Abstract: In a through hole closing process, a metal plate is attached to one surface of a conductive base member having a plurality of through holes by the use of a magnet, in a copper plating process, a copper plating layer is formed on the conductive base member and the metal plate exposed within the through holes, from the side of the conductive base member where the metal plate is not attached, thereby to fill up the through holes, in a film forming process, a Pd alloy film is formed by plating on the surface of the conductive base member after removal of the metal plate, and in a removal process, the copper plating layer is removed by selective etching, thereby to produce a hydrogen production filter that is used in a reformer a fuel cell so as to be capable of stably producing high purity hydrogen gas.

Abstract: A separator for flat-type polymer electrolyte fuel cells comprises a fuel-feed-side separator and an oxygen-feed-side separator, each comprising a collector portion in which n unit conductive substrates (n is an integer of 2 or more), each having a plurality of through-holes, are arrayed in flat configuration via gaps, and a pair of insulating frames which have n openings in alignment with an array position of the unit conductive substrates and are integrated in such a way as to hold the collector portion between them. The back-to-back (n?1) unit conductive substrates of the n unit conductive substrates in one of both separators, as counted from the end of its array direction, and the 2nd to nth unit conductive substrates of the n unit conductive substrates in another separator, as counted from the end of its array direction are successively joined together by means of (n?1) connecting hinges.

Abstract: A separator having a separator member coupled body having a metal plate as a base body, and formed by integrally coupling a plurality of separator members each having through holes for feeding fuel to an electrolyte of the fuel cell, said through holes arranged so as to correspond to the unit cell and to be perpendicular to a surface of said base body, and frame coupled bodies each made of an insulating material, each having openings for fuel feeding or oxygen feeding corresponding to the respective separator members, and each formed by integrally coupling a plurality of frame portions that give insulation between the unit cells, wherein said frame coupled bodies, making a pair, sandwich said separator member coupled body from its both sides, and each frame portion of one of said frame coupled bodies is capable of fitting a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of the fuel cell into the opening.

Abstract: A probe group is composed of, for instance, four probes adjacently arranged, and one modulation circuit is arranged for each probe group. At the time of recoding information, a changeover switch connects one of the four probes with the modulation circuit, and subsequently changes the probes to be connected with the modulation circuit while reciprocal movement of a recording medium is being controlled.

Abstract: An actuator comprises a connection section having one end rotatably connected to a connection point (C1) of a fixed section and the other end rotatably connected to a connection point (C2) of a moving section, a connection section having one end rotatably connected to a connection point (C3) of the fixed section and the other end rotatably connected to a connection point (C4) of the moving sections a comb-teeth electrode having the root section connected to a comb-teeth base point (B1) and the fore-end section extending along the turning path, and a comb-teeth electrode having the root section connected to the fixed section and the other section extending along the curve of the comb-teeth electrode and opposed to the comb-teeth electrode with a predetermined gap.

Abstract: A first thermal buffer layer and a second thermal buffer layer are arranged between a recording medium and an actuator structure. The heat conductivity of the first thermal buffer layer is set low and the heat conductivity of the second thermal buffer layer is set high. Most of the heat generated from a coil wiring of the actuator structure is blocked by the first thermal buffer layer, and heat leaked from the first thermal buffer layer is diffused by the second thermal buffer layer. Temperature distribution on the recording medium is made uniform, and thus, a configuration wherein the recording medium and the actuator structure are placed one over another can be provided, information reading accuracy or information recording stability can be improved and the sizes of an information storage device can be reduced.

Abstract: In a two-dimensional probe array, an interval between the leading ends of probes adjacent to each other in an X direction is made shorter than that between the leading ends of probes adjacent to each other in a Y direction. Thus, the leading ends of the probes are arranged to form a lattice wherein many rectangles are arranged. Furthermore, the lowest resonance frequency of an actuator which moves a recording medium in the X direction is set higher than the lowest resonance frequency of an actuator which moves the recording medium in the Y direction. At the time of recording or reading information, the recording medium is reciprocated in the X direction at a frequency substantially equal to the lowest resonance frequency of the actuator.

Abstract: In a through hole closing process, a metal plate is attached to one surface of a conductive base member having a plurality of through holes by the use of a magnet, in a copper plating process, a copper plating layer is formed on the conductive base member and the metal plate exposed within the through holes, from the side of the conductive base member where the metal plate is not attached, thereby to fill up the through holes, in a film forming process, a Pd alloy film is formed by plating on the surface of the conductive base member after removal of the metal plate, and in a removal process, the copper plating layer is removed by selective etching, thereby to produce a hydrogen production filter that is used in a reformer of a fuel cell so as to be capable of stably producing high purity hydrogen gas.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus (100) is provided with comprising: recording devices (131a-131e) for recording record signals (WS1-WS5) in parallel and in synchronization with a record clock; a signal generating device (143) for generating record signals such that a reproduction clock synchronized with the record clock can be generated on the basis of the reproduced record signals, if the plurality of record signals are reproduced in parallel; reproducing devices (131a-131e) for reproducing the record signals in parallel; and a clock generating device (154) for generating a reproduction clock.

Abstract: In a through hole closing process, a metal plate is attached to one surface of a conductive base member having a plurality of through holes by the use of a magnet, in a copper plating process, a copper plating layer is formed on the conductive base member and the metal plate exposed within the through holes, from the side of the conductive base member where the metal plate is not attached, thereby to fill up the through holes, in a film forming process, a Pd alloy film is formed by plating on the surface of the conductive base member after removal of the metal plate, and in a removal process, the copper plating layer is removed by selective etching, thereby to produce a hydrogen production filter that is used in a reformer of a fuel cell so as to be capable of stably producing high purity hydrogen gas.

