Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solid-state image sensor, the method comprising preparing a structure including a substrate and an insulating member provided thereon, the substrate including a photoelectric conversion portion, forming a first opening in the insulating member, the first opening having a bottom face at a position higher than an upper face of the substrate and an inclined first face, forming a first member to fill the first opening, forming a second opening in the first member, forming a third opening, having a second face, in the insulating member by etching part of the insulating member under the second opening using the first member, and forming a second member to fill the third opening, wherein the inclined angle of the first face is smaller than that of the second face.

Abstract: To control a winding drive current of a motor based on a command phase representing a target phase of a rotor of the motor, a motor control apparatus includes a filter circuit, a phase determiner, and a controller. A current value of the drive current flowing through the winding is obtained at a predetermined period. The filter circuit reduces a harmonic component in a fundamental frequency of the drive current included in a signal indicated by the obtained current value. The phase determiner determines a rotation phase of the rotor based on a filter processed signal. The controller controls the winding drive current to reduce a deviation between the command phase and the determined rotation phase. The filter circuit reduces a harmonic component from a signal indicated by current values of which a number is not greater than a number of the current values obtained at the predetermined period.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to provide a plant operation support-system server and a plant operation support system which can manage the current situation of overall resources that are required for performing jobs corresponding to a procedure manual, and can further achieve resource management with enough margin based on future prediction. Using a current procedure-manual location determination unit, a control unit of a plant operation support-system server determines a current location in procedure-manual data DM, based on a condition of the plant acquired through sensors by a plant data acquisition unit. When there is a change in the current location, the control unit causes a current-situation management determination unit to assign currently-required resources according to the current position and causes a predictive management determination unit to predict presence/absence of resource deficiency.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device has a first area in which a plurality of pixels are provided, a second area provided on an outer side with respect to the first area, and a third area provided on the outer side with respect to the second area. An inner-lens layer provided over the first to third areas has an opening. An insulating film provided below the inner-lens layer also has an opening.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solid-state image sensor, the method comprising preparing a structure including a substrate and an insulating member provided thereon, the substrate including a photoelectric conversion portion, forming a first opening in the insulating member, the first opening having a bottom face at a position higher than an upper face of the substrate and an inclined first face, forming a first member to fill the first opening, forming a second opening in the first member, forming a third opening, having a second face, in the insulating member by etching part of the insulating member under the second opening using the first member, and forming a second member to fill the third opening, wherein the inclined angle of the first face is smaller than that of the second face.

Abstract: A method includes the stage of partially removing a first insulator layer to form an opening passing through the first insulator layer by plasma etching using a gas of a first type, and the stage of partially removing a second insulator layer to form an opening passing through the second insulator layer by plasma etching using a gas of a second type. The gas of a first type contains a first component capable of etching the first insulator layer, and a gas of the second type contains a second component different from the first component, capable of etching the second insulator layer and a third component having a higher deposition ability than the second component.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device has a first area in which a plurality of pixels are provided, a second area provided on an outer side with respect to the first area, and a third area provided on the outer side with respect to the second area. An inner-lens layer provided over the first to third areas has an opening. An insulating film provided below the inner-lens layer also has an opening.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer member that is driven to be rotated; an image forming unit configured to form an image on the transfer member; a detection unit configured to detect inclination of the transfer member relative to a rotation direction of the transfer member; and a control unit configured to perform correction control of color misregistration caused by the inclination of the transfer member when an image is formed by the image forming unit, based on the inclination of the transfer member. The control unit is further configured not to perform the correction control when a monochrome image is formed.

Abstract: An image capturing device includes an intermediate region located between a pixel circuit region and a peripheral circuit region and forming a boundary with the pixel circuit region and the peripheral circuit region. The pixel circuit region, the peripheral circuit region, and the intermediate region are provided with a semiconductor layer, a first wiring layer on the semiconductor layer, and a second wiring layer located away from the semiconductor layer relative to the first wiring layer. Pixel circuits and a peripheral circuit are connected via one of at least the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer in the intermediate region. The area occupancy of the one wiring layer in the intermediate region relative to a total area thereof is between 0.5 times and 1.5 times the area occupancy of the one wiring layer in the pixel circuit region relative to a total area thereof.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer member that is driven to be rotated; an image forming unit configured to form an image on the transfer member; a detection unit configured to detect inclination of the transfer member relative to a rotation direction of the transfer member; and a control unit configured to perform correction control of color misregistration caused by the inclination of the transfer member when an image is formed by the image forming unit, based on the inclination of the transfer member. The control unit is further configured not to perform the correction control when a monochrome image is formed.

