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: The corrosion resistance against hydrogen fluoride of a cleaning apparatus using a high-pressure fluid is markedly improved by making at least the surfaces of portions in contact with hydrogen fluoride out of a Fe-based alloy or Ni-based alloy containing a predetermined amount of Cr. Even when cleaning is carried out with the high-pressure fluid containing hydrogen fluoride by this cleaning apparatus, the apparatus has excellent durability and is free from the eluation of a metal which causes the deterioration of a micro-structure as an object to be cleaned.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a silicon monoxide sinter having a uniform texture, good machinability, and splash resistance, which are all required of a silicon monoxide vapor deposition material, or a silicon monoxide sinter having a diameter of at least 100 mm and the shape required of a sputtering target material, and to obtain both of these sinters stably and with good productivity. A silicon monoxide sinter with a bulk density of at least 1.68 g/cm3 can be obtained by sintering under hot pressing conditions comprising a pressing pressure of at least 15 MPa and a temperature of 1200 to 1350° C., and by using a press die which comprises an inner die divided into a plurality of segments and integrated in an integrated outer die with a gap therebetween, and a cushioning material disposed in this gap, it is possible to obtain a silicon monoxide sinter whose diameter is at least 100 mm and whose bulk density is at least 2.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a denim-like clothing mainly including a woven or knitted fabric and having a whitening index of less than or equal to Class 4, which woven or knitted fabric includes ultrafine fibers or fibers capable of forming ultrafine fibers on its surface, and the whitening index is expressed in grey scale for assessing change in color specified in Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS). In preferred embodiments, the denim-like clothing has, for example, the following characteristics: (a) The denim-like clothing has a roughness index of equal to or more than 3 micrometers as determined using a measuring machine, KES-FB4; (b) the ultrafine fibers or the fibers capable of forming ultrafine fibers are ultrafine fibers having a fineness of less than or equal to 0.6 dtex or fibers capable of forming ultrafine fibers having a fineness of less than or equal to 0.

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: An object of the present invention is to provide an electron beam lithography system and an electron beam lithography method that reduce drawing discrepancy caused by thermal expansion of a target wafer, and that thereby easily achieve drawing with a high degree of accuracy.

Abstract: A novel reflective layer or semi-transparent reflective layer for use in optical information recording media with suppressed growth of Ag crystal grains and having a high reflectivity and excellent structural stability comprising an Ag based alloy containing from 0.1 to 3.0% of Nd in total of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Nd, Sn and Ge; and/or containing 0.1% or more of at least one rare earth element.

Abstract: A reflective film used as a reflective electrode or a reflector comprises an Ag-base alloy, which contains rare earth metals. The reflective film has high reflectivity and exhibiting high durability.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a printer section for printing an image on a sheet and a finisher having a plurality of mail bins. The image forming apparatus discharges print, which is addressed to a specified user and outputted from the printer section, onto the mail bin assigned to the user among the plurality of mail bins, facilitating mail bin assignment to allow labor of network management to be saved. There is provided a card reading device for reading an ID card for identifying a user. There is also provided assigning means that identifies the user from information read by the card reading device when the ID card is inserted into the card reading device and that assigns a mail bin to the user when no mail bin has been assigned to the user.

Abstract: A production process for &agr;-olefins making use of elimination reaction of a primary alcohol or an ether is characterized by use of an alumina catalyst in the presence of an amine. The production process for &agr;-olefins according to the present invention can yield an &agr;-olefin at a high proportion with respect to the entire olefin products and can maintain the reactivity of the catalyst and selectivity of the products for a prolonged time. In the process, unreacted material and ether intermediate byproduct produced in the process can be used in the reaction with the same catalyst. This allows industrially and environmentally favorable production process of &agr;-olefins.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a printer section for printing an image on a sheet and a finisher having a plurality of mail bins. The image forming apparatus discharges print, which is addressed to a specified user and outputted from the printer section, onto the mail bin assigned to the user among the plurality of mail bins, facilitating mail bin assignment to allow labor of network management to be saved. There is provided a card reading device for reading an ID card for identifying a user. There is also provided assigning means that identifies the user from information read by the card reading device when the ID card is inserted into the card reading device and that assigns a mail bin to the user when no mail bin has been assigned to the user.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus that has a plurality of sheet discharge bins and is connected to a communications line. This image forming apparatus has a mail box function for discharging a sheet on which an image is formed on the basis of image data transmitted from a specified computer into a specified sheet discharge bin and a job separate function for performing sorting by changing the sheet discharge bin to be used for each job, and the functions can be switched over.

