Abstract: In a heat exchanger, a plurality of heat conductive pipes forming first passages are provided between an outer wall plate and an inner wall plate. Air flows through the first passages. Second passages are formed between the heat conductive pipes. An exhaust gas flows through the second passages. Each of the heat conductive pipes has opposite walls limiting the passage width of the first passage. The walls are formed along involute curves. The second passages are formed by providing adjacent heat conductive pipes along the involute curves.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a heat exchanger, a reformer, and a casing containing the fuel cell stack, the heat exchanger, and the reformer. A chamber unit is formed at an end plate of the fuel cell stack. The air heated by the heat exchanger temporarily fills the chamber unit. The heat exchanger and the reformer are directly connected to the chamber unit.

Abstract: A heat exchanger is provided in which second heat transfer plates (42) and first heat transfer plates (not illustrated) are alternately superimposed so as to form high pressure fluid passages (63) and low pressure fluid passages (not illustrated). The high pressure fluid passages (63) include inlet fluid passages (65a, 65b) defined by inlet ridges (50a to 50c) extending from a compressed air inlet (19), and main fluid passages (64) defined by a plurality of main ridges (49) extending parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the second heat transfer plates (42) so as to be perpendicular to the inlet fluid passages (65a, 65b). The two inlet fluid passages (65a, 65b) have different widths (Wa, Wb), and gaps (?, ?) are formed between the downstream ends of the two inlet ridges (50b, 50c) and the upstream ends of the main ridges (49).

Abstract: A device and a process for producing a corrugated plate having a plurality of bent-into-contact portions extending in parallel on one face of a metal plate employs a number of steps. A first pressing step sequentially molds a plurality of U-shaped bent portions in the metal plate. A second pressing step sequentially molds the bent-into-contact portions by sequentially crushing the plurality of U-shaped bent portions. In the first pressing step, the U-shaped bent portions are fed in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the U-shaped bent portions, and positioned, and are pressed in a state in which the position is released. In the second pressing step, another face of the metal plate is pressed flat while molding the bent-into-contact portions by pressing the U-shaped bent portions from both sides.

Abstract: A process for making a polycrystalline silicon film includes forming, on a glass substrate, an amorphous silicon film having a first region and a second region that contacts the first region, forming a first polycrystalline portion by irradiating the first region of the amorphous silicon film with laser light having a wavelength not less than 390 nm and not more than 640 nm and forming a second polycrystalline portion that contacts the first polycrystalline portion by irradiating the second region and the portion of the region of the first polycrystalline portion that contacts the second region of the amorphous silicon film with the laser light.

Abstract: The laser heat treatment of an amorphous or polycrystalline silicon film material is conducted by forming a laser beam generated from a pulse laser source having a wavelength of 350 nm to 800 nm into a linear beam having a width and a length, and directing the linear beam onto a film material formed on a substrate.

Abstract: A laser optical system for directing a rectangular laser beam onto an amorphous or polycrystalline silicon film comprises linear beam forming means for forming the laser beams radiated from a plurality of laser oscillators linearly to be applied on the silicon film, the optical axes of the laser beams from the laser oscillators to linear beam forming means on the almost same plane, and linear beams are arrayed with a certain interval linearly on the amorphous or polycrystalline silicon film formed on a substrate. By providing the interval between the radiating laser beams, the laser optical system comprising the plurality of linear beam forming means can be arranged with a distance, thereby preventing the interference between optical parts.

Abstract: A laser optical system includes a linear beam forming member for forming laser beams radiated from laser oscillators into a linear beam shape on a silicon film on a substrate. The laser optical system is arranged so that the optical axes of laser beams from the laser oscillators to the linear beam forming member are in substantially the same plane and substantially perpendicular to the substrate. Each laser beam is reflected from a reflecting mirror and applied to the silicon film on the substrate. Since the laser beams are applied to the substrate at the same time, the area irradiated can be increased, while each radiating laser beam maintains a required radiation intensity, resulting in high productivity.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conducting a vehicle performance evaluation test by automatically depressing a control member of the vehicle to be depressed by a vehicle operator uses an actuator of a vehicle performance evaluation test apparatus. The actuator depresses the control member, the actuator having a first end and a second end. The first end of the actuator is fixed to a seat of the vehicle. The second end of the actuator is engaged with the control member of the vehicle. The actuator is caused to exert a depressing force to depress the control member relative to the seat so as to automatically depress the control member.

