Abstract: A head support mechanism includes a head and a slider for carrying the head, the head being caused to track by main driver, wherein the head support mechanism further includes sub-driving device including a thin film and causing the head to have a micro-movement; and the sub-driving device causes the head to have a micro-movement by utilizing flexural deformation of the thin film.

Abstract: A discharge lamp includes a luminous bulb in which a luminous material is enclosed and a pair of electrodes are opposed in the luminous bulb; and a pair of sealing portions for sealing a pair of metal foils electrically connected to the pair of electrodes, respectively. At least one of the pair of metal foils has a twist structure.

Abstract: An organic electronic device of the present invention includes a substrate, at least two electrodes formed on the substrate, a conductive organic thin film that is formed on the substrate and electrically connects the electrodes, and a coating film for coating at least a portion of the electrodes. The conductive organic thin film is a polymer of organic molecules containing a conjugated-bondable group, and one end of each of the organic molecules is chemically bonded to the surface of the substrate and the conjugated-bondable groups in the organic molecules are polymerized with other conjugated-bondable groups to form a conjugated bond chain. The coating film electrically connects the electrodes to the conductive organic thin film and achieves a smaller connection resistance than that in the case where the electrodes and the conductive organic thin film are connected directly.

Abstract: A power supply system includes a plurality of electric products; a power generation apparatus capable of varying an amount of power generation; and a power control apparatus for controlling power supply from the power generation apparatus to the plurality of electric products. Each of the plurality of electric products is structured to be capable of outputting a first power request signal for requesting a desired amount of power. The power control apparatus receives the plurality of first power request signals respectively from the plurality of electric products, generates a second power request signal for requesting an amount of power which is determined in accordance with a total amount of power requested by the plurality of first power request signals, and outputs the second power request signal to the power generation apparatus.

Abstract: A discharge lamp includes a luminous bulb in which a luminous material is enclosed and a pair of electrodes are opposed in the luminous bulb; and a pair of sealing portions for sealing a pair of metal foils electrically connected to the pair of electrodes, respectively. At least one of the pair of metal foils has a twist structure.

Abstract: An Al film is formed on a cap wafer and the Al film is patterned into a ring-shaped film. Dry etching is performed by using the ring-shaped film as a mask to form a drum portion enclosing a recess portion to provide a vacuum dome. After forming a depth of cut into the substrate portion of the cap wafer, the cap wafer is placed on a main body wafer having an infrared area sensor formed thereon. Then, the ring-shaped film of the cap wafer and the ring-shaped film of the main body wafer are joined to each other by pressure bonding to form a ring-shaped joining portion.

Abstract: A discharge lamp includes a luminous bulb in which a luminous material is enclosed and a pair of electrodes are opposed in the luminous bulb; and a pair of sealing portions for sealing a pair of metal foils electrically connected to the pair of electrodes, respectively. At least one of the pair of sealing portions is provided with at least one constricted portion whose length in a thickness direction of the metal foil in the sealing portion is smaller than that of other portions in the sealing portion.

Abstract: A discharge lamp includes a luminous bulb in which a luminous material is enclosed and a pair of electrodes are opposed to each other in the luminous bulb; and a pair of sealing portions for sealing a pair of metal foils electrically connected to the pair of electrodes, respectively. The pair of metal foils have a pair of external leads on the side opposite to the side electrically connected to the pair of electrodes, respectively. At least one of the pair of external leads is joined to a lead wire for external connection that is to be electrically connected to an external circuit by the plastic flow of a caulking member.

Abstract: A nonvolatile memory includes at least a first electrode (71) and a second electrode (72) provided on a substrate, the first and second electrodes being separated from each other, and a conductive organic thin film (73) for electrically connecting the first and second electrodes. The conductive organic thin film (73) has a first electric state in which it exhibits a first resistance, and a second electric state in which it exhibits a second resistance. A first threshold voltage for a transition from the first electric state to the second electric state, and a second threshold voltage for a transition from the second electric state to the first electric state are different from each other, and either the first electric state or the second electric state is maintained at a voltage in a range between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage. The conductive organic thin film (73) is bound with a surface of the substrate by conjugate bonds.

Abstract: An illumination service providing method capable of realizing an entertainment feature. By using an illumination apparatus (10) having a plurality of pixels (16), each of which can be controlled independently, and a computer (1), an illumination service is provided for illuminating a predetermined space in a desired form. This method includes a step ST1 where the computer (1) receives an illumination service order (121), steps ST3 and ST5 where the computer (1) acquires illumination control data (131) for controlling the plurality of pixels (16) contained in the illumination apparatus (10) according to the illumination service order (121), and a step ST4 where the computer (1) provides the illumination control data (131).

