Abstract: A water electrolysis apparatus includes a plurality of unit cells. A membrane electrode assembly of the unit cell includes an anode side power feeding element and a cathode side power feeding element stacked on an anode catalyst layer and a cathode catalyst layer on both surfaces of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane. A surface of the anode side power feeding element is subjected to a grinding process, and then, subjected to an etching process to form a smooth surface.

Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor interconnection wherein a barrier layer different from a TiO2 layer is formed on an interface between an insulating film and a Cu interconnection without increasing electrical resistivity of the Cu interconnection. In the semiconductor interconnection, a Cu interconnection containing Ti is embedded in a trench arranged on an insulating film on the semiconductor substrate, and a TiC layer is formed between the insulating film and the Cu interconnection. The insulating film is preferably composed of SiCO or SiCN. The thickness of the TiC layer is preferably 3-30 nm.

Abstract: Provided is an economical long-life insoluble anode capable of maintaining an anode function stably for a long time even if it is used in a part where severe consumption occurs to generate a cathodizing phenomenon, and also capable of reducing the amount of an electrocatalyst used as much as possible. To realize this, on the surface of a metal substrate 10 composed of a titanium plate, a porous layer 20 including a sintered body of a spherical titanium powder is formed as a base layer. An electrocatalyst layer 30 is formed from the surface of the porous layer 20 to its inside. A part of the electrocatalyst penetrates into the porous layer 20, which provides an incomparably stronger anchor effect than the case of a blast treatment. Even when parts exposed from the porous layer 20 are peeled off and dropped off, the anode function is maintained by the electrocatalyst left in the porous layer 20.

Abstract: A metal thin film used in fabricating a damascene interconnection of a semiconductor device which exhibits excellent high temperature fluidity during high pressure annealing, and which can fabricate an interconnection for a semiconductor device which has a low electric resistance and stable high quality is provided. Also provided is an interconnection for a semiconductor device. More specifically, a metal thin film for use as an interconnection of a semiconductor device comprising a Cu alloy containing N at a content of not less than 0.4 at % to not more than 2.0 at %; and an interconnection for a semiconductor device fabricated by forming the metal thin film on an insulator film which is formed on a semiconductor substrate and which has grooves formed therein, and filling the metal thin film in the interior of the grooves by a high pressure annealing process are provided.

Abstract: A preprocessing unit (3) identifies an original text input from an input unit (1) as one of a plurality of types of basic element functions defined in advance as basic element functions that construct a description format of a claim, and outputs the original text in basic element functions. A translation unit (4) changes a translation manner in accordance with the type of basic element function of the original text output the preprocessing unit (3). This enables to appropriately translate a claim.

Abstract: The present invention aims at providing a method for production of a steel product which surely retains scale during cooling, storage, and transportation and permits scale to scale off easily at the time of mechanical descaling and pickling that precede the secondary fabrication. The steel product is produced by heating and hot rolling a steel billet and spraying the hot-rolled steel product with steam and/or water mist having a particle diameter no larger than 100 ?m, for surface oxidation.

Abstract: A method of fabricating semiconductor interconnections is provided which can form a Ti-rich layer as a barrier layer and which can embed pure Cu material as interconnection material into every corner of grooves provided in an insulating film even when the grooves have a narrow minimum width and are deep. The method may include the steps of forming one or more grooves in an insulating film on a semiconductor substrate, the recess having a minimum width of 0.15 ?m or less and a ratio of a depth of the groove to the minimum width thereof (depth/minimum width) of 1 or more, forming a Cu alloy thin film containing 0.5 to 10 atomic % of Ti in the groove of the insulated film along a shape of the groove in a thickness of 10 to 50 nm, forming a pure Cu thin film in the groove with the Cu alloy thin film attached thereto, and annealing the substrate with the films at 350° C. or more to allow the Ti to be precipitated between the insulating film and the Cu alloy thin film.

