Abstract: According to one embodiment, an imaging apparatus includes a light source for illumination, a stage on which an imaging object illuminated by illumination light from the light source is to be placed, a critical illumination optical system configured to supply the illumination light to the imaging object placed on the stage, and to have a greater magnification in a first axis direction than in a second axis direction, an imaging optical system configured to form an image of the imaging object placed on the stage and illuminated using the critical illumination optical system, and a detector configured to detect the image of the imaging object formed by the imaging optical system, and to have a detection area longer in the first axis direction than in the second axis direction.

Abstract: Information that is no longer valid due to the passage of time is not provided to a user. When a stock price information server acquires updated stock price information from a securities market network, a message that instructs that a predetermined application be started up and to which a term of validity has been attached is sent to a user terminal over a paging channel via an SMS server. When the user terminal receives the message, it determines whether or not the message is within the term of validity, and if it determines that the message is within the term of validity, starts up the instructed application from among a plurality of applications that are stored. The stock price information server then sends to the user terminal the stock price information that is requested by the started up application.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method of inspecting a mask substrate for defects, includes acquiring a defocus image of a partial region of a mask substrate using a dark-field optical system, acquiring a just-focus image of the partial region using the dark-field optical system, generating a set composed of first signals obtained from the defocus image and having signal intensities equal to or higher than a first threshold value, excluding, from the set, the first signals pertaining to parts in which signal intensities of signals obtained from the just-focus image are equal to or higher than a second threshold value, determining an inspection threshold value for signal intensities, on the basis of the first signals not excluded from, and remaining in, the sea.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optimum imaging position detecting method includes acquiring an image of a predetermined area of a substrate surface, calculating, on the basis of the image of the predetermined area, peak intensity corresponding to a value obtained by subtracting average signal intensity of an area outside an intensity acquisition part from signal intensity of the intensity acquisition part, calculating variation of the peak intensity, executing acquiring the image of the predetermined area, calculating the peak intensity, and calculating the variation of the peak intensity at each of a plurality of imaging positions, and determining that a position of the maximum variation of the peak intensity is an optimum imaging position.

Abstract: The rotary damper includes a brake drum (10) whose either end is integrally connected to the first member (100); a cylindrical case (20) covering the brake drum (10) in a state that the cylindrical case relatively rotates with respect to the brake drum, and being connected to the second member (200) in a state that the cylindrical case rotates in conjugation with the second member; a brake spring (30) being externally fitted to the brake drum (10) with the coil spring tightened, and being configured by a coil spring whose one end is fixed to one end of the cylindrical case (20) and other end is fixed to other end of the cylindrical case. The brake drum (10) is provided with a releasing concave portion (10c) on an outer periphery thereof and fixing portions for winding the brake spring rotating independently from the brake drum.

Abstract: Provided are a touch sensor (11), a pressure detection unit (12) that detects pressure on a touch face, a tactile sensation providing unit (13) that vibrates the touch face, a battery information acquisition unit (17) that acquires information on a battery, and a control unit (15) that switches between a first input mode, in which the control unit (15), upon the touch sensor (11) detecting contact, executes predetermined processing, and a second input mode, in which the control unit (15), upon data based on pressure detected by the pressure detection unit (12) satisfying a predetermined standard while the touch sensor (11) is detecting contact, controls the tactile sensation providing unit (13) to provide a tactile sensation and executes predetermined processing. The control unit (15) switches between the first input mode and the second input mode based on the information on the battery acquired by the battery information acquisition unit (17).

Abstract: Information that is no longer valid due to the passage of time is not provided to a user. When a stock price information server acquires updated stock price information from a securities market network, a message that instructs that a predetermined application be started up and to which a term of validity has been attached is sent to a user terminal over a paging channel via an SMS server. When the user terminal receives the message, it determines whether or not the message is within the term of validity, and if it determines that the message is within the term of validity, starts up the instructed application from among a plurality of applications that are stored. The stock price information server then sends to the user terminal the stock price information that is requested by the started up application.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method of detecting a defect of a semiconductor exposure mask includes acquiring a background intensity from a surface height distribution of the mask, acquiring a standard background intensity distribution from the background intensity, making light of an arbitrary wavelength incident on the mask, and acquiring an image at a position of interest of the mask, acquiring background intensity raw data, based on a signal intensity of the acquired image at the position of interest and a mean value of image intensity data in a peripheral area of the position of interest, finding a correction coefficient of the signal intensity, based on a ratio of the background intensity raw data to the standard background intensity distribution, correcting the signal intensity by multiplying the signal intensity.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, in a method for inspecting a defect of an exposure mask, using an optical system which acquires a dark-field image, an arbitrary partial region where a uniform dark-field image is obtained on the mask is allocated at a defocus position to acquire an image. A detection threshold is decided using signal intensities of the acquired image and an area ratio between a desired inspection region and the partial region, so that a signal count indicating signal intensities greater than the detection threshold in the inspection region is less than a target false detection count. The mask is allocated in a just-in-focus position to acquire an image of the inspection region. A signal having a signal intensity of the acquired image, which indicates an intensity greater than the detection threshold, is determined as a defect.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optimum imaging position detecting method includes acquiring an image of a predetermined area of a substrate surface, calculating, on the basis of the image of the predetermined area, peak intensity corresponding to a value obtained by subtracting average signal intensity of an area outside an intensity acquisition part from signal intensity of the intensity acquisition part, calculating variation of the peak intensity, executing acquiring the image of the predetermined area, calculating the peak intensity, and calculating the variation of the peak intensity at each of a plurality of imaging positions, and determining that a position of the maximum variation of the peak intensity is an optimum imaging position.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method of inspecting a mask substrate for defects, includes acquiring a defocus image of a partial region of a mask substrate using a dark-field optical system, acquiring a just-focus image of the partial region using the dark-field optical system, generating a set composed of first signals obtained from the defocus image and having signal intensities equal to or higher than a first threshold value, excluding, from the set, the first signals pertaining to parts in which signal intensities of signals obtained from the just-focus image are equal to or higher than a second threshold value, determining an inspection threshold value for signal intensities, on the basis of the first signals not excluded from, and remaining in, the sea.

