Abstract: A vehicle drive power control apparatus and method control the speed ratio of a transmission based on a speed shift line that is set so that, within a practical region, the speed shift line is in a low revolution speed side of an optimal fuel consumption line determined based on the efficiency of the engine and the efficiency of the transmission. Therefore, the width of increase in revolution speed from the speed occurring at the beginning of the practical region is curbed. Hence, the fuel consumption resulting from inertia torques caused by fluctuations in engine revolution speed, that is, fluctuations in the revolution speed of the input shaft of the transmission and a fluidic power transfer mechanism, is reduced, so that the efficiency as a whole increases and the fuel economy improves in comparison with the case where the optimal fuel consumption line is used as a control basis.

Abstract: An apparatus for reduced-pressure gaseous phase epitaxial growth by suppressing contamination upon the machine parts constituting the rotary mechanical portion and suppressing contamination upon the semiconductor wafer by maintaining the pressure in the rotary mechanical portion to lie within a particular range, and a method of controlling the above apparatus.

Abstract: A fuel supply amount control apparatus for an internal combustion engine uses an idling control amount QISC obtained by reducing an idling control amount Qa by an idling control amount correction value KQISC, when determining the amount of fuel injected for the lean combustion when the vehicle is running. Therefore, during the lean combustion with the D range is selected, there is substantially no difference between the road load amount of fuel injected during the idling state and the road load amount of fuel injected during a low-speed running of the vehicle. Hence, an increase in the amount of fuel injection during the low-speed running of the vehicle based on the lean combustion achieved upon a fuel increase request does not result in an excessively great output torque of the engine, so that the low-speed running of the vehicle becomes stable and good drivability can be maintained.

Abstract: An engine output for bringing the drive power of a motor vehicle to a requested value is determined as a target output. One of the lean burn and the stoichiometric burn is selected as a combustion form that achieves a best fuel consumption performance in terms of the control of the actual engine output to the target output. That is, an output value that serves as a criterion for determining whether to switch the combustion force is determined based on the minimum fuel consumption rate during the stoichiometric-burn operation and the minimum fuel consumption rate during the lean-burn operation in which the fuel consumption involved in the rich spike control is taken into account. If the target output is less than the output value, the lean-burn operation is performed. If the target output is greater than the output value, the stoichiometric-burn operation is performed.

Abstract: A speed change control system for a continuously variable transmission, for controlling a gear ratio by deciding an abrupt acceleration demand of a driver, to effect an abrupt speed change when it is decided that the driver demands an abrupt acceleration. The speed change control system comprises: a drive state decider for deciding that the vehicle has changed from a driven state to a drive state, when said abrupt acceleration is demanded at the driven state; and a speed change controller for controlling said continuously variable transmission to effect said abrupt speed change, after said drive state decider decides that the vehicle has changed from the driven state to the drive state.

Abstract: A method of controlling the temperature of a semiconductor substrate for prevention of any cracks from being formed in the semiconductor substrate event though semiconductors having different temperature rise/fall characteristics are fed into a reactor in which each semiconductor substrates is subjected to an oxidation, diffusion, or a chemical vapor deposition process. The temperatures are measured at various points in the semiconductor substrates in the heated reactor; the temperature rise/fall characteristic thereof is determined by computing the rate of temperature rise and the in-plane temperature distribution out of the measured values; a temperature control program adaptable for said temperature rise/fall characteristic is automatically selected out of a plurality of temperature control programs written in advance; the semiconductor substrate is controlled on the basis of the selected temperature control program.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a process for manufacturing a product of glassy carbon, having endurance strength to fatigue at elevated temperature, and to thermal fatigue. After curing the material resin in a mold, the cured resin is baked to obtain a glassy carbon piece. The piece is then machined into a predetermined shape. Subsequently, the surface of the piece resulted after machining, is impregnated with the resin. Further, the resin-impregnated piece is baked so as to transform the impregnated resin into glassy carbon.

Abstract: A vapor deposition apparatus for supplying raw-material gas into a reactor to form a thin film on a wafer substrate disposed in the reactor by vapor deposition, including at least a rotator for mounting the wafer substrate thereon, a treatment gas introducing port, a straightening vane having plural holes, and a wafer substrate feed-in/out port, wherein the lowermost portion of the wafer feed-in/out port is located at a predetermined height from the upper surface of the rotator, and the difference in height between the lowermost portion of the wafer feed-in/out port and the upper surface of the rotator is set to be larger than the thickness of a transition layer of the upper portion of the rotator. In a vapor deposition method, a wafer substrate is mounted on the rotator to form a thin film having little defect and uniform film thickness on the wafer substrate by using the vapor deposition apparatus.