Abstract: An electrode structure of a display panel includes a plurality of electrodes formed on a substrate constituting the display panel, the electrodes including display electrode portions provided in almost parallel in a central part of the substrate and oblique lead electrode portions converged in a predetermined number for each block from the display electrode portions to reach terminal portions at an end of the substrate, and a dummy electrode provided between two oblique lead electrode portions extending in different directions in a block boundary portion for limiting a flow of an etching solvent into the block boundary portion during etching when the electrodes are formed.

Abstract: A sliding material consisting of a carbon-fiber reinforced carbon composite material containing fine particles of a simple substance of any of Group IV to Group VI elements or a carbide, a nitride or an oxide thereof.

Abstract: The laser heat treatment of an amorphous or polycrystalline silicon film material is conducted by forming a laser beam generated from a pulse laser source having a wavelength of 350 nm to 800 nm into a linear beam having a width and a length, and directing the linear beam onto a film material formed on a substrate.

Abstract: An object is to fabricate high quality thin-film semiconductor devices at comparatively low temperatures. After providing a local heating system, an active semiconductor layer is formed, and melt crystallization is promoted by irradiating a pulsed laser onto the active semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A fabrication process is provided for semiconductor devices having a crystalline semiconductor film formed on a substrate, the semiconductor film being an active layer of a transistor and being mainly composed of silicon, and includes at least an underlevel protection layer fabrication step of forming a silicon oxide film as an underlevel protection layer on the substrate; a first processing step of forming a semiconductor film, which is mainly composed of silicon, on the underlevel protection layer; and a second processing step of irradiating a pulsed laser light on the semiconductor film. The semiconductor film is irradiated by a pulsed laser, the wavelength of the pulsed laser light is between 370 and 710 nm. As a result, using a low temperature process, high performance thin film semiconductor devices can be produced simply and reliably.

Abstract: The laser heat treatment of an amorphous or polycrystalline silicon film material is conducted by forming a laser beam generated from a pulse laser source having a wavelength of 350 nm to 800 nm into a linear beam having a width and a length, and directing the linear beam onto a film material formed on a substrate.

Abstract: In the thin-film semiconductor device fabrication method according to the present invention, after forming an amorphous semiconductor film, the film is crystallized in the solid phase state, then a portion of the semiconductor film is molten by irradiating it with a pulsed laser beam having an absorption coefficient in amorphous silicon that is greater than the absorption coefficient in polysilicon. Thereby, polycrystalline thin-film semiconductor devices having superior characteristics can be fabricated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conducting a vehicle performance evaluation test by automatically depressing a control member of the vehicle to be depressed by a vehicle operator uses an actuator of a vehicle performance evaluation test apparatus. The actuator depresses the control member, the actuator having a first end and a second end. The first end of the actuator is fixed to a seat of the vehicle The second end of the actuator is engaged with the control member of the vehicle. The actuator is caused to exert a depressing force to depress the control member relative to the seat so as to automatically depress the control member.

Abstract: An optical system that controls laser beam spot profile for forming a high performance thin film by a laser heat treatment process is provided. In the optical system that irradiates a rectangular laser beam on a film formed on a substrate, intensity distribution forming, apparatus makes the intensity distribution uniform in the longitudinal direction while maintaining the properties of the laser beam 2 such as directivity in the direction of shorter side, making it possible to concentrate the light to a limit permitted by the nature of the laser beam and achieve the maximum intensity gradient on the film disposed on the substrate. Thus a steep temperature distribution can be generated on the film disposed on the substrate and, as a result, high performance thin film can be formed.

Abstract: In the thin-film semiconductor device fabrication method according to the present invention, after forming an amorphous semiconductor film, the film is crystallized in the solid phase state, then a portion of the semiconductor film is molten by irradiating it with a pulsed laser beam having an absorption coefficient in amorphous silicon that is greater than the absorption coefficient in polysilicon. Thereby, polycrystalline thin-film semiconductor devices having superior characteristics can be fabricated.

Abstract: An object is to fabricate high quality thin-film semiconductor devices at comparatively low temperatures. After providing a local heating system, an active semiconductor layer is formed, and melt crystallization is promoted by irradiating a pulsed laser onto the active semiconductor layer.