Abstract: A focus control is performed on the basis of a focus error signal indicative of a deviation amount from a focus state in a recording layer of a laser beam emitted for reproducing information to an optical disk having a plurality of recording layers. Specifically, at the time of focus-jumping a laser beam from a recording layer to another recording layer, an acceleration pulse or a deceleration pulse as a brake signal for making a focus jump is applied to a focus drive signal for controlling driving of an optical pickup for emitting a laser beam. The timing of applying each of the brake signals is variably set on the basis of the level of a focus error signal of a recording layer as an object of the focus jump. As a result, the focus jump can be accurately made in accordance with variations in the level of the focus error signal caused by variations in transmittance of light according to materials of the recording layers.

Abstract: The present invention has as its object to provide a pattern forming method which, even if a pattern is formed by photolithography, can keep the edge of the opening portion of the pattern in a sharp state and yet, can make the wall surface of the recess of the pattern into a tapered shape, and a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head to which the aforedescribed method is applied.

Abstract: A wobble signal detecting circuit for an optical disk reproducing device configured to reproduce an optical disk which has a track including a snaking portion at a specific period, including an optical detecting unit which detects a signal written on the track, first and second band-pass filters which have different pass bandwidths and extract respectively a first and second wobble frequency components of the snaking portion based on outputs from the optical detecting unit, and a wobble signal determining unit determines that a wobble signal is present if a frequency difference or a frequency ratio of the first and second wobble frequency components is equal to or less than a prescribed value. Preferably, a higher frequency side shoulder of a bandwidth of the first band-pass filter and a lower frequency side shoulder of a bandwidth of the second band-pass filter are located on a wobble frequency.

Abstract: In OPC where test writing is performed in a power calibration area of an optical disk by changing laser power in a plurality of levels to obtain optimum laser power based on the result, the optical disk apparatus prepares two change patterns of the laser power and uses them alternately. Thus, compared to the conventional case where a fixed sector would suffer a large damage by test writing, the number of times the OPC can be conducted increases, and accordingly, the possible number of times of data rewriting increases.

Abstract: A lighting optical machine and defect inspection system having high reliability and safety when a laser beam is used as a light source. The lighting optical machine comprises: a housing, which accommodates a laser source, a beam polarization mechanism having first and second plane mirrors enabling a beam emitted from the laser source to be reflected so that the beam travels in the direction almost parallel to the beam emitted from the laser source, a beam expander for converting the beam to a parallel beam having a larger cross-sectional area, an objective lens, through which the parallel beam is reduced and applied to the surface of a sample; a first control mechanism for controlling the directions of the two plane mirrors of the beam polarization mechanism with an electric signal; and a second control mechanism for controlling the focus position of the beam expander with an electric signal.

Abstract: An object of the present invention to provide a process for manufacturing a printing head, the process being able to maintain an appropriate connection between a substrate and flying leads. The present invention includes a connecting step of connecting electric connection terminals of a substrate and flying leads provided on an electric wiring basic material and a mounting step of mounting a unit consisting of the electric wiring base material and the substrate connected together, on a printing head main body. During the connecting step, the substrate and each flying lead are electrically connected together with a predetermined distance between them. During the mounting step, the unit is fixed to the printing head main body so that the distance between each of the electric connection terminals of the substrate and the electric wiring base material is shorter than the predetermined distance. This forms a slack shape of each flying lead.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus is provided on the side to be directed to a workpiece W of electrodes 31, 32 with a conductive member 51 through an insulating member 41. The insulating member 41 is sandwiched between the electrodes 31, 32 and the conductive member 51. The dielectric constant and the thickness of the insulating member 41 are established such that the voltage applied to a gap 40b formed between the insulating member 41 and the conductive member 51 becomes smaller than the sparking voltage. Owing to this arrangement, electrical discharge can be prevented from occurring in the gap 40b and thus, the processing quality can be enhanced.

Abstract: A lighting optical machine and defect inspection system having high reliability and safety when a laser beam is used as a light source. The lighting optical machine comprises: a housing, which accommodates a laser source, a beam polarization mechanism having first and second plane mirrors enabling a beam emitted from the laser source to be reflected so that the beam travels in the direction almost parallel to the beam emitted from the laser source, a beam expander for converting the beam to a parallel beam having a larger cross-sectional area, an objective lens, through which the parallel beam is reduced and applied to the surface of a sample; a first control mechanism for controlling the directions of the two plane mirrors of the beam polarization mechanism with an electric signal; and a second control mechanism for controlling the focus position of the beam expander with an electric signal.

Abstract: This invention relates to a red-colored metallic paint formulation which comprises a resin component, aluminum flake pigment and red iron oxide pigment, characterized in that it contains, per 100 parts by weight of total solid content of the resin component, 1-30 parts by weight of the aluminum flake pigment and 0.1-10 parts by weight of the red iron oxide pigment, and that the red iron oxide pigment has an average primary particle size of at least 200 nm.