Abstract: When part or all of first character data is converted into another expression to generate second character data, there are prepared an acceptance rule indicative of correspondence between a language phenomenon, a principal word of the language phenomenon, and a scope of the language phenomenon, and a conversion method as correspondence between a language phenomenon and another expression into which an expression of the language phenomenon is converted. The acceptance rule stored in the storage device is applied for a word W included in the first character data, and an acceptance part of one of the word W, a phrase, a clause, and a sentence including the word W is extracted. A converted expression of the acceptance part is generated in accordance with the conversion method stored in the storage device that corresponds to a language phenomenon of the extracted acceptance part. The second character data are generated based on the converted expression and the first character data.

Abstract: A Cu wire in a semiconductor device according to the present invention is a Cu wire embedded into wiring gutters or interlayer connective channels formed in an insulating film on a semiconductor substrate and the Cu wire comprises: a barrier layer comprising TaN formed on the wiring gutter side or the interlayer connective channel side; and a wire main body comprising Cu comprising one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Pt, In, Ti, Nb, B, Fe, V, Zr, Hf, Ga, Tl, Ru, Re, and Os in a total content of 0.05 to 3.0 atomic percent. The Cu wire in a semiconductor device according to the present invention is excellent in adhesiveness between the wire main body and the barrier layer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide: a Cu alloy wiring film that makes it possible to use Cu having a low electrical resistivity as a wiring material, exhibit a high adhesiveness to a glass substrate, and avoid the danger of peel off from the glass substrate; a TFT element for a flat-panel display produced with the Cu alloy wiring film; and a Cu alloy sputtering target used for the deposition of the Cu alloy wiring film. The present invention is a wiring film 2 composing a TFT element 1 for a flat-panel display and a sputtering target used for the deposition of the film and the material comprises Cu as the main component and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pt, Ir, Pd, and Sm by 0.01 to 0.5 atomic percent in total. The wiring film 2 is layered on a glass substrate 3 and further a transparent conductive film 5 is layered thereon while an insulating film 4 is interposed in between.

Abstract: Provided is an economical long-life insoluble anode capable of maintaining an anode function stably for a long time even if it is used in a part where severe consumption occurs to generate a cathodizing phenomenon, and also capable of reducing the amount of an electrocatalyst used as much as possible. To realize this, on the surface of a metal substrate 10 composed of a titanium plate, a porous layer 20 including a sintered body of a spherical titanium powder is formed as a base layer. An electrocatalyst layer 30 is formed from the surface of the porous layer 20 to its inside. A part of the electrocatalyst penetrates into the porous layer 20, which provides an incomparably stronger anchor effect than the case of a blast treatment. Even when parts exposed from the porous layer 20 are peeled off and dropped off, the anode function is maintained by the electrocatalyst left in the porous layer 20.

Abstract: An FeO layer including fine crystal grains having random orientation is formed as inner layer scale on the surface of the steel wire rod containing C: 0.05-1.2 mass % (hereinafter referred to as “%”), Si: 0.01-0.50%, Mn: 0.1-1.5%, P: 0.02% or below, S: 0.02% or below, N: 0.005% or below, an Fe2SiO4 layer with the thickness: 0.01-1.0 ?m is formed in the boundary face between the FeO layer of the inner layer scale and steel, and the thickness of the inner layer scale is 1-40% of the total scale thickness. In another aspect, the maximum grain size of the crystal grain of the inner layer scale is 5.0 ?m or below and the average grain size is 2.0 ?m or below.