Abstract: Provided is an electrosilver plating bath yielding a semiglossy to glossy appearance across a wide current density range without the use of a cyan compound, and a plating method using the electrosilver plating bath. An electrosilver plating fluid that is an aqueous solution containing (A) at least one soluble silver compound, (B) at least one benzoic acid derivative or a salt of the derivative, and (C) at least one acid and/or complexing agent, wherein the benzoic acid derivative is expressed by the following general formula (m is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5; Ra is a carboxyl group; individual instances of Rb are selected independently from an aldehyde group, a carboxyl group, an amino group, a hydroxyl group, or a sulfonic acid group; individual instances of Rc are independently oxygen or any substituent; and one or more oxygen or CH2 may be introduced into the bond between Ra or Rb and a benzene ring.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a pixel circuit region that includes a plurality of pixel circuits arranged in an array therein and a plurality of light guide portions. The imaging device also includes a peripheral circuit region that is positioned at a periphery of the pixel circuit region and includes a peripheral circuit. The imaging device also includes an intermediate region that is positioned between the pixel circuit region and the peripheral circuit region, forms a boundary with the pixel circuit region and the peripheral circuit region, and includes a plurality of dummy light guide portions and a plurality of contacts through which a reference potential of the plurality of pixel circuits is supplied.

Abstract: An image capturing device includes an intermediate region located between a pixel circuit region and a peripheral circuit region and forming a boundary with the pixel circuit region and the peripheral circuit region. The pixel circuit region, the peripheral circuit region, and the intermediate region are provided with a semiconductor layer, a first wiring layer on the semiconductor layer, and a second wiring layer located away from the semiconductor layer relative to the first wiring layer. Pixel circuits and a peripheral circuit are connected via one of at least the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer in the intermediate region. The area occupancy of the one wiring layer in the intermediate region relative to a total area thereof is between 0.5 times and 1.5 times the area occupancy of the one wiring layer in the pixel circuit region relative to a total area thereof.

Abstract: A method includes the stage of partially removing a first insulator layer to form an opening passing through the first insulator layer by plasma etching using a gas of a first type, and the stage of partially removing a second insulator layer to form an opening passing through the second insulator layer by plasma etching using a gas of a second type. The gas of a first type contains a first component capable of etching the first insulator layer, and a gas of the second type contains a second component different from the first component, capable of etching the second insulator layer and a third component having a higher deposition ability than the second component.

Abstract: A designing support equipment for displaying design information on a display unit and designing a product so as to easily design the outline of a whole product and details of the constituent elements of the product. The equipment comprises a display unit having a first display displaying design information logically expressing the electrical operation of objects to be designed, a second display displaying design information expressing a physical two-dimensional shape of the objects, and a third display displaying design information expressing a physical three-dimensional shape of the objects, selecting means for selecting at least two displays from the first to third displays, and control means for allowing the display unit to display the selected display from the first to third displays about the same object and varying the displayed contents of the first to third displays displayed on the display unit so as to keep the matching.

Abstract: A method of generating photomask data for fabricating a microlens array, the photomask having a microlens pattern including light-shielding portions and non-light-shielding portions, a rectangular region including a surrounding region having four sides of the rectangular region as outer edges and a primary region having boundaries that are inner edges of the surrounding region, the surrounding region being configured by four strip regions each including one of the four sides as its part, and a width between each outer edge and each corresponding inner edge being not more than 1/2 of a wavelength of exposure light. The method includes determining a layout of light-shielding portions and non-light-shielding portions in the surrounding region so that a density of light-shielding portions is set to fall within a range from 0% to 15%.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus includes a light source configured to emit a plurality of laser beams from a plurality of light emitting parts, a beam shaping unit configured to shape the laser beams emitted from the light source, a detection unit provided outside the light source and configured to detect an amount of a laser beam that is not shaped by the beam shaping unit in the laser beams emitted from the light source in an area outside the beam shaping unit, and a light amount control unit configured to control amounts of the laser beams emitted from the light source based on a detection result detected by the detection unit. The detection unit includes a plurality of light-sensitive elements. The light amount control unit controls the light amounts of the laser beams emitted from the light source based on detection results of the light-sensitive elements.

Abstract: A method of generating photomask data for fabricating a microlens array, the photomask having a microlens pattern including light-shielding portions and non-light-shielding portions, in each rectangular region including a surrounding region having four sides of the rectangular region as outer edges and a primary region having boundaries that are inner edges of the surrounding region, the surrounding region being configured by four strip regions each including one of the four sides as its part, and a width between the outer edge and the inner edge being not more than 1/2 of a wavelength of exposure light, includes determining a layout of light-shielding portions and non-light-shielding portions in the surrounding region so that a density of light-shielding portions is set to fall within a range from 0% to 15%.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms an image by laser beams from a plurality of lasers. The image forming apparatus includes a light amount control circuit that detects displacement in a sub-scanning direction of the main scanning line of a laser beam from the predetermined laser, from a reference position. The apparatus decides an allotted amount of light for each of the plurality of lasers in accordance with the detected displacement and controls to drive each of the plurality of lasers in accordance with the decided allotted amount of light for each laser.

Abstract: A designing support equipment for displaying design information on a display unit and designing a product so as to easily design the outline of a whole product and details of the constituent elements of the product. The equipment comprises a display unit having a first display displaying design information logically expressing the electrical operation of objects to be designed, a second display displaying design information expressing a physical two-dimensional shape of the objects, and a third display displaying design information expressing a physical three-dimensional shape of the objects, selecting means for selecting at least two displays from the first to third displays, and control means for allowing the display unit to display the selected display from the first to third displays about the same object and varying the displayed contents of the first to third displays displayed on the display unit so as to keep the matching.