Abstract: A plurality of diffused resistors and a plurality of wirings (resistive elements) are alternately disposed along a virtual line, and those diffused resistors and wirings are connected in series by contact vias. In the same wiring layer as that of the wirings, a dummy pattern is formed so as to surround a formation region of the wirings and the diffused resistors. A space between the dummy pattern and the wirings is set in accordance with, for example, a minimum space between wirings in a chip formation portion.

Abstract: A mask with an opening pattern is placed on a substrate, and etching is carried out by use of anisotropy etching of crystal. The opening pattern of the mask is composed of broken lines, each of which is discontinued by discontinuing portions. By the etching, a birefringence optical element with a fine structure, in which trenches, each of which is discontinued by discontinuing portions, are juxtaposed periodically at a specified pitch, is obtained.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an optical switch for changing over a running direction of a light passing through an optical waveguide between a first direction and a second direction by moving a switching member disposed on an optical path of an optical waveguide. The switching member has a plurality of switching positions for selectively guiding each of lights of at least two different wavelengths into the first direction or second direction.

Abstract: A plurality of top waveguides and bottom waveguides are formed on a substrate. The pitch of the light exit end of the top waveguide and the light exit end of the bottom waveguide at the light exit side of the substrate is narrower than the pitch of the light entrance end of the top waveguide and the light entrance end of the bottom waveguide at the light entrance side of the substrate. The light exit end of the waveguide on the light exit side of the substrate and the light exit end of the waveguide indicated by the dashed line are arranged as single rows forming a core row in two layers in a staggered layout. This optical waveguide produces ideally overlapping laser beam spots on the surface of a photosensitive body.

Abstract: A plurality of diffused resistors and a plurality of wirings (resistive elements) are alternately disposed along a virtual line, and those diffused resistors and wirings are connected in series by contact vias. In the same wiring layer as that of the wirings, a dummy pattern is formed so as to surround a formation region of the wirings and the diffused resistors. A space between the dummy pattern and the wirings is set in accordance with, for example, a minimum space between wirings in a chip formation portion.

Abstract: A halftone type phase shift mask having a semitranslucent film pattern and a shielding film pattern provided on a transparent substrate in this order is constituted in such a manner that each of the reflectances of the transparent substrate, the semitranslucent film pattern and the shielding film pattern for an inspecting light represents a difference which can detect the semitranslucent film pattern and the shielding film pattern based on a reflected light generated when the inspecting light is irradiated on the mask.

Abstract: An optical waveguide is produced by forming on a substrate a waveguide layer and/or a clad layer containing, as their main ingredient, polyimide with a fluorine substitution rate of 30% or higher (thus as a fluorinated polyimide layer), with a primer layer laid in between that contains, as its main ingredient, polyimide with a fluorine substitution rate of 10% or lower (including 0%). This improves adherence of the fluorinated polyimide layer to the substrate and prevents the fluorinated polyimide layer from peeling off the substrate. For more effective prevention of such peeling-off and of warping of the substrate, the primer layer is preferably formed to have a thickness of 0.1 to 20 &mgr;m. The primer layer may contain a coupling agent.

Abstract: Disclosed herewith is an optical switch provided on an optical path of an optical waveguide and which switches an advancing direction of a light passed through the optical path. The optical switch includes a movable switching member which switches the advancing direction of the light, and a driving member which electrostatically drives said switching member to move in an arbitrary position so that the light passed through the optical path is guided to different directions.

Abstract: In an optical waveguide channel device equipped with multiple cores, the distances between cores at the entry edge must be large in order to cause a laser beam to enter each core. On the other hand, the distances at the exit edge must be small. Therefore, the core must have a curved area at which the axis is curved. Further, in order to make it easier to match the spot of the entering beam and the core, the core diameter of the optical waveguide channel device and the beam spot diameter of the entering light are made large. However, in a core having a multi-mode curved area, high-order light is easily excited at the curved area. Therefore, the curved area from the entry edge to the exit edge of each core is made to have a single mode. Consequently, exit light having an essentially Gaussian profile may be obtained.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an optical switch for changing over a running direction of a light passing through an optical waveguide between a first direction and a second direction by moving a switching member disposed on an optical path of an optical waveguide. The switching member has a plurality of switching positions for selectively guiding each of lights of at least two different wavelengths into the first direction or second direction.

Abstract: An optical waveguide is produced by forming on a substrate a waveguide layer and/or a clad layer containing, as their main ingredient, polyimide with a fluorine substitution rate of 30% or higher (thus as a fluorinated polyimide layer), with a primer layer laid in between that contains, as its main ingredient, polyimide with a fluorine substitution rate of 10% or lower (including 0%). This improves adherence of the fluorinated polyimide layer to the substrate and prevents the fluorinated polyimide layer from peeling off the substrate. For more effective prevention of such peeling-off and of warping of the substrate, the primer layer is preferably formed to have a thickness of 0.1 to 20 &mgr;m. The primer layer may contain a coupling agent.

Abstract: Ashing process of a resist pattern used in a semiconductor device manufacturing method is conducted by exposing the resist, the wirings, and their peripheral regions to a first atmosphere which includes a first product obtained by plasmanizing a gas containing water at a rate of more than 30 flow rate %, and placing the resist in a second atmosphere which includes a second product obtained by plasmanizing an oxygen mixed gas which contains an oxygen gas as a principal component before or after or before and after the exposing step.

Abstract: A thin film waveguide and an optical deflecting device which have a substrate and a waveguide layer. An optical buffer layer which has a refractive index smaller than that of the waveguide layer is provided between the substrate and the waveguide layer, and the optical buffer layer has such a thickness as to make a zero mode guided light beam progressing in the waveguide layer have a propagation loss not more than 2 dB/cm and as to make a first mode guided light beam progressing in the waveguide layer have a propagation loss not less than 4 dB/cm. For example, the waveguide layer is a ZnO thin film, the substrate is a silicon substrate, and the optical buffer layer is a SiO.sub.2 thin film. Further, an interdigital transducer is provided on the waveguide layer to excite Sezawa waves as surface acoustic waves. For example, the waveguide layer is designed to have a thickness which meets the following condition: 1.0<hK<5.0 (K=2 .pi./.LAMBDA.), wherein, h is the thickness of the waveguide layer, and .

Abstract: A waveguide input/output device for input and output of laser light L into a thin-film waveguide 2 via an input grating or prism 7 and an output or emission grating 8. The height of the emission grating 8 is gradually increased in a travel direction of a light advancing through the waveguide and either the height of the input grating 7 or the height of the output grating 8 is gradually increased in the direction of propagation of the service elastic waves in the waveguide 3 generated by a transducer element 3.