Abstract: A liquid droplet forming method is used with an apparatus that includes a liquid jet recording head having a plurality of blocks of thermal elements, each of which blocks includes a plurality of the thermal elements arranged on a substrate at a pitch of at least ten thermal elements per millimeter, with each thermal element ejecting a liquid droplet from the head upon application thereto of a drive signal pulse. Each drive signal pulse comprises a multi-part signal that includes a first part that pre-heats the liquid to an extent that a droplet is not ejected followed by a second part which heats the pre-heated liquid to an extent that a bubble is formed and a liquid droplet is ejected from the head. The plural blocks of thermal elements are driven in accordance with the generated drive signal pulses in a time-division manner such that no two blocks are driven simultaneously.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus has a large plurality of heat energy generating elements corresponding to a like plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink. The heat energy generating elements cause a change in the state of the ink by heating the ink in response to a drive signal, thereby ejecting ink droplets from corresponding ejection ports. A selection signal sequentially selects from among plural groups of plural heat energy generating element and an information storing device stores recording information, portions of which correspond respectively to selected groups of the heat energy generating elements. A drive circuit supplies drive signals to the selected groups of heat energy generating elements, the drive signals for each group being supplied in accordance with the corresponding stored portion of the recording information.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus comprises a recording unit for recording on a recording medium and control means for controlling the recording unit to twice eject droplets to the same position on the recording medium so that the tone of the recording is emphasized. In another aspect of the disclosure, an image forming apparatus includes a storage unit for storing recording material, an image forming unit in which an image is formed without contacting the recording material and a discharge unit for discharging the recording material on which the image has been formed. A transporting mechanism transports the recording material from the storage unit, through the image forming unit to the discharge unit along a U-shaped transporting path.

Abstract: A mark position detecting method and apparatus, suitably usable in a semiconductor device manufacturing exposure apparatus, called a stepper, prints images of a pattern of a reticle upon different shot areas on a semiconductor wafer, and aligns the reticle and the wafer. In this method, fuzzy reasoning is made by using, for example, a membership function which empirically represents the relationship between a mark signal and an alignment result. By using a conclusion of the fuzzy reasoning, the position of the mark is detected. Thus, the alignment accuracy can be improved significantly.

Abstract: An alignment apparatus includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, and a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, wherein the apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system. In another aspect, an alignment apparatus which includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, and a TTL alignment optical system, wherein the alignment apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system and is operable in another global alignment mode using the TTL optical alignment system.

Abstract: A system for controlling operation of a fine pattern printing apparatus. The system including a command storing portion in which a plurality of unit-operation instructing commands capable of instructing execution of corresponding unit operations which are components of the pattern printing operation of the apparatus and at least one sequential operation instructing command including a combination of at least a predetermined portion of the unit-operation instructing commands are stored. A command selecting portion for allowing selection of the commands stored in the command storing portion; a sequence setting portion cooperative with the command selecting portion so as to set, in the command storing portion, a desired sequential operation instructing command formed by a plurality of unit-operation instructing commands each of which is stored in the command storing portion.

Abstract: An alignment apparatus includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, and a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, wherein the apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system. In another aspect, an alignment apparatus includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, and a TTL alignment optical system, wherein the alignment apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system and is operable in another global alignment mode using the TTL optical alignment system.

Abstract: An information read-out and recording apparatus includes an optical information read-out device for converting optical information into electrical information signals. A serial-input/parallel-output shift register stores information signals from the optical information read-out device and a latch circuit stores information from the shift register for supply to a recording device. The recording device records on a recording medium in accordance with the output of the latch circuit, which parallelly stores the contents of the shift register after a predetermined number of bits of information have been serially stored in the shift register.

Abstract: A copying apparatus is provided with an image reading device for reading image information on an original as electrical image signals, a manually operable device for designating an arbitrary area of the original and apparatus for outputting a gate signal in accordance with the area designated by the manually operable device. In response to the gate signal thus formed, a gate device extracts from the electrical signals generated by the reading device image signals corresponding to the designated area which signals are stored in a memory device. A recording device can then record an image in the designated area on plural sheets of recording medium in response to repeated readout of the image signals from the memory device.

Abstract: Mark detecting method and apparatus usable, for example, in a semiconductor exposure apparatus such as a stepper for printing a pattern of a reticle upon a semiconductor wafer, for detecting, by using an image sensor, an alignment mark provided on a reticle or wafer for alignment of the same. Plural search marks are provided two-dimensionally around the alignment mark, each search mark having a first pattern and one or more second patterns indicative of the position of the alignment mark. When at least one first pattern of the search mark is caught by an image pickup device, the reticle is displaced in accordance with the positional information as indicated by the second pattern of the search mark. This brings the alignment mark within the image pickup region of the image sensor. The alignment mark is subsequenlty used to accurately align the reticle with a predetermined position. Thus, the time required for completing the reticle alignment can be reduced remarkably.