Abstract: The present invention aims at providing a method for production of a steel product which surely retains scale during cooling, storage, and transportation and permits scale to scale off easily at the time of mechanical descaling and pickling that precede the secondary fabrication. The steel product is produced by heating and hot rolling a steel billet and spraying the hot-rolled steel product with steam and/or water mist having a particle diameter no larger than 100 ?m, for surface oxidation.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electron beam instrument in which variation of the trajectory of the electron beams can be suppressed even when the voltage applied to the first extractor electrode is controlled in order to stabilize the emission current amount of the electron beams. The electron beam instrument has a cold cathode field emission electron gun. The cold cathode field emission electron gun has a cold cathode, a first extractor electrode and a second extractor electrode. Distance between the cold cathode and the first extractor electrode is set to be shorter than distance between the first extractor electrode and the second extractor electrode. Voltage applied to the first extractor electrode is increased when current amount of the electron beams emitted from the cold cathode is attenuated.

Abstract: There is provided a fabrication method for interconnections, capable of embedding a Cu-alloy in recesses in an insulating film, and forming a barrier layer on an interface between the an insulating film and Cu-interconnections, without causing a rise in electric resistivity of the interconnections when fabricating semiconductor interconnections of the Cu-alloy embedded in the recesses provided in the insulating film on a semiconductor substrate. The fabrication method for the interconnections may comprise the steps of forming the respective recesses having a minimum width not more than 0.15 ?m, and a ratio of a depth thereof to the minimum width (a depth/minimum width ratio) not less than 1, forming a Cu-alloy film containing Ti in a range of 0.5 to 3 at %, and N in a range of 0.4 to 2.0 at % over the respective recesses, and subsequently, annealing the Cu-alloy film to not lower than 200° C.

Abstract: The charged particle beams is provided, which can analyze contamination of the inner wall of the system without being disassembled and supply information on appropriate maintenance timing. The contamination level of the inner wall of the system is identified by measuring the spectrum of the X-rays emitted from the inner wall due to irradiation of a charged particle beam or a recoil electron.

Abstract: A Cu alloy for semiconductor interconnections contains at least one selected from the group consisting of 0.10 to 10 atomic percent of Sb, 0.010 to 1.0 atomic percent of Bi, and 0.01 to 3 atomic percent of Dy, with the balance being Cu and inevitable impurities. The Cu alloy can be reliably embedded in narrow trenches and/or via holes for interconnections.

Abstract: Cu-based interconnections are fabricated in a semiconductor device by depositing a thin film of Cu or Cu alloy on a dielectric film by sputtering, the dielectric film having trenches and/or via holes at least one groove and being arranged on or above a substrate, and carrying out high temperature and high pressure treatment to thereby embed the Cu or Cu alloy into the trenches and/or via holes, in which the sputtering is carried out at a substrate temperature of ?20° C. to 0° C. using, as a sputtering gas, a gaseous mixture containing hydrogen gas and an inert gas in a ratio in percentage of 5:95 to 20:80.

Abstract: Provided are a porous sintered compact suitable for a filter, a power feeder in a polymer electrolyte membrane type water electrolyzer, a current collector in a solid polymer fuel cell and in addition a liquid dispersion plate, especially an ink dispersion plate for an ink jet printer ink and the like. A titanium powder sintered compact made of a plate-like porous compact is obtained by sintering spherical powder made of titanium or a titanium alloy produced by means of a gas atomization method. A void ratio in the range of from 35 to 55% is realized by filling without applying a pressure and sintering without applying a pressure.

Abstract: A method of fabricating semiconductor interconnections is provided which can form a Ti-rich layer as a barrier layer and which can embed pure Cu material as interconnection material into every corner of grooves provided in an insulating film even when the grooves have a narrow minimum width and are deep. The method may include the steps of forming one or more grooves in an insulating film on a semiconductor substrate, the recess having a minimum width of 0.15 ?m or less and a ratio of a depth of the groove to the minimum width thereof (depth/minimum width) of 1 or more, forming a Cu alloy thin film containing 0.5 to 10 atomic % of Ti in the groove of the insulated film along a shape of the groove in a thickness of 10 to 50 nm, forming a pure Cu thin film in the groove with the Cu alloy thin film attached thereto, and annealing the substrate with the films at 350° C. or more to allow the Ti to be precipitated between the insulating film and the Cu alloy thin film.