier than the relay of communication between the first node and the second node at a time of startup.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing a photoresist film includes a substrate cassette for fixing a substrate having a surface covered with a photoresist film, an ozone feed tube for supplying ozone, a liquid feed tube for supplying a liquid photoresist film removing solution, and a processing tank for recovering and processing at least one of ozone and the liquid photoresist film removing solution, wherein the liquid photoresist film removing solution is supplied through the liquid feed tube as a liquid or mist, at least one of ozone and the photoresist film removing solution being continuously supplied.

Abstract: A method of removing photoresist film with high efficiency of removal and friendliness with the environment while reducing the material consumption and the cost for the ventilation facility, and an apparatus used for the method are provided.

Abstract: A method of removing photoresist film with high efficiency of removal and friendliness with the environment while reducing the material consumption and the cost for the ventilation facility, and an apparatus used for the method are provided.

Abstract: To enable observation, analysis and evaluation of minute foreign substances by adopting a method for enabling performance of linkage between equipment coordinates of a particle examination equipment and apparatus coordinates of an analyzing apparatus such as SEM which is not a particle examination equipment with a precision higher than that with which coordinate linkage is performed between conventional equipment and apparatus coordinates. An analyzing method for analyzing minute foreign substances comprises the steps of determining the position of a minute foreign substance on the surface of a sample in a particle examination equipment, transferring the sample to a coordinate stage of an analyzing apparatus and inputting the position of the minute foreign substance determined by the particle examination equipment to thereby analyze the contents of this minute foreign substance.

Abstract: To provide a minute foreign matter analysis method and device wherein the observation, analysis and estimation of minute foreign matter is permitted by linking the device coordinate of a particle inspection device and those of other analysis devices with by far higher accuracy.

Abstract: To enable observation, analysis and evaluation of minute foreign substances by adopting a method for enabling performance of linkage between equipment coordinates of a particle examination equipment and apparatus coordinates of an analyzing apparatus such as SEM which is not a particle examination equipment with a precision higher than that with which coordinate linkage is performed between conventional equipment and apparatus coordinates. An analyzing method for analyzing minute foreign substances includes the steps of determining the position of a minute foreign substance on the surface of a sample in a particle examination equipment, transferring the sample to a coordinate stage of an analyzing apparatus and inputting the position of the minute foreign substance determined by the particle examination equipment to thereby analyze the contents of this minute foreign substance.

Abstract: A semiconductor cleaning apparatus includes a cassette loader/unloader for moving a cassette; a product loader/unloader for loading a wafer into and unloading a wafer from a cassette; a cleaner for cleaning a wafer; a water cleaner for cleaning with water a wafer that has been cleaned in the cleaner; a dryer for drying the wafer that has been cleaned with water in the water cleaner; and a conveyance having a wafer grasping hand for directly holding a wafer unloaded from a cassette and sequentially conveying the wafer held by the wafer hand to the cleaner, the water cleaner, and the dryer.

Abstract: A semiconductor cleaning apparatus includes a cassette loader/unloader for moving a cassette; a product loader/unloader for loading a wafer into and unloading a wafer from a cassette; a cleaner for cleaning a wafer; a water cleaner for cleaning with water a wafer that has been cleaned in the cleaner; a dryer for drying the wafer that has been cleaned with water in the water cleaner; and a conveyance having a wafer grasping hand for directly holding a wafer unloaded from a cassette and sequentially conveying the wafer held by the wafer hand to the cleaner, the water cleaner, and the dryer.

Abstract: A semiconductor cleaning apparatus includes a cassette loader/unloader for moving a cassette; a product loader/unloader for loading a wafer into and unloading a wafer from a cassette; a cleaner for cleaning a wafer; a water cleaner for cleaning with water a wafer that has been cleaned in the cleaner; a dryer for drying the wafer that has been cleaned with water in the water cleaner; and a conveyance having a wafer grasping hand for directly holding a wafer unloaded from a cassette and sequentially conveying the wafer held by the wafer hand to the cleaner, the water cleaner, and the dryer.

Abstract: Method for detecting and examining a slightly irregular surface state is provided which includes the steps of: illuminating a surface of a sample with light beam for detecting the slightly irregular surface state; observing a variation of the light beam occurring due to the slightly irregular surface state to specify the location of the slightly irregular surface state in an x-y plane of the sample; making the location of a probe needle of a scanning probe microscope and the location of the slightly irregular surface state on the sample coincide with each other; and measuring a three-dimensional image of the slightly irregular surface state by means of the scanning probe microscope. The scanning probe microscope for use in the aforementioned method and a method for fabricating a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device which utilizes the aforementioned method are also provided.

Abstract: A semiconductor processing method includes the steps of carrying a case containing semiconductor wafers and to which an ID card is attached into semiconductor processing equipment at a first side of the semiconductor processing equipment; removing the ID card from the case; taking the semiconductor wafers out of the case; carrying the semiconductor wafers taken out of the case into a processing means on a second side, opposite to the first side, of the semiconductor processing equipment; processing the semiconductor wafers in the processing means; attaching the ID card corresponding to the semiconductor wafers to the case; taking the processed semiconductor wafers out of the processing means at the first side of the semiconductor processing equipment; putting the processed semiconductor wafers into the case to which the ID card is attached; and carrying the case outside the semiconductor equipment at the first side of the semiconductor equipment.

