Abstract: Provided is a glass fine particle deposit in which a pH of glass fine particles on a surface of the glass fine particle deposit is 5.5 or more and less than 8.5, in which a color difference ?E*ab with respect to a white calibration plate when the surface of the glass fine particle deposit is measured by the SCI method using a spectrophotometer is 0.5 or more and less than 5. Provided is a method for manufacturing a glass preform including: manufacturing a transparent glass preform by heating a glass fine particle deposit in which a pH of glass fine particles on a surface of the glass fine particle deposit is 5.5 or more and less than 8.5; and measuring the surface of the deposit by the SCI method using a spectrophotometer and determining whether a color difference ?E*ab with respect to a white calibration plate is 5 or more.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a glass fine particle deposit includes: emitting a siloxane gas, a carrier gas, and a combustion gas from a burner; setting volume concentration of a supply volume amount of the siloxane gas per unit time with respect to the sum of the supply volume amount of the siloxane gas per unit time and a supply volume amount of the carrier gas per unit time (C1) to 10.6 volume %<C1<20.0 volume %; and setting volume concentration of the supply volume amount of the siloxane gas per unit time with respect to the sum of the supply volume amount of the siloxane gas per unit time, the supply volume amount of the carrier gas per unit time, and a supply volume amount of the seal gas per unit time (C2) to 5.8 volume %<C2<10.0 volume %.

Abstract: A method for producing a glass particulate deposit, said method comprising using siloxane as a raw material for glass, discharging the siloxane gasified in a vaporizer and a combustion gas from a burner and combusting, and thus forming a glass particulate deposit in a reaction vessel, wherein: after producing a good section of the glass particulate deposit, the supply of the siloxane that is the raw material for glass to the burner is ceased while continuously supplying the combustion gas to the burner; then the glass particulate deposit is taken out from the reaction vessel; a raw material gas port from the vaporizer to the burner is purged by flowing an inert gas therethrough; and, when a color derived from the combustion of the siloxane gas is not observed any more in the flame of the burner, then the supply of the combustion gas is ceased.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a glass preform, the method having: a depositing step for installing a starting rod and a burner for generating glass fine particles in a reaction container, introducing a siloxane as a glass raw material to the burner, oxidizing the glass raw material in a flame formed by the burner and generating glass fine particles, depositing the generated glass fine particles on the starting rod and fabricating a glass fine particle deposited body; and a transparentizing step for heating the glass fine particle deposited body and manufacturing a transparent glass preform, wherein, after the depositing step, the transparentizing step is performed after the glass fine particle deposited body is heated for a time range of one to eight hours in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a temperature lower than the temperature of the transparentizing step.

Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a glass particulate deposit, the method including disposing at least one burner at a position facing a rod that rotates around an axis, and spraying glass particulates generated in the flame from the burner to the rod while relatively reciprocating the rod and the burner in the axis direction of the rod, to deposit glass particulates, wherein the relation of 0.1 W?V/R?1.0 W is satisfied, where W mm represents the luminance width of the flame of the glass raw material, R rotations/min represents the rotational speed of the rod, and V mm/min represents the speed of the reciprocation.

Abstract: A method for producing a glass fine particle deposit is provided, which arranges a glass synthesis burner and a starting rod in a reaction vessel, and relatively reciprocates the starting rod in an axial direction with respect to the glass synthesis burner so that glass fine particles synthesized by the glass synthesis burner are deposited on the starting rod, in which, as a diameter of the glass fine particle deposit increases, while relatively retracting the glass synthesis burner from the glass fine particle deposit, the method shortens a distance between the glass fine particle deposit and the glass synthesis burner at an end of deposition from that at a start of deposition.

Abstract: A process includes sending a first pre-notification that includes a processing start time of the first process and information about processing target data of the first process; determining whether or not it is feasible to commit the first process, according to a response with respect to the first pre-notification; and generating and transmitting, when a second pre-notification is received, a response to the second pre-notification according to whether or not each of the processes started in corresponding data processing unit earlier than a processing start time specified from the second pre-notification is targeted at processing target data specified from the second pre-notification and also according to performance information for a data processing unit.

Abstract: A film production method that includes inspecting the film is provided. The inspection includes a spectrum acquisition step and a physical-quantity calculation step. In the spectrum acquisition step, a film that is moved in direction A is irradiated with broadband light in a near infrared region, and diffuse reflected light emitted from the film is received by a light receiving unit, so that a spectrum of the diffuse reflected light is acquired by a spectrum acquisition unit of an analysis unit. In the physical-quantity calculation step, a physical quantity of the film is calculated from the acquired spectrum of the diffuse reflected light. Since the physical quantity can be determined by acquiring the spectrum, the characteristics of the film can be easily determined. In addition, a plurality of pieces of information can be acquired from the spectrum. Therefore, the characteristics of the film can be more accurately determined.

Abstract: An optical fiber sheet 10 includes an optical fiber 11 and a wire 12 that are arranged between a first sheet and a second sheet. The optical fiber 11 is a multi-mode optical fiber having a core of silica glass to which a refractive index adjuster is added, has a numerical aperture equal to or less than 0.30 and a flexural rigidity equal to or less than 0.50 N·mm2, and is bent to be arranged between the first sheet and the second sheet. The wire 12 intersects the optical fiber 11 between the first sheet and the second sheet.