Abstract: An alignment apparatus including a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, and a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, wherein the apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system. In another aspect, there is provided an alignment apparatus which includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, and a TTL alignment optical system, wherein the alignment apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system and is operable in another global alignment mode using the TTL optical alignment system.

Abstract: A mark detecting method and device suitably applicable to the alignment of a reticle in a semiconductor device manufacturing exposure apparatus, called a stepper, is disclosed. A mark is provided by repeated patterns having specific pitches. These patterns are set so that at least one pitch of the patterns differs, on a light-receiving surface of an image sensor which receives an image of the mark, from a multiple, by an integral number, of the sampling pitch (pitch of picture elements) of the image sensor. In one preferred form, the mark is formed by repeated patterns of a number N (.gtoreq.2), wherein at least one pitch Pp of the patterns satisfies, on the light-receiving surface of the image sensor, a relationship Pp=(m+n/N).times.Pix where m is an arbitrary number, n is an integral number which satisfies 1.ltoreq.n.ltoreq.N, and Pix is the sampling pitch of the image sensor. The image of such a mark is photoelectrically converted to thereby determine the position of the mark.

Abstract: A method of aligning a semiconductor wafer, usable in a step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus for projecting, in a reduced scale, images of a pattern formed on a reticle upon different shot areas on the semiconductor wafer in a predetermined sequence. According to this alignment method, the wafer is moved stepwise before the initiation of step-and-repeat exposures of the shot areas on the wafer and in accordance with a predetermined layout grid concerning the sites of the shot areas on the wafer. While moving the wafer stepwise in this manner, any positional deviation of each of some of the shot areas with respect to the layout grid is measured by use of a reduction projection lens system and, from the results of measurement, a corrected grid is prepared according to which grid the amount of stepwise movement of the wafer to be made for the step-and-repeat exposures thereof is determined.

Abstract: A printing apparatus or system has CCDs for reading out image data from an original or originals, a memory for storing the image data, a plurality of recording sections with recording heads, a control for controlling the overall circuitry and mechanical parts. A desired number of copies in black or in color can be produced within a short period of time in accordance with the size of the original image and/or color. A red image which does not require high resolution as much as a black image is automatically reproduced with lower resolution while maintaining high resolution at black portion of the same image. A plurality of recording sections may be equally used for printing only a small number of copies.

Abstract: A mask aligner includes a TV image pick-up device having a wide field angle and picking up the image of a wafer detection pattern on an image pick-up station to generate TV signals at the output, a fine alignment device for detecting a positional deviation of the wafer relative to a mask in an exposure station with the detected result being used to align the wafer with the mask, a transport stage for carrying and transporting the wafer from the image pick-up station to the exposure station, a processing device for determining the positional deviation of the wafer relative to the reference position on the image pick-up stage in accordance with the TV signals, and a drive for moving the transport stage so as to remove the positional deviation of the wafer relative to the reference position of the exposure station.

Abstract: A copying apparatus is provided with image reading device for reading image information on an original as image element signals, indicating device for indicating the area of the original to be masked in the scanning area of the original by the image reading device, mask signal formation device for reading the masked area indicated by the indicating device, by the image reading device and for forming mask signals, and recording device for controlling the image information read by the image reading devices, by the mask signals obtained by the mask signal formation device, to obtain on a recording medium a record in which the area indicated by the indicating device is masked.

Abstract: A semiconductor circuit manufacturing apparatus wherein a wafer has a plurality of zones to be exposed one by one to a pattern of a mask, including detector apparatus for detecting a relative position between the mask and a said zone to be exposed and producing outputs representative of the relative position; a device for exposing the said zone to the mask pattern after they are aligned; a device for producing information for identifying said zone which is going to be exposed; a selector, responsive to said information producing device, for selecting all or a part of the outputs of said detecting apparatus; and a device for determining, on the basis of the selected outputs of said detecting apparatus, a positional deviation between the mask pattern and the zone to be exposed thereto.

Abstract: A printing apparatus or system has CCDs for reading out image data from an original or originals, a memory for storing the image data, a plurality of recording sections with recording heads, a control for controlling the overall circuitry and mechanical parts. A desired number of copies in black or in color can be produced within a short period of time in accordance with the size of the original image and/or color. A red image which does not require high resolution as much as a black image is automatically reproduced with lower resolution while maintaining high resolution at black portion of the same image. A plurality of recording sections may be equally used for printing only a small number of copies.

Abstract: An alignment apparatus includes an illumination source for illuminating an object having a mark, a photoreceptor for receiving light reflected by the object, a converter for digitizing the output signal level of the photoreceptor, a circuit for determining a slice level on the basis of the data digitized by said converter, a device for comparing the digitized data and the slice level to extract a signal relating to the mark and determining the interval between the mark and a reference, and a device for causing relative movement between the object having the mark and the object having the reference mark to place them into alignment with each other.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus having a mechanism for registering at least one recording mode, for example a frequently-used basic mode or a color mode, and having a mechanism for setting another mode to be used for recording in a particular instance. In another aspect, the apparatus has a mechanism for setting a respective recording mode for each of a plurality of image areas, which areas can themselves be designated.