Abstract: The digital broadcast recording apparatus (100) includes a recording unit (160) for recording digital broadcast, a detection unit (170) for detecting a packet containing information regarding a portion permitted to be recorded from a stream of a program prohibited from being recorded in the digital broadcast, and a control unit (140) for controlling, when the recording unit (160) records the program prohibited from being recorded, the recording unit (160) to record the portion permitted to be recorded based on the information contained in the packet detected by the detection unit (170).

Abstract: Provided is a technique capable of improving the dimensional accuracy of a transfer pattern in a lithography technique in which EUV light is used and the EUV light is incident obliquely on a mask and an image of the EUV light reflected from the mask is formed on a semiconductor substrate (resist film), thereby transferring the pattern formed on the mask onto the semiconductor substrate. The present invention is based on a lithography technique in which EUV light is used and an exposure optical system in which the EUV light is obliquely incident on a mask is used. In this lithography technique, an absorber and a difference in level are formed on the mask, and a projective component projected on a mask surface out of a direction cosine component of the incident light is set to be almost orthogonal to an extending direction of the difference in level.

Abstract: A method for measuring a shape of a phase defect existing on an exposure mask includes making inspection light incident on the mask, measuring the intensity of light scattered in an angular range in which the width of an scattering area on the phase defect can be predicted, calculating a radius of the phase defect based on the measured scattered light intensity, changing the angular range of scattered light to be measured, remeasuring scattered light intensity in the thus changed angular range, and calculating a scattering cross-sectional area based on the scattered light intensity obtained by remeasurement. A process of remeasuring the scattered light intensity and calculating the scattering cross-sectional area is repeatedly performed until the remeasured scattered light intensity is saturated and the shape of the phase defect is determined by using the calculated radius of the phase defect and each of the calculated scattering cross-sectional areas.

Abstract: Information that is no longer valid due to the passage of time is not provided to a user. When a stock price information server acquires updated stock price information from a securities market network, a message that instructs that a predetermined application be started up and to which a term of validity has been attached is sent to a user terminal over a paging channel via an SMS server. When the user terminal receives the message, it determines whether or not the message is within the term of validity, and if it determines that the message is within the term of validity, starts up the instructed application from among a plurality of applications that are stored. The stock price information server then sends to the user terminal the stock price information that is requested by the started up application.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method of inspecting a defect of a semiconductor exposure mask by using an optical system, which is configured to acquire an image by an imaging module by making light of an arbitrary wavelength incident on the semiconductor exposure mask, includes acquiring a control condition for elongating a point image acquired by the optical system in a read-out direction of the imaging module, acquiring an image of a desired area of the mask under the control condition, and determining, when a peak signal with a signal intensity which is a first threshold or more.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method of detecting a defect of a semiconductor exposure mask includes acquiring a background intensity from a surface height distribution of the mask, acquiring a standard background intensity distribution from the background intensity, making light of an arbitrary wavelength incident on the mask, and acquiring an image at a position of interest of the mask, acquiring background intensity raw data, based on a signal intensity of the acquired image at the position of interest and a mean value of image intensity data in a peripheral area of the position of interest, finding a correction coefficient of the signal intensity, based on a ratio of the background intensity raw data to the standard background intensity distribution, correcting the signal intensity by multiplying the signal intensity.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, in a method for inspecting a defect of an exposure mask, using an optical system which acquires a dark-field image, an arbitrary partial region where a uniform dark-field image is obtained on the mask is allocated at a defocus position to acquire an image. A detection threshold is decided using signal intensities of the acquired image and an area ratio between a desired inspection region and the partial region, so that a signal count indicating signal intensities greater than the detection threshold in the inspection region is less than a target false detection count. The mask is allocated in a just-in-focus position to acquire an image of the inspection region. A signal having a signal intensity of the acquired image, which indicates an intensity greater than the detection threshold, is determined as a defect.

Abstract: A method for measuring a shape of a phase defect existing on an exposure mask includes making inspection light incident on the mask, measuring the intensity of light scattered in an angular range in which the width of an scattering area on the phase defect can be predicted, calculating a radius of the phase defect based on the measured scattered light intensity, changing the angular range of scattered light to be measured, remeasuring scattered light intensity in the thus changed angular range, and calculating a scattering cross-sectional area based on the scattered light intensity obtained by remeasurement. A process of remeasuring the scattered light intensity and calculating the scattering cross-sectional area is repeatedly performed until the remeasured scattered light intensity is saturated and the shape of the phase defect is determined by using the calculated radius of the phase defect and each of the calculated scattering cross-sectional areas.

Abstract: The digital broadcast recording apparatus (100) includes a recording unit (160) for recording digital broadcast, a detection unit (170) for detecting a packet containing information regarding a portion permitted to be recorded from a stream of a program prohibited from being recorded in the digital broadcast, and a control unit (140) for controlling, when the recording unit (160) records the program prohibited from being recorded, the recording unit (160) to record the portion permitted to be recorded based on the information contained in the packet detected by the detection unit (170).