Abstract: An optical fiber sheet 10 includes an optical fiber 11 and a wire 12 that are arranged between a first sheet and a second sheet. The optical fiber 11 is a multi-mode optical fiber having a core of silica glass to which a refractive index adjuster is added, has a numerical aperture equal to or less than 0.30 and a flexural rigidity equal to or less than 0.50 N·mm2, and is bent to be arranged between the first sheet and the second sheet. The wire 12 intersects the optical fiber 11 between the first sheet and the second sheet.

Abstract: Provided is a single crystal with a hexagonal wurtzite structure which is useful as a substrate for various devices and has high purity and is uniform. The single crystal with a hexagonal wurtzite structures which is obtained by a crystal growth on at least an m-plane of a columnar seed crystal and represented by AX (A representing an electropositive element and X representing an electronegative element) is characterized in that a variation in the concentration of a metal other than the electropositive element A and having a concentration of 0.1 to 50 ppm is within 100%.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a zinc oxide (ZnO) single crystal whose electroconductivity is excellent and which has a high quality. The invention relates to a zinc oxide single crystal whose concentration of metals other than zinc in the crystal fulfills the following equation: [?cM]/[+cM]?3 wherein M is a metal other than zinc, [?cM] is a concentration of M in a ?c region in the zinc oxide crystal, and [+cM] is a concentration of M in a +c region in the zinc oxide crystal.

Abstract: For an index change of an interfacial region 20 which is formed in a boundary between core region 10 and cladding region 30 and which decreases its refractive indices from the core region 10 side to the cladding region 30 side, a change rate in relative index difference (0.5×&Dgr;n)/(d/r) normalized by a core radius r, obtained for a domain of change from 0.8×&Dgr;n to 0.3×&Dgr;n relative to a relative index difference &Dgr;n of the core region 10, is used as an index for evaluation of refractive index change and an allowable range of values thereof is set to a range of the lower limit of 0.4% to the upper limit of 4.0%, whereby a single-mode optical fiber capable of low loss phototransmission can be realized while reducing influence of a tail spread and strain in the optical fiber.

Abstract: A drum type washing machine includes an outer cabinet having a rear wall, a water tub elastically mounted in the cabinet and having a rear wall, a drum type rotating tub provided in the water tub so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, and an electric motor provided on the rear wall of the water tub to directly drive the rotating tub. A distance between a portion of the rear wall of the water tub on which the motor is provided and the rear wall of the cabinet is larger than a distance between a distance between another portion of the rear wall of the water tub and the rear wall of the cabinet.

Abstract: The present invention is a drum type washing machine including an outer cabinet (1), a water tub (3) elastically supported on suspension (4A, 4B) in the outer cabinet (1), and a rotating tub (10) mounted for rotation in the water tub (3). A loading element (33) loads the suspension (4A, 4B) and has a center of gravity located between substantially the middle of a dimension from the front to the rear of the rotating tub (10) and the rear of the rotating tub (10). The loading element (33) at least includes the water tub (3), rotating tub (10), bearing assembly (14, 15, 16) and motor (17) driving the rotating tub (10).

Abstract: A drum type washing machine includes an outer cabinet (1), a water tub (3) disposed in the cabinet (1), a rotating tub (10) disposed in the water tub (3) so as to be inclined rearwardly downward, and an electric motor (17) of the outer rotor type mounted on a rear wall (26) of the water tub (3) for directly driving the rotating tub (10).

Abstract: A drum type washing machine with a drying function includes an outer cabinet, a water tub mounted in the outer cabinet and having a wall, a generally drum-shaped rotating tub rotatably mounted in the water tub, and a drying unit for drying laundry accommodated in the rotating tub. The drying unit includes a heat exchanger having a duct disposed in it so that air flows through the duct. The duct includes a part comprising the wall of the water tub.

Abstract: A drum type washing machine includes an outer cabinet, a water tub mounted in the outer cabinet and having a rear end plate, a generally drum-shaped rotating tub rotatably mounted in the water tub and having a rear wall, a rotating tub shaft mounted on a center of the rear wall of the rotating tub and having a rear end projecting rearward to be located in the rear of the rear end plate of the water tub, an electric motor for rotating the rotating tub via the rotating tub shaft, the motor including a stator mounted on the rear end plate of the water tub and a rotor connected to the rear end of the rotating tub shaft, and an aligning structure for aligning a center of rotation of the rotor and a center of the stator.

Abstract: For an index change of an interfacial region 20 which is formed in a boundary between core region 10 and cladding region 30 and which decreases its refractive indices from the core region 10 side to the cladding region 30 side, a change rate in relative index difference (0.5×&Dgr;n)/(d/r) normalized by a core radius r, obtained for a domain of change from 0.8×&Dgr;n to 0.3×&Dgr;n relative to a relative index difference &Dgr;n of the core region 10, is used as an index for evaluation of refractive index change and an allowable range of values thereof is set to a range of the lower limit of 0.4% to the upper limit of 4.0%, whereby a single-mode optical fiber capable of low loss phototransmission can be realized while reducing influence of a tail spread and strain in the optical fiber.

Abstract: In a soot-deposition container, raw material gas and at the tip of a starting glass rod, combustion gas, and carrier gas are supplied to a core-depositing burner and raw material gas, combustion gas, carrier gas, and gas for doping of fluorine are supplied to a cladding-depositing burner, thereby forming porous glass soot comprised of glass soot for core and glass soot for cladding. With growth of soot, the supply amount of the fluorine-doping gas is increased while supply amounts of the other gases are kept constant. Next, dehydration process and transparentizing process of soot are carried out to obtain a glass preform for optical fiber. Fabricated in this way is the glass preform for optical fiber having the silica glass portion doped with low-concentration fluorine with high uniformity in the growth direction.