Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electronic component includes manufacturing a ceramic element including one pair of end surfaces and four side surfaces, forming external electrodes at both end portions of the ceramic element, measuring an initial characteristic value, determining any side surface to be machined among the four side surfaces and then determining, based on stored data, an amount of machining to be performed on the side surface to be machined, and machining, by the determined machining amount, the side surface of the ceramic element, which is determined to be machined, to be flush or substantially flush with the external electrodes.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a thermal recycling plant system includes a cooler cools coolant recycling thermal from coolant circulating in a load apparatus and which consumes energy while operating and a controller controls the cooler. The controller includes a calculator and a monitor. The calculator calculates an optimal temperature optimal for the coolant by optimization calculation for minimizing energy consumption under given conditions. The monitor monitors an operating state of the load apparatus to determine whether an abnormality exists in the load apparatus. The monitor controls the cooler to cool the coolant to a temperature lower than the optimal temperature calculated, on determining that an abnormality exists in the load apparatus.

Abstract: Provided is a photodetector including: an organic semiconductor (20) having protrusions; a metal layer (30) added onto the organic semiconductor (20), for promoting at least one of localized plasmon resonance and surface plasmon resonance in which electrons are excited through irradiation of detection light; and a semiconductor (40) forming a junction with the metal layer (30), for allowing electrons excited through the plasmon resonance to pass through the junction (40a) with the metal layer (30).

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a thermal recycling plant system includes a cooler cools coolant recycling thermal from coolant circulating in a load apparatus and which consumes energy while operating and a controller controls the cooler. The controller includes a calculator and a monitor. The calculator calculates an optimal temperature optimal for the coolant by optimization calculation for minimizing energy consumption under given conditions. The monitor monitors an operating state of the load apparatus to determine whether an abnormality exists in the load apparatus. The monitor controls the cooler to cool the coolant to a temperature lower than the optimal temperature calculated, on determining that an abnormality exists in the load apparatus.

Abstract: Provided is a scanning near-field optical microscope capable of obtaining, in a highly sensitive manner, optical information having a spatial frequency higher than a spatial frequency corresponding to a wavelength of irradiation light. A scanning near-field optical microscope 100 according to the present invention includes: a light irradiating part 102 for emitting illumination light toward a sample 107; a light receiving part 112 for receiving light; a microstructure for generating or selectively transmitting near-field light, the microstructure being disposed on at least one of an emission side of the light irradiating part 102 and an incident side of the light receiving part 112; and an ultrahigh-wavenumber transmitting medium 108 for transmitting near-field light, the ultrahigh-wavenumber transmitting medium exhibiting anisotropy in permittivity or permeability.

Abstract: An ultrahigh-wavenumber transmitting element has at least two anisotropic media having slopes of isofrequency curves complementary with each other. The at least two anisotropic media are layered so as to transmit ultrahigh wavenumber.

Abstract: A design supporting apparatus for a semiconductor device, includes an IR drop analyzing section configured to carry out an IR drop analysis on each of N (2 N) functional blocks, which operates independently on a semiconductor device, to generate an IR drop analysis result. An area of the semiconductor device is divided into small areas in a lattice. A mapping value generating section calculates a distribution of individual mapping values related to the small areas from the IR drop analysis result for each of the function blocks. A grouping section calculates a distribution of group mapping values from the distributions of individual mapping values for n (n?N) simultaneously operating functional blocks of the N functional blocks, and output group data indicative of the n simultaneously operating functional blocks when each of the group mapping values falls within a permission value.

Abstract: A test circuit connected between a test target circuit and a plurality of external terminals includes N first holding circuits to hold respectively N unit patterns produced by dividing an internal signal pattern to be input to or output from the test target circuit by N, where N is a natural number of two or greater, and a control circuit to make the internal signal pattern held in the N first holding circuits be changed selectively on a unit pattern basis based on a value of an identification signal assigned to each of the unit patterns beforehand, or to make the internal signal pattern held in the N first holding circuits be output selectively on a unit pattern basis based on the values of the identification signal.

Abstract: Provided is a scanning near-field optical microscope capable of obtaining in a highly sensitive manner, optical information having a spatial frequency higher than a spatial frequency corresponding to a wavelength of irradiation light. A scanning near-field optical microscope 100 according to the present invention includes: a light irradiating part 102 for emitting illumination light toward a sample 107; a light receiving part 112 for receiving light; a microstructure for generating or selectively transmitting near-field light, the microstructure being disposed on at least one of an emission side of the light irradiating part 102 and an incident side of the light receiving part 112; and an ultrahigh-wavenumber transmitting medium 108 for transmitting near-field light, the ultrahigh-wavenumber transmitting medium exhibiting anisotropy in permittivity or permeability.

Abstract: A combustion type driving tool including a combustion chamber frame which is provided in a housing, and can move in one direction and in the other direction thereby to define a combustion chamber when it has moved in the other direction, moving means which can select either of a manual operation valid state and a manual operation invalid state, and permits the combustion chamber frame to move in the other direction by manual operation, only in the manual operation valid state, and a link mechanism.