Abstract: In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell wherein a plurality of unit cells are arranged in a flat manner oriented in the same direction, and the prescribed adjacent unit cells are electrically connected in series so as to connect the plurality of unit cells in series, a flat-type polymer electrolyte fuel cell is made possible by providing at least one of a through hole connecting portion, a filled via connecting portion and a bump connecting portion in an insulating portion located between the prescribed adjacent unit cells, electrically insulated from the unit cells and having a thickness approximately equal to that of the unit cell, for establishing electrical connection between the prescribed adjacent unit cells.

Abstract: In a through hole closing process, a metal plate is attached to one surface of a conductive base member having a plurality of through holes by the use of a magnet, in a copper plating process, a copper plating layer is formed on the conductive base member and the metal plate exposed within the through holes, from the side of the conductive base member where the metal plate is not attached, thereby to fill up the through holes, in a film forming process, a Pd alloy film is formed by plating on the surface of the conductive base member after removal of the metal plate, and in a removal process, the copper plating layer is removed by selective etching, thereby to produce a hydrogen production filter that is used in a reformer of a fuel cell so as to be capable of stably producing high purity hydrogen gas.

Abstract: A signal processing circuit is provided with a signal input layer having a plurality of signal input sections which receive signal input; a plurality of signal processing layers whereupon a plurality of signal processing sections, which are arranged corresponding to each of the signal input sections and processes in parallel signals from the signal input sections, are dispersed; and connecting lines for associating and connecting the signal input sections with the signal processing sections, respectively. The size of a region occupied by each of the signal processing sections on the signal processing layers is larger than the arrangement intervals between the signal input sections on the signal input layers.

Abstract: An information recording/reproducing device includes with a recording medium having a recording surface and a probe array in which a plurality of probes are disposed in a direction intersecting at least a track direction for carrying out either the record processing or the reproduction processing of information by scanning a plurality of information tracks in parallel with the track direction along the rack direction on the recording surface. One of the recording medium and the probe array is divided into a plurality of divided portions in the intersecting direction, so that each of them is configured to include at least one information track or probe. The information recording/reproducing device also includes a first driving element for driving each of the plural portions divided in the intersecting direction and a second driving element for driving each of the probe arrays in the track direction with respect to the recording surface.

Abstract: A probe (100) is provided with: a substrate (110) having a surface facing a medium (20); and a point electrode (120), formed in the substrate, for performing at least one of detection operation of a state of a domain of the medium and change operation of the state of the domain of the medium, a tip portion, which is an edge portion on a side facing the medium, out of the point electrode being disposed in one point in a plane which is formed in a vicinity of an area portion in which the point electrode is formed by the surface.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus (100) is provided with: a first substrate (41) on which a recording medium (43) is mounted; and a second substrate (21) to which a recording/reproducing head (23), which performs information recording and information reproduction on the recording/reproducing medium is fixed, wherein the second substrate is relatively displaced in a predetermined direction substantially parallel to the first substrate with respect to the first substrate, a particulate (30) is placed in a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, the particulate can be displaced with displacement of the second substrate, the particulate has a substantially circular cross section in a direction that the second substrate is displaced when the second substrate is displaced.

Abstract: A hydrogen-purification membrane comprises a Pd alloy film joined to one surface of a porous support substrate. Each pore in the porous support substrate is such that between the thickness T of the porous support substrate, the opening diameter D1 of the pore on the side joined to the Pd alloy film and the opening diameter D2 of the pore on the opposite side, there are relations represented by 1.0?D1/T?5.0 and 1.0?D2/T?5.0, and between the opening diameter D1 of the pore on the side joined to the Pd alloy film, the opening diameter D2 of the pore on the opposite side and the opening diameter D3 of the narrowest portion of the pore there are relations represented by D3/D1<0.8, D3/D2<0.9 and D3<250 ?m. Furthermore, the total opening area of the pores on the side joined to the Pd alloy film accounts for 20 to 80% of the area of the porous support substrate.

Abstract: A physical properties detection device comprising a probe to be placed near or touching a surface of a ferroelectric; an oscillation loop including the probe and capacitance within the ferroelectric; and detection means for detecting a physical properties of the ferroelectric on the basis of a frequency variation of a measurement signal generated in the oscillation loop, the frequency variation accompanying application of an alternating electric field to the ferroelectric; and the physical properties detection device is further comprising frequency conversion means for converting the frequency of the measurement signal to a low frequency and outputting the resulting signal as a converted measurement signal; frequency control means for controlling the frequency of the converted measurement signal so as to match a target frequency; frequency detection means for generating a frequency detection signal that has a signal level corresponding to the frequency of the converted measurement signal; and synchronous dete

Abstract: An information recording/reproducing device is provided with a recording medium with a recording surface, a plurality of probes that carry out at least either record processing or reproduction processing by scanning a plurality of information tracks on the recording surface, a position detecting means that detects a position of at least one information track by using the probe for every plural divided regions into which the recording medium is divided in a direction intersecting the plural information tracks and which contain at least one information track, and a track control means that controls tracking of the probe used for at least either record processing or reproduction processing for every plural divided regions. Thus, the device structure can be simplified.

Abstract: A ferroelectric thin film (11) is formed by using ferroelectric bodies having different etching rates in accordance with polarization direction and the ferroelectric thin film (11) is etched so as to form a pit (14) having a maximum length value of 1 nm to 30 nm in the orientation direction. Moreover, the depth of the pit (14) is set so that it is possible to distinguish the electrostatic capacity based on the polarization direction of the ferroelectric thin film (11) from the electrostatic capacity based on the pit (14).