Abstract: An electrophoretic display device is provided with an improved display quality by distributing an electrophoretic liquid mixture containing electrophoretic particles to respective pixels in substantially equal amounts, thereby obviating a display density fluctuation due to a difference in distributed amount of the electrophoretic particles at the respective pixels. The equal distribution is performed through a process including the use of a temporary adsorbing member carrying the electrophoretic particles in an electrostatically adsorbed form in a pattern corresponding to an arrangement pattern, followed by transfer of the electrophoretic particles to the respective pixels, or a process including distribution of a distribution liquid containing the electrophoretic particles to the respective pixels followed by a step of adding the dispersion liquid.

Abstract: The invention provides an electrophoretic display apparatus including a display substrate and a rear substrate positioned with a predetermined gap therebetween, partition members positioned between the substrates to partition a space between the substrates into pixels, a liquid and plural charged particles positioned in each pixel, and a first electrode and a second electrode provided in each pixel, and adapted to provide a display by applying a voltage between the electrodes thereby moving the charged particles, wherein a transparent film thinner than the display substrate is positioned between the display substrate and the partition member, and a transparent member is positioned between the transparent film and the display substrate. The invention prevents deterioration in image quality, resulting from migration of the charged particles to other pixels.

Abstract: A system (apparatus and process) for producing an electrophoretic (display) device is provided for allowing production of such a device wherein charged phoretic particles in the dispersion liquid are easily and evenly distributed to respective cells (pixels) between two substrates of the device even in the case of a very small gap between the two substrates or the case of using a flexible substrate. The system includes a storage for a dispersion liquid containing the charged phoretic particles dispersed therein, a stirrer for stirring the dispersion liquid, a substrate-holder for holding the substrate in the dispersion liquid, and a voltage source for applying a voltage to the electrodes formed on the substrate thereby depositing the charged phoretic particles on the electrodes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a configuration of a display element and forms switching circuits or peripheral circuits for driving pixels by transferring/disposing a semiconductor circuit formed on another substrate and disposes high performance transistors on the display substrate.

Abstract: An electrophoretic display device is configured to move charged particles between a display electrode surface and a cell wall surface and provides a solution to a problem that many charged particles are collected at the edge of the display electrode to degrade display contrast. The electrophoretic display device is arranged to move the charged particles between the display electrode surface and, the side face of the cell wall and the vicinity thereof to implement display, and the second electrode is disposed on a lower face of the cell wall or in the vicinity of the lower face, thereby allowing the particles to be located on the surface of the cell wall. Another electrophoretic display device is provided which has a structure wherein all or part of the display electrode has a protruding shape.

Abstract: An electrophoretic display device distributes an electrophoretic liquid mixture containing electrophoretic particles to respective pixels in substantially equal amounts, thereby obviating a display density fluctuation due to a difference in distributed amount of the electrophoretic particles at the respective pixels. The equal distribution is performed through a process including the use of a temporary adsorbing member carrying the electrophoretic particles in an electrostatically adsorbed form in a pattern corresponding to an arrangement pattern, followed by transfer of the electrophoretic particles to the respective pixels, or a process including distribution of a distribution liquid containing the electrophoretic particles to the respective pixels followed by a step of adding the dispersion liquid.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electrophoretic display device comprising first and second substrates arranged in opposed relation to each other with a space, an insulating liquid arranged into the space and a plurality of colored and charged electrophoretic particles dispersed in the insulating liquid, in which on the basis of arrangement of a stage along the second substrate in the space between the substrates, a first surface opposing to a thicker portion of the insulating liquid, a second surface opposing to a thinner portion of the insulating liquid and side wall of the stage, which connect the first surface to the second surface, are formed on the second substrate, a first electrode is arranged along the first surface, and a second electrode is arranged along the second surface, wherein the display device has a third electrode arranged along at least a part of the side wall of the stage and forming an electrode face continuous with the first electrode.

Abstract: An electrode substrate comprises a backing substrate carrying thereon a metal electrode layer and/or a recording layer, the layer or layers having a smooth surface area with a surface roughness of less than 1 nm by more than 1 &mgr;m2. The smooth surface of the metal electrode layer and/or the recording layer is formed by firstly forming the layer on another substrate having a corresponding smooth surface and then peeling the another substrate off the layer after the layer is bonded to the surface of the backing substrate, whereby the smooth surface profile of the another substrate is transferred to the surface of the layer formed on the backing substrate.

Abstract: An electrophoretic display device is provided with an improved display quality by distributing an electrophoretic liquid mixture containing electrophoretic particles to respective pixels in substantially equal amounts, thereby obviating a display density fluctuation due to a difference in distributed amount of the electrophoretic particles at the respective pixels. The equal distribution is performed through a process including the use of a temporary adsorbing member carrying the electrophoretic particles in an electrostatically adsorbed form in a pattern corresponding to an arrangement pattern, followed by transfer of the electrophoretic particles to the respective pixels, or a process including distribution of a distribution liquid containing the electrophoretic particles to the respective pixels followed by a step of adding the dispersion liquid.

