Abstract: A movable plate is fastened to a substrate via flexure parts and can move upward and downward with respect to the substrate. The substrate serves as a fixed electrode. The movable plate has second electrode parts which generate an electrostatic force between these electrode parts and the substrate by virtue of a voltage that is applied across these electrode parts and the substrate and a current path which is disposed in a magnetic field, and which generates a Lorentz force when powered. A mirror advances into and withdraws from the optical path. When the movable plate moves from the lower position in which the electrostatic force is increased to the upper position, the control part controls the current so that the Lorentz force is generated in a downward orientation and gradually decreases while the movable plate moves from an intermediate position to the upper position.

Abstract: An optical device is configured such that an insertion plate is held by a flat cantilever having electric wiring, and the flat magnet is placed in such a manner that the magnet faces a surface of the cantilever opposite to the other surface of the cantilever facing an optical waveguide, and that the current flowing through the electric wiring is controlled in this state so that the Lorentz force caused by the interaction between the current and the magnetic field displaces the cantilever to drive the insertion plate, and to insert or remove the insertion plate into or out of the slit provided in the optical waveguide to switch the optical path of signal light or to adjust the quantity of an optical beam.

Abstract: The light guide substrate 2 has mirror receiving grooves 24 and light guides. The light guides conduct light that is input into the input ports to selected output ports in accordance with the advance and retraction of the mirrors 31 with respect to the grooves 24. The actuator substrate 4 has mirrors 31 and actuators which place the mirrors 31 in a state in which the mirrors are drawn in toward the substrate 4, or a state in which the mirrors protrude from the substrate 4. The light guide substrate 2 and actuator substrate 4 are aligned using alignment marks and joined with a spacer 3 interposed so that the mirrors 31 retract from the grooves 24 when the mirrors 31 are drawn in toward the substrate 4, and so that the mirrors 31 advance into the grooves 24 when the mirrors 31 protrude from the substrate 4. This alignment is performed in a state in which all of the mirrors 31 are drawn in toward the substrate 4.

Abstract: A waveguide type optical device performs such monitoring as detection of a relative position of an insert plate to a groove. The waveguide type optical device comprises a groove disposed at an intersection position of a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide; an insert plate disposed to be insertable into the groove; means for applying a static magnetic field such that a vector product of a velocity vector (A) of the insert plate and its magnetic field vector (B) is nonzero; a cantilever that has electrical wiring including therein a wiring part lying in a direction perpendicular to both the velocity vector and the magnetic field vector and that supports the insert plate; and means for detecting a relative position of the insert plate to the groove by detecting a current induced in the electrical wiring.

Abstract: A movable plate 21 is fastened to a substrate 11 via flexure parts 27a and 27b, and can move upward and downward with respect to the substrate 11. The substrate 11 also serves as a fixed electrode. The movable plate 21 has second electrode parts 23a and 23b which can generate an electrostatic force between these electrode parts and the substrate 11 by means of a voltage that is applied across these electrode parts and the substrate 11, and a current path 25 which is disposed in a magnetic field, and which generates a Lorentz force when powered. A mirror 12 which advances into and withdraws from the optical path is disposed on the movable plate 21. When the movable plate 21 is caused to move from the lower position in which the electrostatic force is increased to the upper position, the control part controls the current so that the Lorentz force is generated in a downward orientation and gradually decreases while the movable plate 21 is moving from an intermediate position to the upper position.

Abstract: A waveguide type optical device performs such monitoring as detection of a relative position of an insert plate to a groove. The waveguide type optical device comprises a groove disposed at an intersection position of a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide; an insert plate disposed to be insertable into the groove; means for applying a static magnetic field such that a vector product of a velocity vector (A) of the insert plate and its magnetic field vector (B) is nonzero; a cantilever that has electrical wiring including therein a wiring part lying in a direction perpendicular to both the velocity vector and the magnetic field vector and that supports the insert plate; and means for detecting a relative position of the insert plate to the groove by detecting a current induced in the electrical wiring.

Abstract: An optical device is configured such that an insertion plate is held by a flat cantilever having electric wiring, and the flat magnet is placed in such a manner that the magnet faces a surface of the cantilever opposite to the other surface of the cantilever facing an optical waveguide, and that the current flowing through the electric wiring is controlled in this state so that the Lorentz force caused by the interaction between the current and the magnetic field displaces the cantilever to drive the insertion plate, and to insert or remove the insertion plate into or out of the slit provided in the optical waveguide to switch the optical path of signal light or to adjust the quantity of an optical beam.

Abstract: The light guide substrate 2 has mirror receiving grooves 24 and light guides. The light guides conduct light that is input into the input ports to selected output ports in accordance with the advance and retraction of the mirrors 31 with respect to the grooves 24. The actuator substrate 4 has mirrors 31 and actuators which place the mirrors 31 in a state in which the mirrors are drawn in toward the substrate 4, or a state in which the mirrors protrude from the substrate 4. The light guide substrate 2 and actuator substrate 4 are aligned using alignment marks and joined with a spacer 3 interposed so that the mirrors 31 retract from the grooves 24 when the mirrors 31 are drawn in toward the substrate 4, and so that the mirrors 31 advance into the grooves 24 when the mirrors 31 protrude from the substrate 4. This alignment is performed in a state in which all of the mirrors 31 are drawn in toward the substrate 4.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting and removing unstripped residual shell left on shellfish. This method and apparatus are characterized by irradiating a light of specific wave-range onto stripped shellfish after finishing the shell-stripping work thereof. A CCD camera is used to examine the shellfish. It is then determined if there is residual shell on the stripped shellfish on the basis of information on the intensity of fluorescent light that can be obtained from the image taken by the CCD camera. Any shell is then removed.

Abstract: A method for the growth of a SiC single crystal comprisingintroducing a seed crystal of SiC single crystal having an exposed face deviating from the {0001} plane by an angle .alpha..sub.1 of about 60.degree. to about 120.degree., typically about 90.degree. and SiC powder as a raw material into a graphite crucible,elevating the temperature of the SiC powder in an atmosphere of inert gas to a level sufficient for sublimation, meanwhileelevating the temperature of the exposed face of the seed crystal to a level slightly lower than the temperature of the SiC powder, andkeeping the SiC powder and the seed crystal at the specific temperatures for a period enough for a SiC single crystal of the same polytype as the seed crystal to grow to a desired height on the exposed face of the seed crystal.

Abstract: A method of growing a first SiC single crystal on a seed crystal including a second SiC single crystal, comprises the steps of setting a SiC source material at an initial temperature, growing the first SiC single crystal on the seed crystal including the second SiC single crystal at a temperature lower than the initial temperature of the source material and gradually decreasing the source material temperature from the initial temperature during at least a predetermined period during the growing step.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device with overvoltage self-protection of punchthrough type comprises the following steps.(a) A step of making a recess in a P gate-base layer from its surface exposed to the top surface of a substrate. In this step, the recess is formed to such depth that a space-charge layer produced in the gate-base layer when a predetermined breakover voltage for self-protection is applied to a thyristor reaches at least the bottom of the recess, and the bottom of the recess extends close to a junction between the gate-base layer and an emitter layer.(b) A step of doping the gate-base layer with P type impurities from the bottom of the recess to gate-base layer to form a region of low impurity concentration just under the bottom of the recess. The amount (atoms/cm.sup.2) of the P type impurities is substantially equal to N.sub.D .times.