Abstract: A gear shift apparatus of a manual transmission, consists of a retainer member securely connected to an extension housing connected to a transmission housing. The retainer member is formed with a relatively long hollow cylindrical section a part of which extends into the extension housing. A cylindrical socket member is slidably disposed in the retainer member cylindrical section and biased by a spring in an upward direction. A generally annular support member is disposed inside the cylindrical section. The spherical fulcrum section of a shift lever is supported at both the upper and lower parts respectively by the socket member and the support member. Thus, the shift lever can be effectively supported in suspension, thereby preventing the vibration of shift lever.

Abstract: A pattern utilized to prepare a diffraction grating, or an element of a semiconductor device, for example a silicon island, or a device isolation pattern or a semiconductor element, such as a MOS FET, is formed by the steps of forming an oxidizable region of a predetermined pattern on a substrate and oxidizing the oxidizable region for forming an oxide region pattern in at least a portion of the sidewalls of the oxidizable region. The resulting pattern, which is extremely fine and formed at a low cost, has a sufficiently large height with respect to its width. Furthermore the pattern can be formed at a relatively low temperature.