Abstract: The sensor has the self-detecting probe including a body portion, an elongated belt-like flexible substrate, connecting members, a resinous portion, and external contacts formed at the ends of the flexible substrate brought out of liquid. The probe further includes a cantilever whose base end is supported to the body portion, a strain resistive element whose resistance value varies according to the amount of displacement of the cantilever, and interconnects electrically connected with the strain resistive element. A probe tip is formed at the front end of the cantilever. The flexible substrate has an interconnect pattern sandwiched between two insulating sheets. The flexible substrate supports the body portion while the cantilever protrudes outwardly. At least one end of the flexible substrate is brought out of liquid. The connecting members connect the interconnects with the interconnect pattern.

Abstract: The present invention provides a content addressable memory capable of higher frequency operation than conventional. When a search enable signal supplied from a search control circuit is asserted, each of search line drivers transfers search data to each CAM cell of a CAM memory array via a search line pair. The search line enable signal is transmitted to the search line drivers via a single control signal line coupled to the search control circuit. The control signal line is coupled to the search line drivers in such a manner that the search line enable signal passes through coupling nodes between the search line drivers and the control signal line in an arrangement order of the search line drivers from the side far away as viewed from match amplifiers.

Abstract: A cantilever includes: a lever portion; a holder portion supporting the proximal end of the lever portion; a probe portion arranged at the distal end of the lever portion and having a spherical surface to face a sample; and a retaining portion fixed to the distal end of the lever portion and retaining the probe portion to surround a periphery of the probe portion. There is provided a cantilever allowing mounting of a probe portion with little effect in a short time without using any adhesive.

Abstract: An entry including multiple bits of unit cells each storing data bit is coupled to a match line. The match line is supplied with a charging current having a restricted current value smaller than a match line current flowing in a one-bit miss state in one entry, but larger than a match line current flowing in an all-bit match state in one entry. A precharge voltage level of a match line is restricted to a voltage level of half a power supply voltage or smaller. Power consumption in a search cycle of a content addressable memory can be reduced, and a search operation speed can be increased.

Abstract: Provided is a self displacement sensing cantilever, including: a cantilever (4) that has a probe (2) at its tip and has a distal end portion (3) at its distal end; a displacement detecting portion (5) that is provided to the cantilever (4), for detecting a displacement of the cantilever (4); an electrode portion (6) that is connected to the displacement detecting portion (5) and is communicated with the distal end portion (3); and an insulation film (7) that is formed over at least one of the electrode portion (6) and the displacement detecting portion (5) of the cantilever (4), in which the insulation film (7) is applied a coating of an arbitrary functional material (8). As a result, measurement with a scanning probe microscope may be performed at the same time as projecting light.

Abstract: Provided is a cantilever that is capable of bending and deforming in an active manner by itself. The cantilever includes: a lever portion having a proximal end that is supported by a main body part; and a resistor member that is formed in the cantilever and generates heat when a voltage is applied, to thereby deform the lever portion by thermal expansion due to the heat.

Abstract: There is provided a spark ignited internal combustion engine having a geometric compression ratio of 13.0 or greater. The engine comprises combustion chambers having a cylinder stroke volume of 0.3 liter or greater, with the spark plug in the chamber ceiling having its spark point in the combustion chamber, and a cavity being formed on the top surface of the piston. At least part of the cavity defines a spherical surface that a hypothetical sphere having its center at the spark point contacts when the piston is at top dead center. The cavity is formed so that V2/V1?0.31, where V1 is top-dead-center combustion chamber volume, and V2 is the volume of the part of the hypothetical sphere not interfering with the combustion chamber floor or ceiling at top dead center. The flame thus spreads with less interference, shortening combustion duration and reducing fuel consumption.

Abstract: The sensor has the self-detecting probe including a body portion, an elongated belt-like flexible substrate, connecting members, a resinous portion, and external contacts formed at the ends of the flexible substrate brought out of liquid. The probe further includes a cantilever whose base end is supported to the body portion, a strain resistive element whose resistance value varies according to the amount of displacement of the cantilever, and interconnects electrically connected with the strain resistive element. A probe tip is formed at the front end of the cantilever. The flexible substrate has an interconnect pattern sandwiched between two insulating sheets. The flexible substrate supports the body portion while the cantilever protrudes outwardly. At least one end of the flexible substrate is brought out of liquid. The connecting members connect the interconnects with the interconnect pattern.

Abstract: A system and method of controlling an internal combustion engine are provided. The method may include closing said intake valve at a timing in a first range, which is before a maximum charge closing timing with which an amount of air inducted into said cylinder from said air intake passage would be maximized at a given engine speed, during a cylinder cycle when a desired amount of air to be inducted into said cylinder is less than or equal to a predetermined air amount at the given engine speed. The method may further include closing said intake valve at a timing in a second range, which is after said maximum charge closing timing and separated from said first range during a cylinder cycle, when a desired amount of air to be inducted into said cylinder is greater than said predetermined air amount at the given engine speed.