Abstract: A check-out device includes a scanner for reading an article code fixed to an article, an entry conveyor for conveying the article after reading the article code, a weigh scale for measuring weight of an article on the entry conveyor to produce measured weight data, a RAM for storing article data of various articles, each article data including an article code and reference weight data, and a processing unit for obtaining from the RAM the reference weight data of the article corresponding to the article code, comparing the obtained reference weight data of an article with the measurement weight data of the same article, and performing a sales processing for the article whose article code is read by the scanner after confirming that the article whose article code is read is the article as is on the conveyor.

Abstract: An electrophoretic display device exhibiting a memory characteristic, i.e., capable of holding a display state even after removal of an applied voltage, is provided by introducing a mechanism that colored electrophoretic particles are retained in position for display in the absence of an electric field. For the purpose, at least one of a pair of substrates holding therebetween colored electrophoretic particles together with an insulating liquid is provided with a magnetism by disposing a magnetic material on or in the substrate together with the use of magnetized colored electrophoretic particles so as to retain the colored electrophoretic particles in position under the action of a magnetic Coulomb force exerted by the magnetized substrate.

Abstract: A female mold substrate used for the production of a microprobe tip or probe detecting a tunneling current or weak force includes a substrate provided with a recess section and a heat-flowable layer having flowability by heat treatment formed on the substrate and covering the recess. The female mold substrate is made by forming a recess section on the top surface of a substrate and forming a heat-flowable layer on the top surface of the substrate including the recess section. A microprobe tip detecting a tunneling current or weak force is made by forming a tip material layer on the female mold substrate and transferring the tip of material layer onto another substrate.

Abstract: Spinnable balls each having two surfaces with different optical characteristics can be produced by forming a plurality of balls with the same specific gravity on a thermoplastic film, and softening the thermoplastic film by controlling a heating temperature thereof based on the specific gravity of the balls so that the hemispheres of the balls are embedded into the thermoplastic film by their own weight. A layer having different optical characteristics from those of the balls is then formed on the exposed surface of each ball. Finally, the balls provided with the layers are detached from the thermoplastic film.

Abstract: An optical prove for detecting or irradiating evanescent light is manufactured by forming a film having a regulated film thickness on a substrate, then forming a recess from the rear surface of the substrate, and forming a through hole in the film from the side of the recess by etching. The obtained optical probe has a micro-aperture at the tip of the through hole and usually, a plurality of optical probes each having a micro-aperture of uniform profile are formed on a single substrate. In the recess, light-receiving or light-irradiating means may be provided.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus and method for transferring a pattern to an object to be exposed by exposure to evanescent light using a mask having an aperture pattern having a width of 100 nm or less. The mask is arranged opposite to the object to be exposed, and pressure is applied to the mask arranged opposite to the object from the side of the mask opposite to the surface facing the object to generate evanescent light under the pressure applied, to transfer the pattern of the mask to the object to be exposed by exposure to the evanescent light.

Abstract: An electrode substrate comprises a backing substrate carrying thereon a metal electrode layer and/or a recording layer, the layer or layers having a smooth surface area with a surface roughness of less than 1 nm by more than 1 &mgr;m2. The smooth surface of the metal electrode layer and/or the recording layer is formed by firstly forming the layer on another substrate having a corresponding smooth surface and then peeling another substrate off the layer after the layer is bonded to the surface of the backing substrate, whereby the smooth surface profile of another substrate is transferred to the surface of the layer formed on the backing substrate.

Abstract: A recording medium for use in an information processing apparatus applying the STM technique, the recording medium is designed to have a surface which is made of a crystal having a spiral structure. The spiral structure is constituted by a step difference of a size not more than a diameter of an atom constituting the crystal.

Abstract: In a display device of the type wherein a display state is selected by rotation of polarized colored balls, the colored balls are formed from a paraelectric material, and the charged state of each colored ball is provided by an electret-forming treatment due to charge-injection to a minute colored ball per se of a paraelectric material or a film of a paraelectric material coating a minute ball. As a result, a colored ball having an increased charge can be produced stably from an inexpensive material.

Abstract: A probe for detecting minute physical behavior comprises a lever member, particularly in the form of a cantilever, formed of a monocrystalline silicon layer and a tip in the form of one-end-supported beam which is bowed and formed upon the lever member. The probe is manufactured by forming a film of a material with low density and high elasticity on the silicon layer of an SOI substrate, then oxidizing part of the silicon layer and removing the oxidized portion to form a tip with the material as a so-called bird's beak, and finally the SOI substrate is worked to form the cantilever shape of the lever member. The probe can be used for an information recording/reproducing device with good traceability even in high speed scanning over a recording medium.

Abstract: A probe has a metal tip on a cantilever. A diffused layer made from a metal silicide is formed at an interface between the tip and the cantilever. In the diffused layer, a material for forming the cantilever and a material for forming the tip are diffused.