Abstract: An Al film is formed on a cap wafer and the Al film is patterned into a ring-shaped film. Dry etching is performed by using the ring-shaped film as a mask to form a drum portion enclosing a recess portion to provide a vacuum dome. After forming a depth of cut into the substrate portion of the cap wafer, the cap wafer is placed on a main body wafer having an infrared area sensor formed thereon. Then, the ring-shaped film of the cap wafer and the ring-shaped film of the main body wafer are joined to each other by pressure bonding to form a ring-shaped joining portion.

Abstract: An apparatus function change service system for changing a function of an apparatus including a reconfigurable chip includes a request receiving section for receiving a request for a function change of the apparatus from a user of the apparatus; a specifying section for specifying a change to be made in the reconfigurable chip for fulfilling the request based on the request; and a changing section for performing the change in the reconfigurable chip based on the specified change to be made in the reconfigurable chip.

Abstract: This invention provides a granular herbicide for direct foliage application to undesirable plants, which contains a water soluble, non-selective foliage-application type herbicidally active compound as the active ingredient, having an average granule size within a range of 0.21-1 mm and an elution ratio of said active ingredient of at least 20% when 20 mg of the granular herbicide is treated with a circular filter paper sheet of 55 mm in diameter which is impregnated with 50 &mgr;l of water.

Abstract: It is an object to provide a conductive organic thin film having organic molecules that include at one end a terminal bonding group that is covalently bonded to a substrate surface, a conjugate bonding group that is located at any portion of the organic molecules and that is polymerized with other molecules, and a polar functional group that does not include active hydrogen and that is located at any portion between the terminal bonding group and the conjugate bonding group, wherein the organic molecules are oriented and their conjugate bonding groups are polymerized, forming a conduction network. The conductivity (&rgr;) of the conductive organic thin film at room temperature (25° C.) is at least 5.5×105 S/cm, and preferably at least 1×107 S/cm, without dopants, having significantly higher conductivity than metals such as gold and silver.

Abstract: A discharge lamp includes a luminous bulb in which a luminous material is enclosed and a pair of electrodes are opposed to each other in the luminous bulb; and a pair of sealing portions for sealing a pair of metal foils electrically connected to the pair of electrodes, respectively. Each of the pair of metal foils has an external lead on a side opposite to a side electrically connected to a corresponding electrode of the pair of electrodes. At least one of the pair of sealing portions is provided with a reflective film on a surface of the sealing portion in a portion where a connection portion of the external lead and the metal foil is sealed. The reflective film contains a material having a reflectance larger than that of a material constituting the sealing portion.

Abstract: A power supply circuit according to the present invention is a power supply circuit formed on a semiconductor chip, including: an output transistor section outputting a power supply voltage; and a control circuit for controlling the output transistor section. The output transistor section is arranged in the vicinity of an external input/output terminal of the semiconductor chip.

Abstract: A method for producing a discharge lamp of the present invention includes the steps of: preparing a glass pipe for a discharge lamp having a luminous bulb portion and a side tube portion, and a single electrode assembly including an electrode structure portion that will be formed into a pair of electrodes of the discharge lamp; inserting the single electrode assembly into the glass pipe for a discharge lamp such that the electrode structure portion of the single electrode assembly is positioned in the luminous bulb portion of the glass pipe for a discharge lamp; forming a luminous bulb in which the electrode structure portion is arranged inside by attaching the side tube portion of the glass pipe for a discharge lamp to a part of the single electrode assembly; and forming a pair of electrodes in the luminous bulb by melting and cutting a part of the electrode structure portion selectively.

Abstract: An Al film is formed on a cap wafer and the Al film is patterned into a ring-shaped film. Dry etching is performed by using the ring-shaped film as a mask to form a drum portion enclosing a recess portion to provide a vacuum dome. After forming a depth of cut into the substrate portion of the cap wafer, the cap wafer is placed on a main body wafer having an infrared area sensor formed thereon. Then, the ring-shaped film of the cap wafer and the ring-shaped film of the main body wafer are joined to each other by pressure bonding to form a ring-shaped joining portion.

Abstract: A short arc mercury lamp includes a luminous bulb enclosing at least mercury as a luminous material and a pair of electrodes opposed to each other; and a pair of sealing portions for sealing a pair of metal foils electrically connected to the pair of electrodes, respectively. The electrode central axis of one of the pair of electrodes is dislocated from the electrode central axis of the other electrode. The shortest distance d (cm) between the head of one of the electrodes and the head of the other electrode is larger than the value of (6M/13.6&pgr;)1/3 when the total mass of the enclosed mercury is M (g).

Abstract: A complex comprising at least one substance selected from the group consisting of an osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor, an analogue thereof and a variant thereof, which is bound to at least one substance selected from the group consisting of a polysaccharide and a polysaccharide derivative. The complex has a prolonged retention in the bloodstream after administration, making it useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of bone metabolic diseases.