Abstract: A scanning probe microscope has a probe needle and a control section that controls relative scanning movement between the probe needle and a surface of a sample in at least one direction parallel to the sample surface and controls relative movement between the probe needle and the sample surface in a direction perpendicular to the sample surface. A vibration source vibrates the probe needle at a vibrating frequency relative to the sample surface. An approach/separation drive section causes the probe needle to relatively approach to and separate from the sample surface at a predetermined distance while the probe needle is vibrated at the vibrating frequency relative to the sample surface by the vibration source. A detection section detects a rate of change in a vibration state of the probe needle in accordance with a distance between the probe needle and the sample surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a working method using a scanning probe which can enhance a working speed and prolong a lifetime of the probe. The present invention provides the working method using a scanning probe which works a sample by performing the relative scanning of a probe supported on a cantilever on the sample at a predetermined scanning speed. The working method can work the object to be worked while forcibly and relatively vibrating the probe in the direction orthogonal to or parallel to a working surface of the sample at low frequency of 100 to 1000 Hz.

Abstract: In an evaluation system for evaluating a target board produced for use with a microprocessor, an evaluation microcomputer is connected between the target board and an evaluation tool. In the evaluation microcomputer: an emulation circuit emulates functions of the microprocessor, and supplies an emulation result to the evaluation tool through an interface circuit; the interface circuit interfaces the emulation circuit with the evaluation tool; and a data storing circuit stores data relating to the microprocessor. The emulation circuit and the interface circuit are powered by the target board, and the data storing circuit is powered by the evaluation tool. Alternatively, when the interface circuit further has the function of the data storing circuit, the interface circuit is powered by the evaluation tool.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first power supply terminal, a second power supply terminal, a comparison circuit coupled to the first power supply terminal and the second power supply terminal to produce at an output node thereof a signal responsive to a difference between a potential of the first power supply terminal and a potential of the second power supply terminal, and a core circuit coupled to the output node of the comparison circuit to perform a test operation in response to the signal.

Abstract: A cell detachment method for detaching only a desired cell from a plurality of cells cultured on a substrate under predetermined culture environment conditions by using a scanning probe microscope having a probe, comprising: observing the plural cells; specifying the cell to be detached; moving the probe onto the specified cell; and pressing the prove against the specified cell with a predetermined force so as to detach the cell from the substrate.

Abstract: An entry including multiple bits of unit cells each storing data bit is coupled to a match line. The match line is supplied with a charging current having a restricted current value smaller than a match line current flowing in a one-bit miss state in one entry, but larger than a match line current flowing in an all-bit match state in one entry. A precharge voltage level of a match line is restricted to a voltage level of half a power supply voltage or smaller. Power consumption in a search cycle of a content addressable memory can be reduced, and a search operation speed can be increased.

Abstract: A sample to be processed is disposed within a processing cell which contains a liquid. Scratch processing using a scanning probe microscope is performed within the liquid so that chips or shavings removed from the sample scatter within the liquid rather than collecting on the surface of the sample. The processing cell has a supply port and a discharge port so that new liquid can be supplied within the cell through the supply port after the termination of the scratch processing to clean the cell. In this manner, chips or shavings generated by scratch processing a defect portion of the sample can be removed completely without being collected at the surface of a sample despite the surface tension of adsorbed water existing on the sample surface and/or electrostatic charges caused by friction.

Abstract: An indentation is formed by thrusting a probe of a scanning probe microscope for processing, which has a vertical surface or a vertical ridge and is harder than sample material, into sample for measuring the indentation. A high-fidelity AFM observation is performed on the shape of the formed indentation with a thin probe with high aspect ratio, the direction of the vertical surface or the vertical ridge is inspected, and the angle error ? is stored. By rotating a sample stage by an angle corresponding to the measured mounting angle error ? of the probe, the mounting angle error of the probe is corrected in advance.

Abstract: A cantilever includes: a lever portion; a holder portion supporting the proximal end of the lever portion; a probe portion arranged at the distal end of the lever portion and having a spherical surface to face a sample; and a retaining portion fixed to the distal end of the lever portion and retaining the probe portion to surround a periphery of the probe portion. There is provided a cantilever allowing mounting of a probe portion with little effect in a short time without using any adhesive.

Abstract: A processing method uses a probe of a scanning probe microscope. A fine marker is formed in a processing material by thrusting the probe, which is made of a material harder than the processing material, into a portion of the processing material disposed in the vicinity of an area of the processing material to be processed by the probe during a processing operation. A position of the fine marker on the processing material is detected during the processing operation. A drift amount of the area of the processing material is calculated in accordance with the detected position of the fine marker. A position of the area of the processing material is corrected in accordance with the calculated drift amount.

Abstract: The kind of a particle is determined by pressing a hard atomic force microscope stylus having a spring constant equal to or larger than 300 N/m onto a particle to be removed and detecting bending quantity relative to a press force and a kind of a stylus used for removing the particle is changed in accordance with the kind of the particle.