Abstract: A novel reflective layer or semi-transparent reflective layer for use in optical information recording media with suppressed growth of Ag crystal grains and having a high reflectivity and excellent structural stability comprising an Ag based alloy containing from 0.1 to 3.0% of Nd in total of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Nd, Sn and Ge; and/or containing 0.1% or more of at least one rare earth element.

Abstract: The present invention provides an Al alloy thin film for a semiconductor device electrode having an electrical resistivity of as low as 6 &mgr;&OHgr;cm or less, high hillock resistance, high void resistance, and high corrosion resistance against an alkaline solution, which are required for an electrode thin film of large-screen liquid crystal display (LCD) or high-resolution LCD. The present invention also provides a sputtering target to deposit the Al alloy film by sputtering process for a semiconductor device electrode. The Al alloy thin film for a semiconductor device electrode satisfies the conditions of Y≧0.3 at %, IVa group metal element≧0.2 at %, and 0.3Cy+3CIVa≦2 (wherein Cy: Y content (at %), CIVa: content of IVa group metal element (at %)), and the sputtering target is made of an Al alloy satisfying the above conditions.

Abstract: An active matrix type liquid crystal display, in which the reliability is enhanced by preventing the short-circuit and insulation breakdown of a gate insulating portion and the delay time of a gate bus line is shortened by reducing the resistivity of an interconnect film. The liquid crystal display of this type is manufactured by the steps of forming an interconnect/electrode film on a substrate by physical deposition; patterning the interconnect/electrode film; and anodic-oxidizing part or all of the interconnect/electrode film. In this method, the interconnect/electrode film is formed of an Al alloy containing at least one kind selected from a group consisting Fe, Co and rare earth elements in an amount of 0.1 to 10 at %; and the thickness of the anodic oxidation film is specified to be in the range of 200 Å or more.

Abstract: An aminoalcohol is synthesized by reacting a cyclic hemiacetal expressed by Formula 1 (where n is 0 or 1; R1 and R2 are each a hydrogen atom, a monovalent saturated hydrocarbon group which is optionally substituted, or a monovalent aromatic group which is optionally substituted, or R1 and R2 are bonded together into a divalent saturated hydrocarbon group which is optionally substituted; and R3, R4, and R5 are each a hydrogen atom, a monovalent saturated hydrocarbon group which is optionally substituted, or a monovalent aromatic group which is optionally substituted), with hydrogen and any one of ammonia, a primary amine and secondary amine in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst.

Abstract: The sputtering target is manufactured by adjusting the ratio of the gas flow volume (Nm3)/molten liquid flow mass (kg) to 5 Nm3/kg or more in the gas atomizing step of the spray forming method using an Al or Al alloy sputtering target material in which the maximum length of all the inclusions is 20 &mgr;m or less.

Abstract: Provided are a process for producing 6-methyl-3-hepten-2-one by cross aldol condensation carried out while each continuously adding to acetone, isovaleraldehyde and an aqueous alkali containing an alkaline substance; a process for producing a 6-methyl-2-heptanone analogue represented by Formula (1): wherein n is an integer of 0 or 1 or more; which comprises allowing hydrogen, acetone and an aldehyde represented by Formula (2): wherein n is as defined above; X and Y each represents a hydrogen atom or they are coupled together to form a carbon-carbon bond; and Z and W each represents a hydrogen atom or they are coupled together to form a carbon-carbon bond; to react in the presence of an aqueous alkali containing an alkaline substance, and a hydrogenation catalyst; and a process for producing phytone or isophytol using the 6-methyl-3-hepten-2-one or the 6-methyl-2-heptanone analogue.

Abstract: Film carrier detecting mechanism is provided to detect a film carrier positioned at an image reading position to find to what size of film the film carrier is applied. Optical system driving mechanism is controlled according to the size of a film detected by the film carrier detecting mechanism, and varies magnification of image forming optical system so that the width of a film image formed on the surface of photoelectric conversion element is kept constant irrespective of the difference in size of film. Image processing circuit processes and regularize an image reading data corresponding to the size of a film detected by the film carrier detecting mechanism based on a corresponding reading condition.

Abstract: An Al alloy film containing one kind or two or more kinds of alloy components selected from a group of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo and Mn in a total amount of 0.1 to 10 at %, and a melting Al alloy sputtering target for depositing the Al alloy film, wherein the above-mentioned film is used as a reflection film for an optical recording medium, a shading film for a liquid crystal display panel or for a solid image pickup device, and an Al alloy thin film line or electrode material for a semiconductor device.