Abstract: [PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED]To reduce the bending amount caused by Coulomb force of electrodes and obtain uniformity of surface processing in a plasma processing apparatus for a workpiece having a large area. [SOLUTION MEANS] An electrode structure 30X of a plasma processing apparatus comprises a pair of electrode rows 31X, 32X extending leftward and rightward and opposite to each other in back and forth directions. Each electrode row includes a plurality of electrode members 31A through 32C bilaterally arranged in a side-by-side relation. The electrode members of the two electrode rows, which are bilaterally arranged in substantially same positions, have opposite polarities and form row-to-row partial gaps 33p therebetween. The electrode members arranged adjacent to each other are opposite in polarity with respect to each other.

Abstract: The present invention has as its object to provide a pattern forming method which, even if a pattern is formed by photolithography, can keep the edge of the opening portion of the pattern in a sharp state and yet, can make the wall surface of the recess of the pattern into a tapered shape, and a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head to which the aforedescribed method is applied.

Abstract: A pickup is moved in a direction opposite to a pickup moving direction in which the pickup is to be moved. At a timing at which a period of time corresponding to one period of oscillation generated on an objective lens of the pickup has passed after moving the pickup in the direction opposite to the pickup moving direction, the pickup is moved in the pickup moving direction.

Abstract: At a timing when a spot M of a main beam enters a defective area N of an optical disc, the tracking servo control is stopped, and the position the spot M of the main beam is held to the current position with respect to a radial direction of the optical disc, and, after a spot S2 of a rear sub-beam then exits the defective area N, the tracking servo control is resumed.

Abstract: A disk apparatus includes a DSP (digital signal processor), and the DSP controls respective circuit components under instructions of a MCU. During a track jump, a DSP core detects a zero-cross cycle of a TE (Tracking Error) signal just before. If a detected zero-cross cycle is delayed than a target value, the DPS core applies an acceleration pulse of a first predetermined level to a driver, and if the zero-cross cycle is faster than the target value, the DPS core applies a deceleration pulse of a second predetermined level to the driver, whereby an objective lens can be controlled to move at approximately constant speed between adjacent tracks. However, if the zero-cross cycle is considerably delayed than the target value, the DSP core forestalls a reverse rotation of a moving direction of the objective lens against the disk by greatly accelerating the objective lens. Therefore, the number of tracks to have been jumped is not to be counted erroneously.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus which is compatible with a compact disc (CD) and a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) has a configuration of an optical pickup which performs a scanning operation in a focus-on and track-off state to read signals from an optical disc; an RF amplifier which, on the basis of the read signals, produces binary track-cross signals and binary mirror signals; a first edge counter which counts the number of the binary track-cross signals; a second edge counter which counts the number of the binary mirror signals; and a central processing unit (CPU) which discriminates between a CD or a DVD on the basis of a ratio between the number of the binary track-cross signals and the number of the binary mirror signals.

Abstract: An optical disk device starts movement of a thread in a track-on state, and releases the track-on state when the thread moves by a certain amount, and gives a driving kick signal to an actuator. The movement of the thread and actuator can be placed in sufficiently good balance so that failure of track jump is prevented, thereby improving the reliability of the device body and suppressing the cost-up of the device body.

Abstract: The gain of an amplification circuit for amplifying a tracking error signal generated from an RF signal sent from an optical pickup is adjusted according to a low-frequency component signal sent from a lowpass filter. A drive circuit drives an actuator according to a signal sent from the amplification circuit. Incidentally, in a case where a laser beam converted by an objective lens shifts from a central position of a track of an optical disk, the gain of the amplification circuit is increased according to the low-frequency component signal sent from the lowpass filter. The lens shift is corrected in such a way as to prevent a controlling force, which acts upon the actuator, from being reduced. Consequently, tracking servo can be applied in a stable state.

Abstract: A wobble signal detecting circuit for an optical disk reproducing device configured to reproduce an optical disk which has a track including a snaking portion at a specific period, including an optical detecting unit which detects a signal written on the track, first and second band-pass filters which have different pass bandwidths and extract respectively a first and second wobble frequency components of the snaking portion based on outputs from the optical detecting unit, and a wobble signal determining unit determines that a wobble signal is present if a frequency difference or a frequency ratio of the first and second wobble frequency components is equal to or less than a prescribed value. Preferably, a higher frequency side shoulder of a bandwidth of the first band-pass filter and a lower frequency side shoulder of a bandwidth of the second band-pass filter are located on a wobble frequency.

Abstract: When a lens 4a reaches a position which is a half track short of an objective track in a track jump, a servo processor 7 conducts a braking operation of an amount corresponding to the movement velocity of the lens 4a at the timing when the lens crosses the immediately preceding track. The movement velocity of the lens 4a is detected from the period of a tracking error signal. Therefore, a phenomenon in which a braking operation is not effective and the lens overshoots the objective track is prevented from occurring, and a track-on in the objective track can be surely attained.

Abstract: A common recess, grooves, and common recess and/or column members in the grooves are formed on a base board at the same time, and such board is made a second base board, which is coupled to a first base board on which elements for liquid discharging energy are formed; hence obtaining an ink jet recording head provided with a filter unit in an arbitrary position in the region formed by the ink paths and the common liquid chamber. The filter unit can be processed by a single processing in the ink paths and/or the common liquid chamber to make it possible to prevent disabled discharge from taking place due to dust particles intermingled at the time of head manufacture. In this way, the discharging stability is enhanced, making a high-speed printing possible. A workpiece is efficiently processed by a single processing which is performed to process a three-dimensional configuration with respect to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated.