Abstract: A thin film forming apparatus which automatically forms, on an electrode layer formed on a substrate, a functional thin film which is crystallized from a precursor layer is disclosed, including a water-repellant film forming unit which forms, on a region other than a region on which is to be formed the functional thin film on the electrode layer, a water-repellant film which includes a self-assembled monolayer; an inkjet coating unit which coats, on the region on which is to be formed the functional thin film on the electrode layer, the precursor layer by an inkjet method; and a controller which controls, to within a predetermined time, a time from forming the water-repellant film with the water-repellant film forming unit to coating the precursor layer with the inkjet coating unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electromechanical transducer element including a first electrode disposed on a substrate; an electromechanical transducer film disposed on a first portion of the first electrode; and a second electrode disposed on a second portion of the electromechanical transducer film, wherein an actuator portion formed by laminating the substrate, the first electrode, the electromechanical transducer film, and the second electrode has a stiffness such that, in a cross section of the actuator portion, the stiffness gradually increases from an end portion of the actuator portion to a center portion of the actuator portion.

Abstract: A method of making a liquid discharge head which includes a nozzle to discharge liquid, a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle, a pressure chamber substrate to form surfaces of the pressure chamber, and a piezoelectric actuator to apply pressure to liquid in the pressure chamber having a lower electrode, a ferroelectric film, and an upper electrode, includes a silicon wafer supplying process, a position adjustment process, a surface treatment process to reform a surface of the lower electrode, a liquid applying process to apply ferroelectric precursor on the lower electrode by an inkjet method, a heating process to heat the ferroelectric precursor film, and a cooling process. A series of processes from the position adjustment process to the cooling process is iterated to form a ferroelectric film having a predetermined thickness. The series of processes is performed with certain waiting times inserted between key processes.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention inheres in a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor region, a source electrode and a drain electrode, which are provided on a main surface of the semiconductor region, a gate electrode exhibiting normally-off characteristics, the gate electrode being provided above the main surface of the semiconductor region while interposing a p-type material film therebetween, and being arranged between the source electrode and the drain electrode, and a fourth electrode that is provided on the main surface of the semiconductor region, and is arranged between the gate electrode and the drain electrode.

Abstract: A thin film manufacturing apparatus is disclosed, including a liquid ejecting unit which ejects a liquid onto an object on which a film is to be formed and which forms a coating film; a first laser irradiating unit which continuously irradiates a laser light onto the coating film and which evaporates a solvent of the coating film; and a second laser irradiating unit which irradiates a laser light pulse onto the coating film of which the solvent is evaporated and which crystallizes the coating film of which the solvent is evaporated.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of an electromechanical transducing device includes forming a vibration plate on a substrate; forming a first electrode made of a metal on the vibration plate; forming a second electrode made of an electrically conductive oxide on the first electrode; coating a surface modification material and carrying out surface modification of only the first electrode; forming an electromechanical transducing film on the second electrode; and forming a third electrode made of an electrically conductive oxide on the electromechanical transducing film.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electromechanical transducer film including a lower electrode and plural layers of a sol-gel solution film formed on the lower electrode by an inkjet method, the method including the steps of a) modifying a surface of the lower electrode, b) forming a first sol-gel solution film on the surface of the lower electrode by ejecting droplets of a sol-gel solution to the surface of the lower electrode, and c) forming a second sol-gel solution film on the first sol-gel solution film by ejecting droplets of the sol-gel solution to a surface of the first sol-gel solution film. Adjacent dots formed on the surface of the lower electrode by the droplets ejected in step b) overlap each other. Adjacent dots formed on the surface of the first sol-gel solution film by the droplets ejected in step c) do not overlap each other.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a transistor and a rectifier includes: a current path; a first main electrode having a rectifying function and arranged on one end of the current path; a second main electrode arranged on the other end of the current path; an auxiliary electrode arranged in a region of the current path between the first main electrode and the second main electrode; a third main electrode arranged on the one end of the current path apart from the first main electrode along a direction intersecting the current path; and a control electrode arranged in a region of the current path between the second main electrode and the third main electrode. The transistor includes the current path, the second main electrode, the third main electrode, and the control electrode. The rectifier includes the current path, the first main electrode, the second main electrode, and the auxiliary electrode.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing an electromechanical transducer element including a first process of hydrophobizing a first area of an electrode by forming a self-assembled monolayer film; a second process of applying a sol-gel solution onto a predetermined second area of the electrode so as to produce a complex oxide; a third process of producing the complex oxide by calcining the electrode; a fourth process of acid-washing the electrode on which the complex oxide has been produced; a fifth process of hydrophobizing the first area of the acid-washed electrode by forming the self-assembled monolayer film; a sixth process of applying the sol-gel solution onto the predetermined second area; and a seventh process of producing the complex oxide by calcining the electrode.