Abstract: A semiconductor cleaning apparatus having: a loader/unloader portion for injecting/ejecting a product cassette which accommodates a wafer; a product injecting/ejecting portion for injecting/ejecting the wafer from the product cassette; a cleaning portion for cleaning the wafer; a water cleaning portion for, with water, cleaning the wafer which has been cleaned in the cleaning portion; a drying portion for drying the wafer which has been cleaned with water in the water cleaning portion; and a conveyance portion having a wafer hand for directly holding the wafer ejected from the product cassette in the product injecting/ejecting portion and sequentially conveying the wafer held by the wafer hand to the cleaning portion, the water cleaning portion and the drying portion.

Abstract: A device for analyzing fine particles in a sample gas includes a light source for emitting light, a convergent device for converting the light emitted by the light source into a convergent light beam having a light focus point and an energy density sufficient to dissociate the fine particles to be analyzed. The device also includes a transparent analyzer tube having a window for admitting the convergent light beam and a throat located at the light focus point of the convergent light beam, the analyzer tube receiving the sample gas and passing the sample gas through the throat. The device includes a light collecting device for collecting, through the analyzer tube, light emitted from dissociated fine particles, dissociated by the convergent light beam in the throat of the analyzer tube, and an analyzing device for analyzing the light from the dissociated fine particles collected by the collecting device.

Abstract: Semiconductor processing equipment includes an ID-card removing robot, an ID-card stocking device, and an ID-card attaching robot so that the management of ID cards is performed inside the equipment. Thus, the present invention makes it possible to reduce equipment size and achieve highly efficient factory automation. Furthermore, in a semiconductor processing equipment module according to the present invention, each item of semiconductor processing equipment has its own ID-card stocking device. As a result, the number of case carriers can be reduced and a space reduction with increased factory automation can be easily realized.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method effectively clean the entire surface of a substrate to be cleaned by uniformly irradiating ultrasonic waves to the substrate. Ultrasonic waves generated by an ultrasonic oscillator provided on the side wall of an outer tank are transmitted through an ultrasonic wave transmission medium provided between the outer tank and an inner tank, for example, water, and are irradiated on a substrate to be cleaned, for example, a semiconductor wafer, in the inner tank through a cleaning chemical in the inner tank. By irradiating the ultrasonic waves from the side of the cleaning apparatus, a support base blocks the least amount of ultrasonic waves from reaching the substrate. This is effective to uniformly clean the substrate.

Abstract: In an automotive power plant including a combustion engine, intake and exhaust passages communicated with a combustion chamber for an introduction of an air-fuel mixture into and a discharge of exhaust gases from the combustion chamber, respectively, a fuel injector for injecting a controlled amount of fuel into the combustion chamber together with air sucked through the intake passage, and a throttle valve of which opening is adjustable for controlling the flow of the air through the intake passage, a fuel control system for determining the amount of fuel to be injected into the combustion chamber in dependence on the amount of air being sucked.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing semiconductor devices by using a semiconductor wafer having a circuit area in which a circuit pattern is to be formed and a character printing area in which a lot number pattern for recording characters used for product management is to be formed, etching the surface of the semiconductor wafer to form the lot number pattern in the character printing area, forming a metallic layer over the surface of the semiconductor wafer, and selectively removing the portion of the metallic layer located on the circuit area but not used as the circuit pattern and the portion of the metallic layer located on the character printing area simultaneously.

Abstract: An atmospheric CVD apparatus includes a gas head for ejecting reaction gases consisting of SiH.sub.4 gas and O.sub.2 gas, and a stage which is arranged at a position above the gas head and which is rotated while a semiconductor wafer retained on the bottom of the stage is heated to a temperature in the range of 380.degree. C. to 440.degree. C., the distance between the surface of the semiconductor wafer and the gas supply head being set in the range of 8 mm to 25 mm. The flow ratio between the reaction gases is so adjusted that when the flow rate of the O.sub.2 gas is represented as 1.0, that of the SiH.sub.4 gas is represented as 0.07 to 0.10. The apparatus deposits a reaction product film which excels in film thickness uniformity with a satisfactory level of reproducibility.

Abstract: An air supply control system for an internal combustion engine comprises at least first and second turbosupercharger, an exhaust cutoff valve operative selectively to open and close an exhaust passage in which a turbine of the second turbosupercharger is disposed, an intake air cutoff valve operative selectively to open and close an intake passage in which a blower of the second turbosupercharger is disposed, a cutoff valve controller operative to control the exhaust cutoff valve and the intake air cutoff valve so as to cause the first turbosupercharger to work when intake air mass flow fed to the engine is to be relatively small and to cause both of the first and second turbosuperchargers to work when intake air mass flow fed to the engine is to be relatively large, an engine operation detector, and an operation controller operative to vary, in response to an engine operating condition detected by the engine operation detector, a boundary between first and second operating areas provided on an operating char