Abstract: A tip drive apparatus is capable to moving a tip unit toward an object, while holding the tip unit at a prescribed angle. The tip unit is formed on a support unit having flexibility and directed to the object at the prescribed angle. The tip drive apparatus includes a main unit configured to move the tip unit toward the object, while holding the tip unit at the prescribed angle, an operation module configured to instruct that the tip unit be moved, and an attachment member extending from the main unit and configured to be secured to a condenser lens of an inverted microscope.

Abstract: A tip, drive apparatus is capable to moving a tip unit toward an object, while holding the tip unit at a prescribed angle. The tip unit is formed on a support unit having flexibility and directed to the object at the prescribed angle. The tip drive apparatus includes a needle having a shaft to which the support unit on which the tip unit is formed, and an adaptor configured to hold the needle, enabling the needle to be replaced by another. The adaptor is configured to be able to change a positional relation with respect to the main unit of the tip drive apparatus, while the needle is being attached.

Abstract: A needle designed to be manipulated on a single cell includes a cantilever tip including a support unit and a tip unit formed at a prescribed angle to the support unit, and a shaft connected to the cantilever tip. The needle is attachable, via at least the shaft, to a tip drive apparatus capable of moving the tip unit in a prescribed direction.

Abstract: A tip drive apparatus is capable to moving a tip unit toward an object, while holding the tip unit at a prescribed angle. The tip unit is formed on a support unit having flexibility and directed to the object at the prescribed angle. The tip unit includes a contact side in a cross section including the distal end of the support unit and extending in the direction the support unit extends, the contact side configured to contact, at one part at least, the object, and to apply a prescribed pressure to the object. The tip unit further includes a first region including the contact side, and a second region continuous to the support unit.

Abstract: A tip drive apparatus includes a shaft to which a support unit on which a tip unit is formed, and a main unit configured to move the shaft, thereby to move the tip unit toward an object while remaining held at a prescribed angle. The shaft is arranged to meet four requirements including a first requirement of being prevented from contacting a condenser lens of an inverted microscope to which the main unit is attached, a second requirement of providing a region in which a distal end of the support unit is recognized, a third requirement of being prevented from contacting a sidewall of a dish for holding the object, and a fourth requirement of providing a region in which the dish moves relative to the tip unit.

Abstract: There is provided an ultrasonic dissection device for relatively removing a target biological object from other biological objects, the ultrasonic dissection device including an ultrasonic wave generation unit, an ultrasonic wave convergence unit, and a controller to control the ultrasonic wave generation unit.

Abstract: A combustion type driving tool including a combustion chamber frame which is provided in a housing, and can move in one direction and in the other direction thereby to define a combustion chamber when it has moved in the other direction, moving means which can select either of a manual operation valid state and a manual operation invalid state, and permits the combustion chamber frame to move in the other direction by manual operation, only in the manual operation valid state, and a link mechanism.

Abstract: In a vibration wave linear motor, a coupled driving contacting parts are respectively provided on the top and the bottom of a vibrator unit, and 2 upper and lower guide shafts which contact concave parts of the coupled driving contacting parts are supported by erecting parts of a supporting part. The lower guide shaft is pressed upward by spiral springs, so that the two guide shafts press and sandwich the vibrator. Alternating current voltages having different phases are applied to the vibrator unit, whereby the vibrator unit generates a vibration wave to generate elliptical rotation vibrations in the driving contacting parts. As a result, the vibrator, and the two guide shafts and the supporting part make a relative move in the shaft direction. Either the guide shafts or the vibrator is fixed, and the other is linked to an object to be driven.

Abstract: A test circuit connected between a test target circuit and a plurality of external terminals includes N first holding circuits to hold respectively N unit patterns produced by dividing an internal signal pattern to be input to or output from the test target circuit by N, where N is a natural number of two or greater, and a control circuit to make the internal signal pattern held in the N first holding circuits be changed selectively on a unit pattern basis based on a value of an identification signal assigned to each of the unit patterns beforehand, or to make the internal signal pattern held in the N first holding circuits be output selectively on a unit pattern basis based on the values of the identification signal.

Abstract: In a vibration wave linear motor, a coupled driving contacting parts are respectively provided on the top and the bottom of a vibrator unit, and 2 upper and lower guide shafts which contact concave parts of the coupled driving contacting parts are supported by erecting parts of a supporting part. The lower guide shaft is pressed upward by spiral springs, so that the two guide shafts press and sandwich the vibrator. Alternating current voltages having different phases are applied to the vibrator unit, whereby the vibrator unit generates a vibration wave to generate elliptical rotation vibrations in the driving contacting parts. As a result, the vibrator, and the two guide shafts and the supporting part make a relative move in the shaft direction. Either the guide shafts or the vibrator is fixed, and the other is linked to an object to be driven.