Abstract: An applying liquid is applied to a first electrode by ejecting from a nozzle the applying liquid including a raw material for forming an elecromechanical transducer film, and a film of the applying liquid applied onto the first electrode is dried. The dried film is thermally decomposed and crystallized. At this time, a voltage is applied to an accompanying droplet collecting electrode for collecting a small accompanying droplet accompanying a chief droplet. The accompanying droplet is electrostatically attracted and collected by the accompanying droplet collecting electrode before reaching the first electrode. At this time, the voltage is applied to the accompanying droplet collecting electrode by the voltage applying part after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from when a droplet of the applying liquid has been ejected from the nozzle.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electromechanical transducer film forming method including a surface modification process; an application process; and processes of drying, thermally decomposing, and crystallizing sol-gel solution applied to a portion of a surface of a first electrode. An electromechanical transducer film is formed on a desired pattern area on the surface of the first electrode by repeating the above processes. In the application process, each of dots of the sol-gel solution applied by the inkjet method drops onto both a first area inside the desired pattern area and a second area outside the desired pattern area. The first area is a hydrophilic area on the surface of the first electrode, and the second area is a hydrophobic area on the surface of the first electrode. The hydrophilic area and the hydrophobic area have been modified by the surface modification process.

Abstract: A gate driver turns on/off a switching element Q1 by applying a control signal from a controller to a gate of the switching element. The switching element has the gate, a drain, and a source and contains a wide-bandgap semiconductor. The gate driver includes a parallel circuit that includes a first capacitor C1 and a first resistor R1 and is connected between the controller and the gate of the switching element and a short-circuit unit S4 that is connected between the gate and source of the switching element and short-circuits the gate and source of the switching element after a delay from an OFF pulse of the control signal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of producing a piezoelectric actuator including a first electrode film forming process; a monomolecular film forming process; a pattering process of removing a monomolecular film having a rectangular shape; an application process of applying a precursor solution to the first electrode film exposed in the rectangular shape; a piezoelectric film forming process of converting the applied precursor solution into a piezoelectric film; and a second electrode film forming process. Materials of the precursor solution, the first electrode film, and the monomolecular film are adjusted so that the first electrode film is lyophilic and the monomolecular film is lyophobic to the precursor solution. The piezoelectric film forming process includes a drying and thermally decomposing process of drying and thermally decomposing the precursor solution; and a crystallizing process of crystallizing a thermally decomposed piezoelectric material.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention inheres in a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor region, a source electrode and a drain electrode, which are provided on a main surface of the semiconductor region, a gate electrode exhibiting normally-off characteristics, the gate electrode being provided above the main surface of the semiconductor region while interposing a p-type material film therebetween, and being arranged between the source electrode and the drain electrode, and a fourth electrode that is provided on the main surface of the semiconductor region, and is arranged between the gate electrode and the drain electrode.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing an electromechanical transducer layer on a surface of a substrate, including discharging a solution including a source material to form the electromechanical transducer layer from a nozzle of a nozzle plate to coat the solution on the surface of the substrate while applying voltage between the nozzle plate and the substrate to charge the nozzle plate at a first polarity and the substrate at a second polarity opposite to the first polarity such that a split droplet split from a main droplet which is coated on the surface of the substrate becomes charged at the second polarity and is attracted and collected by the nozzle plate; and applying a heat treatment to the substrate on which the solution is coated to crystallize the solution to form the electromechanical transducer layer.

Abstract: A gate driver for driving a gate of a switching element Tr7 includes a driving part that drives the switching element according to a control signal and an active clamp circuit to clamp the voltage between the first and second main terminals of the switching element through the driving part. If a voltage applied between a first main terminal (drain) and a second main terminal (source) of the switching element exceeds a predetermined voltage, the active clamp circuit forcibly blocks a driving operation of the driving part from driving the switching element.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention inheres in a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor region, a source electrode and a drain electrode, which are provided on a main surface of the semiconductor region, a gate electrode exhibiting normally-off characteristics, the gate electrode being provided above the main surface of the semiconductor region while interposing a p-type material film therebetween, and being arranged between the source electrode and the drain electrode, and a fourth electrode that is provided on the main surface of the semiconductor region, and is arranged between the gate electrode and the drain electrode.

Abstract: A method of producing an electromechanical transducer includes a first step of partially modifying a surface of a first electrode; a second step of applying a sol-gel liquid including a metal composite oxide to a predetermined area of the partially-modified surface of the first electrode; a third step of performing drying, thermal decomposition, and crystallization on the applied sol-gel liquid to form an electromechanical transduction film; a fourth step of repeating the first, second, and third steps to obtain the electromechanical transduction film with a desired thickness; and a fifth step of forming a second electrode on the electromechanical transduction film.

Abstract: A thin film manufacturing method includes placing a substrate in a raw material solution with which a thin film is formed on a first principal plane of the substrate; forming the thin film on the first principal plane of the substrate by applying light to a first principal plane side from a light source; measuring a distance from the first principal plane of the substrate to a liquid surface of the raw material solution by applying light from the light source; and adjusting a position of the substrate in a height direction on the basis of a measurement result obtained at the measuring.

Abstract: A thin-film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate by using an ink-jet method includes an ink applying unit that applies an ink drop for thin-film formation to a predetermined area on a surface of the substrate; at least one laser light source for heating the ink drop thereby forming a thin film; and a laser-light irradiating unit that irradiates, with a laser light from the laser light source, a first spot positioned on a back side of the predetermined area of the substrate to which the ink drop has been applied.