Abstract: There is provided a vapor deposition apparatus for forming a thin film which includes plural reaction gas supply ports at the top portion of a hollow reactor, an exhaust port at the bottom of the reactor, a rotational substrate holder provided inside the reactor on which a wafer substrate is mounted. A straightening vane having plural gas holes formed therein is provided on an upper portion of the reactor. The reactor is partitioned into upper and lower portions which have different inside diameters, with the inner diameter of the upper portion being smaller than the inner diameter of lower portion. The lower end of the upper portion and the upper end of the lower portion are linked by a linking portion which has a predetermined shape to make continuous the hollow inside of the reactor. A thin film is formed on the surface of a wafer substrate, which is placed on the rotational substrate holder, by supplying a reaction gas into the reactor.

Abstract: A vapor deposition apparatus includes a cylindrical hollow reactor having gas supply ports at its upper portion and an exhaust port at its bottom portion. A rotational substrate holder, which seats a wafer substrate, is concentrically placed inside the reactor. The reactor has a straightening vane having gas holes concentrically positioned at its upper portion. Reaction gas is supplied into the reactor to form a thin film on the surface of the wafer substrate on the rotational substrate holder by vapor deposition. In one embodiment, the straightening vane is configured so that the flow rate of the reaction gas in the center portion covering the area of the wafer substrate and the gas flow rate of the reaction gas in the outer portion of the center portion are different from each other. In another embodiment, the reactor is sectioned into upper and lower portions. The inner diameter of the upper portion is smaller than the inner diameter of the lower portion.

Abstract: This invention provides an epitaxial growth method capable of decreasing variations of the resistance of an epitaxial layer resulting from an in-plane temperature distribution of a silicon wafer and also capable of reducing particles and haze. This epitaxial growth method is an epitaxial growth method of growing a boron- or phosphorus-doped silicon epitaxial layer on the surface of a silicon wafer with an in-plane temperature distribution of 2 to 50.degree. C., and includes the steps of arranging the silicon wafer in a reaction vessel, supplying into the reaction vessel a source gas containing (a) silane, (b) 5 to 600 vol % of hydrogen chloride added to the silane, and (c) a dopant consisting of a boron compound or a phosphorus compound, and growing a boron- or phosphorus-doped silicon epitaxial layer on the surface of the wafer by setting a vacuum degree of 10 to 200 torr in the reaction vessel and heating the wafer to 900 to 1100.degree. C.

Abstract: A vapor phase growth unit for vapor phase growing on the surface of a wafer under a heated condition, which supports the wafer with a wafer supporter within a reaction chamber and has a heater under the wafer supported by said wafer supporter, wherein a reflection plate for reflecting at least downward heat from said heater is provided, an insulation cylinder is provided surrounding the side periphery of the heater, and the reflection plate consists of vitreous carbon.

Abstract: A heating device has a plurality of strip heating portions separated by a plurality of slits. The strip heating portions are connected to one another by connecting portions, thereby forming a heating surface in which a zigzag current path extends. The connecting portions in which uneven-temperature regions exist are bent so as not to be positioned in the same plane as the heating surface, thereby making the heating surface, to be opposed to an object to be heated, to have a uniform temperature.

Abstract: A heating device has a plurality of strip heating portions separated by a plurality of slits. The strip heating portions are connected to one another by connecting portions, thereby forming a heating surface in which a zigzag current path extends. The connecting portions in which uneven-temperature regions exist are bent so as not to be positioned in the same plane as the heating surface, thereby making the heating surface, to be opposed to an object to be heated, to have a uniform temperature.

Abstract: In a multichamber type sheet-after-sheet type of treating apparatus, there are provided an inlet/outlet port capable of independently control pressure and atmosphere in the port, a platform connected to the inlet/outlet port, a plurality of treating chambers connected to the platform, at least two supporting members in the inlet/outlet port for supporting a material to be treated, a hand formed in the platform for supporting the material, and a device for horizontally swinging the hand. In operation, the materials to be treated are treated in the treating chambers at different times, a treated material and a not yet treated material are exchanged between the inlet/outlet port and surrounding air, and one of treating chambers and the platform are interconnected after completion of the treatment for exchanging a treated material and a not yet treated material.